MODE 0 · THE FLOW

WORK ON THE CAR.SAY WHAT YOU FIND.THE PAPERWORK BUILDS ITSELF.

How a job moves through the shop — what you do with your hands and voice, and what the system quietly does for you at the same moment.

PRICES REQUESTED AUTOMATICALLY
Supplier emails go out and replies return as comparable quotes.
ESTIMATE BUILT AS YOU TALK
Findings, labor, evidence, and parts become a ready-to-review estimate.
INVOICE BUILT FROM APPROVED WORK
Declined work cannot silently appear on the bill.
ACT 01

INTAKE

The car, its condition, and the customer's words

Two lanes for every step. ON THE FLOOR — what people do, step by step, in plain words. IN THE SYSTEM — what runs underneath, at the same moment, as input → service → result. Read top to bottom, act by act.

01
STEP 01

Car arrives

Customer not here? → see the drop-off variant
ON THE FLOOR
A case is opened
  1. 01
    Open casePoint the phone camera at the VIN plate, speak the customer's name and phone. That single action creates the case. If this car has been through the shop before, its full history loads automatically — no re-typing.
  2. 02
    Record complaintRepeat the customer's complaint word-for-word into the mic.
  3. 03
    Photo walk-aroundShoot all sides, dashboard warning lights, and odometer.
  4. 04
    Mark damageTap existing scratches on the screen — protects against 'you damaged my car' claims later.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›VIN sent to the national vehicle database (NHTSA) — car identified
  • ›Open recalls pulled from the same database
  • ›Phone number matched against past visits — prior history loaded onto the case
  • ›Complaint recorded word-for-word
  • ›Photos uploaded to storage; no signal — uploaded later automatically
02
STEP 02

Diagnosis

ON THE FLOOR
Diagnosis
  1. 01
    Ask the customerThe customer speaks the complaint into the mic himself — or the mechanic repeats it aloud for him.
  2. 02
    Add what you seeThe mechanic speaks what he observes on the car in his own words.
  3. 03
    Plug scannerConnect the scanner and speak the error code.
  4. 04
    Run dynamic check planThe system proposes a diagnostic plan based on the stated problem and rewrites it on the fly as the mechanic speaks new findings.
  5. 05
    Attach evidencePhotos and measurements saved as he goes.
  6. 06
    Work the theoriesGo through the proposed theories one by one — confirm, rule out, or add a side finding by voice. Everything spoken; the system files each piece where it belongs.
  7. 07
    Flag paid diagnosticsDeep checks you won't do for free become one line: 'the rest is paid diagnostics, one hour.'
  8. 08
    Send for pricingOne button at the end of diagnosis — the diagnostic sheet is already built; tap it and it goes to the estimate.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›Check plan assembled dynamically from three sources: the shop's own configured checks / logs, external services (CarMD repair statistics, PartsTech labor guide, NHTSA recalls), and our internal AI — reshuffled every time the mechanic speaks
  • ›Working theories formed on the fly from everything checked so far plus the customer's answers
  • ›Each spoken result recorded; confirmed causes filed into the estimate draft; ruled-out theories archived
  • ›Diagnostic sheet assembled continuously in the background — ready the moment 'Send for pricing' is pressed
THIS ACT ENDS WITH ▸
a confirmed finding and a diagnostic sheet, ready to send for pricing.
ACT 02

THE DEAL

All the money talk lives here — and only here

03
STEP 03

The estimate

ON THE FLOOR
Send to dealers for pricing
  1. 01
    Estimate assembles itselfWhile the mechanic is still in the bay, the estimate builds up on the desk screen: labor lines, findings, and evidence appear as they are spoken.
  2. 02
    Reference part pricesRough part prices are dropped in automatically from the internal database — provisional numbers so the estimate is never empty.
  3. 03
    Edit linesInteractive screen: checkbox on every line, chosen dealer price, any price typed by hand.
  4. 04
    Add by voiceShout from the bay: 'add a hose replacement, from experience' or 'more hours, make it two.'
  5. 05
    Send to dealersPerson with the right to send taps Send — the estimate goes to dealers for pricing, not to the customer yet.
  6. 06
    Receive prices from dealersDealer replies arrive by email; their quoted prices are parsed automatically and dropped onto their matching lines in the live estimate sheet — no re-typing.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›HOURS calc — pulled from the shop's own price menu / PartsTech labor guide for this exact car; editable by hand
  • ›PARTS calc — price-request emails sent automatically to the shop's dealers
  • ›Dealer reply emails read automatically; quoted prices matched to lines and dropped into the dynamic estimate sheet
  • ›Once the parts side is complete, the finalized interactive estimate is emailed to the customer automatically
04
STEP 04

