Terms of service
These terms explain how we work: what a quote means before the car has been inspected, when work starts, what happens if we find a second fault, which parts carry a warranty and which do not, and where our responsibility ends. They apply to every job we take on, doorstep or workshop.
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Who these terms are between
They are between Islamabad Car Mechanic, described here as we or us, and the person who asks us to inspect, service or repair a vehicle, described here as you.
By booking a job you confirm that you own the vehicle or that you have the authority of whoever does. Where a vehicle belongs to an employer, a leasing company or a family member, it is your responsibility to have their agreement before authorising work on it.
Nothing on this website is a contract on its own. A contract exists once we have agreed a job with you and you have approved the price for it.
Quotes are estimates until the car is inspected
Any figure we give before a technician has seen the vehicle is an estimate. It is based on what you have described and on what that symptom usually turns out to be. It is not a fixed price, and we will always say which kind of number you are being given.
An estimate can move once the car is in front of us, in either direction. Two cars of the same model and year can need different work for the same complaint, because one has been maintained and one has not.
A firm price is given after the inspection. It covers the work described in it, the parts listed in it, and nothing else. Prices include the parts and the labour stated; where a diagnosis fee applies we tell you before the inspection, and we say clearly whether it is absorbed into the repair if you go ahead.
A firm price is open for a reasonable period. Parts pricing here moves with exchange rates and availability, so if a quote sits unanswered for a long time we may need to re-check the parts cost before starting. We will tell you if that happens rather than adjust it silently.
Diagnosis
Most jobs begin with a diagnosis, because a repair chosen without one is a guess that you pay for. A diagnosis may involve road testing the vehicle, connecting a scan tool, removing covers or panels for access, or running the engine under load.
Some faults are intermittent. A car that misbehaves once a week in traffic may behave perfectly for an hour in a workshop. Where that happens we will tell you honestly that we could not reproduce it, describe what we ruled out, and let you decide what to do next. We will not replace parts speculatively and call it a repair.
Diagnosis can also show that the sensible answer is not a repair at all. If the cost of putting a car right exceeds what the car is worth to you, we will say so.
Work starts only when you approve it
No repair begins until you have been told what is wrong, what it costs and what the options are, and have agreed. Approval can be given in person, by phone, by message or in writing. We record it against the job either way.
You can approve part of a quote and decline the rest. If a list of four items includes one that is urgent and three that can wait, you are entitled to say yes to the one. We will tell you which is which and whether declining anything makes the car unsafe.
The only exception is genuine emergency work needed to prevent immediate danger or further damage, for example securing a part that is about to detach. Even then we will attempt to reach you first, and we will tell you what was done and why at the earliest opportunity.
If we find something else
Stripping one component often exposes another. A leaking seal appears once a cover is off. A bush is found to be split while the arm is already out. This is normal, and it is not a reason to silently enlarge the bill.
When it happens we stop and contact you. You are told what we found, whether it is urgent or can be left, what it would cost to put right, and whether doing it now saves labour because the area is already open. Then you decide. A new fault is a new conversation, not an amendment to the invoice.
If we cannot reach you, the work pauses at that point. We will not proceed on an assumption about what you would have said.
Parts, grades and what carries a warranty
We source four grades of part, and we tell you which one is going into your car before it does.
- Genuine. Supplied in the box of the company that built the car. Carries the parts warranty offered for it, which we state on your invoice.
- OEM. Made by the factory that supplies the manufacturer, sold under the supplier name. Carries the parts warranty offered by that supplier, stated on your invoice.
- Aftermarket. Made independently. Quality varies by brand, which is why we name the brand. Warranty depends on the brand, and where one is offered it is stated on your invoice.
- Used. Removed from another vehicle. Often the only realistic option for body panels, discontinued components and older electronics. Used parts do not carry a parts warranty. We will say so before you agree to one.
A parts warranty covers the part failing. It does not cover damage caused by an unrelated fault, by an accident, by continued driving after a warning, or by modification. Where a part fails within its warranty we handle the claim with the supplier on your behalf.
Our own workmanship is covered separately. If a job we did was not done correctly, bring the car back and we put it right at our cost. The period that applies is stated on your invoice. Ask us for the old parts if you want them, and we will hand them back.
Parts you supply yourself
You are welcome to buy your own parts and have us fit them. We charge for the labour in the normal way, and the following applies.
- There is no parts warranty from us on a part we did not source. We have no way to verify where it came from, what it is, or what it has already been through.
