MKB Juristen drafts custom legal documents
It is best not to cobble together or copy important contracts, terms and conditions, and other legal documents yourself. We help entrepreneurs on a budget with customized legal solutions, clear costs upfront, and practical explanations.
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Having general terms and conditions drafted for a garage or automotive business by a specialized SME lawyer typically costs between €400 and €1,200, depending on the complexity of your business. You pay for terms and conditions that align with your actual way of working (repair, maintenance, sales, damage repair) and that hold up against both consumers and business clients. Below is an explanation of what the process entails, what it costs, and when it is better to outsource it or not.
The short answer
- Costs: approximately €400 – €1,200 with an SME lawyer, depending on complexity.
- Turnaround time: usually 1 to 3 weeks from intake to final set.
- Process: intake regarding your working method, draft, feedback round, final version, and advice on delivery.
- When applicable: with own warranty or liability schemes, a mix of sales and repair, many business customers, or no BOVAG membership.
- When not: if you are a BOVAG member and properly apply and provide the standard terms and conditions.
Having general terms and conditions drawn up for a garage and car company: what does it cost?
The price depends on how versatile your business is. A garage that only performs maintenance and repairs for consumers has a simpler setup than a car company that also sells used cars, performs damage repairs through insurers, and manages fleets for business clients. Indication:
- Standard repair/maintenance: € 400 – € 650.
- Repair plus sale of used cars: € 650 – € 900.
- Complex (sales, damage repair, business customers, loan cars): € 900 – € 1.200.
Watch out for conspicuously low quotes: this is often a slightly modified standard model that is not tailored to your practice.
The process step by step
- Intake. The legal expert maps out your working methods: the type of work, the clients, quotation and additional work practices, warranty policy, use of the right of retention, and payment arrangements.
- Draft. You will receive a first version with the core provisions (quotation/additional work, warranty, liability, payment, right of retention).
- Feedback round. You discuss the concept and make adjustments where necessary based on how things actually work in the workshop.
- Final version. The terms and conditions are established, usually in a consumer and a business version or a single set with distinction.
- Provision. Advice on how to validate the terms and conditions: referring to them on quotations, work orders, and invoices, and providing them physically or digitally.
What you provide yourself
The better prepared you are, the more efficient and cheaper the process. Useful to provide:
- Your current quote, work order, and invoice.
- Any existing terms and conditions (even if they are outdated).
- A brief description of your services: repair, maintenance, sales, damage repair.
- Your warranty policy and payment arrangements as you currently apply them.
- Whether you are a BOVAG member and whether you work with loan cars or storage.
Having it drafted versus doing it yourself
Copying a template yourself seems cheap, but a generic set rarely fits a garage: the provisions regarding additional work, warranty, and right of retention require strict attention. An incorrect template will actually cost you money in the event of a dispute over an unpaid bill or a warranty claim. Having one drawn up pays off, especially when you deviate from the standard or work with expensive items and many customers. If you exclusively perform standard consumer work as a BOVAG member, the added value is limited.
What should you look for when choosing a lawyer?
- Experience with garages, automotive companies, or the mobility sector.
- Knowledge of consumer law and B2B, ensuring both types of clients are well managed.
- A fixed price upfront instead of an open hourly rate.
- Pay attention to the handing over; otherwise, your nice terms and conditions do not apply.
- Maintenance: are the terms and conditions updated if the law or your company changes?
Practical example
A car company expands from repairs to the sale of used cars and has its terms and conditions amended. The legal expert adds a separate purchase and warranty policy for consumers and a strict additional work clause for the workshop. Cost: €750. Six months later, a buyer disputes a defect; thanks to the warranty clause tailored to consumer purchases, the garage knows exactly where it stands and the dispute is resolved quickly. The investment pays for itself in just one avoided dispute.
Honest recommendation
You do not need a lawyer if you are a BOVAG member, only perform standard consumer work, and correctly apply and provide the BOVAG terms and conditions; in that case, an in-house review will suffice. Having them drafted pays off as soon as you deviate: your own warranty or liability arrangements, a mix of sales and repairs, many business clients, damage repair, or no membership. In that case, choose a lawyer with industry experience and a fixed price, and provide your current quotation, work order, and working method. This ensures you receive terms and conditions that fit how you *really* work, not an arbitrary template.
More background? View the general terms and conditions for garages and car companies, read what general terms and conditions for garages and car companies are and how best to draft.
Frequently Asked Questions
With a specialized SME lawyer, the cost is typically €400 – €1,200, depending on complexity. Standard repair and maintenance work is around €400 – €650; with the sale of used cars or many business clients, this rises to €900 – €1,200. Strikingly low quotes are often based on a generic model.
Usually 1 to 3 weeks: intake regarding your working method, a draft, a feedback round, and the final version with advice on delivery. Good preparation (providing the current quotation, work order, and working method) speeds up the process and reduces costs.
In five steps: an intake where the lawyer maps out your working method, a draft with the key provisions, a feedback round, the final version (often consumer and business variants), and advice on presentation on quotations, work orders, and invoices.
Your current quotation, work order, and invoice, any existing terms and conditions, a description of your services (repair, maintenance, sales, damage repair), your warranty and payment policy, and whether you are a BOVAG member and work with loan cars or storage. The more complete, the better the result.
For a simple standard situation, a template can be a starting point, but the provisions regarding additional work, warranty, and lien rights for a garage require careful attention. An incorrect template will cost you money in the event of a dispute. Having one drawn up pays off as soon as you deviate from the standard or work with many customers and expensive cars.
Based on experience with garages or the mobility sector, knowledge of both consumer law and B2B, a fixed price upfront, attention to the handover, and whether the terms and conditions are updated if the law or your company changes.
If you are a BOVAG member, perform exclusively standard consumer work, and correctly apply and provide the BOVAG terms and conditions, then verify yourself that you refer to the terms and conditions on quotations and work orders and provide them. As soon as you deviate from the standard, having them drawn up is recommended.
