When you think about what makes the holidays a wonderful time of the year, perhaps images of spending time with loved ones, playing in the snow, and sipping hot chocolate come to mind.
Those activities are all part of the holiday spirit. But goodwill and charity also make the holidays a wonderful time of the year. And as an auto repair shop owner, you’re in a unique position to give back to your community.
There are different ways you can pay it forward—and if you end up liking how things go, you can make giving back a year-round activity, rather than just something you do during the holidays.
Partner With an Organization Like Brakes for Breasts
Brakes for Breasts is an organization that Tekmetric supports with ongoing efforts. This past October, Tekmetric donated a portion of sales to Brakes for Breasts to accelerate breast cancer research.
Brakes for Breasts specifically works with independent auto repair shops across the United States. If you sign up, a portion of your shop’s brake service proceeds will go to The Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund. Partnering with an organization like Brakes for Breasts makes giving back super easy.
Help Put People on the Road
Fix it Forward Ministry is a non-profit in Minnesota that gives free cars and auto repair work to those who are homeless or at-risk. To sustain their non-profit, Fix It Forward Ministry has a business wing, Fix It Forward Auto Care. Other Tekmetric users like Turbo Tim’s Anything Automotive have non-profit branches, too.
While your auto repair shop might not have a non-profit arm, you can still join forces with a local charity to help get those in need on the road by providing free or reduced car repair services. You could even start your own internal program to help low-income individuals or people who were recently let go or furloughed from their jobs.
Give Discounts to Essential Workers
This holiday season is a great time to give back to essential workers who’ve kept communities afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. By giving doctors, nurses, teachers, grocery store cashiers, delivery drivers, and other essential workers a discount, you can spread cheer and make their lives a little easier during the holidays.
You could take a certain amount, such as 15 percent, off of the total for every frontline worker and educator who comes to your shop. Or, you could offer a specific service, such as oil changes, for free or at a discount.
Start a Holiday Donation Drive
Your shop’s way of giving back doesn’t have to be just through car repairs. You could start a holiday donation drive at your shop and encourage your team members, customers, and broader community members to get involved.
Maybe you want to focus on canned goods to give to a food bank, pet food to give to an animal shelter, or toys to give to a children’s charity. You can get your whole community involved by volunteering your shop as a drop-off center for items (but be sure to stay safe by taking appropriate social distancing measures).
If you prefer a more personalized approach to giving, you could look into “Adopt-A-Family” programs that will match your shop to a family. You and your staff will then get the family’s holiday wish list so that you can make their holiday wishes come true.
Match Donations from Staff and Customers
By matching donations, you can boost participation and give back even more. For example, if you host a holiday donation drive, you can say that for every can of food people donate, the shop will donate three.
Or, you could tell your team members and customers that they can donate to a charity of their choice from a pre-set list made by you. This way, you’ll give people an opportunity to support one of the causes they are most passionate about.
How Tekmetric is Giving Back This Month
At Tekmetric, we’re growing out our mustaches and raising money for Movember, a movement for men’s health that funds research and awareness efforts for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health.
As an auto repair shop owner, you know how important accurate labor times are for locking in your profit margin on labor and growing your business. But how do you find a labor guide that you can trust and that works with your shop’s estimate process?
Switching to a newer labor guide can be tough for some shops. Many shop owners already trust their physical, paper labor guide; they’ve been using it for years! But that guide probably doesn’t include labor times for repairs on newer vehicles—not to mention it takes up a lot of space.
Digital auto repair labor guides are becoming standard across the industry because of how accessible they are and how they can be continuously updated with labor times for newer vehicles.
If you’re still using your old labor guide, or even a digital labor guide that isn’t working for you, it might be time to find a labor guide that will better meet the needs of your shop. Here are some key features to look for to narrow down your search.
However, it’s important to stay consistent in also attracting new customers rather than relying solely on the group of existing customers you build up as your shop expands its reputation for good repair work.
While walk-ins are certainly a thing, it isn’t the best bet to depend on them as your sole way of getting new customers. Instead, take proactive approaches to gain a steady stream of new customers coming through your doors.
Selecting the right business name for your auto repair shop can be a challenging task. Your business name will be the first impression your potential customers have of your shop and will determine how memorable your shop will be. Use the ideas below to brainstorm the perfect name for your auto repair business.
Creative auto repair shop names
On The Road Again Repairs
NextGear Auto Service
Check Engine Repairs
Torque of the Town
The Engine Room
Chrome & Steel Auto Care
Axle & Alloy Repair Co.
