For Independent Repair and Tire Shops

You don't have a quality problem. You have a visibility problem.
We fix that in three weeks.

Raise a Hood is the operating system that brings customers to independent shops who already do great work. No ad spend, no revenue share, no long contracts.

65%

of customers don't trust repair pricing
(RaH research, 1,012 owners)

82%

feel anxious visiting a repair or tire shop

Top 20%

only the best shops in any region qualify

Winner: Overall

Dallas Startup Week 2024

Winner: Tech Division

MN Cup 2023

Finalist: Advancements in AI

Tekne Awards 2023

Shop Qualification Form

Not every shop qualifies. Fill this out and we will follow up within 1 business day.

First Name

Last Name

Shop Name

ZIP Code

Phone

Years in Business

Number of Bays

Only the top 20% of shops in any region qualify. We will be in touch within 1 business day.

Or call us: 855-724-7324 (855-RAISE-A-H)

Why Great Shops Lose Customers

The market rewards
scale. Not craftsmanship.

Independent shops have the best mechanics, the deepest customer relationships, and the most efficient operations. They lose customers to national chains not because of the quality of their work, but because of visibility and trust signals at the exact moment a customer decides where to go.

📊

82% of car owners feel anxious visiting a repair or tire shop. 65% do not trust the pricing. Customers who arrive uncertain become price shoppers. That lowers your approval rate and shrinks your average repair order on every single ticket. (RaH primary research, 1,012 owners, July 2022)

1Visibility Gap

Most independent shops are hard to find where customers look today. National chains have invested heavily in their digital presence for years. If a customer cannot find you, they cannot choose you.

2Trust Gap

When customers search for a shop, they look for trust signals: certifications, consistency, and third-party validation. Without those signals, they go with the name they recognize, even when your work is better.

3Confidence Gap

Customers who arrive uncertain question the diagnosis, hesitate on approvals, and negotiate on price. This costs you real margin on every ticket, not just the ones where you feel it.

The Solution

We fix visibility, trust
and conversion.

Not a directory. Not an ad agency. An operating system built to close the three gaps that cost independent shops revenue every day. From Search → Trust → Approved Work.

Get Found

Show up where customers actually search

Raise a Hood expands your shop's digital presence across search and discovery channels. When customers research vehicle problems in your area, your shop is more likely to be part of what they find, before they even start looking for a repair or tire shop. Delivered through your Raise a Hood Profile, Certification, and Effective Website.

Profile Certification · Effective Website · SEO

Build Trust Before the Call

Customers understand before they reach out

GUS AI explains vehicle problems instantly, removing uncertainty before the visit. The Google Review Accelerator builds trust at scale. New customers arrive confident in your shop, not comparing prices with the competition.

GUS AI · Review Accelerator

Convert More Work

Turn trust into approved repairs

Customers stop arriving anxious and start arriving ready. They understand the likely issue, they know what to expect, and they trust your diagnosis before you give it. Fewer price objections. More approved work. Larger repair orders. Powered by GUS AI, live on your website 24/7.

GUS AI Diagnostics · Perfect Tire

⚡ Fast Deployment. Live in Three Weeks

From the Founder

Raise a Hood isn't for every shop. It was built for those who value loyalty over gimmicks, and trust over tricks.

Michael R. Petersen, Founder & CEO

Michael Petersen grew up in the Midwest as the son of a small town mechanic, surrounded by independent repair shops that delivered exceptional work but often struggled with visibility, customer confidence, and earning trust before a customer ever walked through the door. After nearly a decade as an engineer at Ford Motor Company and later leadership roles in global technology companies, he founded Raise a Hood to help independent shops compete in a digital world increasingly dominated by large chains and dealerships.

He built Raise a Hood around a simple idea: great shops should be able to help customers 24 hours a day, build trust before the first visit, and create a better customer experience online and in person. Today, Raise a Hood combines AI driven technology, automotive expertise, and transparent digital experiences to help independent repair shops increase visibility, build confidence with consumers, and bring more high quality customers through their doors.

Straightforward Pricing

$99/month. One lost customer costs you far more.

Most shops unknowingly lose customers to less skilled shops every month. Raise a Hood costs less than a single repair order, and typically returns over 8 to 10x in value.