- If the part turns out to be wrong for the vehicle, faulty, or of a quality we are not prepared to put on a customer car, we will stop and tell you. The labour spent up to that point is still chargeable, and we will say so before we start rather than after.
- If a part you supplied fails and damages something else, that damage is not ours to cover.
- Sourcing, collecting and returning a part you bought is not part of the job unless we agree it separately.
None of this is discouragement. On an older car, a part you already own can be the right answer. It simply changes who carries the risk on that part, and you should know that before the work starts.
Work done at your location
For a doorstep visit we need somewhere the technician can work safely: reasonably level ground, enough room around the vehicle, and permission from whoever controls the space. Basement parking with low clearance, sloped driveways and busy roadsides are sometimes not workable, and the technician will say so on arrival rather than attempt an unsafe repair.
Please make sure the vehicle is accessible at the agreed time and that the keys are available. If a visit cannot go ahead because the car is locked, absent or unreachable, a call-out charge may still apply, and we will have told you the figure before anyone was sent.
Weather can stop outdoor work. Where it does, we reschedule or move the job to a workshop, and we will not charge you twice for the same visit.
Leaving a vehicle with us
Please remove valuables, documents and personal belongings before leaving a vehicle. We take reasonable care of what is in the car, but items left inside are left at your risk.
We will tell you when the vehicle is ready. Please collect it, or arrange delivery with us, within a reasonable time of being told. Space in a workshop is finite, and a completed car occupying a bay is a car somebody else cannot be helped in.
Where a vehicle is left well beyond that point, a storage charge may apply. We will tell you the figure and the date it starts before it begins to accrue, never afterwards. If a vehicle is abandoned with an unpaid invoice, we will write to the contact details we hold before taking any further step, and we will follow whatever the law requires of us.
Vehicles are driven only as far as the work requires, principally road testing to confirm a fault or to confirm a repair.
Payment
Payment is due on completion of the work unless we have agreed something different in writing, for example an account arrangement for fleet customers. The accepted payment methods are confirmed when the job is booked.
Some jobs need a deposit before they start, usually where a part has to be ordered specially and cannot be returned. Where that applies we will say so at quote stage, not on the day.
Your invoice itemises parts and labour separately, names the parts grade used, and states any warranty that applies. If anything on it does not match what you agreed, tell us before you pay and we will go through it with you.
Cancelling or rescheduling
You can cancel or move a booking. Tell us as early as you reasonably can, because a slot released in time goes to somebody else and a slot released on the hour does not.
Cancelling before any work has started costs you nothing beyond a call-out charge where a technician has already travelled to you, and any diagnosis already carried out.
Once work is under way, cancelling means paying for the labour already done and for any part that has been fitted or specially ordered and cannot be returned. We will tell you where that line sits at the moment you ask, so you can make the decision with the figure in front of you.
We may also cancel, for example where a job turns out to need equipment or a specialist we do not have. If we do, you pay only for work genuinely completed, and we will point you towards someone who can finish it.
What we are and are not responsible for
We are responsible for the work we carry out and for damage caused by our own negligence while carrying it out. If we break something, we fix it.
We are not responsible for pre-existing faults we were not asked to repair and did not agree to repair; for faults that develop elsewhere on the vehicle afterwards and are unrelated to our work; for corroded, seized or brittle components that fail on removal despite reasonable care, which is a normal hazard on older vehicles and one we will warn you about where we can foresee it; for a failure caused by a part you supplied; or for work carried out by somebody else before or after us.
We are not responsible for indirect losses such as lost earnings, missed appointments, hire vehicle costs or lost time. Our responsibility for any job is limited to the amount you paid for that job, except where the law does not permit such a limit, which includes death or personal injury caused by negligence.
Nothing in these terms removes rights the law gives you as a consumer.
If something goes wrong
Tell us first, and tell us early. Most complaints about a repair are resolved fastest by the people who did it, with the car in front of them. Bring it back, or send us a message through the contact form with your invoice or reference to hand.
We will look at it properly rather than defensively. Where the fault is ours, we put it right at our cost. Where it is not, we will explain what we found and why, and we will show you.
General
These terms are governed by the law of Pakistan, and disputes are for the courts of Pakistan.
If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest of them continue to apply.
We may update these terms. The version that applies to your job is the one published when you approved the work, and the date at the top of this page tells you which that is.
How we handle the information you give us is covered separately in our privacy policy.
Last updated: 20 September 2026