Who we are
Mechanic Finder is a directory of independent mechanics operating in New Zealand. The site is built and operated by Jwsoat Limited, a New Zealand company registered with the New Zealand Companies Office. Mechanic Finder is one of several country- and vehicle-specific directories we run under the Directory Network umbrella; each one is focused on a single trade in a single country so that the listings, regulations, and editorial context are relevant to the people actually using the site.
We are not a workshop. We do not employ mechanics. We do not perform any Warrant of Fitness (WoF) checks ourselves. We exist to help vehicle owners find a mechanic they can trust, and to give honest, independent shops a way to be discovered without paying for ads.
Why we built this
Finding a good mechanic in New Zealand usually looks like this: open Google Maps, sort by rating, hope the four-star shop on the corner is honest, and trust your luck. That workflow has two big problems. First, the highest-rated shop near you is often the one that asked the most customers for reviews — not the one that does the best work. Second, you have no easy way to filter by what you actually need: a Warrant of Fitness (WoF), EV-certified diagnostics, a specific make, a Saturday slot.
Mechanic Finder is our attempt to do that job properly. We compile shops from public sources, layer on services, prices, and certifications that owners themselves submit, and rank results by signals that are harder to game than a five-star review average.
Where our shop data comes from
Listings on Mechanic Finder are built from two sources:
- Public data.Name, address, opening hours, phone number, and Google reviews are sourced from Google's Places API under their published licence terms. Where a Google review is shown, it is clearly attributed and dated.
- Shop submissions.Once a shop owner claims their listing, they can add the things public data doesn't cover: a written description of the workshop, the team, photos that aren't on Google, the actual services offered (with indicative prices), and certifications they hold. Claimed shops are flagged as Verified so visitors know the listing content was supplied by the shop themselves.
We do not scrape competitor directories, buy lead lists, or auto-generate fake businesses. Every shop on Mechanic Finderis a real business operating at the address we publish.
How we verify reviews
Reviews on Mechanic Finder come from two clearly labelled sources. Reviews tagged Verified are from customers who submitted an enquiry through Mechanic Finder and were later asked about their experience — we know the lead happened because we sent it. Reviews tagged as a Google review are pulled from the public Google Business Profile of the workshop, with the original author name and date preserved.
We do not delete negative reviews on a shop's request, and we do not let shops pay for higher star averages. Shops can reply publicly to any review.
To prevent thin, low-signal listings from dominating search results, we set a minimum review threshold: individual shop pages are only included in search-engine indexes once they have at least 10 reviews on record and at least one photo. New listings stay live on the site but are not actively promoted until they clear that bar. The full rules are written up on our editorial standards page.
How we make money
Basic listings are free. Mechanic Finder has never charged a shop to be included in our directory and we never will — that would defeat the point of being an honest directory.
Shops that want more from the platform can subscribe to paid tiers (Featured and Pro). Paid tiers buy extra functionality — richer listing controls, lead notifications, performance analytics, and higher visual prominence in some surfaces. They do not buy positive reviews, hide negative reviews, or change the underlying ranking signals. When a shop on a paid tier is featured, the placement is labelled. Conflicts of interest are disclosed on our editorial standards page.
In the future, Mechanic Finder may also carry advertising from third-party networks (such as Google AdSense). Any such ads will be clearly distinguishable from editorial content and will not influence the way shops are listed or ranked.
Editorial content
The Mechanic Finder blog publishes guides, service explainers, and local context written for New Zealand vehicle owners. We cover things like what a Warrant of Fitness (WoF) actually checks, what realistic prices look like for common jobs, how to read a quote, and what to ask before booking work. All articles carry a named author and a publication date. We update articles when prices, regulations, or our editorial view changes; significant edits are noted on the page.
Contact and corrections
If a listing on Mechanic Finderis wrong, outdated, or shouldn't be there at all, email hello@mechanicfinder.co.nz and we'll fix it. We aim to acknowledge corrections within two business days. If you're a shop owner and want to claim or remove your listing, you can also do that from the shop dashboard.
For general questions, use our contact page. For the legal terms governing the site, see Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Operator: Jwsoat Limited, a company registered in New Zealand.
Contact: hello@mechanicfinder.co.nz