Can Doug diagnose a car problem?

No. He takes the symptoms and books a diagnostic. Your techs do the diagnosing.

Can Doug quote a brake job?

He shares the ranges you give him and says the final price comes after inspection. He never makes up a number.

Does Doug answer the shop phone?

No. He answers on your website and inside AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude and Muse.

What does Doug cost a repair shop?

Starter is $49 a month for 2,000 messages, often less than one diagnostic fee. Growth is $149 and adds live handoff and actions.

AI receptionist for auto repair shops

Doug answers drivers on your shop's website and in ChatGPT at any hour, takes the year, make, model and symptoms your service writer needs, and books drop-offs and diagnostic appointments into your open bays. He shares the price ranges you set and never diagnoses a car in chat. He doesn't answer the shop phone. From $49 a month.

Updated September 28, 2026

What a good repair lead looks like

'Grinding from the front when braking, 2016 Accord, 90k miles' is a lead your service writer can work with. 'Call me about my car' is a phone tag game. Drivers go looking for a shop right after work or the night before they need the car back, and these are the questions they bring:

My check engine light is on. How much is a diagnostic?
Do you work on Subarus? Diesels? European cars?
How much for front brakes? An oil change? A timing belt?
Can I drop it off tonight and leave the keys?
Do you have loaners or a shuttle?
Do you warranty your work, and for how long?

How does Doug book drop-offs and waiters?

He answers from your own website, price list and Q&A: the diagnostic fee, the makes you work on, oil change prices, your warranty, loaner and shuttle policy, and how the after-hours key drop works. Then he takes what the service writer needs: year, make, model, mileage if they know it, and what the car is doing.

He books a drop-off or a waiting appointment from real open times in your calendar or the hours you set. Most shops don't take a deposit for a drop-off, but a deposit equal to the diagnostic fee cuts no-shows on the Monday after a holiday weekend. It's taken through Stripe and comes off the repair order.

Prices he'll give and the ones he won't

Give him ranges for common jobs (front pads and rotors, a synthetic oil change, a battery) and he shares them, with a line that the final price comes after your tech looks. Anything that depends on an inspection, like 'why is it making that noise', gets a booked diagnostic instead of a guess. He doesn't diagnose in chat.

If a driver describes something unsafe, like a brake pedal going to the floor or smoke from under the hood, you tell Doug what to say: don't drive it, and here's how to arrange a tow.

The yearly cycle, from AC in June to batteries in January

Shops ride the same calendar every year: AC repairs when it gets hot, batteries, tires and heaters when it turns cold, and a rush before Memorial Day and Thanksgiving road trips. Pages and Google profile updates timed a few weeks ahead catch those searches before they peak, and Doug fills the slots you open when it gets busy.

Getting found for 'Subaru mechanic near me'

People search by the repair, the car and the place: 'brake repair near me', 'Subaru mechanic Round Rock', 'check engine light diagnostic'. They also ask ChatGPT for an honest mechanic nearby, and it answers from reviews and from pages that say what the shop works on.

Doug checks weekly where you land on Google Maps and in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini for those questions. He publishes the pages you don't have: brakes, diagnostics, AC repair, oil changes, transmissions, the makes you specialize in, fleet service if you do it, and a page for each town you draw from. He keeps your Google profile hours right, which matters more for a shop than most businesses, since 'open now' is part of so many searches. Our guide to showing up in Google AI Overviews covers the page style that gets quoted.

RepairPal, ASE and reviews that name the car

Trust is most of the decision when someone picks a mechanic, so Google reviews come first. Then Yelp and RepairPal. If your techs are ASE certified or you're part of a network like NAPA AutoCare, say so on your pages and keep those listings current.

Doug asks each customer for a review after a booking and replies to reviews in your voice. A review that names the car and the fix ('found the vacuum leak two other shops missed') does more for search and AI answers than ten that say 'great service'.

Shops that live on the phone

Most shops still do, and Doug doesn't answer it. He covers the driver reading your site at 9pm, the one asking ChatGPT for a mechanic, and the searches you aren't showing up for. Keep your phone as it is and give him those.

Ask the free ChatGPT visibility check for a mechanic in your town. If your shop isn't named, that's the gap Doug starts on.

Questions

Can Doug diagnose a car problem?: No. He takes the symptoms and books a diagnostic. Your techs do the diagnosing.
Can Doug quote a brake job?: He shares the ranges you give him and says the final price comes after inspection. He never makes up a number.
Does Doug answer the shop phone?: No. He answers on your website and inside AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude and Muse.
What does Doug cost a repair shop?: Starter is $49 a month for 2,000 messages, often less than one diagnostic fee. Growth is $149 and adds live handoff and actions.