Step 9 of 9 · about 10 minutes
Switch over from your old system
A week-by-week plan for moving the shop across safely, and an honest list of what Auto Center does not do yet.
You have set everything up. This page is the plan for the switch itself, and a clear list of what Auto Center does not do, so there are no surprises.
A safe switchover plan
The week before
- Finish Set up your shop and Bring in your data.
- Take three or four pretend customers through the whole journey, from intake to keys back, with one person on each menu.
- Set up your backup and check you can see it in GitHub.
- Export a full copy of everything from your old system, and keep it safe.
The first week: run both
- Use Auto Center for every new customer.
- Finish every job already in the shop in the old system.
- Each evening, check that the day's work is in Auto Center, then press Back up now.
Switch day
- When the last old job is closed, stop entering anything in the old system.
- Keep the old system, or its export, as a read-only archive for at least a year, for returning customers and for your accountant.
The first month
- Check Center reports each week and record sales and costs so the profit figures mean something.
- Back up every day. Test a restore once, so you know it works.
If you need to go back
Nothing you do in Auto Center changes your old system. If the first week goes badly, stop using Auto Center and carry on as before. Anything entered in Auto Center is still saved and backed up, so you can come back later.
What Auto Center does not do yet
Read this list before you decide. Some of these may matter to your shop, and none of them are hidden.
| You might expect | What happens today |
|---|---|
| Send texts and emails to customers | It records conversations but does not send them. Send the message your usual way, then log it. |
| Take card payments | It records payments you have received. It does not charge cards. |
| Print or email an invoice | The invoice is shown on screen. There is no printable invoice yet. |
| Appointments and a calendar | Not included. Use your current calendar. |
| Sales tax | Not calculated. Enter prices the way you charge them. |
| Stock counts for parts | The parts catalog suggests parts and prices. It does not track how many you have. |
| Import past repair history | Not included. Keep your old system as an archive. |
| Import jobs that are open today | Not included. Finish them in the old system, or re-enter them as new tickets. |
| Cancel a ticket without invoicing | There is no cancel. Use a diagnostic-fee estimate, as described in Run the shop. |
| Several computers or phones at once | One shop, one computer, shared in turns. |
| Verified part fitment | Fitment columns in a supplier file are hints only. |
| Manufacturer scan-tool functions | The OBD-II reader shows engine and emissions codes and live data. Airbag, ABS and other manufacturer codes, and resets or programming, need the manufacturer's tool. |
If one of these is a deal-breaker, keep using your current system for that one job and use Auto Center for the rest.
You have switched when
- Every new customer goes through Auto Center
- The last old job is closed
- Your backup runs every day
Questions about how any step was tested? See How we know it works.