Fight shady auto repair shops in any state

Every page below maps a specific mechanic scam to the exact state statute it violates — and generates the demand letter you need to force a refund, release of your vehicle, and recovery of unauthorized charges.

1,020 state-specific templates ready to deploy.

Unauthorized repairs

FTC's Unfair and Deceptive Practices doctrine treats unauthorized auto repairs as a per se deceptive trade practice.

Refusing to release your vehicle

An illegal mechanic's lien is conversion of personal property — a tort that exposes the shop to punitive damages.

Bait-and-switch pricing

Bait-and-switch is one of the FTC's enumerated deceptive practices and is independently actionable under every state UDAP statute.

Charging for work that was never performed

Phantom-billing in auto repair is criminal fraud under federal mail/wire fraud statutes when invoices are mailed or emailed.

No written estimate provided

Every state's auto repair act independently requires written estimates — a federal-style consumer protection norm enforced state by state.

Exceeding the estimate without consent

FTC and every state UDAP treat unauthorized overages as deceptive practices regardless of the shop's after-the-fact explanation.

Selling unnecessary services

FTC has repeatedly sued chain auto repair operators for systematically recommending unnecessary repairs — both consumer fraud and unfair business practice.

Fake or surprise diagnostic fees

Undisclosed mandatory fees are categorized as 'junk fees' under FTC and CFPB enforcement priorities.

Refusing to honor a warranty

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act makes any written shop warranty enforceable in federal court with attorney's fees on top.

Used or aftermarket parts billed as new OEM

FTC's parts disclosure rules require shops to identify used, rebuilt, or aftermarket parts on the invoice — concealment is deceptive trade practice.

Padded labor hours

FTC enforcement actions have treated systematic flat-rate inflation as deceptive business practice.

Threatening a mechanic's lien on disputed work

Threatening legal process the shop has no right to file is independently actionable under most state UDAPs.

Extortionate storage fees

FTC junk-fee guidance targets undisclosed and inflated post-service fees as deceptive practices.

Damaging your vehicle during repair

A bailee (the shop) is strictly liable for damage to bailed property (your car) absent proof of due care — basic common-law bailment doctrine.

Fraudulent emissions or safety inspection

EPA Clean Air Act provisions criminalize fraudulent emissions testing; state inspection programs add license penalties.

Refusing to return your old parts

Most state auto repair statutes give consumers a statutory right to demand the return of replaced parts — refusal is itself a violation.

Unreasonable delays and missed deadlines

Unreasonable delay is a breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in every state.

High-pressure upselling while car is in the bay

FTC's Cooling-Off and high-pressure-sales doctrines and most state UDAPs treat coercive in-bay sales tactics as unfair practices.

Fake 'shop fees' and 'supply charges'

FTC junk-fee rule targets exactly this kind of undisclosed surcharge in any consumer transaction.

Refusing to provide an itemized invoice

Every state auto repair act independently requires a final itemized invoice — federal FTC guidance treats withholding as deceptive.