work orders or pre-install checklists

If there's a switch for it in the car put it on it. Write down everything you notice about cars. I write down if I think the car needs a tune up. The more specific you can be the better.

Most of those checklists have a bunch of generic, non-relevant stuff. I would concentrate on types of damage you might actually cause......and also types of damage that the customer might think you could cause. For example, if the car was very rusty, or had a noisy exhaust, few sane customers would accuse you of causing that. But, fresh body damage, missing hubcaps, stuff like that would be more important. Obviously, you want to be careful to check all the electrical accessories, including the radio, air conditiong, lights, and so forth. Be absolutely sure to make a note of any warning light on the dash. If you have a fear customers might accuse you of cruising around in there cars, maybe record the car's mileage, both coming into the shop and going out. Obviously the mileage will be the same in and out, unless maybe you road-test a cruise control or navigation. You should also make an effort to encourage your installers to pay special attention to the particular area of the car they're going to be working on. For example, if the front door panels of the car were falling apart, but all you're installing is rear-deck speakers, it might not be such a big deal if you forgot to make a note of it............. on the other hand, if you ARE installing door speakers, you want to note EVERY flaw on those doors, even if it means you might skip over something else.