Labor Guides and Estimates in ARI
Every auto mechanic benefits from having access to quality Auto Repair Labor Guides
and Car Repair Estimates.
You know the drill: getting the right wrench time for a job is your go-to, and making sure the labor tab’s on the level? That’s just good garage ethics. With ARI(Auto Repair Software), you can employ multiple tools to promote transparency and trust with customers, streamline billing processes, and enhance your auto repair business’s reputation.
On this page, you will learn how to use everything labor-related in our auto repair software.
Vehicle Selector
Working with vehicles from the database
Before you use parts and labor information, pull wiring diagrams, or conduct any advanced operations – you need to choose a vehicle from the database. If you add a vehicle outside the database, the necessary info won’t show up. Here are the steps to find yours and get started:
Main Menu -> Vehicles -> New Vehicle ->
Open Vehicle Selector
This brings you to a window where you need to specify :
- Vehicle Year
- Vehicle Make
- Vehicle Model
- Engine Type
- SubModel (if applicable)
- OtherOptions
Once you fill in the information, save the vehicle record in your account
*under the Vehicles menu. This ensures you have access to the labor guides, labor estimates, and all relevant car info while working on it.
Parts and Labor Guides
Use this menu for a quick access to Parts, Labor, Maintenance manuals and Fluids.
Parts and Labor
Parts and labor are the two cornerstone elements of your job. As an experienced mechanic, you know some standard details about a car’s make and model. Still, often – you need to get into the nitty-gritty to complete your job and determine fair labor rates. Our software helps you pull any actual information about the standard repair procedure anytime you work on a vehicle.
Adding Labor Items
After selecting a vehicle and creating a job card – it’s time to see what goes into completing a repair job and the relevant labor times. Do the following to add a labor item on a Job Card:
Open an Invoice/ Job Card -> Select M1 Parts& Labor Guides -> Search for a repair procedure or choose one -> Transfer the Labor item to the Job Card
The search bar on the left contains labor items with a breakdown of the standard vehicle sections on the car you are servicing. You can add or remove labor items depending on the job and inform yourself about the duration and skill level. Once you transfer the info back – it will show up as part of your invoice as labor.
Adding Parts
If you want to add missing or damaged parts – you must follow the same steps as adding labor. To make the process quicker – you can toggle the search bar to look up part numbers. Each of them is displayed next to an item’s description.
It’s handy to use the sidebar to your advantage. Starting with a vehicle section – you can navigate down to a specific system, parts, and car components. The most common you will see are:
- Engine Mechanical
- Engine Performance
- Suspension
- Transmission
- Accessories and Equipment
- Body and Frame
- Others*
Maintenance
Every mechanic knows, after enough miles or time, every car needs a check-up. It’s just how it goes. With our auto repair software – you can see every car part that needs inspection, replacement, or another intervention.
The maintenance section is next to the “Parts&Labor” tab and is divided into two sections:
- Mileage
- Time
In the mileage breakdown labor guide, you will see what repair and maintenance you should perform depending on a car’s current miles. The same goes for the time section, with the most common repair manual being mandatory maintenance every 12 months(a year).
Fluids
In any car, fluids are the backbone of top-notch performance and machine longevity. Fluid capacity, type, and volume vary from vehicle to vehicle and need to be maintained for the long-term health of the ride.
To access the car fluids panel in the app – do the following:
Open an Invoice/ Job Card -> Select M1 Parts& Labor Guides -> Go to Fluids -> Select what you need -> Click Transfer
You will get a much more detailed breakdown in the auto repair software, but summarized below – you will see how much and what type of fluid is used during a change or a vehicle repair.
| Car Fluid | Approximate Amount (Litres) |
|---|---|
| Engine Oil | 4 to 6 |
| Coolant/Antifreeze | 6 to 12 |
| Brake Fluid | 0.5 to 2 |
| Transmission Fluid | 4 to 10 |
| Power Steering Fluid | 0.5 to 2 |
| Windshield Washer Fluid | 3 to 5 |
| Air Conditioning Refrigerant | 0.5 to 1.5 (in kg, not liters) |
| Differential Fluid | 0.5 to 3 |
| Transfer Case Fluid | 1 to 2 |
| Radiator Fluid (same as Coolant/Antifreeze) | 6 to 12 |
Wiring Diagrams and Repair Procedures
This menu provides extra details needed to complete a repair job. It includes
Wiring Diagrams, Service Manuals, Technical Bulletins, Common Specs, and more!
Wiring Diagrams
You use wiring diagrams much like a GPS for tracing electrical routes. They lay out the game plan for how juice flows in a system.
This is what you will typically see on a wiring diagram when opening it in the app:
- Symbols: They are standardized icons for everything—switches, batteries, resistors, you name it.
- Colors: Each wire’s color has a job. Red might be your power line, while blue’s often else.
- Paths: Solid lines are your hardwired connections, whereas dashed are typically wireless or signals.
- Labels: Represent numbers and tags on parts, making troubleshooting a breeze. You know your component and know its spot.
Here’s how to access them in ARI.
Open an Invoice/ Job Card -> Click ProDemand Application -> Choose Wiring Diagrams after the menu shows up
* This, however, won’t transfer the info back to your Invoice/ Job card, and you have to view the auto repair manual in a separate window!
Component Locations
When working on a vehicle, knowing your component locations saves time and headaches. Component locations commonly include the following:
- Blueprints & Manuals: These are your cheat sheets. Got the layout of every nook, bolt, and widget. You wouldn’t dive in without checking these first.
- Labels & Markings: Some parts sport tags, stickers, or embossings. Quick identifiers to let you know what’s what.
- Zones: Think of your engine bay, undercarriage, or dash as sectors. Each has its residents. Alternator? Engine bay. Fuel pump? Mostly undercarriage.
- Benchmarks: There are landmarks in every ride. The battery, the block, the fuse box. Know these big players, and you’ll clock the neighbors fast.
Follow the same path to reach them inside the app – only choose Component Locations when directed to the menu.
Common Repair Procedures, Causes and Fixes
Aside from everything in the menu, there’s a handy analysis/ breakdown of the commonly replaced vehicle parts, DTCs(diagnostic trouble codes), and real-life causes of those issues.
Modules are related to the labor guides data and present a list, compiled of queries that relate to the car you are working on.
If you expand the options there -you will see graphs indicating what might be causing an engine or a coil to break.
Other Integral Vehicle Information
Surprisingly, there’s more to the labor guides menu than you can imagine. You might find this valuable when stuck on a repair.
- Tire info and lifting points: Safety and stability come first when performing tire replacement or balancing. The digital in-app guide will help you find the lift points, the proper torque, and inflation.
- Reset Procedures: A helpful manual to clear all the pesky DTCs and ensure the whole system or a single component has been reset with no issues.
- DTC index: Contains all the trouble codes if you need to look at them side by side.
*A third-party app(ProDemand) provides all labor estimate data. ARI does not own or manage this data.