Digital vehicle inspections document condition and support a clear customer decision without changing the approved repair scope by surprise.

## Prepare the diagnostic job [#prepare-the-diagnostic-job]

1. Open the job and its **Inspections** tab. Use the inspection template linked to the diagnostic service on the estimate, or choose a template here if the job does not yet have that inspection service. Choosing a template adds its diagnostic service to the estimate for approval.
2. Obtain approval for that linked diagnostic item. Approval for unrelated services does not approve the inspection.
3. In **Work Order**, assign a technician and record the vehicle's actual arrival at the shop. A scheduled drop-off alone does not satisfy arrival.
4. Return to **Inspections** and let the checklist open for the linked template. Resolve the displayed approval or readiness requirement if editing is still locked.

Inspection availability depends on the shop's plan and your job access. If no template is available, have the shop owner review the inspection templates and linked services in Settings. Do not replace a blocked inspection with unapproved repair work.

## Record findings consistently [#record-findings-consistently]

Work through each section and give every item a **green**, **yellow**, or **red** condition. A green item needs no note or photo to count as complete. Each yellow or red finding needs **a note or a photo**; use both when they help explain the concern.

Open the finding's evidence action to add the observation, recommendation, or photos, then save. Wait for photo uploads and annotation saves to finish before treating the evidence as recorded. Notes and media should help the service advisor and customer understand the finding without exposing unrelated private information.

Review the completed-item count. A section may collapse after its items are complete; reopen it to check or correct the findings. You may continue other approved work while the inspection remains unfinished, then return to the saved findings.

## Complete and open the report [#complete-and-open-the-report]

Completion follows the saved findings: every item needs a condition, and every yellow/red finding needs a note or photo. Resolve missing conditions, missing evidence, or pending saves until the checklist shows completion. There is no separate repair approval created by completing the inspection.

Choose **Convert** to create the PDF report, review it in the viewer, and use **Download** or **Open tab** as needed. If PDF creation fails, review the inspection and try again. If the preview fails, use its retry, download, or open-tab action; allow pop-ups if the browser blocks a new tab.

## Review before sharing [#review-before-sharing]

Check that condition levels, descriptions, and evidence are accurate and understandable. The report should distinguish the inspected condition from the work the customer has already authorized. Customer-link visibility depends on the job's sharing settings, including separate note and photo permissions; opening or downloading the PDF does not send it to the customer.

If a finding save reports that the inspection changed, keep the edit, refresh the current state as directed, and reconcile it before saving again. Assignment, arrival, approval, access, and closed-job restrictions must be resolved in their owning workflow. A completed inspection can still be corrected while the job remains active and editable.

## Create follow-up work explicitly [#create-follow-up-work-explicitly]

After reviewing the report, an advisor selects the red or yellow findings to propose and chooses **Create follow-up estimate**. TorqueOps creates a separate draft job and estimate for the same customer and vehicle. Review its lines, then send or requote it for customer approval, or record authorized shop-on-behalf approval with its required evidence.

The follow-up is not appended to the diagnostic estimate. This preserves a clear boundary between the approved diagnostic work and the later repair decision.

## If the customer has not approved repairs [#if-the-customer-has-not-approved-repairs]

Declined or unanswered follow-up work does not become executable. An expired quote requires requoting before portal approval. The completed diagnostic remains independently billable and closable. See [Estimates](/workflows/estimates), [Work orders](/workflows/work-orders), and [Data handling](/data-handling) for sharing evidence safely. Review the feature availability shown in [Plan & usage](/plan-and-usage).