SuiteCrate Logo SuiteCrate™
🔧 #1 SHOPMONKEY, TEKMETRIC & MITCHELL 1 ESCAPE SUITE • ZERO MONTHLY FEES

Stop Paying $300–$550/Month for Cloud Garage Rent. Own Your Auto Repair Shop, VIN Decoder & DVI Software on Office LAN.

Engineered specifically for independent US auto, diesel, and tire repair shops (2 to 20+ service bays). Run instant 17-Digit NHTSA VIN Decoding, BAR-compliant Repair Orders (RO), smartphone Digital Vehicle Inspections (DVI), automated Parts Markup Matrices, and Flat-Rate Mechanic Payroll—100% private on your shop Wi-Fi with $0 monthly fees and zero credit card processor lock-in.

$0/mo Forever • No Per-Bay Fees
17-Digit NHTSA VIN Decoder Built-In
DVI Photos Smartphone Bay Inspections
56%+ GP Parts Markup Matrix Target
🛡️ Replaces Shopmonkey ($299–$499/mo) • Replaces Tekmetric ($199–$479/mo) • Replaces Mitchell 1 / Manager SE • 🔒 100% Private Self-Hosted Code & Open Database Ownership
DESIGNED FOR BUSY AMERICAN AUTO & DIESEL SHOPS

Stop Leaking Parts Margins, Paying DVI Add-Ons & Wrestling Flat-Rate Payroll

Generic business invoicing does not decode 17-digit VINs or track mechanic flagged hours. Our Office LAN software gives you complete peace of mind, eliminates monthly subscription rent, and keeps your private shop customer history 100% off public third-party clouds.

PILLAR 1 • VIN DECODER & REPAIR ORDERS

Instant 17-Digit NHTSA VIN Decoder & BAR-Compliant Repair Order (RO) Builder

Type a 17-digit VIN or license plate to instantly populate Year, Make, Model, Engine size (e.g., 3.5L V6 EcoBoost Twin-Turbo), and full past vehicle service history. Build multi-job estimates with separate Labor Hours × Shop Rate ($145/hr), parts line items, automatic Shop Supplies % (with $45 cap), and EPA HazMat / Tire Disposal fees compliant with California BAR and US state consumer regulations.

VIN Lookup: 1FTFW1E85MFA84921 ✓ NHTSA Verified
[VEHICLE] 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat 4WD • 3.5L V6 EcoBoost (Gas Turbo)
[ODOMETER] 68,420 mi • Customer: Dave Miller • (512) 555-0194
[RO #4082] 2 Jobs Assigned • Labor: $435.00 • Parts: $418.50 • Total: $912.48
PILLAR 2 • DIGITAL VEHICLE INSPECTION (DVI)

Smartphone DVI Photos Over Shop Wi-Fi: Boost ARO by 32% with Zero Cloud Add-Ons

Mechanics use any smartphone or tablet in the bay over local Wi-Fi to snap photos of worn brake pads (2mm 🔴 Red), seeping water pumps (🟡 Yellow), or clean air filters (🟢 Green). Generate instant customer digital inspection sheets with one-click approve/decline toggles, eliminating $150–$200/mo cloud DVI app surcharges.

🔴 Front Brake Pads (2mm Scarred): Immediate ($548.00)
🟡 Serpentine Belt (Cracked): Advise ($245.00)
🟢 Interstate Battery 640 CCA: Passed ($0.00)
Customer Approved: $793.00 Added to RO
PILLAR 3 • PARTS PROFIT OPTIMIZER

Sliding-Scale Parts Markup Matrix: Protect 55%+ Parts Gross Margin

Stop leaving thousands on the counter when service writers guess parts prices. Automatically applies a 5-tier cost-to-retail multiplier matrix: e.g., 3.5x multiplier on a $4.00 oil filter (71% GP), down to 1.45x on a $580 alternator (31% GP), ensuring your blended parts gross profit margin never slips below the industry gold standard of 52%–58%.

Wholesale Cost: $68.00 NAPA Ceramic Pads
Matrix Retail: $125.80 (1.85x Multiplier • 45.9% GP)
+$57.80 Profit
PILLAR 4 • FLAT-RATE MECHANIC PAYROLL

Flagged Book Hours vs. Clocked Bay Efficiency: Friday Payroll in 60 Seconds

Whether you pay flat-rate book hours, hourly plus efficiency bonuses, or labor gross profit commission, track every tenth of an hour (0.1 hr) flagged per technician. Automatically compares Flagged Book Hours (51.5 hrs) against Clocked Bay Hours (40.0 hrs) to compute 128.8% Bay Efficiency and Friday paychecks without paper timesheets.

