What is Workshop Wrench?

Workshop Wrench is an Australian-native auto repair shop management platform. It includes a drag-and-drop job board, digital vehicle inspections (DVI), estimates with line-item customer approval, GST-compliant invoicing, owner KPI dashboard, and a B2B Parts Exchange marketplace.

Is Workshop Wrench built for Australian workshops?

Yes. Workshop Wrench is designed specifically for Australian independent auto repair shops — it handles GST invoicing, AUD pricing, and Australian business workflows out of the box.

How much does Workshop Wrench cost?

Plans start from $149/month AUD (ex. GST) for the Starter tier. Growth is $249/month and Scale is $449/month. All plans include unlimited jobs, no per-technician seat fees, and a 14-day free trial.

Can I try Workshop Wrench without signing up?

Yes. The live demo is available immediately at workshopwrench.com.au/demo — no form, no credit card, and no sales call required. You get real credentials to a seeded garage with guided playbooks.

Does Workshop Wrench support digital vehicle inspections (DVI)?

Yes. Workshop Wrench includes a built-in DVI tool that lets technicians complete inspections on any device, attach photos, and share results with customers via the customer portal for instant approval.

What is the Parts Exchange in Workshop Wrench?

Parts Exchange is a B2B parts marketplace built into Workshop Wrench. It lets independent workshops source parts from wreckers, suppliers, and other shops across Australia — reducing procurement time and cost.

Compliance guide · Australia

Australian workshop compliance made easier

Name: Workshop Wrench
Brand: Workshop Wrench

GST invoicing, ATR clauses, consumer guarantees, privacy obligations, ACMA quiet hours, and the Spam Act — the compliance areas every AU workshop owner should understand.

Important disclaimer

Workshop Wrench helps you stay compliant — we are not a legal service. This guide is general information only. Consult a qualified lawyer or accountant for advice specific to your business, state, and circumstances.

GST & Invoicing Authorisation to Repair Consumer Law Privacy SMS & Communications Email Marketing

GST & Invoicing

GST invoicing — 10% and correct ABN display

AU Tax Office requirement

All Australian workshops registered for GST must issue a valid tax invoice for any supply over $82.50 (including GST). A valid tax invoice must include:

The words "Tax Invoice" prominently displayed
Your Australian Business Number (ABN)
Date of issue
Description of the goods or services supplied
Buyer's identity or ABN (for invoices over $1,000)
The GST amount payable, or a statement that the price includes GST
Total price including GST

How Workshop Wrench helps

Workshop Wrench generates tax invoices from authorised RO lines. Your ABN is stored in Settings → Business and appears on every invoice. GST is calculated at 10% and itemised on the invoice.

Authorisation to Repair

ATR clause requirements

Industry best practice / state variations

An Authorisation to Repair (ATR) protects both the workshop and the customer by documenting what work was approved before it was done. Best practice ATR documentation includes:

Written description of the work authorised
Estimated cost or labour hours (or maximum cost cap)
Customer name, contact number, and signature (or digital equivalent)
Vehicle details: make, model, year, VIN, registration
Date and time of authorisation
Any exclusions or conditions on the authorisation
Statement of what happens if additional work is needed (e.g. "we will contact you before proceeding")

How Workshop Wrench helps

Workshop Wrench estimate lines track PENDING → APPROVED | DECLINED | DEFERRED status for each line item. The customer portal provides a token-based approval flow that creates a timestamped audit trail without requiring a customer login.

Consumer Law

Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law

ACCC / Australian Consumer Law

The Australian Consumer Law (ACL), Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, creates non-excludable consumer guarantees for services. For automotive workshops, these guarantees mean:

Services must be provided with due care and skill
Parts and materials supplied must be fit for purpose and of acceptable quality
The service must be completed within a reasonable time (if no time was agreed)
You cannot exclude these guarantees by contract — any clause attempting to do so is void
If a guarantee is not met, the consumer is entitled to a remedy (repair, resupply, or refund)
The remedy must be provided free of charge

How Workshop Wrench helps

Deferred work items in Workshop Wrench create a documented pipeline of outstanding recommendations. This helps demonstrate due care and skill by showing what was identified, communicated to the customer, and what they chose to defer.

Privacy

Privacy obligations for Australian workshops

AU Privacy Act 1988

Workshops that collect personal information (names, contact details, vehicle history, payment details) have obligations under the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Key obligations:

Only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for your functions
Tell customers what information you collect and why at the time of collection
Use personal information only for the purpose it was collected (or a directly related purpose)
Keep personal information secure against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access
Provide customers access to their personal information on request
Correct inaccurate personal information on request
Do not disclose personal information to third parties without consent unless required by law

How Workshop Wrench helps

Workshop Wrench stores customer and vehicle data per-tenant with tenant-key isolation. Customer data is never shared or sold to third parties. See /trust for details on data handling and /legal/privacy for the full privacy policy.

/legal/privacy →

SMS & Communications

ACMA quiet hours for SMS

ACMA / Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) sets rules for when commercial SMS messages can be sent. For workshops sending appointment reminders, estimate approvals, and marketing messages:

Marketing / promotional SMS: do not send before 9:00 AM or after 8:00 PM (local time of recipient) on weekdays
Marketing / promotional SMS: do not send before 9:00 AM or after 5:00 PM on Saturdays
Marketing / promotional SMS: do not send on Sundays or public holidays
Transactional messages (appointment confirmations, estimate approvals) have more flexibility — but sending outside business hours for non-urgent messages is poor practice
All commercial SMS must include an unsubscribe mechanism
Maintain a do-not-contact list and honour opt-outs promptly (within 5 business days)

How Workshop Wrench helps

Workshop Wrench SMS features include opt-out tracking. SMS delivery schedules can be configured to respect quiet hours. See /features/comms for the current state of SMS features.

/features/comms →

Email Marketing

Spam Act basics for workshop email

Spam Act 2003 (Cth)

The Spam Act 2003 (Cth) prohibits sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages (including email) to Australian accounts. For workshop email campaigns:

You must have consent to send commercial email — either express (customer opted in) or inferred (existing customer relationship within the last 2 years)
Every commercial email must clearly identify who sent it (business name and ABN or address)
Every commercial email must include a working unsubscribe mechanism
Unsubscribe requests must be honoured within 5 business days
Do not purchase email lists — contacts must have a genuine relationship with your workshop
Transactional emails (invoice, booking confirmation) are generally exempt, but must still identify the sender

How Workshop Wrench helps

Workshop Wrench email communications use the customer email stored on the RO. Marketing campaigns should be managed through a dedicated email platform with proper consent management.

Disclaimer

This is not legal advice

The information on this page is general in nature and is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, accounting, or regulatory advice. Australian compliance requirements change and vary by state and territory. Laws affecting automotive workshops — including the Competition and Consumer Act, the Privacy Act, the Spam Act, ACMA standards, and state-specific fair trading legislation — are complex.

Workshop Wrench makes no warranty that this information is complete, accurate, or up to date. Always consult a qualified lawyer or accountant for advice that applies to your specific situation.

ATO — Tax invoices ↗ACCC — Consumer guarantees ↗OAIC — Privacy Act ↗ACMA — Spam Act ↗

See how Workshop Wrench handles compliance in the product

From GST invoicing to customer portal approval trails, the demo shows the live features.

Australian workshop compliance made easier

GST invoicing, ATR clauses, consumer guarantees, privacy obligations, ACMA quiet hours, and the Spam Act — the compliance areas every AU workshop owner should understand.

Important disclaimer