No car knowledge needed
Fix what matters.Skip what doesn't.
Add a photo of your repair estimate. In about 2 minutes, see what to fix today, what can wait and what to skip. Your first check is free.
Free. No card, no sign-up.
No estimate yet? Get your car's maintenance list, free.
Tell us your car and miles. We'll email what your car maker's schedule says is due, what's coming up, and what shops often sell that your schedule doesn't call for.
Sound familiar?
You went in for an oil change. You came out with a list.
A flush, a filter, a cleaning you've never heard of, all "recommended." Maybe you need them. Maybe it's an upsell. You're expected to decide on the spot, with the service advisor waiting and no way to tell whether skipping is smart or a mistake.
You're not imagining it. 2 in 3 U.S. drivers don't trust repair shops, and the top reason is shops recommending services they don't need (AAA, 2016).
Your car is a tool, not a hobby. You shouldn't have to become a car person to keep it running right.
How it works
As easy as sending a text.
Step 1
Add your estimate
A photo of the shop's paperwork, or type what they quoted.
Step 2
See what to fix, what can wait and what to skip
In about 2 minutes: every line labeled, with a price check on what's due and the exact question to ask when something needs proof.
Step 3
Next time, text it
Your first check is free. After that it's $12 a month or $99 a year. Text us any estimate from the counter.
Straight from the texts
A real answer to a real estimate
We sent a photo of a real shop estimate for a 2018 Chevy Equinox through Backseat Mechanic. Here's part of what came back.
- Fix today
Tire rotation and coolant, but only if they're due on GM's schedule.
- Skip
Fuel system cleaning, plus transmission, transfer case and rear differential fluid changes GM's normal schedule doesn't call for.
- Ask the shop
The exact question to ask first: does the car even have those parts?
- You pay today
$0 to $190 plus tax, depending on what's due.
Not a mechanic's inspection or diagnosis.
That estimate was mine.
I'm Mike. I've worked in sales for over a decade, and I know shops push their service advisors to upsell. So when I'm standing at the counter, I never know what to trust.
In March, I took my 2018 Equinox in for an oil change. Nothing seemed wrong with it. The shop handed me a list anyway: four fluid changes, a tire rotation and a fuel system cleaning, about $700 in all. I said no to all of it, because I couldn't tell which ones my car actually needed.
Later I ran that same list through Backseat Mechanic. That's the answer above. GM's schedule called for $190 of it at most, and only if two of the items were due. Over $500 of it wasn't on GM's schedule for the way I drive.
So saying no saved me over $500. But I also turned down the two things that might have been due. I was guessing either way.
Backseat Mechanic doesn't run on my opinion or the shop's. It checks every line against your car maker's own schedule, so you don't have to guess either.
Mike, founder
What you get back
Four answers. No guesswork.
A safety or damage risk. Get it done now.
Real, but not urgent. Plan for it later.
Not needed for your car right now.
Might be real. Ask for proof first, and we'll tell you exactly what to ask.
The difference
Same estimate. Very different bill.
Example. Every car and every estimate is different.
More than estimates
Everybody needs a car guy. Now you've got one.
Questions before you say yes
Ask anything first, like "Does my car really need a fuel system cleaning?"
What to ask the shop
When something needs proof, you get the exact question to ask. No part names or codes to learn.
On your side of the counter.
Most shops are honest. You just can't tell which ones from the waiting room. Backseat Mechanic gives every driver what car people already have: the confidence to say yes to the right repairs at the right price, and no to the rest.
Built by Mike, a driver who got tired of guessing.
Membership
Simple pricing. Cancel anytime.
Skip one service you didn't need, and a year pays for itself.
Our promise: if we don't find anything to skip or question on your first estimate, your first month is free.
- Text estimates and questions anytime
- Price checks on what's due
- Cancel anytime in your account
Also included: text us your mileage anytime for what's due next, plus an optional monthly check-in.
Plans renew automatically until you cancel. Cancel a yearly plan within 14 days, before we send your first answer, for a full refund.
Do I need to know anything about cars?
No. Send a photo or type what the shop said. Every answer is in plain English, and when something needs proof, you get the exact question to ask.
How do you check my estimate?
Each answer starts from your car's details and your maker's maintenance schedule, checks typical prices for what's due, and goes through a second automated check before it's sent. It's a second opinion, not a mechanic's inspection or diagnosis.
What if the shop disagrees?
Trust what you can see. Ask the shop to show you the problem, or have another shop check the car in person.
What if my car feels unsafe to drive?
Stop driving it and call a tow or roadside service. If there's smoke, fire or a fuel leak, get everyone away from the car and call 911. Backseat Mechanic isn't an emergency service.
How do I cancel?
Anytime, in your account. Your plan stops renewing, and you keep the service until the end of the period you paid for.
Can I get a refund?
If you join without a free check first and we don't find anything to skip or question on the first estimate you send us, we refund your first month within 7 days of that answer, without you having to ask: your first payment on a monthly plan, or one-twelfth of the price on a yearly plan. Otherwise, monthly payments aren't refundable. If you cancel a yearly plan within 14 days of buying it, before we've sent your first answer, you get a full refund automatically. After that, yearly payments aren't refundable.
Your next oil change is coming. Walk in ready.
$12 a month or $99 a year. Cancel anytime.
Answers are written by AI. They aren't a mechanic's inspection or diagnosis, and Backseat Mechanic isn't an emergency service.