AI chatbot for auto repair shops.
Drivers want to know what it costs just to find out what's wrong, whether you work on their make, and whether you'll call before doing anything. A chatbot trained on your service, pricing and warranty pages answers those any time and collects the year, make, model and symptom for your service advisors, while leaving the diagnosis to a technician with the car on the lift.
14 days free, then a free plan or from $8 a month. No card required.
Visitor: My check engine light came on. What does it cost to find out why?
Chatbot: Our diagnostic fee is $129. That covers reading the codes and the technician's time tracing the actual cause, and it's credited toward the repair if you have us do the work. A code on its own doesn't tell us which part failed, so we don't guess over chat.
Diagnostics page
Visitor: Now it's flashing and the car is shaking.
Chatbot: Our check engine light page says a flashing light means pull over and stop driving as soon as it's safe, because continuing can damage the catalytic converter. We can arrange a tow through our towing partner: call the service desk at (414) 555-0129 and they'll set it up.
Check engine light page
Visitor: Will you call me before doing any work?
Chatbot: Yes. After the diagnosis, your service advisor sends a written estimate by text with photos, and no work starts until you approve it. If the technician finds something else along the way, you get a new estimate first.
How we work page
Powered by ChatBento
12 questions customers ask auto repair shops
The questions auto repair shops hear most. Copy them as a Q&A template, add your answers, and the chatbot answers them in your words.
- 1How much is a diagnostic for a check engine light?
- 2Do I need an appointment for an oil change, and do you use synthetic?
- 3Will getting my maintenance done here void my factory warranty?
- 4Do you work on European cars like BMW, Audi and Volkswagen?
- 5My brakes are squealing. How much for pads and rotors?
- 6Can I bring my own parts?
- 7What warranty do you give on parts and labor?
- 8Do you have loaner cars or a shuttle while my car is in the shop?
- 9Can you do my state inspection or emissions test?
- 10Will you call me before doing extra work?
- 11Do you work with my extended warranty company?
- 12Can I drop my car off after hours?
Set it up in four steps
- 1
Point it at your website
Enter your site's address and ChatBento reads your pages. For auto repair shops, make sure these are on the site or added as docs:
- Service pages: diagnostics, brakes, oil changes, tires and alignment, AC, transmission, inspections
- Pricing page with diagnostic fee, oil change packages and labor rate if you publish it
- Makes you service, and any you don't
- How we work: written estimates, approvals, photos, old parts policy
- Warranty terms, extended warranty companies you work with, and customer-supplied parts policy
- Hours, after-hours drop-off, loaners, shuttle and towing partners
- 2
Answer the 12 questions
Copy the questions above, paste them into ChatBento as Q&As and write your answers. These are what visitors ask first, so a clear answer here covers most chats.
- 3
Set the greeting and handoff
Add the email that receives handoffs and a greeting that sets expectations, for example: “Hi! Ask me about our services, pricing, warranty or loaners. We can't diagnose a car over chat.”
- 4
Paste one line on your WordPress site
Many independent shops run WordPress, sometimes through an automotive marketing provider, and accept a custom script in the site footer. The install guide shows where the snippet goes.
Install on WordPress
What it answers, and what it hands to you
Hand these to a person
The chatbot collects the visitor's name and email or phone, then sends you the whole conversation.
- Booking and changing appointments
- Anything that sounds unsafe to drive: brake failure, fuel smell, overheating, a flashing check engine light
- Repair status and estimate approvals for a car already in the shop
- Comebacks and warranty claims on past repairs
- Extended warranty claims and insurance work
- Complaints and billing questions
No diagnosis, and written estimates before work
The chatbot can explain what your pages say about common symptoms and your diagnostic process, but it never tells a driver what's wrong with their car or what a repair will cost before a technician has inspected it. Many states require a written estimate and the customer's approval before work begins, so it should describe your estimate and approval process rather than promising prices. For anything that sounds unsafe to drive, it should say to stop driving and offer your tow number.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. ChatBento answers only from the content you give it, and says so when it doesn't know.
Which plan fits auto repair shops
Typical volume: 150 to 700 AI replies a month. An independent shop with 4 to 8 bays and 2,000 to 5,000 site visits a month, where 3 to 5% of visitors open the chat and ask about three questions each.
Start on the Free plan (50 messages a month) to try it, then move up when the chat gets busy.
Auto repair questions. Answered.
Can the chatbot tell a customer what's wrong with their car?
No. It explains your diagnostic process and fee, and what your pages say about common warning signs, but a diagnosis needs a technician. It collects the year, make, model and symptom so your advisor is ready when they call.
Can it book appointments in our shop management system?
It doesn't connect to shop management or scheduling software. It links to your online booking page if you have one, or collects the customer's details and preferred drop-off time for your service desk to confirm.
Can it give repair prices?
Only prices you publish, like your diagnostic fee or an oil change package. For repairs, it explains that you send a written estimate after inspection and that nothing starts without approval.
How much does an AI chatbot for auto repair shops cost?
ChatBento has a Free plan with 50 AI messages a month, then Hobby at $8/month (2,000 messages), Standard at $30/month (10,000 messages), Pro at $100/month (40,000 messages). At typical volume for auto repair shops, 150 to 700 AI replies a month, Hobby at $8/month covers it. Every account starts with a 14-day free trial, no card required.
Related industries
- AI chatbot for car dealerships“Is this vehicle still available, and can you hold it for me?”
- AI chatbot for insurance agents“Which insurance companies do you work with?”
- AI chatbot for local retail shops“Do you have 3/8" galvanized carriage bolts in stock before I drive over?”
Use cases for auto repair shops
- Booking and appointment questionsAnswer questions about availability, prices, cancellations and what to bring before visitors book. An AI chatbot trained on your site replies 24/7 and points people to your booking page.
- After-hours supportGive visitors answers at night, on weekends and on holidays. An AI chatbot trained on your website replies 24/7 and takes a message when a question needs your team in the morning.
Terms to know
Answer visitors while you're closed. Free to start, then from $8 a month.
14-day free trial. No card required.