Honest comparison
Mech Central vs paper, a diary and a spreadsheet
Paper works. Plenty of excellent workshops run on a diary, a carbon-copy invoice book and a spreadsheet of customers. This page is honest about what that setup does well — and specific about where it quietly leaks cars and cash.
| What | Paper and spreadsheets | Mech Central |
|---|---|---|
| Booking a car in | Fast. A line in the diary. | As fast, and the booking has the rego, the customer's history and a place on today's board. |
| Knowing what was done last time | Find the carbon copy. Or ask the customer. | Search the rego; every invoice, photo and note is on the car. |
| Reminders | Whoever remembers. Usually nobody. | Automatic, by SMS and email, from the interval on the service. |
| Quotes | Verbal, or a handwritten sheet photographed and texted. | Itemised link the customer approves from their phone; becomes the invoice. |
| Invoicing | Written up at night; odometer from memory. | Built at the car with rego, odometer and photos; sent as a link; reminders for unpaid. |
| Proof of work | Your word. | Before and after photos on the invoice. |
| Cost | Cheap, until you count the cars that never came back. | $49.99 a month for the whole shop. |
The short version
Keep the diary on the counter if you like it. Move the customer list, the quotes, the invoices and the reminders — that is where the money is, and it takes an afternoon.
Free for a month
Put one real car through it.
Set-up takes about two minutes. Book a car, quote it, photograph it, invoice it and let the reminder bring it back. The first month is free, so it costs nothing to find out.
1 month free · No credit card · $49.99/month after · Cancel any time
What's in the box
- Bookings and today's board
- Vehicles, rego search and history
- Service reminders by SMS and email
- Quotes approved online, invoices with photos
- Inspection reports
- Unlimited team logins