How to send maintenance reminders on WhatsApp to your shop's customers
For: Auto repair shops, quick lubes, motorcycle and tire shops · Updated October 25, 2026
Short answer
When you hand a vehicle back, record when the next service is due (a date, a mileage or both). A system then checks every day who is about to be due and sends a short WhatsApp with their vehicle and your name, inviting them to book. Done by hand, it gets forgotten; automated, it turns into customers who come back on their own.
By date or by mileage
Date works for services done every few months. Mileage is better for oil changes or tire rotation, but customers don't tell you how much they drive.
The fix is to estimate it: with two or more odometer readings from different visits you know how many kilometers they drive per day, and you can remind them a few days before they reach the next service mileage.
What the message should say
- Their name and vehicle ("your Kia Rio"), so it doesn't read like mass advertising.
- Your business name.
- What is due, in one line.
- How to book: reply to the same message.
When and how often
- One reminder when it's due; if they don't reply, no more than once a month.
- Send it during business hours.
- If a customer asks to stop the messages, stop right away.
Why WhatsApp and not SMS or email
In Latin America, Spain and many other markets, customers read WhatsApp the same day and can reply right there to book. Business-initiated WhatsApp messages need templates approved by Meta, so it pays to use a system that already has them.
How Sherom does it
- At hand-over you set when the vehicle is due back: in days or in kilometers.
- Sherom estimates each vehicle's daily mileage from its visits and reminds in time.
- The reminder goes out on WhatsApp under your business name; you don't need a WhatsApp Business account to start.
- If the customer replies "yes, Saturday", the assistant books it and you confirm with one click.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the WhatsApp Business API?
Automatic messages need the WhatsApp API with approved templates. With Sherom you can start on its shared number, with your name in the message, and connect your own number whenever you want.
How often should I remind an oil change?
It depends on the oil and the driving, usually every 5,000 to 10,000 km. Record the interval you recommend at each change.