Sec. 3.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this act, a garage keeper who, in pursuance of a contract that is expressed, implied, written, or unwritten, furnishes labor, material, storage, diagnosis, an estimate of repairs, or supplies for a vehicle, shall have a lien upon the vehicle for the charges due for the storage, maintenance, keeping, diagnosis, estimate of repairs, and repair of the vehicle and for gasoline, electric current, or other accessories and supplies furnished, expenses bestowed, or labor performed on the vehicle at the request or with the consent of the owner of the vehicle. If a vehicle remains in the possession of a garage keeper after the completion of repairs or after a diagnosis and subsequent storage of the vehicle when repairs are not authorized, a garage keeper's lien attaches to the vehicle in the manner and amount provided in this section.
(2) The lien attaches to the vehicle on the day the garage keeper performs the last labor or furnishes the last supplies for which a lien is claimed against the vehicle. The garage keeper may keep a vehicle for not more than 225 days after performing the last labor or furnishing the last supplies for which a lien is claimed against the vehicle.
(3) The portion of a lien that is for labor and material furnished in making repairs upon a vehicle has priority over all other liens upon the vehicle. The lien has no effect against the holder of a security interest, conditional sales agreement, or other lien that attached before the attachment of the garage keeper's lien upon the payment by a prior lienholder to the garage keeper of the amount of the lien calculated under subsection (4) and section 4.
(4) Except as provided in section 4, the maximum amount of a lien that a prior lienholder shall pay a garage keeper under this section is calculated as follows:
(a) If a repaired vehicle has a market value of more than $5,000.00, then the amount of the lien shall be not more than 20% of the market value of the repaired vehicle or $5,000.00, whichever is less.
(b) If a repaired vehicle has a market value of $5,000.00 or less, then the amount of the lien shall be not more than $1,000.00.
History: 1915, Act 312, Eff. Aug. 24, 1915 ;-- CL 1915, 4835 ;-- CL 1929, 4795 ;-- Am. 1931, Act 103, Imd. Eff. May 18, 1931 ;-- CL 1948, 570.303 ;-- Am. 1964, Act 168, Eff. Aug. 28, 1964 ;-- Am. 1965, Act 357, Imd. Eff. July 23, 1965 ;-- Am. 1998, Act 236, Imd. Eff. July 3, 1998 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 109, Eff. July 1, 2002
Popular Name: Garage Keeper's Lien Act