FAQ
Questions we get asked
Everything about fees, warranty and the small print, in the order people usually ask about it.
Booking
Booking and getting to you
How do I book?
Call or text 343-429-8991, or send the estimate form on this site. We reply to confirm the details and find a time that works. We normally answer the same day and can usually be out within a few days.
What areas do you cover?
Kanata, Stittsville, Barrhaven, Ottawa and the surrounding area, and further out than that by request. We'll come to your home, your workplace, or the roadside.
Do you come to my house or my work?
Either. We're a mobile shop, so we go wherever the car is, as long as there's enough space to work safely. Plenty of our jobs are done in a work parking lot while the customer is at their desk.
Do you work evenings and weekends?
Yes. We work weeknights from 5pm and all day on weekends, which is most of the reason people call us in the first place. You shouldn't have to book a day off work to get your brakes done.
How soon can you come out?
It depends on the day and where you are, but we usually reply the same day and can book you in within a few days. Emergencies can be sooner. A $50 emergency fee applies to urgent call-outs without an appointment, and anything outside our posted hours. We will tell you before anything is booked.
Do you do emergency repairs?
Limited ones, yes, for an added fee. Whether we can depends on where you are and what's wrong with it.
Can I cancel or move my appointment?
Give us 24 hours' notice and it's no problem. Less than that may carry a fee, and repeated short-notice cancellations may limit future booking.
Can you do a fleet, or several vehicles at once?
Yes. We can do small fleets or several vehicles at one address, and for businesses we can work through the evening while the vehicles are parked, so nothing is off the road during the day. Ask about volume pricing.
On the day
On the day
What should I do to get ready?
Park somewhere safe, level and easy to get at, leave enough room to work around the car, and be reachable to unlock it or talk about the repair.
Do I need to be there?
Not usually. As long as we can get at the car and it's somewhere safe, you can leave the keys in an agreed spot and get on with your day. We'll call before we start and again when it's done.
What if the weather is bad?
Heavy rain, snow or extreme cold can make a job unsafe or make the repair worse, so we may move it. We'll get in touch beforehand and rebook, instead of turning up and doing a bad job of it.
Do I have to be home while you work?
No. Plenty of people leave the keys and go to work, and we text you when it is done. What we do need is the car where we can reach it, the key, and a way to reach you if we find something that changes the job. If you would rather be there for the handover at the end, say so when you book and we will time it for when you are back.
Where can you work? Is my driveway all right?
A flat, hard spot with room to open a door and get a jack under one corner is all it takes. A normal driveway, a visitor space, a workplace parking lot are all fine. Two things that are not: a steep slope, because a car on a jack has to be level, and a spot where we would be working out into moving traffic. If you are not sure, send a photo of where the car sits and we will tell you before you book rather than after.
What happens to the old parts?
They leave with us and go to the recycler, which is included and not something you get charged for. If you want to see what came off, say so and we will show you, or leave them with you. Some people want the old rotors to see the wear, and that is a fair thing to ask for.
What if you find something worse once you are in there?
We stop and tell you before we go any further. You get what we found, what it means, and what it changes about the price and the time, and then you decide. Nothing gets done that you have not agreed to, and if the answer is "not today" we put it back together and you have still had a proper look at it.
Do you work through the winter?
Yes, all year. The truck is a converted ambulance with its own power and lighting, which is what makes working outside after dark in February possible at all. What we need from you is somewhere flat and cleared to work. A shovelled driveway or an uncovered visitor space is plenty, and a car buried under a week of snow is the one thing that will cost us the visit. If it is storming on the evening you are booked, or it is cold enough that the job would be done badly, we will call and move it rather than turn up and rush it. Tell us what the car is doing when you book and we will say right away whether it is a job for now or a job for April.
How do I reach you on the day?
Text or call 343-429-8991, which is the quickest way to get hold of us. We'll confirm before we set off, and tell you if anything is running late.
What if I don't know what's wrong with it?
Most people don't, and that's fine. We diagnose it on site, tell you what we found and what it will cost, and you decide before anything gets touched.
What if you find something else while you're in there?
