The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates motor vehicle repair shops in Florida. We contacted them about if there is a maximum hourly rate amount body shops or mechanics can charge either to a person personally paying for a car repairs or charge to an insurance company. The representative from their Bureau of Compliance responded no.
There is not a maximum dollar amount limit that a repair shop can charge as an hourly rate in Florida. The Division of Consumer Services notes that all policies (labor rates, diagnostic fees, guarantees, methods of payment, etc.) should be posted and/or explained to your satisfaction when you start a repair job with them.
Before you decide to bring your car in for any service or repair, you can call the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services toll-free hotline, 1-800-HELP-FLA, to check out that repair company's complaint history (if any).
In FL there is the Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act in effect which requires anyone who, for compensation, engages in the repair of motor vehicles owned by other persons, to register biennially with the Department.
The Florida Motor Vehicle Repair Act was created to assist consumers with matters relating to motor vehicle repair shops. The act applies to dealers of new and used cars, trucks and motorcycles; garages; service stations; self-employed persons; truck stops; and paint, body, brake, muffler, transmission, mobile repair and glass shops.
You can read more about the FL Motor Vehicle Repair Act and your consumer rights when getting a car repaired going on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' website.
If your car is being repaired due to damages sustained in an auto accident you have other rights.According to the Florida Department of Financial Services (FLDFS), the insurance regulator for FL, you have the right, based upon your contract, to select the repair shop to repair your automobile after an accident.
If you choose to use a repair shop recommended by the insurance company, the insurance company usually will stand by the completed repairs. The insurance company must provide you with a copy of the repair shop estimate used to determine the settlement amount.
You may find that the written estimate provided by the insurance company does not meet the written cost estimate provided to you by the repair shop. If so, your insurance company has three options:
- Pay the difference
- Negotiate an agreed upon amount with the repair shop or
- Refer you to a reputable repair shop that will repair the damages for the written estimate provided by the insurance company.
The insurance company must repair your automobile with parts at least equal in kind and quality to the original parts. For example, today’s vehicles have structural members made of high-strength, low-alloy steel. An accident may damage these structural members beyond a certain predetermined amount. If so, the repair work has to restore the structural integrity designed for the safety of the driver and passengers.
For more information on your rights if an insurance company is involved in the repairing of vehicle due to an auto accident you can contact the FLDFS for consumer help.