Peak Performance Garage
Smooth Ride Mechanics
Driven Dynamics
Velocity Auto Shop
ClearPath Automotive
Tek-Tip: Struggling to find the perfect shop name? Tekmetric offers a free automotive shop name generator to help you create the perfect business name.
Funny automotive repair shop names
The Brake-Up Shop
Motor Mouth Mechanics
Hit & Run Body Shop
Exhausted Mechanics
Hot Wife Automotive A/C Repair
Don’t Tread On Me Auto
The Laughing Lugnuts Auto Repair
Wheel Be Alright Auto Repairs
Motor Mouth LLC
Rust in Peace Repairs
Tek-Tip: Have you thought about how you will market your new business? Learn more about Tekmetric Marketing for all automotive marketing needs including websites, CRM, online reviews, and more.
Cool mechanic shop names
The Car Whisperers LLC
RoadReady Mechanics
StreetSmart Garage
GearShift Garage
Velocity Motors
Gearhead Garage
The Repair Authority
PitStop Pros
Full Throttle Repair
Trackside Garage
Unique and catchy names
Car Medic Garage
Nuts & Bolts Car Mechanics
Unleaded Car Repair
Honest Engine Repair
Auto Barn Car Care
Iron Horse Garage
Blue Ridge Auto Works
RevSync Mechanics
The Auto Vault
Summit Auto Haven
Rust & Revive Repair
Simple auto shop name ideas
Car Surgeons
The Car Guys
Engine Experts
Quick Fix Automotive Repairs
The Brake Brothers
One Stop Auto Shop
Auto Solutions Inc.
Pit Stop Garage
Turbo Tires & More
Wrench Wizards
Service-Specific shop names
Brake Check Repairs
Oil Be Back Automotive Repairs
Vivid Vehicle Body Shop
1 Hour Heat and A/C Auto Repairs
Battery Solutions LLC
Actually Discounted Tires
Renew Collision Center
30min Oil Change Shop
Restored Right Auto Body Shop
Mobile mechanic business names
Repair on Wheels
Roaming Automotive Repairs
One Stop Repair Shop
One Call Repairs
Wheels On The Way
(Insert last name) Mobile Mechanic
The Leaky Gasket Mobile Repair
1 Hour Mobile Mechanic
24/7 Mobile Mechanic
How to select the right auto repair shop name
Once you have your list of potential shop names narrowed down, it is time to do a final round of research to make sure your name is legal, optimized and ready to launch. Check out our final 6 tips and tricks below.
1. Legal checks
Before you can launch your new automotive shop name, you should check for Trademarks by visiting the US Patent and Trademark Website. Simply search your pending business name to see if it is taken or if you can proceed.
Search engine optimization for auto repair shops is an important avenue for driving brand awareness and new customers. To maximize your new business name, aim to include common keywords like “automotive”, “repair”, and “shop”. Also, try to use local terms like “Houston” to help search engines know where your services are located. Lastly, check to see if any competitors are using a similar name and determine if your name will be unique enough.
GoDaddy can check if your new automotive repair shop name is available to use. You will also be able to see how much the domain name will cost and whether it would be cheaper to use a variation of your business name.
4. KISS
Keeping your new shop name simple will help you in the long run. Potential customers will find it easier to remember (and share via word of mouth) if you keep it short and simple. Plus, shorter business names are easier to fit on business cards, advertisements, and social media.
5. Marketing
Looking down the road, your new business name should fit within your overall automotive marketing strategy. Are you planning to use a certain logo or color scheme? Make sure your name fits the theme you are aiming for and attracts your target audience. If you plan to use social media marketing, check to see if your business name is available as a social handle.
6. Set the tone
Your name is likely your first impression with your customers. Once you are ready to launch, give it one more review to make sure it conveys the right brand identity and message. Lastly, have a friend or colleague offer feedback on your business name and see how it resonates with them.
7. Automotive business name generator
Tekmetric has developed a free AI-powered mechanic shop name generator tool to help you brainstorm new business name ideas. Our tool can also help you check for domain availability and provide logo design concepts.
Closing Thoughts
Finding the right name for your business is a daunting task and we hope this guide has helped you brainstorm new business name ideas and narrow down your list. We recommend taking the extra time to make the right choice up front so you don’t have to rebrand down the road. As always, there is wisdom to asking for feedback from your community. Select your top 5 names and ask for help picking the best shop name for your business.
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