Rani Day Auto Repair

After spending a ton of my life owning/operating auto and equipment repair businesses I would like to offer the best advice I have for someone new to it.

DON"T take every job that comes along. (this will eat up your time and cause you grief)
It's tempting to do exactly this, but try to only take the jobs you are comfortable with or like doing.
Tell the rest that you just don't have the time at the moment.

The other is documentation.
Get signatures for authorized work, and use phone authorization for when the owner can't be there to sign.
A phone auth consists of calling the owner of the vehicle and getting an ok for added items to the job that were not anticipated before you start the job.
Document the time, date, reason for the revision to the work order, and who you spoke with. (this one has saved my butt a few times.)

Example:
I had a guy that needed a new engine (Honda) and I did the swap for him.
He called a couple of days later and said he had an oil leak, so I told him to get it back to me ASAP and lets see whats up with it.
We made three different appointments and he never showed up for any of them, saying he was just too busy to get it in.
Next thing I know he is trying to sue me for the entire job because he was driving to work one day and the oil light came on.
He was "such a busy guy he just didn't have time to stop" (what he told the judge) so he kept going and of course blew up the motor.
The ONLY reason I didn't have to eat that entire job was that I kept records of all the phone calls and appointments he didn't keep.

He also told the judge that I would only accept cash and never gave him reciepts for anything, but I had every peice of paper that he signed in triplicate, as well as every appointment he missed along with his excuse why, all documented.

People will try pulling some messed up stuff for money, and it's amazing how small of an amount they will sell thier soul for.