Workshop software frequently asked questions.
Workshop software answers for Australian workshops. Pricing, setup, imports, support and security.
Pricing
Is there a free trial?
Yes. 14 days, no credit card required. Subscribe at the end to continue using the Service. After the trial expires, your data is kept for 60 days, then scheduled for deletion if you have not subscribed. Warning emails may extend this deadline. Existing retention deadlines continue to apply. Export your data before you leave. Retained records and backups are described in Privacy §9.
How does billing work?
Monthly billing in AUD via Stripe. Pick a plan by team size — Starter ($109/mo, up to 5 users), Growth ($149, 10) or Pro ($199, 20), all inc GST. Add-on modules (Analytics, Multi-Site, Marketing, POS, HR & Payroll, AI, Fleet) toggle on and off any time on top. You only pay for what you use.
Can I cancel any time?
Yes — cancel any module or your whole subscription from Settings. No cancellation fees, no lock-in contract. Access continues to the end of the current billing period.
Setup
How long does setup take?
Setup depends on your data and workflow. We can help import customers, vehicles and stock, then walk you through Diary and Jobs. Agree the rollout timing with our team.
Do you charge a setup fee?
No setup fee. No data import fee. No onboarding fee. The trial is the onboarding.
Do I need to install anything?
No. PitlaneHQ runs in the browser on any device — desktop, iPad on the bench, phone in the bay. Native iOS and Android apps are on the roadmap.
Does PitlaneHQ work for New Zealand workshops?
Yes — NZ workshops can run PitlaneHQ today. Your country and timezone are configurable, and tax rates are set per line item, so 15% NZ GST works fine. It's built Australia-first though: rego lookups cover Australian vehicles only, billing is in AUD, and workshop records are hosted in Australia with an encrypted backup copy offshore. Deeper NZ localisation is on the roadmap.
Imports
Can you import from MechanicDesk (other systems on request)?
Yes. Free data import from MechanicDesk — customers, vehicles, jobs, invoices, stock. Other systems on request. Send us a CSV export and we will agree the import scope and timing with you.
Will I lose history when I switch?
No. Service history is what makes a workshop sticky to its customers — we import every job, every invoice, every reminder, with the original dates intact.
Support
Where is support based?
Australia. Real humans, AU business hours, email and phone. No phone tree, no offshore script.
What's your response time?
Support hours are Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm AEST. Contact us by email or phone. Standard plans have no SLA; enterprise support terms are agreed in writing.
Security
Where is my data stored?
Workshop records are hosted on Microsoft Azure in Australia East. An encrypted backup copy is held offshore with Backblaze. See the data residency page for storage and processing details.
Who can see my workshop's data?
Only you and the users you invite. Each workshop's records are logically isolated and inaccessible to other workshops. The one exception is described in our Privacy Policy: if a workshop enables Ask the Boss and does not opt out, repair and inspection records from its completed jobs — with the customer details we hold removed — are pooled into cross-network statistics, used only internally by Pitlane HQ to improve the platform and never shown to another workshop. We don't use your data for advertising, and we never train AI models served to other customers on it.
What happens if you go bust?
With the export permission, you can export your records (customers, vehicles, jobs, invoices, suppliers and stock) as CSV. Jobs and invoices also require workshop-wide access, including archived sites.