How to Write a Job Card: Fields, Example and Mistakes

Everything that happens to a car in your workshop should be traceable to one document: the job card. It records what the customer asked for, the condition the vehicle arrived in, which parts were fitted, how much labour was spent and what the customer agreed to pay. This guide covers the fields a job card needs, shows a filled-in example, explains how an estimate becomes an approved job and lists the mistakes that most often lead to arguments at the counter.

What a job card is for

A job card (also called a repair order or work order) is the written record of a vehicle’s visit, from check-in to handover. It does three jobs at once:

• An instruction for the workshop. The technician reads from it what to inspect, what to replace and what the customer is worried about.
• An agreement with the customer. The work and the expected price are settled on it before the spanners come out.
• A record for the business. The invoice, the stock movements, warranty questions and any later dispute all go back to it.

A weak job card usually shows up at handover: “I only asked for an oil change”, “that scratch wasn’t there”, “nobody told me it would cost this much”. Each of those sentences points to a field that was left empty.

The fields every job card needs

Customer and vehicle

• Customer: full name or company name and a mobile number. For business customers who need a tax invoice, add their tax registration number (for example a TRN in the UAE or a VAT number in the UK).
• Plate number: the fastest way to find a vehicle, but not enough on its own, because plates move between cars and owners.
• Chassis number (VIN): copy all 17 characters from the registration card. It is what you order parts against and what ties the service history to the right car.
• Make, model, year and engine.

Condition at check-in

• Odometer reading: write it exactly as shown on the dashboard, in kilometres or miles. Service intervals and warranty claims depend on it.
• Fuel level: a quarter, half, full. It ends the “the tank was full when I left it” conversation.
• Existing damage: scratches, dents, a cracked light, missing floor mats or spare wheel. The most reliable method is to photograph all four sides and the dashboard and attach the photos.
• Valuables left in the car: hand them back or note them.

Complaint and first diagnosis

• Customer complaint: in the customer’s own words, for example “squealing from the front right when braking”. Do not interpret it yet.
• First diagnosis: what the technician finds on inspection, for example “front right pad worn to the backing plate, disc within limits”. Keeping the complaint and the diagnosis in separate fields makes it easy to explain later why each job was done.

Lines and amounts

• Parts: description, brand or OEM number, quantity and unit price.
• Labour: the operation and either the hours or a fixed price. Keep labour on its own lines instead of hiding it inside part prices.
• Discount and tax: say clearly whether prices include VAT, and show the subtotal, the tax and the total separately.

Responsibility, handover and approval

• Technician: who did the work, so you know whom to ask if the car comes back.
• Promised date and time for collection.
• Customer approval: name, date and signature, given against the amount written on the job card.

A filled-in example

The example below is for a car booked in for a minor service with a brake noise complaint at a garage in Dubai. Names and figures are illustrative; amounts are in AED with 5% VAT.

At the bottom sits a line such as “I authorise the work above at the stated price”, with the customer’s name, the date and a signature. Any extra work found later needs a fresh approval.

From estimate to customer approval

When a fault has to be diagnosed first, the job card starts life as an estimate (a quote). The order that avoids trouble is:

1. Check the vehicle in and record the complaint and its condition.
2. The technician inspects it and the parts and labour lines are added.
3. The estimate goes to the customer with the total and the expected completion time.
4. If the customer approves, work starts; if they decline or accept only part of it, the estimate is revised.
5. If another fault turns up during the job, the extra lines are approved separately.

A “fine, go ahead” on the phone is easily forgotten on a busy day and argued about at collection. A practical way to get approval in writing is to send the customer a link to the estimate. In Baktam you can create an approval link from the job card and send it to the customer, for example on WhatsApp; the customer opens it on their phone without an account, reviews the lines and either approves with their name and a signature or declines with a note. The link expires after a set number of days, and if the job card total changes after the link was sent, the old link can no longer be approved, so the customer always agrees to the current price.

Job card statuses

Everyone in the workshop should see at a glance where each job stands. A simple flow that works:

• Quote: lines are ready, waiting for the customer’s approval.
• In Service: approved, the car is being worked on.
• Completed: the work is done and checked; call the customer.
• Delivered: the car has been handed back and payment taken or put on the customer’s account.

You also need Cancelled: if the customer takes the car away unrepaired, the job card is cancelled, not deleted. Baktam follows exactly this flow. An estimate approved through the link moves to In Service on its own, cancelling a job card returns its parts to stock, and a delivered job card cannot be reopened, so the record stays as it was when the car left. If you want to see how this looks in practice, our page on job card software walks through it.

Common mistakes

• Skipping mileage and fuel. The two easiest fields are the ones most often left blank.
• No check-in photos. A workshop that does not record existing damage looks as if it caused it.
• Writing the complaint in workshop language. “Tracking out” is a diagnosis; “the steering pulls to the right” is the complaint. Record both.
• Doing extra work without approval. However small, every additional line needs a yes first.
• One line for everything. “Brake service: 650” makes customers suspicious and makes stock control impossible.
• No technician on the card. When the car comes back under warranty, nobody knows who did the job.

Good habits that prevent disputes

A job card is the written form of your agreement with the customer, so its scope, price and approval must be clear. The points below are general good practice, not legal advice; for a specific case, ask a lawyer or your accountant.

• Do not exceed the approved amount. If the price will rise, stop and get a new approval.
• Keep the old parts. Showing the worn pads at handover builds trust.
• Match the invoice to the job card. The lines should be the same; differences cause trouble with bookkeeping and warranty.
• Handle personal data with care. Collect only the contact and tax details the job needs, and do not leave job cards where anyone can read them.
• Archive by plate and VIN. A searchable history saves time on the next visit.

You can start with a paper form. As volume grows, the easiest way to fill in every field every time is job card software that keeps the vehicle, the lines, the approval and the history together. Whichever you use, make these fields a habit on every job card.