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Car intake: the photo and the signature, before the work

The photo. The signature. Before the work.

Every studio with a year of trading has paid for a repaint, or given a goodwill discount, over a scratch that was on the car before it ever entered the bay. The client is not necessarily lying: they only notice it now, in the good light after a polish. Without evidence from intake, it is your word against theirs.

This guide is the ten-minute routine that gives you something to show when a client complains: what to photograph, what a photo has to show, what the client signs and when, how long to keep it all, and what to do when the client comes back a week later.

1. Walk around the car, in the same order every time

Do it with the client present, before the car goes into the bay. Use the same order on every car: nothing gets skipped, and photos from two visits can be compared.

  1. The whole car, from the front, with the number plate readable. The first photo ties the whole series to that car.
  2. The four corners, at a three-quarter angle, with the whole car in frame.
  3. Each side, straight on, from far enough back to see all of it.
  4. Bonnet, roof and boot lid, from above, as far as you can reach.
  5. Every wheel, close up. Kerbed wheels are the most common cause of disputes.
  6. Windscreen, headlights and mirrors — chips and cracks.
  7. The interior: seats, headlining, dashboard. The dashboard with the ignition on shows the mileage and any warning lights.

If the car is dirty, write that down: dust and mud hide fine scratches. Note "car dirty, partial inspection" and come back to it after the wash (section 3).

2. What a photo has to show to be worth anything

  • The date. The original photo file on the phone records the date and time it was taken. Messaging apps usually send a compressed copy without them. Keep the originals, not what you sent in a chat, and put the date and time on the signed form the photos are tied to (section 4).
  • The number plate. In the first photo of the series, readable.
  • The damage in context and close up. Two photos per defect: one that shows which panel it is on (front left wing, with the wheel in frame) and one close up. A close-up alone does not prove where it is; a wide shot alone does not show what it is. A finger or a coin next to the defect gives the scale.
  • The light. A flash or direct light from the front washes out fine scratches. A torch held almost parallel to the panel brings them out. In strong sun, shoot from several angles.
  • Sharpness. No digital zoom — step closer. Check the photo on the spot, not in the evening.

3. After the wash, before polishing

This is where most disputes are born: a defect appears after the wash, gets polished over, and the client finds it at collection.

  • Photograph whatever appeared after the wash and tell the client before any machine work: a photo and a short message ("found this after the wash, shall we go ahead?"). Their written reply is your confirmation.
  • Measure the paint thickness on the panels you are correcting, if you have a gauge, and write the readings down. A repainted panel or thin clear coat is a known risk: put it on the form and get the client's agreement before you start.

4. What the client signs, and when

At intake, before any work

A handover form that records:

  • the date and time; the client's name and phone number;
  • make, model, number plate and mileage;
  • the existing damage, each item tied to its photo ("front left wing, 5 cm scratch — photo 7");
  • the agreed work and the price, or a reference to the quote;
  • known risks: a repainted panel, thin clear coat, scratches too deep to disappear completely ("will be reduced, not removed");
  • anything left in the car, if relevant;
  • the client's signature and yours.

The client signs after seeing the photos or walking round the car with you, not on a blank sheet. On paper or on a screen — what matters is that the signature is tied to the photos, not kept apart from them.

At collection

The client checks the car in good light and signs that they have received it. An objection raised on the spot is settled on the spot; write it down. Take a few "after" photos too, from the same angles as at intake.

5. How long to keep the evidence

For as long as a claim about the job could arise. The general limitation period is three years in both Romania and the Republic of Moldova; the law sets special periods for some situations. In practice, most complaints arrive within the first few days.

Choose a retention period, tell the client, and stick to it: at the end, delete. "Forever" is not a period. Keep everything in one place with controlled access, not scattered across staff phones.

6. When the client complains a week later

  1. Do not promise and do not deny on the phone. Ask them to bring the car in or send photos, and tell them you will check the intake form.
  2. Open the intake record. Find the panel in the wide shot, then in the close-up, and compare with what you see now, in the same light.
  3. If the damage was already there, show them the photo and the signed form, calmly. It is a check you do together, not a trial. What you do next — a discount on the repair, or nothing — is your commercial decision.
  4. If it was not recorded, the missing photo does not prove you caused it, but you have nothing to show otherwise either. Judge honestly whether the damage fits the work you did (polishing marks, a burnt edge) or not (a dent, a kerbed wheel).
  5. If it was you, admit it quickly and put it right. A long dispute costs more than the repair.
  6. Keep it in writing — messages, not just calls — and keep the record until the matter is closed.

A signed form and photos are evidence, not a guarantee that you will win a dispute. Without them, though, you have nothing to show.

7. The personal data in the record, briefly

Photos that show a number plate or a person, and the client's name and signature, are personal data. In Romania the GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) applies; in the Republic of Moldova, Law no. 195/2024. For an intake record the rules are the same:

  • You do not need separate "consent". The record serves the performance of the contract and your legitimate interest in being able to defend yourself (art. 6(1)(b) and (f), in both texts).
  • Tell the client who you are, what you keep, why, for how long and what their rights are — a short note on the form that points to your full privacy notice, or a QR code at reception linking to it (art. 13).
  • Photograph the car, not the people. And not documents or personal belongings in the cabin unless you need to.
  • Intake photos are not for Instagram. Publishing a car with a visible plate, or the client, needs their separate consent.

More on the Moldovan law: the guide to Law 195/2024.

This guide is for information only and is not legal advice.

Intake checklist

  1. First photo: the whole car, plate readable.
  2. The full walk-around in the same order, plus wheels, glass and interior.
  3. Every defect: a wide shot and a close-up, in side light.
  4. The form: damage tied to photos, the work, the price and the risks.
  5. The client's signature, before the work.
  6. After the wash: anything new, with the client's written agreement.
  7. At collection: a check together, a signature, "after" photos.

Everything in one place

If you want the photos, the damage and the signature kept together, one way to do it is Tosvi: you start an inspection from the car in the client's record; you take the photos on your phone, mark each defect directly on the photo with a note, and the client signs on the screen, in Romanian, Russian or English. Once signed, the photos, markers and signature can no longer be changed; any photo or marker you add later is marked as added after sign-off. The server's clock, not the phone's, records when each photo and marker is added, and that time cannot be backdated — not even by swapping the photo for a newer one. The inspection notes stay editable. See what an inspection looks like.