Why a phone call isn't enough
You already know the conversation. A tech finds a cracked serpentine belt and a leaking strut. The advisor calls the customer, describes it as clearly as anyone can describe a strut over the phone, and the customer says they'll think about it. Half the time they never call back, and the shop hears about it later when the noise gets worse.
The problem isn't the customer being difficult. It's that you're asking someone to spend several hundred dollars on something they've never seen, described by a person who has an obvious financial interest in them saying yes. Most people hesitate. That hesitation is what a digital inspection removes.
How it works in Underhood
The tech documents it where the car is
Photos and video are captured on a phone or tablet at the vehicle, attached to that vehicle's record. No walking to a desktop, no emailing pictures to the front counter and hoping they get matched to the right RO.
Findings get a severity
Each item is marked so the customer can tell the difference between a safety problem and something worth watching. That distinction is what stops an inspection from reading like a list of upsells.
It travels with the estimate
Inspection evidence sits alongside the priced work, so the customer isn't looking at a number in one place and a photo in another. They see the worn part and the cost of replacing it together.
The customer approves from their phone
The estimate goes out as a link. They look at it in their own time, approve or decline, and the shop sees the answer without another phone call.
What changes in the shop
- Fewer callbacks and less phone tag chasing a decision that's already been made.
- A record of what the vehicle looked like on the day, which is worth having if anyone disputes it later.
- Techs stop writing findings on a paper sheet that has to be typed up by someone else.
- Declined work is documented, so next visit you can show what was recommended and when.
Every feature is in the one plan — see what Underhood costs.