pf-repair-estimates v1.1

Generate professional, regulatory-compliant repair estimates with parts markup, labor totals, and state-specific authorization notices in 3 minutes — included with your subscription.

Independent auto repair shops pay $150–440/month for Mitchell 1, Tekmetric, or ShopWare primarily to produce estimate documents. This plugin is an alternative to that workflow completely for shops that just need great estimates — with built-in compliance for state written estimate laws, FTC parts disclosure, and Magnuson-Moss warranty requirements.

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Installation

1. Download the pf-repair-estimates.plugin file
2. Open Claude Desktop and navigate to Settings > Plugins
3. Click Install Plugin and select the downloaded .plugin file
4. The plugin will be installed and available immediately

Note: All data stays local on your machine. No external API calls or cloud storage required.

Why This Exists

Writing estimates by hand in Excel is slow and error-prone. Full shop management suites cost $2,148–6,000/yr. Most small shops (1–3 bays) need the estimate document — not the CRM, scheduling stack, and payment processing that come with it.

pf-repair-estimates handles the estimate workflow end-to-end: collect vehicle info → apply markup → generate a professional DOCX with regulatory compliance → log and archive. Data is processed within the Cowork environment.

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Quick Start

1. Install the plugin in Cowork
2. Run setup once: /repair-estimates:setup — enter your shop info, state, labor rate, markup %, tax rate, and fee schedule
3. Create estimates: /repair-estimates:run — guided intake with parts condition tracking, instant document
4. Review the generated DOCX in outbound/ and get customer signature
5. Check history: /repair-estimates:status

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Commands

Command	What It Does
/repair-estimates:setup	One-time initialization — folders, config, template, state law selection
/repair-estimates:run	Full pipeline — intake → calculate → document → log
/repair-estimates:new-estimate	Intake only — collect vehicle, customer, parts (with condition), labor
/repair-estimates:calculate	Apply markup, compute totals with profitability analysis
/repair-estimates:generate-doc	Produce the DOCX with compliance sections
/repair-estimates:log	Append to CSV log with compliance tracking
/repair-estimates:status	Workspace health, recent estimates, orphan detection
/repair-estimates:recover	Resume or discard an interrupted estimate session

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How It Works

Each estimate moves through 4 stages:

Intake → Calculate → Generate Doc → Log & Archive

All intermediate data lives in processing/. Finished estimates go to outbound/. The CSV log at outbound/estimates-log.csv opens in Excel or Google Sheets.

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What It's an Alternative To

Tool	Annual Cost
Mitchell 1 Manager SE	$2,400–6,000/yr (quote-based)
Tekmetric	$2,148–5,268/yr
ShopWare	$2,688+/yr
pf-repair-estimates	included with your subscription

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Key Differentiators

• Included with your subscription — no monthly subscription
• Regulatory compliance built-in — state law citations, FTC parts disclosure, warranty notices
• Data stays local — customer data processed within the Cowork environment
• Customizable template — edit the DOCX template to add your logo, change fonts, adjust layout
• No lock-in — standard DOCX and CSV outputs work anywhere

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Feature Comparison

Feature	pf-repair-estimates	Mitchell 1	Tekmetric	ShopWare
Estimate generation	✅	✅	✅	✅
Parts markup calculation	✅	✅	✅	✅
Parts condition disclosure (FTC)	✅	✅	✅	✅
State-specific authorization notice	✅	✅	✅	✅
Aftermarket warranty notice	✅	⚠️	⚠️	⚠️
ASE repair category classification	✅	✅	⚠️	⚠️
Shop supplies fee tracking	✅	✅	✅	✅
Environmental/disposal fees	✅	✅	✅	✅
VIN structure validation	✅	✅	✅	✅
Profitability analysis (AMI benchmarks)	✅	✅	✅	⚠️
Compliance tracking in CSV log	✅	⚠️	⚠️	⚠️
Estimate history log (CSV/Excel)	✅	✅	✅	✅
Live parts catalog/pricing	❌	✅	✅	✅
Labor time guide	❌	✅	⚠️	⚠️
Digital e-signatures	❌	⚠️	✅	✅
Scheduling & work orders	❌	✅	✅	✅
Annual cost	included	$2,400–6,000	$2,148–5,268	$2,688+
Local data processing	✅	⚠️	❌	❌
Customizable template	✅	✅	✅	✅

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AI-Powered Features

• State Law Compliance: Auto-selects and cites the correct written estimate statute for your state (FL §559.905, CA BAR §9884.9, NY VTL §398-d, TX Occ. Code §2305.151, and more)
• FTC Parts Disclosure: Tracks and displays parts condition (NEW/USED/REBUILT/RECONDITIONED/REMANUFACTURED) per 16 CFR Part 20
• Magnuson-Moss Warranty Notice: Automatically includes aftermarket parts warranty protection notice per 15 USC §2301
• ASE Repair Classification: Auto-detects repair category (A1-A9) from diagnosis for tiered labor rate guidance
• Profitability Analysis: Compares parts margin against AMI industry benchmarks (45-55% target) with warnings
• VIN Validation: Validates Vehicle Identification Numbers against ISO 3779 / 49 CFR Part 565 structure
• Smart Tax Calculation: Applies state-specific rules (parts-only vs parts+labor tax) automatically
• Environmental Fee Tracking: Prompts for applicable EPA disposal fees based on repair type
• Shop Supplies Calculation: Industry-standard 3-8% fee with separate line-item disclosure
• Regulatory Audit Trail: CSV log includes compliance tracking columns for record retention

