In a recent case a customer took their vehicle in for repairs.  They asked for certain work to be done which was completed and paid for.  Unfortunately, the garage also carried out repairs that were necessary but which had not been asked for or authorised by the customer.

The customer was upset at not having been asked if they wanted those repairs done. Even though the repairs were necessary the customer may have preferred to delay carrying them out or to have taken the vehicle elsewhere.

In these circumstances the customer is not obliged to pay for the work.  They have not requested it and it was not implied that they wanted the work done.

The garage should have contacted the customer and got approval for the extra work before commencing it. At the worst this would have saved them the costs of carrying out work not paid for and preserved their relationship with the customer.  They may have been given the go ahead … they only needed to ask.