Openbay vs CarAdvise: Which is the best way to find car repair?

Openbay and CarAdvise are services with a similar goal: To help you search for local automotive services, get upfront pricing estimates, and book services online.

Each promises to save you time and money on car repair, and both offer a paid membership that promises even more savings.

So how do the two stack up? Are there any significant differences that might make you choose one over the other?

Read on for a deep dive into CarAdvise vs Openbay!

Openbay and CarAdvise are both online platforms for finding & scheduling local car repair

The concept is similar for both Openbay and CarAdvise: You can search for automotive services, get upfront pricing estimates, and book services online.

Both promise discounts, and both offer paid memberships that can pile on additional savings.

Partnerships with mechanics: CarAdvise partners with national brands, Openbay partners with independent shops and national brands

For services like CarAdvise and Openbay, you ideally want to be able to get estimates from lots of different nearby shops.

In my area of Los Angeles, I found plenty of options on both services. Each seems to have a heavy presence in major cities, but smaller cities may offer fewer options.

CarAdvise and Openbay offer estimates from national auto chains, but an important distinction is that only Openbay partners with local mechanics.

CarAdvise says that it partners with “27,000 trusted national brands.” On CarAdvise, I saw estimates from Jiffy Lube, American Tire Depot, PepBoys, & Valvoline.

On OpenBay, I saw quotes from national brands like AAMCO, Pep Boys, and Just Tires.

But in addition to offering national brands, Openbay partners with local independent mechanics.

So if you’re the type of car owner who prefers local independent shops, only Openbay will connect you with non-chains.

Openbay says that each shop goes through an onboarding process to train them on the Openbay system.

CarAdvise uses the Auto Integrate software, which is an automated system that allows them to instantly get estimates from many national chains but lacks the personal touch of Openbay.

Finding services and choosing a shop: Easy to find shops, Openbay has more variety

On both Openbay and CarAdvise, you begin by searching for the auto services that you need. After adding services, you can browse through estimates from local shops.

You can view the estimates on a map or in a list and sort by price, distance, etc.

Openbay provides upfront pricing for all of the service requests that you submit. Some services on CarAdvise didn’t offer an estimate, instead saying only “5% off retail.”

The functionality is similar on both, but I found that Openbay had a better interface that was easier to use. Locating and modifying services is easier and more intuitive.

Openbay also stands out on other features that give you more information on each shop.

You can see verified customer ratings and reviews for each shop and amenities like shuttle service and early/late drop-off.

Openbay has a shop messaging features, so you can ask questions before your service and stay in touch with the shop during your service.

CarAdvise is a more bare-bones interface without much additional information about each shop.

What kind of work can you get done? Both offer common repair and maintenance, but Openbay has more options for diagnostics

Both CarAdvise and Openbay make it easy to schedule standard repair and maintenance services like an oil change, wheel alignment, tire rotation, brake repair, etc.

One distinction I found was that CarAdvise didn’t offer as many options for diagnostics or unknown issues.

On Openbay, you can describe your problem and find a close-matching diagnostic option that offers a price estimate.

I searched for ‘suspension clunk’ on Openbay and found several options for diagnosis.

The same search didn’t turn up any results on CarAdvise. So if you have an issue and are unsure how to describe it, it will be challenging to book a specific diagnostic service on CarAdvise.

Both services have a suggested maintenance feature. The CarAdvise suggested maintenancewas more general, while Openbay had specific maintenance schedules for my car.

Openbay is free to use, CarAdvise has a small use fee, and both have paid membership options

Openbay is free to use, and CarAdvise charges a small “use fee” of around $1.99 to book services online.

That means you can shop for estimates and book an appointment online without paying anything on Openbay, and for a small fee on CarAdvise.

But each offers paid membership options with additional features and savings.

CarAdvise Premium vs Openbay+

Openbay and CarAdvise each offer a paid membership with extra discount and features. Openbay has Openbay+, and CarAdvise has CarAdvise Premium and Elite.

Openbay+ offers the more significant potential discount, up to 25% off. The minimum Openbay+ discount is 10% off.

CarAdvise Premium costs $2.99/month and adds an extra 10% off and the ability to add 3 vehicles to your profile.

You also get a feature called “anytime ASE tech advice.” It’s a chat service that can connect you with an ASE tech.

