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Pilotiko for auto repair shops
From mid-October to December 1, the phone rings for one thing: getting winter tires on before the deadline.
Pilotiko helps a repair shop absorb seasonal peaks: online booking into each bay's genuinely open times, a set length for each job (tire swap, maintenance, diagnostics), proposed assignment based on each mechanic's skills, and occupancy reports. Anything sent to a customer waits for your approval first.
In short
- In Quebec, winter tires are mandatory from December 1 to March 15, with a fine of $200 to $300 [1].
- Before any repair over $100, the shop must provide a written estimate [2].
- A car repair is warranted for 3 months or 5,000 km, whichever comes first [2].
- SMS appointment reminders are being commissioned: no texts go out yet.
Why is fall the tightest season for a garage?
The Quebec government states that every motorized road vehicle registered in Quebec, rentals included, must have winter tires from December 1 to March 15, and sets a fine of $200 to $300 [1]. So everyone wants the same six weeks, and plenty of people call during the last one.
Spring replays it in reverse, a little gentler: the same page advises waiting a few weeks after the period ends before switching back to summer tires [1]. Between the two peaks, the shop returns to its usual mix of maintenance, brakes and diagnostics.
What does a shop owe its customers under Quebec law?
Quebec's consumer protection office summarizes the Consumer Protection Act rules for car repairs [2]:
- the hourly labour rate must be posted on a sign in plain view;
- before repairs costing more than $100, the shop provides a written evaluation, free of charge unless the exact fee was stated beforehand;
- to waive the evaluation, the customer must write and sign the document personally; a pre-printed form has no legal value;
- a repair is warranted for 3 months or 5,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.
| Job | Typical length (example) | Resource | Watch-point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter tires on rims | 30 min | Bay with lift | Peak before December 1 [1] |
| Mount and balance, no rims | 60 min | Bay and balancer | Often only one balancer |
| Scheduled maintenance | 60 min | Bay | Inspection may lead to a written estimate |
| Electrical diagnostics | 90 min | Bay and qualified mechanic | Assign by skill |
| Repair over $100 | varies | Bay | Written estimate before work starts [2] |
Lengths are examples; every shop sets its own.
How many tire swaps can a shop really do before December 1?
How does Pilotiko organize a repair shop?
On the virtual office, the shop becomes a set of rooms: service counter, tires, mechanical, body work if you do it. Jobs waiting on parts or on customer approval are tracked as tasks in the right room instead of piling up on a whiteboard.
Customers book their tire swap online into a time that's actually open. Each job has its own length, and each bay or balancer can be declared a resource, so two vehicles never land on the same lift at the same time.
For electrical diagnostics or a hybrid, Pilotiko proposes the mechanic with the declared skill and the lightest load. A skills mismatch blocks the proposal unless the shop foreman explicitly overrides it.
- In September, an AI agent can list customers whose tires you swapped last year and who haven't booked yet, with a message for you to approve.
- Reports show bay occupancy, hours per mechanic and missed appointments.
- Your website, hosted by Pilotiko, shows your labour rate, services and booking link, with structured data.
What doesn't Pilotiko do for a garage yet?
What customer and vehicle details should you keep?
Scheduling only needs a name, phone number, make and model, and tire type. The VIN and repair history stay in your invoicing software. Under Quebec's private-sector privacy act, the business is responsible for protecting the personal information it holds [3].
Businesses that go to the customer, like appliance repair services, face a different problem: the resource isn't a bay, it's the truck and the road. Driving schools book their cars as resources, much like your lifts.
Security agencies and IT support firms that drive all day can be fleet customers of yours; they plan around their own team calendars too.
Frequently asked questions
Can customers book a tire swap online?
Yes. They pick the job (tires on rims, without rims, maintenance) and a genuinely open time. You decide which jobs are bookable online and how many weeks ahead.
Does Pilotiko produce the written estimate the law requires?
No. The written estimate is done in your invoicing software or on your own form. Pilotiko handles the schedule, bays, assignment and reports.
Can we stop two vehicles being booked on the same lift?
Yes. With each bay declared as a resource, Pilotiko refuses overlapping bookings on that bay, on top of checking the mechanic's calendar.
Do text reminders work?
Not yet. They're being commissioned: the 24-hour and 1-hour reminder code exists, but the sending provider isn't connected. Nothing goes out today.
Can an AI agent approve work on a customer's behalf?
No. Anything involving a customer, money or a send waits for a person's approval. The agent prepares, a person decides, and the customer keeps the right to a written estimate.
Does Pilotiko advertise for tire season?
Not today. Google Ads and Meta Ads management is planned for later. Pilotiko can, however, draft your seasonal posts and keep your website current.
Sources
- Gouvernement du Québec, Obligations liées aux pneus d'hiver (accessed on October 15, 2026).
- Office de la protection du consommateur, Repairing a vehicle: advice (accessed on October 15, 2026).
- LégisQuébec, Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (CQLR, c. P-39.1) (accessed on October 15, 2026).
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