We stop and call you. You get told what we found, what it means, and whether it needs doing now. We never carry on into extra work without your say-so.
What if it turns out you can't fix it there?
Some jobs need a hoist or shop equipment. If yours is one, we'll explain what's wrong, give you the diagnosis, and point you at a shop we trust, or rebook it if that's the better answer.
Money
Fees, payment and warranty
Why won't you give me a price over the phone?
Because on most jobs the honest answer is a range until we have seen the car, and a number that turns out to be wrong is worse than no number. What decides it: which parts your car takes, whether what is coming off is seized or rusted in, whether the rotors can be turned or have to be replaced, whether the job needs one part or the pair, and where you are. The travel fee is the one piece we can tell you exactly, and it is on the service area page. Tell us the car and what it is doing and we will tell you what it is likely to be and what would change it.
Do you charge a call-out fee?
Not in the local service area. Outside it there's a flat travel fee set by the first three characters of your postal code, and it goes on the estimate alongside the labour and the parts. You can look yours up on the service-area page. A fuel surcharge covering the drive is in the same estimate.
How do I pay?
e-Transfer, cash, or card. Card payments are subject to a processing fee.
What's the warranty?
Two years on most of the parts we supply, and six months on our labour, where the fault is a defect in the part or in the workmanship.
Are there discounts for repeat work or referrals?
We look after regulars and the people who send us work, and several vehicles at one address on one day is cheaper than several separate visits. Ask when you book, or watch our social media.
Parts & limits
Parts, and what we don't do
Can I supply my own parts?
Yes, but the labour rate is higher and there's no warranty on the job. If the part is wrong or it fails, the second visit is chargeable. We'd rather supply them and stand behind the work.
Do you bring everything you need?
We carry the tools and equipment for most common repairs. If a job needs a particular part we'll usually source it locally the same day, or come back once it's in.
Do you do oil changes, alignments, A/C or safety inspections?
No, none of those four. Alignments need a rack, A/C needs specialized equipment, and a provincial safety inspection has to be done at a licensed station. We do offer pre-purchase inspections, including getting a car ready for a safety.
Can you work in an underground or enclosed parking lot?
No. Height restrictions and ventilation rule it out, and we can't work on a highway shoulder either. Tell us where the car is when you book and we'll say right away whether it works.
Do you work on modified or performance cars?
Often, but it depends on the modification. Tell us what's been done when you book and we'll say whether it can be done safely at the curb.
Trailers
Renting a trailer
Will my truck tow one of your trailers?
Usually, and the three things to check take two minutes in the driveway: the size stamped on your hitch ball, how many pins are in your plug, and whether there is a brake controller in the cab. Each trailer's page lists exactly what it wants and explains how to check each one, with pictures. If you are not sure, send a photo of your hitch and we will tell you straight. That is a thirty second conversation and neither of us wants a wasted trip.
Do you rent trailers as well as fix cars?
Yes. There is an equipment trailer and an enclosed cargo trailer, picked up in Kanata, and most pickups are contactless with a lockbox code on your own booking page. Rates, availability and what fits on each one are on the rentals pages.
What do I need to bring to rent one?
A driver's licence, proof of insurance, and a tow vehicle rated for the trailer and what is going on it. You sign the rental agreement online before you collect, so there is no paperwork to do standing in the driveway.
How much does the trailer weigh, and what tow rating do I need?
The equipment trailer is about 3,000 lb empty and rated to carry 11,000 lb on top of that. Add the two together and that is what your truck has to be rated to pull, so a bare trailer is a light job for most half-tons and a trailer with a skid steer on it is not. The number to compare it against is on the sticker inside your driver's door. Tell us what you are towing with and what is going on the trailer and we will do the arithmetic with you before you commit to anything. It takes a minute and it saves a wasted trip.
Ask us
Get a price for the job
Tell us what the car is and what it's doing, and we'll come back to you with a price. Texting is the quickest way to get hold of us.
Next opening: Monday. If the car has stopped you driving, say so and we'll work around it.
We rent trailers too, from the same driveway. An equipment trailer and an enclosed cargo one.
Or send it over: your number, the car and what it is doing, one question at a time. It takes a minute and we price it from that.