“I'm under a car all day, then pricing parts and answering texts about funny noises until midnight.”
Mobile mechanic software that works from the driveway. Stop pricing parts at midnight.
Bookings, parts and payments handled while you're on the tools, and a mobile mechanic business that's more than you and a phone.
I'm Daniel Andrews. I run a law firm in East Sussex, on systems I built myself. If you fix cars from a van, I'll help the admin run without you, so the business can grow bigger than the van.
A typical evening, after a day under cars
- 7pmDiagnosing from a voice noteA grinding noise, two blurry photos and no registration
- 8pmPricing parts for tomorrowThree supplier sites open, checking fitment and delivery times
- 9pmMoving a job that fell throughThe pads won't arrive, so Thursday's first customer needs a new slot
- 10pmWriting up today's invoicesLabour, parts and oil, typed from notes on your phone
- 11pmBed, with three more “can you look at mine?” textsNone has a reg, and one wants you there first thing
Fixing the car is the easy part. The rest is the problem.
What mobile mechanics say when the phone never stops.
“Half my messages just say it's making a noise. No reg, no postcode, no photo.”
“I miss bath time most nights because I'm still on the phone to parts suppliers.”
“I paid for the parts out of my own pocket, and the customer still hasn't paid me.”
“There are drums of used oil in my garage and I'm not sure what paperwork I need.”
One mechanic, one van and one phone is a job. Let's build the business around it.
You went mobile to be your own boss: no garage rent, your own hours. But the phone never stops, so you diagnose over text at tea time and order parts at night.
If the van stops, the money stops. However good your work is, you've built a job, not a business. I did the same with my own firm, working 60 to 70 hours a week for years.
A system changed that, not more hours, and the firm is now four to five times the size it was when I started. It works in three steps: see where the time goes, put the repeat work on systems, and spend the hours you win back on the business. For you, that means bookings that collect the facts before you call back, parts sorted the day before and payment before you drive off. I set out the bigger picture on the Trades page, for anyone who works for themselves.
What should mobile mechanic software do for a one-van business?
It should turn a vague message into a proper booking, with the registration, symptoms, photos and location captured before you reply. Then it should help you price parts, book a slot, invoice from the driveway, take card payment, and remind customers when the next service or MOT is due.
| Job | How it often works now | Set up properly |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiries | Texts about noises, with no reg or postcode. | A booking link asking for the reg, symptoms, photos and where the car is. |
| Diagnosis and quotes | A phone guess, then a price that changes on the day. | A written estimate separating what's confirmed from what needs inspecting. |
| Booking and diary | Jobs agreed by message, the route planned in your head. | Slots grouped by area, so Eastbourne and Polegate share a day and Hastings gets another. |
| Parts | Ordered late at night, sometimes the wrong fitment. | Tomorrow's parts list built from the bookings, ready to order in one go. |
| Used oil and waste | Drums in the garage and no clear record. | Waste logged per job, with collection paperwork filed in one place. |
| Invoices and chasing | Written at night, with parts money out of your pocket for weeks. | Card payment before you leave, and a deposit for special-order parts. |
| Reviews and repeat work | Customers forget you until something breaks. | A review request next day, and a reminder when the service is due. |
What rules apply to used oil, repairs and service reminders?
Used engine oil and brake fluid count as hazardous waste in England, needing an authorised collector, consignment notes and records. Repairs for consumers carry a duty of reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Service reminders by text or email must follow the marketing rules the ICO enforces.
Used oil and hazardous waste
GOV.UK names car oil and brake fluid among its examples of hazardous waste. Producers must use authorised businesses to collect it, complete a consignment note, and keep records for 3 years. If you move hazardous waste yourself, you need to register as a waste carrier, which is usually free if you only carry your own business's waste. For waste made on customers' driveways, ask the Environment Agency how the paperwork applies.
Repairs and the Consumer Rights Act 2015
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats every service contract as including a term that you'll use reasonable care and skill. What you say or write about the job can become a term too, if the customer relies on it. If the work falls short, the customer can require you to repeat it at your cost, or in some cases claim a price reduction. That's one reason to send a clear written estimate before you start.
