Michanic Is A Start-Up That Seeks To Provide Innovative Car Solutions. Michanic is an innovative vehicle tune-up and repair service started by SA entrepreneur Lesetja Dikgale. Michanic was founded with the goal to make car repair and maintenance reliable, affordable, convenient, straightforward and honest. It was started because Dikgale believed that the auto repair industry could be improved.
If a customer requires a vehicle to be fixed, they can head to the company’s website to receive a quote using easily understandable language to describe the problem, after which a mechanic is dispatched to the customer’s home, work or wherever they are located. The service time for the car depends whether it is a minor service or a major service. A minor service takes 45 to 1 hour whereas; a major service takes at least 1 and a half hours with its mobile mechanics.
“Our focus is mainly on the light repairs that people normally face on regular days — for instance, customers whose cars have been parked for long periods during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown only to discover a mechanical issue when they have to drive out to the shops or back to work. It could be a loose or damaged switch, which our mechanics can easily deal with but if the repairs are greater than our usual scope then we recommend the best action for customers.” Dikgale told Times Live.
“Furthermore, the pricing algorithm we have created internally is able to calculate, using market-related pricing structures, the mechanic’s cut and our operational costs to find that ‘sweet spot’ that allows us to be competitive and cheaper than traditional service centres.” Dikgale added. The service, which is approved by the Retail Motor Industry Association (RMI), was founded in 2016. It has been selected among the top 20 start-ups from more than 170 competitors in Google’s Developer Launchpad Programme.
“The pool of 30 mechanics is a mix of independent and retired professionals. The plan is to allow customers to be able to choose who they are comfortable with. Most of our current technical wizards are based in Gauteng and we have three in the Western Cape.” Dikgale told Times Live.
