Automotive software: a guide for Australian repair businesses

The main types of automotive software

• Workshop management software (also called mechanic software or garage management software): bookings, job cards, quotes, invoices and customer history for repair shops. See mechanic software.
• Automotive scheduling software: the booking diary, online bookings and reminders. Often part of workshop software, sometimes sold on its own.
• Mobile mechanic software: jobs at the customer’s address, call-out fees, travel and van stock.
• Parts and inventory software: stock on the shelf, supplier price lists, purchase orders and stocktakes.
• Diagnostics and technical data: scan tools, wiring diagrams, OEM repair procedures and service schedules. These are specialist tools that sit beside your workshop software rather than inside it.
• Dealer management systems (DMS): vehicle sales, finance, manufacturer warranty claims and franchise reporting for new-car dealers.
• Accounting software: Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks Online for BAS, payroll and the books, fed by your workshop software.
• Customer communication: texts, reminders, status updates and review requests.

Which automotive software do you actually need?

An independent workshop, tyre shop, auto electrician or detailer almost always needs workshop management software first, with scheduling, job cards and invoicing in one place, plus accounting sync. Diagnostics stay as separate tools. A dealer management system is built for franchised dealers selling new cars, and is usually far more than an independent shop needs or wants to pay for.

Specialist work changes the priorities. Truck and fleet workshops care about multiple vehicles per customer and purchase orders. Caravan and RV repairers book longer jobs. Mobile mechanics live on their phones. See our pages for truck workshops, caravan and RV repairers, auto electricians and tyre shops.

Automotive scheduling software

Scheduling is where a workshop day is won or lost. Good automotive scheduling software shows the day by bay or by mechanic, stops double bookings, and turns a booking into a job card without retyping the customer or vehicle.

• Phone bookings and online bookings land in the same diary.
• Separate booking types for services, repairs, diagnostics and inspections, so a roadworthy doesn’t collide with a clutch job.
• Reminders by text or email so fewer customers no-show, and optional deposits for big jobs.
• Service and rego reminders that bring customers back when they are due.
• A booking button for your website and Google Business Profile.

Mobile mechanic software

A mobile mechanic’s “bay” is a driveway or a car park, so mobile mechanic software has a different job to do. The address matters as much as the rego, travel is part of the price, and the phone is the whole office.

• The customer’s address on every booking, quote and job, with a map pin and navigation.
• Call-out fees by zone or distance, shown before the customer books.
• “On my way” and “arrived” texts so customers aren’t left waiting.
• Works with patchy signal and catches up when you are back online.
• Van stock, so parts used on the job come out of the right van.
• Signatures on the phone and an invoice sent before you leave.

All-in-one or best-of-breed?

You can stitch together a booking app, an invoicing app, a texting service and a spreadsheet for parts. Each one may look cheap, but every gap between them is a place where someone retypes a name, a rego or a price — and where mistakes and missed charges creep in.

For most independent workshops an all-in-one system with good accounting sync is simpler: one login, one customer record, one invoice. Keep specialist tools such as diagnostics and technical data separate, because no workshop system replaces them.

Checklist for choosing automotive software in Australia

• Published AUD pricing, and what extras cost (users, texts, rego lookups, integrations, setup).
• GST tax invoices with your ABN, and sync to Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks Online.
• Australian rego lookup and vehicle details that suit Australian plates and states.
• A mechanic view that works on a phone in the bay, not only at the desk.
• A free trial long enough to run a real week of jobs.
• Data import to get in, and a clear export to get out.
• Local support you can actually ring during your business hours.
• Read our workshop software Australia buyer’s guide and pricing guide before you shortlist.

Where Workshop Hub fits

Workshop Hub is workshop management software for Australian workshops — car, truck, caravan, auto electrical, farm machinery, marine, motorcycle, tyre, detailing and mobile mechanics. It covers the booking diary and online bookings, job cards, quotes, inspections, invoices, customer texts and accounting sync. It is not a dealer management system and it doesn’t replace your scan tool or OEM repair information.

Mobile service mode adds customer addresses, call-out fees, “on my way” texts and van stock — see software for mobile mechanics.

List prices are Solo $59, Shop $129 and Pro+ $189 per month AUD + GST. 14-day free trial, no card required — see pricing or call 1800 566 011.

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