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Estimated Cost per Use

Disclaimer: Token estimates are approximate and based on typical usage patterns measured from skill prompt sizes. Actual costs vary with input data size, conversation length, and complexity. Estimates use Claude Sonnet 4.6 pricing ($3/1M input, $15/1M output). Cowork and Claude Desktop subscription users (Pro/Max/Team) are not charged per-token — these estimates apply only to direct Anthropic API usage. Running stages individually in fresh sessions uses fewer input tokens than running the full pipeline sequentially, because pipeline mode accumulates conversation history across stages.

Per skill (run individually in a fresh session):

Stage	Skill Prompt	User Input	Total Input	Output	Est. Cost
repair-estimates-intake	~2.8K	~800	~6.4K	~3.0K	~$0.06
repair-estimates-calculate	~3.1K	~800	~6.8K	~3.1K	~$0.07
repair-estimates-generate-doc	~3.0K	~800	~6.7K	~6.0K	~$0.11
repair-estimates-log-csv	~1.9K	~800	~5.6K	~3.0K	~$0.06
repair-estimates-archive	~1.2K	~800	~4.8K	~3.0K	~$0.06
Standalone total			~30.3K	~18.1K	~$0.36

Full pipeline (all stages in one session — context accumulates):

Stage	Base Input	+ History	Total Input	Output	Est. Cost
repair-estimates-intake	~6.6K	0	~6.6K	~3.0K	~$0.06
repair-estimates-calculate	~6.9K	~3.8K	~10.7K	~3.1K	~$0.08
repair-estimates-generate-doc	~6.8K	~7.7K	~14.5K	~6.0K	~$0.13
repair-estimates-log-csv	~5.7K	~14.5K	~20.3K	~3.0K	~$0.11
repair-estimates-archive	~5.0K	~18.3K	~23.4K	~3.0K	~$0.12
Pipeline total			~75.5K	~18.1K	~$0.50

Running the full pipeline once typically costs $0.35–$0.65 in API tokens (Claude Sonnet 4.6).

Known Limitations & Workarounds

1. No live parts pricing — Enter your supplier cost; the plugin applies your markup. Look up pricing from your NAPA/O'Reilly account before intake.
2. Single markup rate per estimate — All parts use the same markup %. For warranty/used-part pricing, adjust cost_each to reflect intended sell price and set markup to 0%.
3. Single labor rate per estimate — Flat-rate and tiered labor not supported. For mixed-rate jobs, use a blended hourly rate.
4. No e-signatures — Estimate includes a signature line for wet authorization. Satisfies state written authorization requirements when signed.
5. No scheduling or work orders — Estimate generation only. Use your existing calendar.
6. No VIN decode — VIN structure validated per ISO 3779 but no NHTSA lookup for vehicle details. VIN entered manually.
7. No live labor time guide — Reference Mitchell 1/AllData/Chilton book time; enter your own labor hours.

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Context & Performance Guide

Session management: Each estimate run uses ~27K tokens — well within a fresh session's capacity. You can create 4–5 estimates per session without context pressure.

Data volume: Parts lists of up to 50 line items work without issue. Diagnosis notes of any length are accepted.

Degradation signals: If Claude begins truncating parts lists or dropping diagnosis notes, start a new session and use /repair-estimates:recover to resume.

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Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• python-docx (auto-installed by setup)
• openpyxl (auto-installed by setup, needed for XLSX parts upload)
• Cowork desktop app

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Important Disclaimers

• AI-Generated Content: This plugin uses AI (LLM) technology which can produce inaccurate or incomplete outputs. All content should be treated as a starting point and reviewed for accuracy before use.
• Not Legal Advice: Regulatory citations and compliance features are for informational guidance only. This plugin does not guarantee compliance with any state or federal law. Consult your state Bureau of Automotive Repair or a qualified attorney for jurisdiction-specific requirements.
• Not Financial or Tax Advice: Markup benchmarks, profitability analysis, and tax calculations are for estimation purposes only. Consult a qualified CPA for tax and financial decisions. Tax rules vary by jurisdiction and change frequently.
• No Endorsement or Affiliation: References to ASE, AMI, Mitchell 1, AllData, Chilton, NAPA, or other organizations do not imply endorsement, partnership, or certification by those entities.
• Verify All Outputs: Review every estimate for accuracy before presenting to customers. AI-calculated totals should be verified against your own records.