Starts at $99 / month · Cancel anytime

Patent Pending

GUS AI

Diagnostics + Perfect Tire

✓GUS AI Diagnostics on your website
✓GUS AI Perfect Tire on your website
✓Custom branding + shop responses
✓Concierge customer service
✓Shop-level tire inventory tuning
✓Customers arrive informed and ready

The module that does the heavy lifting. GUS AI lives on your website, explains vehicle problems to customers before they call, and sends them to you already informed and ready to approve work. This is what separates Raise a Hood from every directory.

See if Your Shop Qualifies

Profile + Certification

Your digital foundation

✓Full profile on RaiseaHood.com
✓Full 100-point Certification
✓Plaque, decal and signage
✓Digital footprint expansion
✓RaH leads + SEO links
✓Monthly performance report

The foundation every certified shop starts with. Your full profile on RaiseaHood.com, the 100-point certification, physical plaque and signage, plus the trust signals that tell customers why your shop earned it.

See if Your Shop Qualifies

Review Accelerator

Google review generation

✓Significant Google review increase. Guaranteed.
✓Business cards + QR tracking (unlimited)
✓We respond to every review (unlimited)
✓Built into your daily workflow
✓Staff training for guaranteed success

The system that turns satisfied customers into public proof. Business cards with QR tracking, review response management, and staff training. Shops using this typically go from one review every two months to roughly one a day.

See if Your Shop Qualifies

Effective Website

Low cost, built to convert

✓Website design and hosting
✓99.99% uptime guaranteed
✓SEO, GEO and Google Business Profile optimized
✓Built to rank and convert

A fast, conversion-built website for shops that don't have one, or have one that isn't working. SEO, Google Business Profile, and GEO optimized from day one. Low cost, built to rank.

See if Your Shop Qualifies

✓

No Revenue Share

✓

No Setup Fees

✓

No Long-Term Commitment

GUS AI in Action

Google and ChatGPT sent your customer somewhere else.
GUS fixes that.

When a driver has a vehicle problem, their first stop is Google or ChatGPT. That traffic ends up at big chains, aggregators, and YouTube tutorials. Not at your shop. GUS captures that behavior on your site, educates the customer before they leave, and sends them to you ready to book.

~100

Engagements
per month

→

~30

Completed
sessions / month

→

1 to 4

New customers
per month

Based on deployments with GUS Diagnostics + GUS Tire, with proper website placement.

Real Shops. Real Results.

Certified shops.
Measurable growth.

From 1 review every 60 days
to 1 review per day.

Partner shops typically start with an average of one new Google review every two months. After joining the Raise a Hood Review Accelerator, they reach approximately one new review per day. Same shop, same team, same quality of work. The only thing that changed was the system.

50x

More Reviews Generated

Raise a Hood partner shop

4.98

Average Rating

Consistent, unfiltered

1/60d

Before

→

~1/day

After

We didn't need more leads. We needed the right ones. Raise a Hood brought us customers who value trust, not just discounts.

Isael S.

Shop Owner, Cheo's Auto Service, Mesa AZ. Certified 2025

Top 20%

Certified Shop Tier

100pt

Full Scorecard

Certified Shops

Some of our Certified Shops

Real shops. Real owners. Real teams.

Bridwell Automotive Center

Vinson/Haas Automotive

Scottsdale, AZ

Ed Whitehead's Tire Pros

Yuma, AZ

Gil's Garage Inc.

Capital Region, NY

Common Questions

What kind of shops qualify? +

Independent repair and tire shops across the US. We prioritize established shops committed to quality and customer experience. Our selection uses an AI-driven review of online reputation, customer feedback, service record, and peer recommendations. Only the top 20% of shops in any region earn certification.

Is this just another directory or review platform? +

No. Directories get you listed. Raise a Hood closes the confidence gap. GUS AI lives on your website and educates customers before they arrive, reducing anxiety, price sensitivity, and hesitation on repair approvals. That is a fundamentally different result from Yelp, Angi, or RepairPal.

How does GUS AI integrate with my existing website? +

Integration is straightforward. Adding GUS to your site is similar to adding a hotlink. It comes with personalized branding and shop-specific responses so your customers see a tool that feels native to your shop, not a third-party widget.

What does the certification process look like? +

We run a full 100-point scorecard covering technician expertise, shop operations, customer experience, and transparency. It includes an AI-driven analysis of your online reputation plus partner recommendations. Results are published on your RaH profile to show customers why your shop earned certification.

Are there long-term contracts or setup fees? +

No revenue share, no setup fees, and no long-term commitment to start. We earn continued business by delivering results. Shops that see ROI stay. We report monthly on platform value delivered so you always know what you are getting.