ASE tech advise could be helpful if your car is having issues and you’re looking for advice from a pro before you book any services.

CarAdvise Elite for $5.99/month gives you roadside assistance from Urgently and the ability to add five vehicles to your profile.

Comparing prices: CarAdvise was often cheaper for chains, but Openbay has competitive independent shops in addition to chains

Both services make it easy to get quick estimates on auto repair. But which one has the best prices?

Based on my review, CarAdvise had lower prices on many of the estimates I looked at.

Openbay and CarAdvise partner with some of the same national chains, but CarAdvise offers lower prices for the same work at the same shop.

When Openbay was cheaper, it was usually because a local independent mechanic offered better prices, and CarAdvise didn’t offer local independent shops.

Another distinction is that Openbay doesn’t require you to enter a payment method to book services. On CarAdvise, you have to enter your payment method online before you can confirm an appointment.

Sample job: Oil change & alignment

I selected a full-synthetic oil change and a four-wheel alignment for my first sample estimate.

On CarAdvise, I received around 20 estimates from shops in the area, ranging from $155–$175. All the shops were regional or national chains like Firestone, Pep Boys, and American Tire Depot.

On Openbay, I got around a dozen estimates ranging from $144 to $216. The estimates were from a mix of local independent mechanics and national/regional chains.

Sample job: New Brake pads, front and rear

For the second sample estimate, I decided to look at replacing the brake pads for all four wheels.

I noticed that both Openbay and CarAdvise gave me an estimate from the same Pep Boys location, so I compared the estimates side to side to see how pricing at the same chain adds up.

On CarAdvise, the brake work had a subtotal of $352, or a total of $391 with taxes and fees. On Openbay, the same work had a subtotal of $419.98.

However, when I added in the Openbay+ discount—which I was able to get for free—the Openbay subtotal dropped to $377.98. That puts the final price in line with CarAdvise.

CarAdvise was cheaper out of the box for this particular job, and Openbay was only competitive when I added in the Openbay+ discount.

CarAdvise has partnerships with Uber and DoorDash

CarAdvise currently has partnerships with Uber and DoorDash to provide drivers with extra benefits at CarAdvise.

All Uber drivers can get standard free access to Car Advise, but the real perks are for drivers with Uber Pro levels of Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.

Gold, Platinum, and Diamond get free CarAdvise Premium for six months. Platinum and Diamond drivers get a $10 credit toward their second service on the platform, and Diamond drivers get free windshield wipers with a $100 order minimum.

The DoorDash partnership with CarAdvise offers two $10 credits for DoorDash drivers.

And for users of the DasherDirect card, you can get another $100 in auto savings: $25 off brake service, $50 off tires (minimum purchase $150), and $25 off battery replacement.

Features on CarAdvise that Openbay doesn’t have

• 24 hour roadside assistance for paid members
• More partnerships with national brands in some areas
• Partnerships for Uber and DoorDash drivers

Features on Openbay that CarAdvise doesn’t have

• Partnerships with local independent shops
• Partnerships with mobile mechanics
• Customer ratings and reviews for shops
• No payment info necessary to book an appointment
• A messaging feature to contact shops before or during service
• Amenity information: See shop features like free shuttle, early/late hours

Conclusion: Which one should you choose?

CarAdvise and Openbay are good options if you want to do thorough price comparisons and book appointments online.

CarAdvise may be the better option if you’re looking for routine services at chain shops.

Overall, CarAdvise had lower prices for things like oil changes, wheel alignment, and tire rotation.

Openbay is better if you want to find local mechanics and build a relationship with a local shop that isn’t a large chain.

Openbay is also better for reading customer reviews and seeing shop amenities, and the maximum Openbay+ discount of 25% could be a big win if you need a big car repair.

In my experience, a trustworthy local mechanic offers better advice, better service, and a better overall value.

Even if an independent shop might have a slightly higher price up front, they can save you down the line by giving you more honest and personalized service.

Independent shops are also more likely to have other perks and amenities like a shuttle and more flexible pickups and drop-offs.

When it comes to paying for either CarAdvise Premium or Openbay+, I think you should skip the paid membership until you need to pay for a big job.

With Openbay+, the minimum membership is three months, which is still a profitable option if the job is $500+.