Overview
Mobile mechanic quotes have to be honest about what can be done in a driveway
A mobile mechanic's customer chose them over a workshop for one reason: they don't want to bring the car in. The trade-off is that some jobs can't be done in a driveway. No two-post lift means no exhaust work; no clean bay means no engine rebuild. The contractor who tries to pretend otherwise spends a Tuesday halfway through a job they shouldn't have started, with the customer's car not driveable and the next two appointments getting cancelled. The quote that wins is the one that's honest about scope on the page: what can be done on-site, what needs a workshop, and what an on-site diagnostic delivers either way.
QuoteGenio gives mobile mechanics a quoting shape that fits the on-site reality. Call-out and on-site diagnostic as the first line, parts at supplier price (often sourced same-day), labour at the on-site rate, and a clear line for any work that needs to be referred to a workshop with a partner garage named. Send via WhatsApp from the customer's drive, take a card-on-file or upfront deposit because customers in the kerbside trade ghost more often than workshop walk-ins, and the final invoice closes the job before the wheels go back on. The customer pays for the convenience and the honesty in equal parts.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for mobile mechanics working out of a van, on driveways and at the roadside.
The problem
The quoting headaches every mobile mechanic knows
You don't have a workshop desk. Every quote happens on the driveway, in the rain, with the customer watching you scribble on a clipboard.
Quotes written between call-outs
Typing up quotes between jobs eats the time you should be driving to the next one.
Hand-written quotes lose trust
A scribbled price on a service sheet doesn't earn the trust a written quote does, especially for a stranger on a driveway.
Travel time isn't paid
If you don't quote travel separately, you absorb every kilometre of fuel and time into your hourly rate.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes it simple
A workflow built for the van, not the workshop. Quote travel, labour, and parts from your phone before the customer signs.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for mobile work
Line items for travel, call-out, labour, parts, and sundries. The mobile quote everything a customer expects to see.
Lives on your phone
No laptop needed. Build, send, accept, and invoice from the cab of your van.
Quote in under 2 minutes
Templates for common call-outs (battery, brake pads, oil service) get you from arrival to sent quote in minutes.
Works on the road
Built for technicians who don't have an office. Every feature works from a phone in a van.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how mobile mechanics actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Mobile Mechanics choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Mobile Mechanics build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Mobile Mechanics job pricing
A rough guide to what mobile mechanics charge for common call-outs. Pricing varies by region, after-hours timing, and travel distance. Use these as a sanity check when building your own rates, not as fixed numbers.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Standard call-out (first hour, local) | R1,570 - R2,892 |
| Travel beyond standard area (per km) | R25 - R58 |
| Battery test and replacement (labour only) | R744 - R1,570 |
| Mobile minor service (oil, filter) | R3,636 - R7,933 |
| Brake pads (front, on driveway) | R4,628 - R11,238 |
| Pre-purchase inspection (on-site) | R2,975 - R6,941 |
| Roadside assistance (after-hours call-out) | R2,975 - R6,280 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A call-out fee covers travel and the first 30 to 60 minutes on-site. Most mobile mechanics charge R1,570 to R2,892 for a local daytime call-out and 1.5x to 2x for after-hours or weekends. Quote it as its own line so customers see your travel time has value, not just the spanner work.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use hourly pricing (R1,240 to R1,983 per hour) for diagnostic and unknown-scope work. Use fixed pricing for clear jobs like battery swaps, oil services, and brake pads where the labour time is predictable. Always quote travel as a separate line beyond your standard area.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here's what a clean, itemised mobile service quote looks like. Notice how call-out, parts, labour, and disposal are all visible. Customers on driveways approve clear quotes faster because they can see exactly what their money is buying.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Mobile minor service, on driveway
Standard call-out fee (within 15km)
Engine oil (5L semi-synthetic)
Oil filter
Air filter
Mobile labour (drain, fill, replace, scan)
Disposal of old oil and filters
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard call-out fee (within 15km) | 1 | R1,983 | R1,983 |
| Engine oil (5L semi-synthetic) | 1 | R1,405 | R1,405 |
| Oil filter | 1 | R297 | R297 |
| Air filter | 1 | R529 | R529 |
| Mobile labour (drain, fill, replace, scan) | 1.5 | R1,570 / hr | R2,355 |
| Disposal of old oil and filters | 1 | R248 | R248 |
| Subtotal | R6,817 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R682 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R7,499 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Travel beyond your standard zone, oil and filter disposal, the trip back if a part isn't in the van, and a callout uplift for after-hours. Add these as standard lines on your templates so you're not absorbing them out of your day rate.
Peer snapshot
How Mobile Mechanics actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Mobile Mechanics on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
24
Quotes sent per month
62%
Average quote acceptance
2 min
Median time to send quote
R7,499
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Mobile Mechanic jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of mobile mechanics. The same call-out and travel mistakes come up again and again. Fix these and your day rate will actually cover the diesel.
Mistake: Not quoting travel separately
Better: Travel time and fuel are real costs. Quote a fixed call-out for your local area and a per-kilometre line beyond it. Customers respect honesty about what travel costs.
