Everything a Canadian driver needs to know, from typing a postal code to leaving a review. Two ways to get work done: book a deal from a shop’s flyer (sections 1 to 10), or post a job with your budget and hire the shop whose bid you like (section 12). Both are free; nothing is charged online.
Key facts
- Free for drivers. Booking a deal or getting bids for a job costs nothing.
- Pay after the job. You pay the shop directly once the work is done; nothing is charged online.
- Verified shops. Our staff check every shop before it can publish a flyer or bid on a job.
- Real reviews. Only customers whose appointment was completed can review a shop.
- Clear prices. In Canadian dollars, before tax; sales tax is added at the shop.
1. Find shops near you
Enter your postal code on the home page or the flyers page. We match it to its area (the first three characters, like M5V or V6B) and show the shops within 40 km, the nearest first. The postal code is remembered on your device for 30 days, so you don’t have to type it again; change it any time from the pin in the header.
2. Browse this week’s flyers
Each flyer is published by the shop itself and lists its current offers: a price, what the offer covers and until when it is valid. Open a flyer to see its pages; tap an offer to see the details.
Prices come in three kinds:
- A fixed price, like $69: what you pay for that job, before tax.
- A “from” price, like From $189: the starting price. The final price depends on your vehicle (engine size, tire size, the parts it needs), and the shop tells you before doing the work.
- Quote after inspection: the shop needs to see the vehicle before it can give a price.
All prices are in Canadian dollars and shown before tax. Sales tax (GST/HST/PST) is added at the shop.
3. Pick the offers you want
Tap + on an offer and a tick draws itself on it. Your picks are kept per shop, in the calendar icon at the top of every page. You can pick several offers from the same shop and book them together in one appointment. Picks from different shops become separate bookings, one per shop.
You can also book from a shop’s page, where its current flyer offers are listed. Need something that isn’t on a flyer? Get bids for the job instead.
4. Book an appointment
The booking sheet takes four short steps:
- What and where. The offers you picked, with their prices (add another offer from the same shop’s flyer if you need it), and where the work happens: at the shop (drop-off), or at your address if the shop offers mobile service and you are within its travel radius. We check your postal code against the radius before you can choose it.
- When. A two-week strip of days. Closed days are greyed out; for the day you choose, you see only the time windows the shop still has open. A window is a span of time (like 9:00–11:00 am) in which the shop takes your car; the shop plans the exact order of the day.
- Vehicle. Make, model, year, fuel and transmission; the licence plate and the odometer help the shop prepare but are optional. Account holders pick one of their saved vehicles.
- Your details. Your name, e-mail and phone number. Check everything, then confirm.
Every booking is checked again on our side the moment you send it. If the last spot in a window was taken while you were typing, we tell you and you choose another one: two people can never book the same last spot.
5. Confirmation
You get an e-mail straight away with your booking code (it starts with BM-), the shop’s address, a map link, a calendar file and a private link to manage the booking.
Most shops confirm each booking themselves, usually within a few hours during opening hours. Some confirm automatically. Either way, you get a second e-mail when the booking is confirmed.
6. If the shop proposes another time
When the window you asked for doesn’t work, the shop can propose another one. You get an e-mail and can:
- Accept it in one tap, from the e-mail or your booking page;
- Choose a different open window instead (the booking goes back to the shop to confirm); or
- Decline the proposal, which cancels the booking.
7. Reschedule or cancel
Open the link in your confirmation e-mail, or My account → Appointments if you have an account, and choose Change the time or Cancel appointment. You can do this until the shop’s cut-off, usually 12 hours before your window starts; the exact time is shown on your booking. After the cut-off, call the shop directly: its number is on the booking and in every e-mail.
A cancelled booking frees its spot at once, so another driver can take it.
8. Reminders
We e-mail you 24 hours before your window and again 2 hours before it (a booking made less than 24 hours ahead gets only the second one). Account holders can switch reminders off under My account → Settings.
9. On the day
- At the shop: arrive at the start of your window. Bring your keys, any wheel-lock key, and your winter or summer tires if the job is a changeover.
- Mobile service: be at the address you gave, with the vehicle parked where the technician can work around it. Tell the shop in the notes about parking rules, a garage code or a condo visitor spot.
- Paying: you pay the shop directly, after the work, at the flyer price or the price you agreed. If the shop finds something that needs more work, it must ask you before doing it.
10. Reviews
After the shop marks your appointment completed, we e-mail you an invitation to review it. Only customers with a completed appointment can review a shop, once per appointment. Say what was done, how it went and whether the price matched. Reviews that are abusive, share someone’s personal information or are not about the service are removed.
11. Your account
You can book without an account. If you create one later with the same e-mail address, sign in on the device you booked from and your bookings and picks move into your account. An account keeps your vehicles (so the booking sheet fills itself in), your appointments, your requests and their bids, your messages with shops and your reviews in one place. Posting a request needs an account, so we can tell you about the bids.
