14 Best Mechanic Tools Brands (2026 Guide)

Tekmetric is a huge improvement over a traditional paper process for sure. Estimates are easy to draft, orders are easy to create, and work flows easily through the platform as cars move through your shop.

That's because there’s always a better way! Canned jobs in Tekmetric are particularly powerful, saving service writers time by simplifying the process of building job estimates. Less clicks means more time to focus on the customer and offer amazing service while selling even more amazing BG Products.

When you have the right tool that helps simplify your work, why not use them? You wouldn’t use an open-ended wrench when a ratcheting socket wrench cuts the time in half and saves your knuckles.

In our effort to keep growing Tekmetric so running your shop is even easier, our latest update to canned jobs now includes even more canned jobs for BG Products and services right in Tekmetric. Just enable the canned jobs you want to use, and start selling even more BG services right away! 

What are canned jobs?

Canned jobs are pre-saved job templates in Tekmetric that include labor and parts associated with common repair work done.

Instead of recreating jobs you perform on a regular basis, shops can create as many canned-jobs as they like to build estimates in just seconds. Just apply the right canned job and you're ready to send for approval.

In fact, shops find canned jobs so helpful, one shop running on Tekmetric has created over 2,000 customer canned jobs, and even uses at least one canned job per RO. 

The value of canned jobs is clear: making it easier for repair teams to provide customers with the best of the best. 

Simple, efficient, and reliable processes lead to more completed work and happier customers. And as we know, happier customers leads to even more customer retention, and better customer retention increases shop profitability.

In essence, canned jobs can even help you pay for Tekmetric. The profit generated from saving time, closing more repair orders and selling better service can cover the cost of the platform, and then some. 

Just why are canned jobs so powerful for your shop? That's easy:

• Make your jobs easier by simplifying your workflows for common repair orders into just a few clicks
• Shorten the time it takes to operate, get estimates built and approved sooner and move cars faster.
• BG Canned Jobs, using BG products in particular, enable your shop to offer more specialized service options for improved vehicle performance

Within an auto repair shop, data serves many functions: streamlining day-to-day operations, helping service advisors and tracking a shop’s cash flow. But you can also harness the power of data to plan for the future. In fact, strategically leveraging data can help you determine when it is time to open a new location. Think of it as your roadmap to multi-shop success. Data helps you every step of the way, from optimizing your existing business, to creating a plan for a new shop, to maximizing workflow across all locations.

Looking at the Big Picture: The New Location Roadmap

When you start planning for a new location, your strategy should prioritize the big picture of your business, allowing you to strategically determine the process for opening the next shop. Key metrics and analytics can help you monitor your business performance and plan for both the long- and short-term future. Whether you are expanding for the first time or the tenth, leveraging data can help make the process smooth, strategic and simple. It’s as straightforward as 1… 2…3: 

1. Getting Started: Make Your First Location the Best It Can Be

Before opening a new location, ensure your existing shop is optimized. Your goal is to maximize efficiency and productivity, so you can replicate the process at a new location. Take a good, hard look at your numbers, and be honest with yourself about your business performance. Some key questions to ask include:

• What are your ARO and car count, and can you increase them?
• How many repeat customers do you have versus new customers?
• How effective are your mechanics at completing their work? 
• Will adding another mechanic or bay be enough to support my current levels of business growth?
• How frequently are customers approving your full estimate or returning for follow-up work on previously declined jobs?

Once you have determined that your existing business is performing at the highest level possible, you are ready for the next step.

2. Creating a Plan: Determine Criteria for Your New Location 

As you look to add a location, it is important to identify your business needs and the assets you have available. Data from your existing location(s) is key to this step. Not only can you analyze business performance to determine your financial ability to open a new shop, but you can also identify opportunities with new customers to target or niche services to offer.   

