Wartungsheft
Understanding your garage invoice: what the items mean
A garage invoice is often two pages long and full of abbreviations. If you can read it, you can spot mistakes, compare garages and later have a clean record for the service book.
The typical items
Labour. Working time is charged either by the time actually spent or by labour units (Arbeitswerte, AW). Labour units are standard times set by the car brands for specific maintenance and repair jobs (Wikipedia). Multiplied by the garage's hourly rate, they give the price. According to the TCS, both the hourly rates and the labour units can differ from garage to garage (TCS).
Hourly rate. According to Figas, the motor trade's fiduciary company, the Swiss average is around 160 francs per hour, compared with about 132 francs in 2007; around Zurich, Geneva and Bern the rates are higher (Nau, 2024).
Materials and spare parts. Each part with part number, quantity and price. For oil, the price per litre is shown: in 2021 Blick reported on a garage that charged 5.5 litres at CHF 32.77 each, while the same litre cost around CHF 20 online (Blick). The price per litre is therefore one of the items where comparing pays off.
Flat-rate charges. Small materials, disposal or environmental fees often appear as a separate line. Ask what they are for if they seem high to you.
VAT. The standard rate has been 8.1 per cent since 2024 (ESTV). Check whether the items are listed net or gross; the total including VAT is the amount you pay.
What must be on the invoice
A garage registered for VAT must state on the invoice its name, location and VAT number, your name and location, the date, the type and scope of the service, as well as the price, tax rate and tax amount (Art. 26 MWSTG). The mileage is not mandatory, but it is usually included. Make sure it is correct: later on, it is the proof that your odometer has not been tampered with.
Estimate: how much more is acceptable?
If an approximate estimate is exceeded disproportionately through no fault of yours, you may withdraw from the contract (Art. 375 CO). The law does not give a percentage. As a rule of thumb, up to ten per cent is considered acceptable (Beobachter), and the TCS likewise gives ten per cent for garages in justified cases (TCS form).
The safest option is a maximum amount: the TCS advises agreeing on one when placing the order. If it is exceeded, the garage must contact you first (TCS).
Work you did not order
If a garage carries out repairs without an order, you can refuse to pay, and the garage has to prove what was ordered (SRF Espresso). That is why a written order is worthwhile. Together with the motor trade association, the TCS offers the form «Auftrag an den Garagisten» (order to the garage) for this (TCS). Afterwards, compare the invoice with the prices that the garage must display.
If the repair is defective
Check the car as soon as possible after collecting it and report defects immediately, otherwise the work is deemed accepted (ACS). Claims for defects become time-barred two years after acceptance (Art. 371 CO).
If you do not pay, the garage may in principle keep the car until the invoice has been settled (Saldo). In a dispute over the invoice, it is therefore worth getting legal advice before the situation escalates.
Keep the invoice
Every garage invoice is a piece of vehicle history. It proves servicing in a warranty case and mileage when you sell, and at the end of the year it shows you what the car has cost. How much that comes to in total is shown in the guide How much does a car cost per year in Switzerland?