Built on Research,Driven by Trust
I spent months aggregating inspection standards from NHTSA, ASE, and major manufacturers—not to build hype, but to solve a real problem: helping shop owners protect their reputation with systematic, transparent quality control.
The Problem I Couldn't Ignore
Auto repair shops face an impossible dilemma: how do you maintain quality across every inspection when you're already stretched thin? Most shops rely on spot-checks or hope their techs get it right. But one viral TikTok about an over-recommended repair can destroy decades of trust overnight.
I saw shop owners losing sleep over quality control—not because they didn't care, but because they didn't have the time or tools to review every inspection. Manual review takes 10+ hours per week. Most shops simply don't have that luxury.
That's when I realized: this isn't a "more effort" problem. It's a systems problem. And it needed a systematic solution.
The Insight
Quality control doesn't require more human hours—it requires the right framework. If I could aggregate industry standards into a systematic evaluation model, AI could audit every inspection consistently, at scale, for pennies.
The Research Journey
I didn't start with AI. I started with standards. For months, I analyzed:
- NHTSA safety bulletins and federal inspection requirements
- ASE certification criteria and industry best practices
- OEM service guidelines from major manufacturers
- Real inspection reports to understand common failure patterns
The result: 54 evaluation criteria organized into 6 dimensions, all traceable to authoritative sources. This became the foundation of IQ Auto's audit system.
Only after building this framework did I layer in AI. The technology serves the methodology, not the other way around. That's why every audit result includes citations—you can verify our work against the same standards I used to build the system.
How We Operate
Our values aren't aspirational—they're how we actually work.
Research-Backed
Every feature starts with research, not assumptions. We build on industry standards and validate with real shop data.
Radically Transparent
No black boxes. Every audit includes citations. Our methodology is documented. You can verify everything we claim.
Shop-First
We build for shop owners, not investors. Every feature must solve a real problem shops face daily.
Our Journey
From research to production-ready platform
Research Phase
Analyzed NHTSA, ASE, and OEM standards. Built knowledge base with 347 structured criteria.
RAG System Development
Built vector-based retrieval system for semantic search across standards. Validated with test inspections.
Audit Engine V2
Integrated GPT-4o with RAG system. Achieved 3-second audit times with <$0.003 cost per audit.
Platform Launch
Complete platform with 3 integration methods, interactive dashboard, and PWA support. Ready for pilot shops.
What's Next
Onboarding pilot shops, gathering feedback, expanding integrations, building custom solutions.
The Team
Built by people who understand both automotive shops and systematic quality control.
We're growing. Interested in joining the mission?
Get in touchJoin Us on This Journey
Whether you're a shop owner ready to transform quality control, or you're interested in what we're building, we'd love to hear from you.