For example, if your existing location is overwhelmed with customers seeking same day or next day service, another shop might be the solution. Or, if you are targeting customers in a different area of town, building or buying another location closer to the population you are targeting might draw them in. Here are some questions to ask when determining the criteria for a new location:

• Have I maximized the efficiency of my existing location(s)?
• Can I afford to build a brand-new shop, or should I buy an existing business?
• What is my close rate at my existing location(s)?
• What demographic am I targeting, and how can I meet their needs with this new location?

3. Setting Up for Success: Use Tekmetric Multi-Shop to Maximize Workflow 

Once you have multiple locations, it is critical that you maximize workflow between all locations. You can compare locations using Tekmetric Multi-Shop to monitor performance, track key metrics and determine each location’s strengths and weaknesses. A good question to ask yourself is: how can I leverage each location’s strengths to support continued business growth? 

First, ensure that you have replicated the optimized processes from your original location(s) at the new shop. You have worked hard to ensure your business was performing at the highest level possible before opening a new location – make sure to keep that momentum moving!

Second, play to the strengths of each location so they support each other. For example, determine which locations are high versus low volume to maximize your technicians’ time at all locations. If one shop is a high-volume location overwhelmed with work, you can leverage a lower volume location by moving some cars there for same-day repairs. Just don’t forget to move the cars back to the original location for the customer’s convenience! 

The idea of multiple auto repair shop locations can seem daunting, but by maximizing your data, you can simplify the process to ensure you are prepared for the next step. First, put all your efforts into running a top-tier business with your existing location(s). Once you are satisfied with your performance, utilize data to establish a clear plan for opening your next location. Finally, use tools like Tekmetric Multi-Shop to maximize workflow and leverage each location’s strengths to support the overall business. This approach will maximize your productivity and efficiency across all your locations, increasing your overall bottom line and keeping customers satisfied. 

Compare your shop's performance against real data from thousands of auto repair shops by state.

Benchmarking data is only useful when it changes what you do next.

If you've run your shop's numbers through the Tekmetric Shop Index and seen where you rank on ARO, car count, parts margin, and effective labor rate — good. You have a diagnosis. Now you need a plan.

This post walks through what each gap in your TSI results is actually signaling, which operational levers move the needle on each one, and how to build a focused 90-day improvement target that gives your team something concrete to work toward.

Start With the Biggest Gap

Your TSI results will show you four rankings. Resist the temptation to try to improve all four at once. The shops that make the most progress pick the metric with the largest gap and stay focused on it for a full quarter before adding another priority.

Trying to improve ARO, car count, parts margin, and effective labor rate simultaneously often means improving none of them because the operational changes required for each are different and can compete for your team's attention.

So step one is simple: look at your four rankings, find the biggest gap from the industry benchmark, and start there.

Gap: ARO Below Benchmark

If your average repair order is lagging, the most common root cause is inspection performance. Either digital vehicle inspections (DVIs) aren't being completed consistently, or they're being completed but not converted into approved work.

A few questions to answer before you act:

• What percentage of repair orders have a completed DVI attached?
• Of the DVIs sent to customers, what percentage include photos or video?
• What's your close ratio on recommended work?

If DVI completion is below 90%, that's almost always the first lever. Tekmetric's Inspection Report shows completion rates by technician, making it straightforward to identify who needs coaching and who's already performing well.

"Now I can look at everybody at a glance. I can be in a different state, different city and know exactly what's going on in each location all the time."  — Leroy Ingram, Ooroo Auto Care, Tekmetric Customer

If DVI completion is strong but close ratio is low, the issue is likely in how inspections are being communicated to customers — photo and video quality, the language in findings, how quickly the estimate follows the inspection.

Shops on Tekmetric also have access to the Parts and Labor Matrix, which protects against underpricing. It can be a quiet ARO killer that doesn't show up until you look at margin data.

➡ See how your ARO compares →

Gap: Car Count Below Benchmark

A car count gap can mean two different things depending on how it breaks down: you're not bringing in enough new customers, or your existing customers aren't returning at the rate they should. Both problems need attention, but they need different solutions.

