Millions of people want to take part in the American dream, which allows people to harness the power of opportunity and succeed. One immigrant, Prashant Salla, is one of them. Salla came to America with a big dream, and not only did he succeed, but he flourished and is revolutionizing the auto repair industry as we know it. His startup, FixMyCar, provides mobile car repair services at customers’ homes or offices, which is an idea that people are flocking to.
“I’m amazed at what I’ve been able to accomplish in Detroit and look forward to continuing to make an impact in the community” explains Prashant Salla, founder of FixMyCar. “The auto repair space is ripe for disruption. The future of car repair and maintenance is conveniently getting your car fixed outside your house by pressing a few buttons on your phone. We are shaping that future.”
Salla is originally from Mumbai, India, which has a population of 22 million people. He was earning $100 a month working as a mechanic while studying Mechanical Engineering when he decided to move to America to pursue a Master’s degree in Automotive Engineering in 2012. Moving to the Detroit area, the automotive capital of the country, he started working as an Engineer in the auto industry focused on car diagnostics and data analytics.
Along the way, he came across a mobile mechanic from Craigslist who came to his house in Ann Arbor to fix his car. After that, Salla helped the mechanic get more customers and would come along to the repairs to learn more about the customer experience. Not only were car owners thrilled by the convenience of the service but also were surprised to learn that it was affordable than going to a repair shop. After a few months, the mechanic expressed how consistent work helped him save his marriage, afford his house, and earn a decent living. Thus, FixMyCar was founded in 2018.
In 2019, Salla received an initial $250,000 in funding from an angel investor he met at a local bar in Ann Arbor. He has since secured another $1.6 million in investor funding from Mucker Capital VC, Okapi VC, Marc Randolph (Netflix’s founding CEO), Richard Wolpert (Hello Tech’s Founder & CEO), John Kobs (ApartmentList.com’s founder & CEO) and other strategic investors.
Compared to the traditional industry, FixMyCar’s business model provides convenience and transparency to customers while also supporting higher pay and flexibility for mechanics. Due to the low overhead, FixMyCar saves customers 20-30% compared to dealerships or repair shops and offers convenient scheduling for services 7 days/week, 9 am -9 pm.
“At FixMyCar, we’re obsessed with customer service and optimize for transparency & quality of service” Salla mentioned. “I didn’t know the dots in my life would connect when I was making just $100/month in India & studying engineering while living the life of a mechanic. Mechanics across the world don’t get the recognition & compensation that they truly deserve, and I’m glad we’re on our way to completely change that.”
Salla is revolutionizing the auto industry by providing on-demand car repair services straight to your doorstep. Some currently offered services include diagnostics, battery and starter replacements, air conditioning services, brake repairs, light engine repairs, oil changes, used car inspections, and a lot more. Almost 80% of all repairs can be performed in a mobile environment. They can also diagnose issues when your car won’t start, or when you have an engine light on and are not sure what exactly is wrong.
FixMyCar mobile mechanics can be found in Detroit, Dallas, and Houston and will be available nationwide soon. They are launching an annual membership program designed to save customers more money and give them peace of mind when it comes to car repair and maintenance. Additional services in the pipeline are towing, washing, buying, selling & renting cars from your driveway which will all be handled through the company’s MyCar Marketplace. To learn more about FixMyCar, visit https://www.fixmycar.io/.
FixMyCar
FixMyCar
