You hand over your keys, a guy in a uniform shoves a paper at you, and you sign. That paper is your job card. It is also the document that determines exactly how much you will pay when you come to pick up your car.
Reading it properly takes five minutes. Not reading it can cost you two thousand rupees or more in unnecessary work.
Here is what every section actually means.
What Is a Job Card?
A job card (also called a repair order or service order) is the official record of everything the service centre plans to do to your car. Once you sign it, you are authorising all those jobs. Any additions require your approval, but in practice service advisors often call you mid-day to add items verbally, and most people say yes without thinking.
The job card is your contract. Treat it like one.
The Key Sections to Check
1. Customer Complaints / Defects Reported
This is where your specific complaints should be listed. If you came in because of a vibration at highway speed, it should say exactly that. If it is vague or missing, the service centre can later claim they never knew about your complaint.
What to do: Read every complaint listed. Make sure nothing is missing. Add it yourself if the advisor has skipped something you mentioned.
2. Recommended / Suggested Jobs
This is the danger zone. These are items the service centre is recommending beyond your stated complaints. Common entries here include engine flush, fuel system cleaning, battery check (leading to a battery replacement recommendation), AC service, and coolant top-up.
Some of these may be legitimate. Many are not. The question to ask for each item: is this in my manufacturer's service schedule for this mileage, or is this extra?
What to do: Ask for the specific reason for every recommended job. "We suggest it" is not a reason. "Your air filter is at 20,000 km and due for replacement per the service manual" is a reason.
3. Parts to Be Used
Each part should be listed with a part number (ideally) and a price. Check whether the parts are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), OES (Original Equipment Supplier), or aftermarket. Dealers typically use OEM parts. Some multi-brand garages mix in cheaper alternatives.
What to do: If you are at an authorised dealer, ask whether all parts are genuine. If you are at an independent garage, ask specifically about critical parts like brake pads, filters, and belts.
4. Labour Charges
Labour is often where the real inflation happens. Service centres list labour hours for each job and charge a rate per hour. That rate varies widely: from around ₹300/hour at independent garages to ₹1,200/hour or more at premium dealerships.
Some items have fixed labour charges regardless of time. Others are billed by time, and the time estimates can be padded.
What to do: For major jobs, ask how long they expect the work to take. Compare the total labour figure against a rough estimate of parts cost to see if something looks out of proportion.
5. Final Estimate vs Final Bill
The job card is an estimate. The final bill can differ. Legitimate reasons for differences: a part was not available and had to be sourced, or additional damage was found during the job. Illegitimate reasons: surprise additions that were never discussed.
What to do: Explicitly tell the service advisor that you want a call before any work is added to the original estimate. Get this confirmed.
Red Flags to Spot Before Signing
- Vague line items like "engine treatment" or "system cleaning" with no specifics
- Mileage-based recommendations that do not match your actual odometer reading
- AC service being recommended in winter or when AC is working fine
- Tyre rotation recommended if the car came in for a completely unrelated issue
- Oil grade listed differently from what your owner's manual specifies
What to Do With the Signed Copy
Ask for your copy of the job card and keep it. When you pick up the car, compare the final invoice line by line against it. Any item on the invoice that was not on the original job card should have been pre-approved by you on the phone. If it was not, you can refuse to pay for it.
This rarely happens when you are paying attention. That is the point.
If you want a faster way to check your job card before signing, upload a photo at FairBill.in. The AI flags every line item as RED (remove), YELLOW (negotiate), or GREEN (legitimate) with the exact words to use at the counter. Takes about 30 seconds.