Guides
How an estimate gets built
Reference pages on labor time, parts, and the counter workflow around them.
Labor rate sheet template
A labor rate sheet with every exception listed, the effective-rate arithmetic worked through line by line, and the posted-price rule quoted from the statute.
August 9, 2026Mobile mechanic invoice template
An invoice template for a mobile mechanic: travel and deposit blocks, a worked diesel service call, plus the warranty wording that decides who pays a comeback.
August 9, 2026Parts matrix template
A seven-band parts matrix you can copy, the spreadsheet formula that applies it, a worked diesel parts list and the band-boundary bug that costs $29.98.
August 9, 2026Pre-purchase inspection checklist
The pre-purchase inspection a shop sells: five measured stations, a priced correction on every finding, plus the disclosure the federal Used Car Rule requires.
August 9, 2026Declined work log template
A declined work log with six reason codes that make follow-up land, the recovery arithmetic on your own numbers, plus the one decline a fleet truck cannot make.
August 8, 2026Auto repair authorization form
The four authorizations a repair needs, the statutory wording quoted in full, and the notation that makes work added over the phone collectable.
August 7, 2026Auto repair invoice template
The blocks an auto repair invoice needs, a worked diesel invoice with every total checked, and the itemisation and parts-disclosure rules quoted.
August 7, 2026Auto repair shop forms
Every form an independent shop runs, who owns it, how long it has to be kept with the federal periods quoted, and which two cost money when they go missing.
August 7, 2026Repair order and work order template
Every block a repair order carries from intake to pickup, the bay copy that prints from it, and a worked diesel ticket with the hours and gross profit checked.
August 7, 2026Vehicle inspection checklist and form
The five stations of a multi-point inspection, the four blocks of the form that holds them, a filled-in diesel example and the federal limits quoted.
August 7, 2026Auto repair estimate template
The seven blocks a repair estimate needs, every field explained, a worked diesel example with the arithmetic shown, and the written-estimate rule quoted.
July 31, 2026Auditing your canned jobs
A canned job library goes stale quietly. Here is how to find the entries that are costing you margin and the ones nobody uses.
July 30, 2026PillarHow an estimate gets priced
Every line on a repair estimate comes from one of four places. Knowing which one is what lets an advisor answer why without a callback.
July 30, 2026Elsewhere
Compare
Where one approach beats the other at the counter, and under what conditions.
Integrations
What Mechanica reads off a repair order and what it writes back onto it.
Tools
Worksheets and checklists a shop can work through this week.
Glossary
Counter vocabulary defined once, in the register a service writer uses.
Blog
What we learn writing estimating software for independent shops.