12. Get bids for a job and hire a shop
Not every job is on a flyer, and some need a price for your vehicle first. For those, tell the shops what you need and let them compete:
- Choose the service. Pick it from the list on the request form, or open its page under Services and choose Get bids.
- Describe the job. What you notice, what you want done and anything the shop should know. Add your vehicle (or pick a saved one), your postal code, where the work should happen (at the shop, or at your address when a mobile technician can do the job) and when you need it: as soon as possible, on a certain day, before a certain day, or whenever suits.
- Set your budget. What you expect to pay, before tax. It helps shops decide whether to bid; their price can be above or below it.
- Send it. We e-mail the shops within reach of your postal code that do this service, and the request appears under Job requests in their dashboards. If you aren’t logged in yet, we keep what you typed while you log in or create an account.
What shops see. The job, your vehicle, your budget, your area (like “Mississauga (L5B)”) and your first name and last initial. They don’t see your full postal code, your e-mail address or your phone number until you hire them.
Bids. Each shop that wants the job sends one bid: its price before tax, when it can start, and a message saying what the price includes. We e-mail you when a bid arrives. You see all of them under My account → My requests, with each shop’s rating, its reviews and how far it is from you. A shop can change its bid while your request is open, or withdraw it.
Hire. Choose Hire on the bid you like and confirm. The shop gets your name, e-mail and phone number, and you get the shop’s phone number, e-mail and address. A private conversation opens on the request page, so the two of you can agree on the day and the details. The other shops are told the job went to someone else; we don’t tell them who.
After that. You pay the shop directly, after the work, at the price you agreed. If the shop finds something that needs more work, it must ask you first. When the work is done, choose Mark as done on the request page; the conversation stays open in case you need the shop again.
Changing your mind. You can cancel a request until the work is done. Shops that bid are told, and so is the shop you hired.
A request takes bids for 14 days, or until the day you needed it passes, whichever comes first; then it closes by itself. You can have up to 10 open requests at a time.
13. Lease Ends: sell a leased vehicle before the lease is up
If your lease is ending and the vehicle is worth more than the leasing company asks to buy it out (the payoff), that difference is yours. Lease Ends lets buyers bid for the vehicle, dealers, shops and private buyers alike, and we guide the buyout and the paperwork.
- List the vehicle. Choose List my vehicle on Lease Ends and enter the vehicle (make, model, year, the 17-character VIN, the mileage, its condition), the lease (the company, the end date, the payoff from your latest statement, any fees and the mileage allowance), your own idea of what it is worth, and the starting bid (at least 80 % of the payoff). You log in or create a free account when you add photos; we keep what you typed. You can save a draft and come back.
- We verify it. Our team checks the VIN, the payoff and the lease terms with you and the leasing company, usually within one business day, and may ask for more information. Nothing is public until it is approved.
- Buyers bid. For 3 to 30 days (you choose), buyers bid against each other, dealers, shops and private buyers alike; each bid must beat the last by at least $250. You get an e-mail for every bid and see them all on your listing page, with the shop’s rating and distance. Buyers see the vehicle, its mileage and condition, the photos, the lease end date and your area; never the payoff, your estimate of the value, your name, your address or the full VIN.
- Accept and hand over. Accept the highest bid whenever you like, or wait until bidding ends (you then have 3 days to decide). The buyer gets your phone number and e-mail, you get theirs, and a private conversation opens. Our team then runs the transfer step by step: checking the buyer, confirming the buyout or transfer with the leasing company, collecting the documents, recording the payment, and the hand-over.
For buyers. Anyone with a free account can bid: dealers and shops from their business account, private buyers from a customer account (Lease Ends → My bids in your dashboard). Every listing shows the vehicle, its mileage and condition, the photos, the lease end date, the current bid and the time left; the payoff and the seller’s figures stay with the seller and our team. A calculator helps you weigh a bid against the resale value you expect: an estimate, not a guarantee. Save vehicles to your watchlist; we tell you when you are outbid. A bid is a binding offer to buy at that price if the seller accepts it, subject to the leasing company approving the buyout. Nothing is charged online.
14. Buy a car: used and new cars, and “Find me a car”
Cars lists the new and used cars of the dealers near you, every one with its photos, the dealer’s all-in price (every fee but sales tax and licensing), the mileage and the history the dealer declares.
- Search. Open Used cars or New cars and filter by make, body style, price, year, mileage, fuel and distance from your postal code. Tap the heart to save a car (Cars → Saved cars in your account).
- Book a visit. On a car’s page, choose Book a visit and test drive: pick a time the dealer has open, add a note, and the visit lands in the dealer’s appointments like any booking. It is free and commits you to nothing; bring your driver’s licence.
