If you have ever called a repair shop for a quick price and gotten the answer "we can't say anything without seeing the car," you already know why AutoAssist exists. We built a free tool that gives you a realistic, data-backed repair estimate before you ever talk to a mechanic. Here is how it works in three quick steps.
Step 1: Enter Your Vehicle
Start by telling us what you drive. This is the first thing we need, and you have two easy ways to do it:
- Year, Make, and Model. Pick your vehicle from the dropdowns.
- VIN lookup. Type or scan your VIN and we will fill in the year, make, and model for you automatically.
Your vehicle is required before you can get an estimate. Year, make, and model determine which parts your car uses and how much labor time each job takes, so we need it to price the repair accurately.
Step 2: Tell Us the Problem
Next, tell us what is happening with your car. You have a few easy ways to do it:
- Tap a common problem. Brakes grinding, check engine light, car shaking, AC not cold, leaking fluid, and other frequent issues are one tap away.
- Type a description. Plain words work great. "Car pulls to the right at highway speeds" is a perfect input.
- Enter a diagnostic code. If a parts store or your own OBD-II scanner gave you a code like P0420 or P0171, just type it in.
- Enter your tire size. Just type something like "215/65R17" and we will give you a tire and alignment estimate instantly, no other context needed.
You can mix any of these. The more context you give, the more accurate the estimate.
Step 3: Get a Line-by-Line Estimate
Once you hit "Get My Estimate," our system pulls together your vehicle, your ZIP code, and the issue you described. Labor rates vary a lot. A brake job in San Francisco costs more than the same job in rural Texas because the shop's hourly rate is higher, so we adjust for your local market. In a few seconds you get back a clean breakdown:
- One card per recommended repair, in plain English.
- A realistic price range (low to high) for parts and labor combined.
- An urgency tag: HIGH (safety or stranded), MEDIUM (within 30 to 60 days), or LOW (routine).
- An explanation of why this repair is recommended, written so anyone can understand it.
- Translations available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese.
What You Do With the Estimate
Once you have a number you trust, you have options:
- Find a shop in our verified network. Browse local shops with reviews and request a quote without leaving the app.
- Source parts yourself. We link to retailers like Tire Rack, Amazon, and eBay so you can buy the part and only pay a shop for the labor. This often saves 30 to 50 percent.
- Use the estimate as leverage. If a shop quotes you 50 percent above our typical range without a good reason, you have data to push back or get a second opinion.
What AutoAssist Is Not
We are upfront about this: AutoAssist gives you a realistic price range based on average shop pricing and your local market. It is not a binding quote, and the final cost depends on what a mechanic finds once they inspect the car. Always get a written quote from a licensed repair facility before authorizing work.
What we are is a free second opinion that takes 60 seconds, so you walk into any shop already knowing roughly what your repair should cost.
Free, No Account Required
You do not have to sign up to get an estimate. Sign in with Google only if you want to save your estimates, track maintenance for your specific vehicle, or remember every shop you have visited. Everything syncs across your devices.