Switching from another garage system

You already went digital. It just is not the right fit any more. Here is what moving to Pistonlog really involves, including the parts that do not come across.

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What moving to Pistonlog involves

Switching garage management systems means exporting your customers and vehicles from your current software and importing them into the new one. In Pistonlog that is a CSV import on a fixed template: the server previews every row before writing, matches existing records on email or name plus phone, blocks anything ambiguous, and can be rolled back for 24 hours. Job history, invoices and inspections do not transfer, so keep read-only access to the old system for as long as you need those records. Pistonlog includes unlimited users on every plan. Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled at any time; annual subscriptions are paid upfront for a full year.

Read the garage software migration checklist

Why garages move

Usually not because the old system broke. Because it stopped fitting.

Paying by the seat
You want the apprentice to see his own jobs, but not enough to pay for another user to do it. So he does not get an account, and the board is never quite right.
Built for a bigger garage
Half the screens assume a parts department, a body shop and a service manager. You have four ramps and a kettle, and you are paying for the other half.
Your data feels stuck
Years of customers went in and getting them out again feels like the actual reason you have not moved. It is usually one export button away.

How the move goes

Two weeks of running both, and one CSV. That is genuinely most of it.

  1. 1.Export your customers and vehicles

    Nearly every system will give you a CSV of customers and vehicles, usually somewhere under settings or reports. If you cannot find it, their support can do it for you. That export is all you need to bring across.

  2. 2.Fill in the Pistonlog template

    Download the template and paste your list into it. Customer name, business name, phone, email and address, then the registration, make, model, year, fuel, MOT date and mileage for each vehicle. Anything you have not got, leave blank.

  3. 3.Read the preview before anything is written

    Upload it and the server works out what it would do, then shows you. New customer, matched to one already in Pistonlog, or unclear. Nothing is written yet. Anything unclear stops the import rather than guessing which record you meant.

  4. 4.Commit it, and undo it if you need to

    When the preview looks right, commit. It all goes in as one lot, so you never end up half imported. If it turns out wrong you have 24 hours to roll the whole thing back.

  5. 5.Run both for a fortnight

    Finish the jobs that are already open where they are, and start every new one in Pistonlog. When the last old job closes you are done, and the old system becomes something you only keep for looking things up.

Unlimited users, no long contract, and a way back out

The three things that make a system easy to leave are the same three that make it safe to join.

Everyone In
Unlimited users on every plan
The apprentice, the weekend lad, the bookkeeper. Give everyone the access that suits them without working out what another seat costs first.
No Lock In
Cancel whenever you like
Cancel a monthly subscription at any time and keep access until the paid period ends. Annual subscriptions are paid upfront for a full year.
24 Hours
Undo the whole import
The preview shows you what will happen before anything is written, and once it is written you still have a day to put it all back as it was.
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Questions before you move

The things garage owners actually ask, answered straight.

Will my job history and invoices come across?
No. The import covers customers and vehicles only. Old jobcards, invoices and inspections stay in your current system, so keep read-only access to it for as long as you need those records. Most garages keep it for a year for VAT and warranty questions.
How do I get my data out of my current system?
Look for a CSV or Excel export under settings, reports or admin. If there is not an obvious one, ask their support directly for an export of your customers and vehicles. In the UK you have a right to your own data, so this is a normal request.
How many customers can I bring across?
A thousand rows per import run, with each row being one vehicle. A larger list goes across as several runs, one after the other.
Who is allowed to run the import?
The account owner only, and they have to enter their password again before it will run. Nobody else on the team can import, preview or roll back, however senior they are.
Can I try it before I move everything?
Yes, and it is the sensible way round. Import a small batch first, work a few real jobs through it, and only bring the rest across once you know it suits how your garage runs.

Have a look before you move anything

Set up an account, run a couple of real jobs through it, and only bring your customers across once you know it suits your garage.

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