Mistake: Verbal quote on the driveway
Better: Even a quick battery swap needs a written quote. WhatsApp a 60-second quote from your phone before you open the toolbox. It saves arguments at payment time.
Mistake: Bundling call-out into labour
Better: Call-out and labour are different things. Customers expect to pay for travel, then for the work. Hiding it in labour confuses the bill and loses trust.
Mistake: No allowance for return trips
Better: If you need to come back with a part you don't have on the van, that's a second call-out. Quote it upfront so there's no awkward conversation.
Mistake: Same rate for after-hours
Better: Evenings and weekends should carry a 1.5x to 2x premium. Build an after-hours template so you can quote the higher rate in 60 seconds without having to recalculate.
Mistake: No deposit on parts you'll order
Better: If you're ordering a battery, alternator, or specialty part for a mobile job, take a 50 percent deposit upfront. Customers don't always answer the phone when the part arrives.
Mistake: No expiry on the quote
Better: Set a 7 or 14 day validity for mobile work. Parts pricing moves and you don't want to honour an old quote when the supplier price has changed.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote mobile mechanic jobs
You are quoting on a driveway, in the rain, with the customer watching, so your site inspection has to be fast and structured. Plug in your scanner, note the fault codes, check fluid levels and battery voltage, and photograph the visible state of the part you are there for. For brake pads and battery swaps, confirm the part number from the VIN before you quote so you are not back at the parts shop mid-job. For roadside breakdowns, quote a fixed call-out with a diagnostic hour included, then phone the customer with a full quote once you have found the fault. Never do the work before you have sent a quote and received the accept: driveway handshakes turn into payment disputes at invoice time.
Itemise call-out, travel, labour, parts, and disposal as separate lines. Your standard call-out at $ 95 to $ 175 covers the first hour and travel within 15 km, then a per-kilometre line at $ 1.50 to $ 3.50 beyond the zone. Quote labour hourly at $ 75 to $ 120 for diagnostic work and fixed for clear jobs like oil services and brake pads. Include a disposal line for old oil, filters, and coolant because environmental disposal is a real cost per job. For after-hours or weekend call-outs, apply a 1.5x to 2x uplift on the call-out and labour, and build a separate template so you can switch in sixty seconds without recalculating at 10pm.
Set a 7 to 14 day validity on mobile quotes. Mobile work usually happens within days of the quote, and parts pricing moves often enough that a month-old quote on a battery or brake set may no longer cover your supplier cost. Take a 50 percent deposit on any parts you need to order in (alternators, starters, specialty batteries) because customers do not always answer the phone when the part arrives at your house. Take payment on the spot for private jobs via card, instant EFT, or the QR code on the invoice, and offer 7 to 14 day terms only for fleet and business customers. Show VAT as its own line on every quote and invoice.
Send the quote from your phone on the driveway before you open the toolbox. A mobile mechanic competes on speed and professionalism, and a branded quote on WhatsApp beats a scribbled price on the back of a service sheet every time. Wait for the accept click before you turn the first spanner. When the fault turns out to be different from what was described on the phone (the 'won't start' that is actually a fuel pump, not a battery), send a variation quote on WhatsApp before proceeding. If the customer declines the extra work, pack up, charge the call-out, and move on. Send the invoice before you drive away so it is in their inbox while the goodwill is still warm.
FAQ
Common questions from mobile mechanics
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Add a fixed call-out as its own line, then add labour, parts, and travel beyond your standard area as separate lines. Build a template so it's three taps to send.
Yes. Build the quote on your phone, share the link via WhatsApp, and the customer gets a branded PDF instantly.
Yes. Convert the accepted quote to an invoice with one click from your phone. The customer can pay online from the same link.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. The customer opens it on their phone and clicks accept. No app needed.
Yes. Add travel as a line item with a unit rate per kilometre and a quantity for distance beyond your standard zone.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Most mobile mechanics use a fixed call-out that covers a standard area (often 10 to 20 km from base) plus a per-kilometre rate beyond that. Quote both as separate lines so the customer sees what the call-out covers and what the extra travel costs. After-hours and weekend call-outs typically carry a 1.5x to 2x premium.
For private call-outs, take payment on the spot via card, instant EFT, or QR code from the QuoteGenio invoice link. For fleet or business customers, invoice on terms (typically 7 or 14 days). Either way, send the invoice from your phone before you drive away so it's already in their inbox.
Quote a fixed call-out with a diagnostic hour included, then commit to phoning the customer with a full quote once you've found the fault. Get verbal go-ahead, send a quick written quote via WhatsApp, wait for the accept click, and only then start the repair. It protects both sides and stops every breakdown becoming a payment dispute.
If you are VAT registered, yes. Show VAT as a separate line on every quote and invoice. The call-out, travel, labour, and parts all attract VAT the same way. If you are under the VAT threshold, state clearly on the quote that prices are VAT exempt.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Guides
Guides for Mobile Mechanics
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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