Frequently asked questions

Tell us what's wrong with your car — you can describe the issue or use our AI diagnostic tool for a quick indication. We then match you with vetted mechanics near you, you choose one and book, and they come to your home, work, or roadside to carry out the repair. Everything — booking, messaging, and payment — happens through the platform.

Autera is free for customers to use — there's no booking fee or markup added by us. You simply pay the price quoted by the mechanic for the work. That price is an estimate based on what you describe, and is confirmed by the mechanic before any work goes ahead.

The AI tool gives a general indication of possible issues based on the information you provide — it's a helpful starting point, not a guarantee. It can be inaccurate or incomplete and is not a substitute for a qualified mechanic's assessment. The final diagnosis and pricing are always confirmed by the mechanic in person.

Your payment is authorised securely through Stripe when you book. The funds are then held as a delayed payout and are not released to the mechanic until you confirm the job is complete and satisfactory (or a reasonable review period passes without an issue being raised). This means you're not paying out until the work is actually done.

Instead of confirming the job, you can raise an issue — the held funds are not released while a concern is being looked into. As we're in beta, we review disputes individually and work with both sides to reach a fair outcome. Any warranty on parts or workmanship is agreed directly between you and your mechanic.

Yes. Mechanics must hold the qualifications, licences, insurance, and right to work needed to carry out the services they offer, and they join as independent professionals. As an early-stage platform we're onboarding our first mechanics carefully and checking these credentials as part of the process.

Yes — you can cancel free of charge up to a reasonable period before your appointment, shown at the time of booking. If a mechanic has set a call-out fee, it may apply where they've already travelled to you or you're not available at the agreed time. Any such fee is always shown clearly before you confirm.

Yes. All payments are processed by Stripe, a regulated payment provider, and your card details are never stored on Autera's systems. Funds are held and routed entirely through Stripe's infrastructure as part of the delayed payout flow.

Autera charges mechanics a flat monthly subscription to use the platform — the current price is shown in your mechanic account. There are no per-job fees on top of that from Autera. Standard Stripe payment processing fees apply to transactions and are separate from the subscription.

Correct — you keep 100% of the value of every job. Autera does not take a commission or percentage cut from individual bookings; our revenue comes only from the flat monthly subscription. The only deduction is Stripe's standard processing fee, which applies to any card payment.

Payments run through Stripe Connect. When a customer books, their payment is authorised and held as a delayed payout; the funds are released to you once the customer confirms the job is complete (or a reasonable review period passes without a dispute). In short: the customer books and pays in, you accept and complete the work, and payout follows confirmation.

You set your own prices for the services you offer — Autera doesn't dictate them. The price shown to a customer is an estimate based on what they describe. If the actual work differs once you've inspected the vehicle, you can amend the price, and the customer confirms it before you proceed.

Yes. You review incoming booking requests and accept the ones that fit your schedule and expertise — you're under no obligation to take a job. Work is only confirmed once you've accepted it.

If a customer raises an issue rather than confirming, the held funds for that job are paused while it's looked into. As we're in beta, we review disputes case by case and work with both you and the customer to reach a fair resolution. Keeping clear records and communicating through the platform helps these get resolved quickly.

Apply through the Become a Mechanic sign-up. We're onboarding our first mechanics during the beta, so we review applications and verify credentials before activating an account. If you're qualified and insured and want to be an early part of the platform, we'd love to hear from you.