- Not finding it? Let the dealers find it. Choose Find me a car: new or used, the makes or body styles, your budget, when you are buying, a trade-in, and how far you would drive. You log in or create a free account at the end; we keep what you typed. The dealers within your distance see your request and answer with offers: a car from their lot or one they can get, with their price. Each offer shows the price against your budget.
- Accept the ones you like. Accepting an offer gives that dealer your name and phone number and lets you book a visit to see the car; it is not a purchase. You can accept more than one, pass on the others, and close the request when you have found your car. A request stays open for 30 days.
Dealers see your wish, your area (the city and the first three characters of your postal code) and your first name; your phone number and full name go only to the dealers whose offers you accept.
15. Car financing
The finance page estimates your monthly payment from the price, your down payment, a trade-in, the term and a rate. Send the inquiry (the vehicle, the numbers, a little about you and how to reach you) and someone from our team calls you within one business day, then introduces you to up to three lenders in our network that fit: banks, credit unions and finance companies. The lender makes the offer and decides. We never run a credit check ourselves and never ask for your SIN or banking details; a lender checks your credit only with your consent. If you have an account, your requests are under Financing in your account; you can withdraw one at any time.
16. Find a car part
Car parts works like a parts counter that phones around for you.
- Ask. Pick the year, the make and model and the part, then the area (within 25, 50, 100 or 250 km, or all areas), how you want the quotes sorted (nearest first, lowest price, best part grade or lowest kilometres) and your postal code. On the next screen add the side (driver or passenger), used or new, a part number or the VIN if you have them, how you want it (pickup, delivery, shipping or installed) and your phone. You log in or create a free account at the end; we keep what you typed.
- Sellers answer. The parts sellers within your area that have parts for your make (auto recyclers, parts stores and dealers’ parts counters) see the request and send quotes: used (graded A, B or C, with the donor vehicle’s kilometres), new OEM, aftermarket or rebuilt, with the price before tax, the warranty, when it is ready and how you get it, often with photos of the actual part.
- Accept one. Compare the quotes in the order you chose (you can change it on the request page), then accept the one you like: that seller gets your name and phone number and calls you to arrange it. You pay the seller directly; nothing is charged here. Close the request when you have your part. A request stays open for 14 days.
Sellers see the vehicle, the part, your area (the city and the first three characters of your postal code) and your first name; your phone number and full name go only to the seller whose quote you accept. Your requests are under Parts in your account.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. We charge drivers nothing, to book or to get bids for a job, and nothing is charged online. You pay the shop in person after the work.
Can I sell my leased car here?
Yes, through Lease Ends (section 13): list it, we verify it, buyers bid (dealers, shops and private buyers), you accept the bid you like. Listing is free. The buyer pays the leasing company’s payoff and you keep what is left of the agreed price.
Can I buy a car here?
Yes: browse used and new cars from dealers near you and book a visit to test-drive one, or tell the dealers what you want with Find me a car and compare their offers (section 14). You buy from the dealer, at the dealership.
Can I buy car parts here?
Yes: tell the parts sellers near you the year, the make and model and the part, and compare their quotes (section 16). You buy from the seller you choose, and its warranty and return policy apply.
Do you lend money?
No. We introduce you to lenders we work with (section 15); the lender makes the offer and decides. The introduction is free.
How do I know what a job will cost?
From the shop. When you book a flyer offer, the price is on the flyer. When you post a request, each shop puts its price in its bid, and you hire the one you like. Service pages explain what each job involves but don’t list prices: every shop sets its own.
Why do I have to choose a window rather than an exact time?
Shops plan their day around lifts and technicians, not exact minutes. A window tells the shop when your car arrives; the shop takes it into the day’s order. Many jobs are done within the window; longer ones (a timing belt, a ceramic coating) can take the day, and the shop tells you when to pick up.
The price on the flyer changed after I booked. Which one applies?
The price shown when you booked. Your booking keeps a copy of every price at that moment, and the shop sees it too.
Can I message the shop?
Yes. Every booking has a message thread on its page, and every request has one once you hire a shop. The shop is notified by e-mail, and so are you when it answers.
No shop has bid on my request. What can I do?
Give it a day or two: shops answer between jobs. If your request closes without a bid you like, post it again with more detail about the job, a budget closer to what the work usually costs, or more flexible timing.
What if the shop doesn’t answer my booking?
A booking the shop never answers expires once its time has passed, and the spot is freed. We follow up with shops that leave bookings unanswered; a shop that keeps doing it is taken off the site.
Can I book for someone else’s car?
Yes. Enter that vehicle and your own contact details, and mention in the notes who will drop it off.
How do flyer alerts work?
Leave your e-mail and postal code on the flyers page and we send you a short e-mail when new flyers appear near you, one a day at most. We ask you to confirm first, and every e-mail has a one-click unsubscribe link.
Still stuck?
Write to hello@automarketworld.com or use the contact form; a person answers, usually the same business day. For anything about the work on your vehicle, the shop is the fastest answer: its phone number is on your booking.