Spending a Saturday at the auto body shop can feel like a giant waste of time. Long lines, overworked mechanics, and tiny waiting rooms with luke-warm coffee is no way to spend your free time. Understanding that frustration, one Chicago startup wants you to skip the mechanic's shop all together, and instead have the mechanic come to you, on-demand.
Capitalizing on the popularity of the sharing economy and Uber-for-X model, Chicago-based oToBOTS is set to launch on Monday, providing an app and website for users to request a car mechanic within an hour.
The app works much like you'd expect. Users enter their vehicle information and the problem with their car, and a certified car mechanic comes to their home or office to perform the service. If your vehicle is broken down and needs diagnostic service, and mechanic can arrive in as soon an an hour, CEO and Co-Founder Arun Simon said in an interview. For other issues that don't require immediate service, customers can choose from available dates and times on a calendar.
Once the service is requested, the process is automated so that the mechanic knows when and where he or she needs to be, and the part supplier knows when to get the specific part ready. oToBOTS has partnered with O'Reilly Auto Parts, Advance, and Auto Zone on parts, which the mechanic picks up on the way to the job. And payment is handled in the app, through the website, or through calling the startups's 1-800 number.
The idea is that oToBOTS is designed to give users more control over their car repair experience, and save people from wasting time at the body shop.
"Convenience is a big plus of the service," Simon said. "People love that they don’t have to take the kids with them to the shop and wait there for a few hours."
oToBOTS has 26 certified mechanics on board so far, and as the startup launches its beta Monday it's looking to cover all of Cook County, as well as parts of Kane, DuPage and Will Counties, Simon said. The company has signed mechanics from Midas, Firestone, vehicle dealerships, and other certified shops, but oToBOTS does't work directly with shops. Mechanics sign up on oToBOTS' platform on their own time when they're off duty from their other gigs.
Aside from being more convenient, oToBOTS claims to offer prices that are 20-50% cheaper than visiting a mechanic in-person. The company offers a smaller markup on parts comported to traditional auto shops, Simon said, and charges $70 per labor hour worked. An oil change, for example, costs $14.99.
The company, which has three full-time employees and one part time employee in Chicago, has raised $125,000 so far, and planning to raise a larger round in September, Simon said. With a successful beta launch, the company plans to expand the service outside of Chicago.
Correction: This post has been updated with the correct amount oToBOTS charges for one labor hour worked.
Image via Creative Commons