Master Tech: Mike Kowalski (ASE L1)
51.5 Flagged Hrs • 128.8% Efficiency • $2,163.00 Gross
71.0% Shop Labor GP
HANDS-ON FUNCTIONAL PROOF • ZERO DOWNLOAD REQUIRED

Experience the Local Office LAN Garage System in Real Time

Switch between the 4 core auto repair modules below to test the 17-digit VIN decoder, smartphone digital vehicle inspection (DVI), parts price markup matrix, and flat-rate mechanic payroll calculator.

⚡ LIVE SYSTEM SIMULATOR: SYS-08 Auto Repair Shop & DVI Engine
Service Counter View

17-Digit NHTSA VIN Decoder & BAR-Compliant Repair Order (RO) Builder

✓ Auto-Calculates Labor + Parts + Shop Supplies Cap + EPA Fees
Quick-Load VIN:
2021 Ford F-150 Lariat 4WD 17-Digit VIN Decoded
VIN: 1FTFW1E85MFA84921 Engine: 3.5L V6 Twin-Turbo EcoBoost Odometer: 68,420 mi
Repair Order #RO-4082 Service Jobs:
Front & Rear Brake Service Tech: Mike Kowalski • 2.5 Flagged Labor Hrs • Ceramic Pads & Rotors
$485.00 Labor: $362.50 | Parts: $122.50
$427.48 Labor: $406.00 | Parts: $21.48
$45.00 (Capped)
Repair Order #RO-4082 Summary BAR State Compliant
Billed Labor Hours: 5.30 hrs
Labor Total ($145/hr): $768.50
Parts Total (Matrix Priced): $143.98
Shop Supplies & EPA HazMat Fee: $53.50
Sales Tax (8.25% on parts): $11.88
GRAND TOTAL: $977.86
Est. Shop Gross Profit: $682.40 (69.8% GP)
Mechanic Smartphone View (Shop Wi-Fi)

Smartphone Digital Vehicle Inspection (DVI) & Customer SMS Approval

✓ Zero Cloud Surcharge • Adds Photos to RO • 1-Click Approve/Decline
🔴 RED — IMMEDIATE REPAIR Front Brake Pads & Rotors (2mm Left)
$548.00

Photo Note: Both inner pads worn down to backing plates with deep grooving on brake rotors. Safety hazard.

Labor: 2.2 hrs • Ceramic Pads + Rotors
🔴 RED — ACTIVE LEAK Engine Water Pump & Coolant Flush
$427.50

Photo Note: Coolant residue crusted around weep hole with active drip onto lower steering rack.

Labor: 2.8 hrs • OEM Pump + Gasket
🟡 YELLOW — ADVISORY Serpentine Drive Belt & Tensioner
$245.00

Photo Note: Multiple micro-cracks per inch across ribbed section. Recommended within next 5,000 miles.

Labor: 0.9 hrs • Gates Micro-V Belt
Customer SMS Approval Portal View:
Glamour Auto Care • RO #4082
2021 Ford F-150 Lariat
Approved Services: 2 Jobs
Approved Additional Total: $975.50
Deferred to Next Service: $245.00
💡 Zero SaaS Fee on DVI: All photos store directly on your Shop LAN computer. Customers review high-res photos via SMS with zero third-party cloud hosting fees.
Gross Profit Engine

Sliding-Scale Parts Price Markup Matrix & Margin Optimizer

✓ Target 55%+ Blended Parts GP • Works with NAPA, Worldpac & AutoZone
Configured 5-Tier Cost-to-Retail Matrix:
Wholesale Cost Bracket Multiplier Gross Margin %
$0.01 – $15.00 (Filters, bulbs, gaskets) 3.50x 71.4% GP
$15.01 – $50.00 (Belts, sensors, hoses) 2.40x 58.3% GP
$50.01 – $150.00 (Brake pads, water pumps) 1.85x 45.9% GP
$150.01 – $450.00 (Starters, radiators) 1.55x 35.5% GP
$450.01+ (Compressors, transmissions) 1.35x 25.9% GP
💡 Why sliding scale? Low-cost parts carry higher % markups without customer pushback, balancing out big-ticket components to guarantee a 55%+ blended shop parts profit.
Test Any Wholesale Part Cost:
Applied Multiplier Tier: 1.85x Tier ($50–$150)
Customer Retail Price: $125.80
Gross Profit Generated: $57.80 (45.9% GP)
Extra Cash Saved: Against a flat 35% markup ($91.80 retail), the matrix captures an extra +$34.00 pure gross profit on this single brake job.
Shop Payroll & Efficiency