Service and MOT reminders
The ICO says marketing texts and emails need consent, apart from a limited soft opt-in for existing customers of similar services, offered an opt-out when you took their details and in every message. For MOT dates, DVSA offers an MOT history API that businesses can register to use.
- Waste logged per job, with consignment notes kept together for 3 years.
- An opt-out question on the booking form, so reminders go only to those allowed.
Please note: this is general information from official sources, not legal advice. For your own situation, speak to the Environment Agency, your accountant or a solicitor.
Walk me through a job from first text to payment, and I'll show you the spots where time drains away.
Book a free 30-minute callWhat I'd set up first for a mobile mechanic
These come first because they stop the late-night messages at the source.
A booking form that asks the right questions
Reg, symptoms, photos and postcode, so you can price before you call back. Missed calls get the link by text, much like an AI receptionist.
Parts sorted the day before
Tomorrow's jobs become one parts list at 4pm, so you order once, not five times at midnight.
Paid on the driveway
Invoice and card payment on your phone before you pack up, with a deposit for expensive parts.
Reminders that bring them back
A text when the next service is due, sent only to customers who agreed to hear from you.
How do I choose mobile mechanic software?
Choose for the van, not a workshop, because many garage systems assume ramps and a front desk. Look for bookings that capture the registration, estimates sent from your phone, parts and labour on one invoice, card payments on site, service and MOT reminders, and a connection to your accounting software.
- Stores each customer's vehicles, ideally looked up from the reg.
- Works on a driveway with one bar of signal, then syncs later.
- Feeds your accounting software. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax has covered sole traders with qualifying income over £50,000 since 6 April 2026, and the threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. Your accountant can tell you what applies to you.
- Lets you download your customers and job history if you move on.
A few examples, not recommendations: GarageDash, MechanicX and Workshop Software each say on their own sites that they cater for mobile mechanics. None of them pays me, and I have no referral deals.
Why a law firm Managing Partner?
I've built this sort of thing before, though not for cars. In my firm, work handed to a colleague follows a set route to one-click sign-off, and our figures update from the case management system on their own. A one-van business deserves the same.
I've also spent 20 years at BNI breakfasts with local business owners, so I know how much of their week goes on admin. This consultancy is new, so there's no mechanic I can point you to yet. There's more on my About page.
Other trades I help
PlumbingPlumbers
Call-outs answered, quotes built from your price list, parts matched to jobs and notifications tracked, so the van isn't your evening office.
For plumbers
ElectricalElectricians
Certificates written up on site, EICR recalls sent to landlords, remedials quoted and invoices chased, so testing days don't become writing-up nights.
For electricians
BuildingBuilders
Quotes, variations, subbies and the monthly CIS return, set up so the office side of a building firm stops eating your evenings.
For builders
Gas and heatingGas and heating engineers
Every landlord check and boiler service on one due-date list, records sent from site, and boiler quotes followed up, so winter weekends stay yours.
For gas and heating engineers
LocksmithingLocksmiths
Lockouts caught while you're mid-job, key and job records kept straight, and the invoice sent before you've left the doorstep.
For locksmiths
GardeningLandscape gardeners
For gardeners and landscapers juggling a maintenance round, bigger landscaping quotes and green waste records through a long summer of late nights.
For landscape gardenersQuestions from mobile mechanics
Can software diagnose a fault from a customer's description?
No, and I'd be wary of anything that claims to. It can collect a better description: the reg, when the noise happens, warning lights, photos and video. AI can then draft replies for you to check.
Should I take a deposit for parts?
It's a business decision, not a legal requirement. If you do, say so in the estimate. Many job systems can send a card payment link for it.
What paperwork do I need for used oil?
GOV.UK treats car oil as hazardous waste, so collections need consignment notes and records kept for 3 years. For waste made on driveways, ask the Environment Agency.
Can I text customers when their service is due?
Usually, if they're existing customers and you offered a simple opt-out when you took their details and in every message since. The ICO's soft opt-in guidance explains it. That's general information rather than legal advice.
Keep the diagnosing for the driveway and the evenings for you
A free 30-minute call. No jargon and no hard sell. Talk me through your last busy week, and I'll be straight about what could run without you.