For new customers, the questions are acquisition-focused. Tekmetric's online booking gives customers a way to find you and schedule an appointment 24/7 — filling bays without your team picking up the phone. The more friction you remove from the booking process, the more new customers follow through.

For returning customers, the questions shift to communication. Are declined jobs being followed up? Are customers receiving service reminders? Tekmetric Marketing automates follow-ups on declined work and scheduled maintenance intervals — so your team stays in contact with your car count without adding manual effort.

"Seven hundred and two dollars in ad spend has generated 11 net-new customers and $12,802 in new customer revenue — an 18.3x return on ad spend before factoring in the lifetime value of those customers returning for future visits."  — Tanner Markham, Phase 2 Automotive, Tekmetric Customer

➡ See how your car count compares →

Gap: Parts Margin Below Benchmark

A parts margin gap is almost always a pricing problem — either your markup isn't keeping up with cost increases, you're applying flat markup where a tiered matrix would protect margin better, or your team is manually overriding prices inconsistently.

The fix starts with reviewing your Parts Matrix in Tekmetric. A well-structured matrix automatically applies the right markup based on part cost ranges, removing the inconsistency that comes from individual pricing decisions at the job level.

After updating the matrix, run your Parts Purchased Report to verify that retail pricing is reflecting the changes accurately. This is also a good time to cross-reference against recent vendor invoices — if costs have moved significantly in the last 6 months, your matrix thresholds may need updating.

➡ See how your parts margin compares →

Gap: Effective Labor Rate Below Benchmark

If your effective labor rate is trailing your posted rate, the most common culprits are inconsistent discounting, flat-rate job structures that cap labor recovery, or package pricing that doesn't account for actual labor time.

Start by pulling your Discount Detail Report to see where and how often discounts are being applied. If they're being applied inconsistently across your team, that's a coaching conversation — and Tekmetric's real-time reporting makes it easy to see which service writers are discounting most frequently.

The Labor Matrix is the structural fix. Similar to the parts matrix, a tiered labor matrix adjusts the billed hours or dollar amount based on configured ranges, protecting margin without changing what customers see on the invoice.

➡ See how your effective labor rate compares →

Building a 90-Day Improvement Target

Once you've identified your primary gap and the lever that addresses it, the last step is turning it into a measurable target for the next 90 days.

A good 90-day target is specific, tied to a leading indicator, and gives your team something to track week over week. For example:

• ARO gap: "Increase DVI completion rate from 72% to 90% over 90 days, tracked weekly via Inspection Report"
• Car count gap: "Launch declined-job follow-up automation within 30 days; track returning car count monthly for 90 days"
• Parts margin gap: "Update Parts Matrix for all parts under $150 within two weeks; track parts margin weekly via Parts Purchased Report"
• Labor rate gap: "Reduce average discount percentage by 15% over 90 days, tracked via Discount Detail Report"

These aren't arbitrary numbers — they're examples of the leading-indicator approach that lets you see progress before the outcome metric moves. Set yours based on where you're actually starting, not where you want to end.

Check Your Rankings Quarterly

Your TSI results are a snapshot. Set a reminder to re-run the benchmarking every quarter so you can see whether your numbers are moving relative to the industry — not just relative to your own history.

The shops that use benchmarking most effectively are the ones that treat it as a recurring discipline, not a one-time exercise.

"Thanks to Tekmetric, we've really enhanced our business and are looking to expand. We're the #1 shop, 6 years in a row in Upstate New York."  — Chris Chevalier, AAA Auto Repair, Tekmetric Customer

➡ Benchmark your shop now →

Takeaways

• Start with your biggest gap — don't try to move all four metrics at once.
• ARO gaps usually trace back to DVI completion rates or close ratios.
• Car count gaps split into acquisition and retention problems — each needs a different fix.
• Parts margin gaps are almost always a pricing matrix issue.
• Effective labor rate gaps often come down to discounting habits and job structure.
• A 90-day leading-indicator target turns benchmarking data into team direction.

➡ Benchmark your shop now →