1. (1) A vehicle repair shop shall prepare an estimate of the cost of work the vehicle repair shop proposes to perform on a motor vehicle before beginning the work. The vehicle repair shop not later than before receiving final payment shall give a copy of the estimate, either as a separate document or in the form of an invoice, to the owner or the owner’s designee. The vehicle repair shop shall retain a copy of the estimate. The estimate, at a minimum, must:

   1. (a) Describe the general nature of the proposed work;
   2. (b) Divide the work into separate tasks, to the extent that the work may be divided into separate tasks; and

   3. (c) List:

      1. (A) The estimated cost of labor and the parts or component systems the vehicle repair shop proposes to replace;
      2. (B) The amount of any incidental charges; and
      3. (C) The total estimated cost, which may consist of a reasonable range.

2. (2) If a vehicle repair shop proposes to disassemble all or a portion of a motor vehicle or to remove parts or components of a motor vehicle in order to evaluate the condition of the motor vehicle for the purpose of recommending or proposing additional work, in addition to complying with the requirements shown in subsection (1) of this section, the estimate must:

   1. (a) List the total estimated cost of performing the disassembly and evaluation and a separate estimate of the cost for reassembly, assuming for the purpose of the estimate that the owner or owner’s designee elects not to proceed with work the vehicle repair shop may recommend or propose after evaluating the condition of the motor vehicle; and
   2. (b) State the estimated amount of time, calculated from the date on which the owner or owner’s designee authorizes the disassembly, evaluation and reassembly of the motor vehicle, that the vehicle repair shop would reasonably take to reassemble the motor vehicle if all necessary parts are available and if the owner or owner’s designee, on the day that the owner or owner’s designee receives the estimate, elects not to proceed with work the vehicle repair shop recommends or proposes after evaluating the condition of the motor vehicle.

[2009 c.133 §2]