How to check a mobile mechanic before you hand over keys
A stranger is coming to your house to work on the thing you drive your kids in. Ten minutes of checking is not paranoid, it is normal.
None of this requires a subscription or a background check service. It is four phone questions, one free state lookup, and a receipt.
Ask these four on the phone
- What is the exact registered business name? A person who will not say it plainly is the whole answer.
- What is the hourly labor rate, and what is the diagnostic fee?
- Does the diagnostic fee come off the repair if I approve the work?
- Do you carry liability or garage keepers insurance, and can you send the certificate?
Look the business up, free
Take the registered name and search the Texas Comptroller Taxable Entity Search. It is free and it takes a minute. A business that files in Texas shows up. If nothing comes back, ask why before anybody touches the car.
About licenses in Texas
There is no single general mechanic license to ask for. One thing is federally required: anyone servicing motor vehicle air conditioning for money must hold EPA Section 609 certification. If somebody says they are state licensed, ask which license and from which agency, then check with that agency yourself.
Get the receipt right
- Business name and a phone number that is answered.
- Vehicle and mileage at the time of the work.
- Parts listed individually with prices, and the part brand.
- Labor listed separately.
- Warranty in months or miles, in writing.
Cash is fine. Cash with no itemized receipt is not, because you have just given up your warranty and any way to dispute the work.
Claim your listing
Already listed here without a badge? Claim your listing, confirm your details, get the owner-confirmed badge. Free.
Verification is by email. You confirm from the address already on the listing or one at your business domain, and the badge goes live. Verified means the owner confirmed his own contact details, not that we vouch for his work.
Claiming is free, and it is also the gate. Every city page has one featured spot at the top, $79 a month, first come first served, and only an owner who has claimed his listing and confirmed his email can take it. Standard listings underneath stay unlimited and free. Featured means paid placement. It is not us saying a mechanic is good.
City taken? Join the line. First shot when it opens. Joining the line is free too, and it does not skip the claim step.
A text-to-claim option is coming. There is no claim phone number published yet, so do not text a number you found somewhere else.
Questions
Do mobile mechanics need a license in Texas?
There is no single general mechanic license to ask for. Anyone servicing motor vehicle air conditioning for money must hold EPA Section 609 certification. If somebody claims a state license, ask which one and check with that agency.
What is the fastest way to check a shop is real?
Ask for the exact registered business name and search it in the Texas Comptroller Taxable Entity Search. Free, and it takes about a minute.
Should I pay before the work is done?
Parts up front on a big job is normal. Paying the whole bill before the car runs is not. Pay on completion, with an itemized receipt.
Claim your city
$79 per month
That is the price, stated plainly. There is no quote to request, no setup fee, and no contract term.
- Top placement on the city page you pick, above the standard listings
- One featured spot per city page. Not a rotation, not three shops sharing the top.
- $79 a month, flat. No per-lead charge, no commission, no contract term.
- First come, first served.
- Your service list, hours, and service radius on the listing
- A direct link to your own site or booking page
- The owner-confirmed badge, once you confirm your details
- Standard listings underneath are unlimited and free, now and later.
City taken? Join the line. First shot when it opens.
The order matters. Claim your listing, confirm your email, and then the featured spot is yours to take if the city is still open. You cannot buy the spot on a listing nobody has claimed.
What it does not get you: we do not promise you calls, jobs, or revenue, and we will not tell you what to expect from a placement. We do not sell leads, we do not take a percentage of your work, and we do not sit between you and the customer. The driver calls your number directly.
Claim this city