Mechanic Flat-Rate Flagged Hours vs. Clocked Bay Efficiency Payroll

✓ 60-Second Friday Payroll • ASE Tier Bonuses • Labor GP Tracking
Technician Efficiency Controls:
Efficiency Benchmark: Flagging 51.5 book hours in 40 clocked hours yields 128.8% Efficiency. The retroactive +$4.00/hr tier bonus kicks in automatically.
Weekly Pay Slip: Mike Kowalski (Master Tech) 128.8% Efficiency
Shop Billed Labor Revenue ($145/hr): $7,467.50
Effective Payout Rate: $42.00 / hr
Tech Gross Payout (51.5 hrs × $42): $2,163.00
Shop Net Labor Profit: +$5,304.50 (71.0% GP)
THE 3-YEAR FINANCIAL REALITY CHECK

Stop Giving $15,000+ Every 3 Years to Cloud SaaS Landlords

Cloud platforms raise prices annually and lock your customer VIN history behind subscription paywalls. Compare the real 3-year cash outlay of renting cloud garage software vs. owning your shop software outright on Office LAN.

Interactive 3-Year Auto Repair Shop TCO Calculator

Adjust the slider to see exact cash kept in your shop's bank account.
ACTIVE SHOP BAYS: 6 Service Bays
2 Bays (Boutique) 6 Bays (Standard Garage) 12 Bays (Fleet / Transmission) 20 Bays (Multi-Bay Center)
Shopmonkey / Tekmetric Cloud $15,480 $399–$450/mo + DVI & fees over 3 yrs
Mitchell 1 / Manager SE Contract $12,960 $360/mo 36-month lock-in
SuiteCrate Pro LAN (One-Time) $2,699 You Keep +$12,817 in Your Bank
Feature / Operational Criterion Generic Invoices / Paper Shopmonkey / Tekmetric ⭐ SuiteCrate Pro LAN
17-Digit NHTSA VIN Decoding ❌ Manual typing ✓ Cloud API ✓ Built-in Local/NHTSA
Smartphone DVI Bay Photos ❌ None ⚠️ Paid Add-On ($150–$200/mo) ✓ 100% Free over Shop Wi-Fi
Sliding-Scale Parts Markup Matrix ❌ Guessing on the fly ✓ Yes ✓ Yes (5-Tier Sliding Matrix)
Mechanic Flat-Rate vs. Clocked Payroll ❌ Hours on paper ⚠️ Locked to higher tiers ✓ Instant 60-Second Payroll
Payment Terminal Freedom ✓ Independent ❌ Proprietary Card Surcharges ✓ Connect Any Card Terminal
Internet Outage / Offline Operation ✓ Paper works ❌ Garage completely halted ✓ 100% Works on Shop LAN
Source Code & Data Ownership N/A ❌ 0% (Data held hostage) ✓ 100% Private Self-Hosted Code & Open Database Ownership
SIMPLE, HONEST, ONE-TIME PRICING

Own Your Shop Software Outright. Zero Monthly Subscriptions.

Every edition includes perpetual local use on your garage Wi-Fi, zero per-bay or per-RO charges, and full control over your private customer and vehicle history database.

Small Shop • Up to 3 Bays

Basic Edition

Ideal for specialty repair shops, tire & brake garages, or transmission shops operating up to 3 bays on a single front-counter PC.

$1,199 $1,999 Save $800 One-Time Payment • $0/Mo Forever
  • ✓ Single Front-Counter Service Writer PC
  • ✓ Up to 3 Active Service Bays
  • ✓ 17-Digit NHTSA VIN Decoder Built-In
  • ✓ BAR-Compliant Repair Orders & Invoices
  • ✓ 5-Tier Sliding-Scale Parts Markup Matrix
  • ✓ Complete Customer & Vehicle History Ledger
  • ✓ 1-Year Critical Bug-Fix Warranty
Multi-Location • Online Booking & SMS

Enterprise Multi-Shop

Built for auto group owners with multiple locations, fleet service centers, or heavy diesel facilities requiring consolidated reporting.

