Auto body / detailing / car wash software, built around EPA, ASE and collision estimate / insurance-claim object with DRP linkage

Arkathos gives a auto body a workspace tailored to how the work actually runs — This workspace is built around booking a vehicle into a bay, estimating the body/detail job (often against an insurance claim), and running membership + POS daily cash close. Arkathos tailors a auto body workspace around 5 agents: Quartermaster, Sentinel, Treasury, mint-warden, Herald.

Compliance a auto body can't afford to miss

Watchtower tracks every license, bond, insurance policy, and continuing-education requirement for a auto body, with renewal cadences and staged reminders so nothing lapses.

• A auto body must maintain a Automotive Repair Dealer / Auto Body Repair License (state), through the State auto-repair / motor-vehicle agency (e.g., CA Bureau of Automotive Repair ARD; NJ MVC; NY DMV), which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a City/County Business License, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a Auto Body / Collision Repair Shop Registration, through the State DMV / Bureau of Automotive Repair, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a EPA 6H Auto Body Rule Initial Notification (40 CFR 63 Subpart HHHHHH), through the US EPA (or delegated state air agency), which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A auto body must maintain a EPA 6H Spray-Applied Coating Painter Training Certification, through the US EPA (40 CFR 63 Subpart HHHHHH) / EPA-recognized training provider, which renews every 5 years.
• A auto body must maintain a EPA NESHAP Subpart 6H Auto Refinishing Initial Notification, through the EPA / State Air Quality Agency, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A auto body must maintain a Air Quality / Paint Spray Booth Permit, through the State / Local Air Quality District, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a Air Quality Permit to Operate - Spray Booth / Surface Coating (VOC), through the State/local air district (e.g., South Coast AQMD; TCEQ; state environmental agency), which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a NESHAP 6H Certified Spray Painter Training (per painter), through the EPA-approved training provider, which renews every 5 years.
• A auto body must maintain a RCRA Hazardous Waste Generator EPA ID Number, through the US EPA / authorized state environmental agency, which renews every 4 years.
• A auto body must maintain a NPDES Industrial Stormwater General Permit (MSGP), through the US EPA / state environmental agency (NPDES program), which renews every 5 years.
• A auto body must maintain a NPDES Stormwater / Wastewater Discharge Permit, through the State Environmental Agency / EPA NPDES, which renews every 5 years.
• A auto body must maintain a Hazardous Waste Generator ID (paint / solvent), through the EPA / State Environmental Agency, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a I-CAR Gold Class Recognition (shop), through the I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair), which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a ASE Collision Repair & Refinish Certification (technician), through the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), which renews every 5 years.
• A auto body must maintain a Sales Tax / Seller's Permit, through the State Dept of Revenue, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A auto body must maintain a Certificate of Occupancy, through the Local Building Dept, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A auto body must maintain a Garage Liability Insurance, through the Commercial insurer, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a Garage Keepers Insurance, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a Garagekeepers Insurance, through the Commercial insurer, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a General Liability Insurance, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a Workers' Compensation Insurance, through the State-regulated commercial insurer / state fund, which renews every year.
• A auto body must maintain a Cyber Liability Insurance, through the Commercial insurer, which renews every year.

Everything Arkathos runs for a auto body

These are the agents set up first for a auto body — and because it's one platform, every plan includes all 16 Arkathos agents. Also included whenever you need them: Guardhouse, Scribe, Courier, War Room, Armory, Marshall, Mint Warden, Vault Keeper, Watchtower, Bulletin Board, Client Portal.

• Quartermaster — Online booking & appointments, Calendar & availability, Events & waitlists, Automated reminders, Job dispatch & scheduling.
• Sentinel — Contact & lead management, Deal / estimate pipeline, Task & follow-up tracking, SMS & email outreach, Pipeline reporting.
• Treasury — Invoicing & payment collection, Expense tracking, Accounting & bookkeeping, Business tax prep & filing, Recurring billing & subscriptions, Financial dashboards & reports.
• Herald — SEO & get-found content, Social media scheduling, Email & newsletter campaigns, Brand voice & content studio, Review & reputation growth, AI-overview & directory visibility.

Your tailored auto body workspace

These are net-new, auto body-specific capabilities — not a generic CRM bolted onto your industry.

