FAQ
GarageOS — frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions we hear most from UK garage owners.
Frequently asked questions
- What is GarageOS?
- GarageOS is a modern garage management app for UK independent workshops — bookings, bay board, job cards, invoicing and customer records in one mobile-first tool.
- Who is GarageOS for?
- Independent garages, MOT stations, tyre shops, mobile mechanics and small fleet-focused workshops running 1–5 bays.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. GarageOS runs in a browser and can be installed to your phone or tablet home screen as an app.
- Does it work on iPhone and Android?
- Yes — same app, same features on both platforms. It's a Progressive Web App, so there's no App Store dependency.
- Does it work offline?
- Today's board is cached so you can keep viewing bays and jobs when signal drops. Changes sync as soon as connection returns.
- Can customers book online?
- Yes. Customers can book MOTs, servicing and other fast-lane work 24/7. Heavy work stays behind a phone call — you decide what appears online.
- Does it do DVLA reg lookup?
- Yes. Customers type their reg and make, model, fuel and MOT expiry auto-fill.
- Does it handle MOT reminders?
- Yes. MOT expiry dates come from DVLA and reminders can be sent by SMS or email.
- Can I take deposits?
- Yes. Deposits are optional per service and settle to your UK business bank via Stripe UK.
- How does invoicing work?
- Every completed job generates an itemised invoice with parts, labour, VAT and deposit netted off. Send by SMS or email and take payment on card or mark as cash.
- Is there per-seat pricing?
- No. Your whole team uses GarageOS on one subscription.
- Can I import from a spreadsheet or paper diary?
- Yes. Customers, vehicles and historical jobs import from CSV. Historical bookings can be linked to existing customer records.
- Is my data safe?
- Data is hosted in UK/EU data centres, backed up automatically and encrypted in transit and at rest.
- Is there GDPR support?
- Yes. Customer deletion, data export and audit logging are all built in.
- Can I try it before I commit?
- Yes. GarageOS offers a free trial — no card required to start.
- What kind of support is available?
- UK-hours support from a team who understand MOTs, bays and mechanic workflows.
Deeper FAQ topics
Pricing & billing
How GarageOS charges: per-workshop pricing, no per-seat fees, VAT, cancellations and refunds explained.
Onboarding & imports
Import from spreadsheets, paper diaries and other systems. How long onboarding takes and what support looks like.
Bookings & diary
How the booking flow, bay allocation and diary work in GarageOS — including offline behaviour and multi-user editing.
Payments & deposits
How deposits, invoices, card payments and Stripe payouts work in GarageOS for UK workshops.
Data, security & GDPR
Where your workshop data is stored, backups, GDPR compliance and data export from GarageOS.
MOT & DVLA
DVLA reg lookup, MOT expiry, MOT reminders and Class 4 vs Class 7 handling in GarageOS.
Hardware & devices
What device you need to run GarageOS — phone, tablet or PC — and how offline behaviour works.
Team, roles & access
How to add mechanics, restrict access and manage multi-workshop teams in GarageOS.