The customer decides

ON THE FLOOR
Customer decides
  1. 01
    Open linkCustomer opens the text/email link on his phone and sees the interactive estimate.
  2. 02
    Review jobsEach job in plain language, with photos of HIS car and a price.
  3. 03
    Approve or declinePer-line decision, then finger signature. Partial approve/decline is fine — approving the coil and declining the plugs is completely normal, not required to accept everything.
  4. 04
    Receive final invoiceWhen he presses the button after approve/decline, the final itemized invoice is generated automatically — digitally signed and compliant with US and California regulations, storing the digital signatures and rights as a fully legitimate document.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›Estimate link sent automatically by text (Twilio) and email
  • ›Every approval, decline, and the signature recorded
  • ›2 hours of silence — reminder text sent
  • ›On confirmation: legally-compliant signed invoice generated automatically with embedded digital signatures (US / California regulations)
05
STEP 05

Deposit

ON THE FLOOR
Deposit and order
  1. 01
    Pay depositCustomer pays the deposit from the same link on his phone. That's the whole floor action here.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›Stripe payment link created and sent; payment confirmation received automatically
  • ›Order emails sent to the winning dealers automatically
  • ›Dealer payments dispatched automatically from the deposit — order records created and delivery tracked
THIS ACT ENDS WITH ▸
a signed approval, deposit in, parts on the way — automatically.
ACT 03

THE REPAIR

Work done, checked, paid, and handed over

06
STEP 06

The work

ON THE FLOOR
The work
  1. 01
    Live in My WorkScreen shows: diagnose · waiting on customer · ready to repair · blocked · needs final check.
  2. 02
    Start workPush arrives: 'Coil approved · part received' → tap Start → wrench → tap Complete.
  3. 03
    Report surprisesSeized bolt, wrong part, more damage under the cover — 30 seconds by voice.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›Each approved line turned into a work card
  • ›Card set to "ready" when: approval recorded + deposit in + part received
  • ›Wrong part: return recorded, new request emailed to dealers
07
STEP 07

Final check

ON THE FLOOR
Final check
  1. 01
    Run checklistShort list for this exact job: test drive, 'no misfire', after-photos.
  2. 02
    Check wheel torqueIf wheels were off — confirm 'wheel torque checked' separately.
  3. 03
    Warranty noteHis words 'done, test drive ok' become the warranty note automatically.
  4. 04
    Handle old partsIf customer asked for old parts back, system blocks handover until 'put them in the car' is confirmed.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›Warranty note created from the spoken report
  • ›Old-parts reminder raised before handover
08
STEP 08

Invoice and money

ON THE FLOOR
Invoice and payment
  1. 01
    Generate invoiceOne tap.
  2. 02
    Verify matchGreen check: 'invoice matches what was signed.'
  3. 03
    Send invoiceTap Send.
  4. 04
    Collect paymentCustomer pays balance from phone. Cash is fine too — marked by hand.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›Invoice assembled from approved lines only
  • ›Invoice compared against the recorded signatures
  • ›Sales tax added; deposit credited
  • ›Payment received via Stripe — documents emailed, case closed
09
STEP 09

Pickup

ON THE FLOOR
Pickup
  1. 01
    Hand over keysCustomer arrives. By law he signs NOTHING at pickup — only gets a full itemized invoice.
  2. 02
    Get acknowledgment10-second page: 'car received · invoice received · old parts received · no complaints about condition.'
  3. 03
    Mark damageIf he spots damage, he marks it on the spot instead of signing.
  4. 04
    Human reviewA person handles it — intake photos and pickup photos both on file.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›Handover recorded: who, to whom, when
THIS ACT ENDS WITH ▸
paid, handed over, archived forever.
📜 EPILOGUE

After the car leaves.

No step number. This is what happens to the case once the customer drives off.

ON THE FLOOR
what happens in this step
  1. 01
    Get receiptMechanic sees: 'customer approved · 1.4 hours yours · warranty note ready.'
  2. 02
    Declined work resurfacesThe declined plugs don't vanish — next time this car comes in, the system brings them up first.
the system, meanwhile:
  • ›Declined work stored; raised again on this car's next visit
  • ›Full history kept for 3+ years
VARIANT

The customer just drops the car off.

Same steps, different rhythm.

Intake without the customer
Morning drop or overnight key box. Complaint comes from drop-off words, a phone call, or the envelope note — read aloud. Photo walk-around becomes MANDATORY: the photos are the only witness. System records how and when the car was delivered (California requires this on paperwork for unattended drop-offs).
Questions go to the customer's phone
As a link: 'Two quick questions about your Camry.' No answers → mechanic works from what he can see.
Paid diagnosis needs a YES first
Free quick checks — fine. An hour of paid tracing — a mini-estimate goes to the link (or a phone 'yes' recorded with name/date/time) BEFORE the hour is spent. No yes → that work item never lights up.
The rest is remote
Estimate link, decisions, deposit, live status (in progress / waiting for part / ready), balance, even an after-hours pickup: paid by link, keys in a lockbox, final photos of the parked car into the record.
§FINAL

The five rules that are always code,
never AI.

  1. 01
    A guess never becomes an estimate line.
  2. 02
    Nothing is sent to the customer without a human pressing Send.
  3. 03
    Work cannot start without its own recorded approval (and deposit, and the part).
  4. 04
    A declined line cannot reach the invoice.
  5. 05
    The Ledger is append-only: history can grow, but can never be rewritten.