$4,899 $7,999 Save $3,100 One-Time Payment • $0/Mo Forever
  • ✓ Everything in Pro LAN, PLUS:
  • ✓ Online Customer Appointment Booking & SMS Confirmations
  • ✓ Multi-Location Consolidated Profit & Loss Reporting
  • ✓ Commercial Fleet Net-30 Consolidated Monthly Statements
  • ✓ Custom Branded Oil Change Reminder Sticker Printing
  • ✓ Dedicated Setup Review by Lead Systems Engineer
  • ✓ 100% Private Self-Hosted Code & Open Database Ownership

Optional Done-For-You Services (Separated & 100% Transparent):

📦 Vehicle History & Customer Data Migration ($199) We extract and import your customer phonebook, past VIN service records, and canned jobs from Mitchell 1, Shopmonkey, Tekmetric, or Excel.
🛡️ Optional Care & Updates ($149/yr) 100% voluntary. Receive annual feature updates, new NHTSA VIN decoding databases, and priority support. Cancel anytime.
RISK-FREE 24-HOUR EVALUATION

Ready to Free Your Shop from Monthly SaaS Rent?

We will set up a private, playable Live Demo link pre-configured with sample vehicles, repair orders, smartphone DVI checklists, and flat-rate mechanic calculations. Test it with your service writers and lead technicians.

🔒 Zero obligation. We never spam. Private interactive demo deployed in < 24 hours.
COMMON QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Smartphone DVI work without cloud subscriptions? ▼
Your shop server (any Windows/Mac PC on your garage network) serves the DVI inspection web app directly over your shop Wi-Fi. Technicians open the app in Safari or Chrome on their phone or tablet, snap photos of worn brakes or oil leaks, and the images save directly to your local computer. When sending to customers, it connects via Twilio to send a clean local inspection summary link.
How does the 17-digit NHTSA VIN decoder work? ▼
The system connects to the official US Department of Transportation (NHTSA) vPIC API (which is 100% free with zero per-lookup charges) and stores an offline database of popular makes, models, and engine trims. Typing or barcode-scanning a 17-digit VIN immediately decodes the exact model year, make, model, drive type (4WD/AWD), engine displacement, and fuel type.
Can we import our existing customer & vehicle history? ▼
Yes. Whether you are migrating from Shopmonkey, Tekmetric, Mitchell 1 / Manager SE, AllData, or Excel, we provide a clean CSV import utility for your customer phonebook, vehicle VIN profiles, and common canned labor jobs. You can also opt for our Done-For-You Migration Service ($199) where our engineers handle the entire database transition.
Can we customize the sliding-scale parts markup matrix? ▼
Absolutely. You have full control over the cost brackets and retail multipliers. You can set up custom matrices for fast-moving maintenance items (filters, wiper blades, bulbs at 3.0x–4.0x) vs. heavy hard parts (engines, transmissions at 1.25x–1.40x) to ensure your overall parts profit meets your targeted 52%–58% margin.
How does it calculate flat-rate vs. hourly mechanic payroll? ▼
The system tracks every flagged tenth of an hour (0.1 hr) when a technician completes a repair order labor line. It compares flagged hours against their clocked timecard hours to determine efficiency (e.g., 51.5 flagged hrs in 40 clocked hrs = 128.8% efficiency). It supports flat-rate pay, hourly base + efficiency bonus tiers, or commission on labor gross profit.
Are we locked into any credit card processing terminal? ▼
No. Unlike Shopmonkey or Tekmetric which force you to use their proprietary merchant processing at inflated rates (or charge extra fees for outside terminals), SuiteCrate is 100% payment processor agnostic. Use any card machine you already own (Clover, Dejavoo, Pax, Square), or utilize our native 3.5% Cash Discount / Dual Pricing program to eliminate credit card processing fees entirely.
Does the system work if the shop internet goes down? ▼
Yes! Because SuiteCrate runs on your local shop network (LAN), your service writers can continue creating Repair Orders, mechanics can continue flagging jobs, and front-desk printers can continue printing invoices even during a complete Comcast or AT&T internet blackout. Your shop never comes to a standstill.
What does 100% Private Self-Hosted Code & Open Database Ownership mean? ▼
It means you receive full, uncompiled, production-ready code with complete ownership of your database (MySQL/SQLite). You are never locked into an ongoing subscription, your financial books and customer records are never harvested by third-party clouds, and you have lifetime rights to run the software on your shop network forever.
🔗 Zero-Copy Workflow Chaining Pipe Your Current Batch Table Directly Into the Next Operational Tool:
100% Browser-to-Browser Memory Transfer (SessionStorage)