• Collision estimate / insurance-claim object with DRP linkage (Sentinel): A claim record tying the vehicle to an insurer/DRP program: photo documentation, line-item estimate, supplements, deductible, direction-of-pay, and total-loss flag, with status from intake to insurer approval.
• Unlimited-wash / membership recurring billing (Mint Warden): Plate-recognition or RFID-tag linked membership plans that auto-charge monthly, with pause/cancel, family/multi-vehicle, and decline-recovery, surfaced in Loyalty.
• Body-shop production stage board (Dispatch): Track each vehicle through teardown -> body -> paint -> reassembly -> QC -> delivery with bay/tech assignment and cycle-time-to-delivery metrics insurers and customers ask about.
• Paint-booth NESHAP 6H + wastewater/stormwater compliance log (Watchtower): Certified-painter roster, enclosed-booth/HVLP records, hazardous paint/solvent disposal, and reclaim/sanitary-sewer discharge logs proving no storm-drain runoff for the wash/detail side.
• E-sign repair authorization + insurer direction-of-pay (Scribe): Templated authorization-to-repair and assignment-of-benefits/direction-of-pay forms with e-signature, attached automatically to the claim and RO.
• Before/after capture -> social proof + review request (Bulletin Board): Pair before/after photos to the job, auto-build a social-proof post (Herald Compose) and trigger a review request to the customer once the vehicle is delivered.
• Paint/material consumption per RO (Armory): Track paint, clear, hardener, and solvent consumed per job as billable materials so material cost is captured on the estimate and inventory depletes accurately.

The agents and tabs you get

Quartermaster for a auto body surfaces Calendar, Bookings, Availability, Chat. Sentinel for a auto body surfaces Overview, Contacts, Tasks, Chat. Treasury for a auto body surfaces Invoices, Draft estimate, Sales tax, Tips, Chat. Herald for a auto body surfaces Get found, Directories, Compose, ✦Studio, Schedule, Chat, Brand voice.

Frequently asked questions

best software for auto detailing business

Popular picks include Jobber, Urable, Orderry and Mobile Tech RX for booking, CRM and invoicing. Arkathos goes further, bundling CRM, scheduling, invoicing, payroll, compliance and marketing in one flat-priced platform tailored to detailers.

how much does auto detailing software cost per month

Roughly $20 to $200 a month. Solo tools like Jobber Core, Markate or ROXO Hub run about $20 to 40; premium ones like Mobile Tech RX and Urable hit $119 to 220, often per seat. Arkathos charges flat with no per-seat fees.

do i need a crm for my detailing business

If repeat and coating-maintenance revenue matters, yes. A detailing CRM auto-sends reminders for coating recoats and wax upsells and can save 5 to 10 hours a week. Arkathos includes a CRM linked to scheduling and marketing.

how do i manage unlimited car wash memberships and recurring billing

Use membership software like Washify, DRB, Rinsed or FlexWash that auto-charges cards monthly, tracks usage, retries declined payments and lets members self-manage accounts. Arkathos handles recurring billing and failed-payment dunning too.

do mobile detailers need a water reclaim system or permit

The EPA Clean Water Act (NPDES) bars soapy wash water from storm drains. Mobile detailers must reclaim runoff, drain to a sanitary sewer, or use waterless products, and check local stormwater rules. Fines can reach thousands.

best estimating software for an auto body shop that does insurance work

CCC ONE and Mitchell dominate collision estimating, with DRP carrier connections and integrated parts ordering; Web-Est and Nexsyis are cheaper alternatives. Insurance-heavy shops usually need one of these for claims and estimates.

free scheduling app for auto detailing with online booking

Setmore (free, up to 4 staff), Reservio (40 bookings a month free) and Square Appointments (free for solo) offer online booking. Paid all-in-ones add invoicing. Arkathos bundles booking without per-seat fees.

how do i track ceramic coating warranties and customer sign-offs

Coating-focused tools like Urable, OrbisX and Ceramic Pro Shop Manager log product, batch and VIN, auto-send maintenance reminders, and capture pre-job damage photos plus digital waivers to protect against disputes.

all in one software to run a detailing or car wash business

All-in-one platforms combine booking, CRM, invoicing and payments, but payroll, accounting and tax compliance often need separate tools. Arkathos unifies finances, CRM, scheduling, payroll, compliance and marketing in one flat-priced platform.

What licenses and insurance does a auto body need?

Arkathos tracks 23 items for a auto body, including Automotive Repair Dealer / Auto Body Repair License (state), City/County Business License, Auto Body / Collision Repair Shop Registration, EPA 6H Auto Body Rule Initial Notification (40 CFR 63 Subpart HHHHHH). Each renewal and expiration is monitored in Watchtower with staged reminders.

Which Arkathos agents does a auto body get?

Arkathos tailors a auto body workspace around 5 agents: Quartermaster, Sentinel, Treasury, mint-warden, Herald.

How is the Arkathos workspace tailored for a auto body?

Beyond the standard tools, Arkathos builds auto body-specific features: Collision estimate / insurance-claim object with DRP linkage; Unlimited-wash / membership recurring billing; Paint-booth NESHAP 6H + wastewater/stormwater compliance log.

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