Mechanic workshop software in Australia: repair data, inspections and fleet portals

What do Workshop Software and MechanicDesk already cover?

Bookings, job cards, quotes, invoices, parts ordering and accounting, which is most of what a single workshop needs. Both are Australian platforms. Workshop Software lists integrations with Repco Navigator Pro, Burson EzyParts, Mitchell1 ProDemand, TireConnect, Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks, and invites requests for custom integrations. MechanicDesk lists Xero, MYOB, Repco Navigator Pro, Burson EzyParts and Mailchimp, with bookings that convert straight into jobs.

So before anything custom, the honest question is whether your current platform is set up well. Parts lookups, supplier invoices and accounting sync are solved problems. The gaps tend to be:

• groups with several sites that want one view of bays, technicians and revenue
• fleet customers who want their own portal
• inspection workflows with heavy photo evidence
• service advisers spending hours writing updates and quotes

Multi site groups feel the gaps first. Each site runs its own calendar and job list, so the owner can’t see that one workshop has three idle bays while another is booked out for a week, or that one site’s average invoice is well below the others on the same services. A reporting layer that pulls jobs, hours and invoices from every site into one dashboard, refreshed daily, is often the cheapest useful build, and it can grow into shared booking across sites later.

If you also run other trades businesses, our trades software comparison covers the wider job platform market.

How do independent workshops get OEM repair data?

Through the Motor Vehicle Information Scheme, a mandatory national scheme that came into effect on 1 July 2022. The ACCC says it covers passenger vehicles and light goods vehicles manufactured on or after 1 January 2002, and excludes two and three wheelers, farm, construction and heavy vehicles, motor homes and buses.

What the scheme requires of data providers, according to the ACCC:

1. Offer to supply scheme information, and make it available to view for free on their website.
2. Supply the information manufacturers prepare for diagnostics, servicing and repairs, including codes for computerised systems.
3. Charge no more than fair market value.
4. Not require repairers to buy other products or services to get access.

Repairers include specialists such as auto electricians and transmission, brake, suspension and windscreen technicians. The Australian Automotive Service and Repair Authority (AASRA) acts as scheme adviser and runs the website that helps repairers reach data providers. The ACCC enforces the scheme; Honda has paid a penalty for an alleged breach, and Mazda, Kia and BYD improved access after ACCC investigations.

For software, the useful work is linking the job card to the right data provider portal by VIN, and storing which procedure and software update was applied to each job. That record matters if a repair is disputed.

How do inspections differ between NSW and Queensland?

Both run their inspections through authorised stations and electronic reporting, but the names, licences and paperwork differ.

State	Scheme	What a workshop needs	Reporting
NSW	Authorised Safety Check Inspection Scheme, within the Authorised Inspection Scheme (the pink slip)	Examiner with a Motor Vehicle Tradesperson Certificate in the motor mechanic class and TAFE NSW training; premises licensed by NSW Fair Trading as a mechanical workshop	Inspection reports sent electronically to Transport for NSW; fees regulated by Transport
Queensland	Approved inspection stations issuing safety certificates and certificates of inspection	Station approved by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, with accredited examiners; fixed or mobile	Most electronically issued certificates are submitted online automatically

NSW safety checks cover registration renewal and transfer for light vehicles and trailers of 4.5 tonnes or less, except those with air or vacuum brakes. Victoria runs its own roadworthy certificate scheme through VicRoads, so a group across states needs per state templates and checklists.

An inspection app adds value here when it guides the examiner item by item, takes timestamped photos of each defect, and produces a customer report alongside the official submission. That is a good fit for a tablet app built through our web and mobile apps service.

Which licences and records does a NSW workshop need?

A motor vehicle repairer licence for the business, tradesperson certificates for the people doing the work, and records that match. NSW Fair Trading says anyone running a motor vehicle repair business in NSW must hold a repairer licence, available for 1, 3 or 5 years. Repairs to written off light vehicles, and all repairs to transport service vehicles such as freight or ride share vehicles, must be done by a licensed repairer and certified tradesperson. Minor work that doesn’t affect mechanical operation, structure or safety features isn’t repair work.

From 1 September 2025, under the Motor Dealers and Repairers Regulation 2025, the Fair Trading Commissioner sets the qualifications for tradesperson certificates by notice rather than in the Regulation. A workshop system should hold each technician’s certificate classes and expiry dates, and stop a job being assigned to someone without the right class.

How should quotes and authorisations work under the ACL?

Get approval for the work and the price before you do it, and keep the evidence, because repairs come with consumer guarantees. The ACCC says services must be carried out with acceptable care and skill, at least as good as an average competent provider, and be fit for any purpose the customer made known. A digital quote with photos, a recorded approval and a note of anything the customer declined protects both sides. Where a platform already sends quotes by SMS or email, the custom part is often a better photo and video report for the customer.

What changes with EV and hybrid work?

High voltage work raises the stakes on training records and on who can see safety information. Under the national scheme, safety information covering hydrogen, high voltage and electric propulsion systems, and security information such as locking and immobilising systems, must be kept separate, and access requires a fit and proper person check. In NSW, Fair Trading says a proposed EV repair class is not part of the 2025 Regulation and will be subject to further consultation. Until then, a workshop should record EV training, isolation procedures and the person who did each high voltage task.

Is a fleet customer portal worth building?

For workshops with several fleet accounts, often yes; it is the most common custom build in this sector. Fleet managers want to see every vehicle’s status, approve quotes, download invoices and see service due dates without calling. A portal that reads from your workshop platform and adds approval workflows is a typical customer portal project. The constraint is your platform’s API: check it before anything else.

Where does AI help a service adviser?

AI is useful for drafting quotes from technician notes, writing plain English updates for customers, and sending service reminders that read like a person wrote them. A model can turn “front pads 2 mm, rotors scored, recommend replace” into a clear message with the price. Keep the adviser approving every quote, because the price and the recommendation are your responsibility.

What do workshop builds cost?

Indicative AUD market ranges, ex GST, for planning, not quotes, within Expeed’s published bands for Australian custom software ($15,000 to $40,000 for simple tools, $40,000 to $150,000 for mid complexity):

Build	Indicative range
Fleet customer portal on workshop data	$25,000 to $70,000
Inspection and photo report app	$30,000 to $80,000
Multi site reporting dashboard	$20,000 to $50,000

How AWLabs approaches workshop projects

We start with a Development Consult to understand where your advisers and technicians lose time. A paid Discovery Audit then checks what your workshop platform’s API allows, and you get a fixed price Schedule of Work with three options: The Minimum, The Recommended and The Complete. Senior engineers lead every build, with updates every Tuesday and Friday during Sydney business hours.

We haven’t built for a mechanical workshop before, and we’ll tell you if better use of your current platform is the answer. For related work see our logistics and transport page. This page is general information, not legal advice.