CEO Daniel Nieh Discusses SPARQ, How Mechanics Exploit People

For decades, the auto repair industry has exploited people who lack the knowledge and experience to repair their own vehicles. Unscrupulous repair shops have profited from unsuspecting customers by overcharging for labor and using substandard parts.

The auto repair industry is a multibillion-dollar space, and while there are many reputable shops, there are also those with unethical practices. These shops frequently hire mechanics who are neither certified nor experienced enough to do the job properly to cut costs. Often times, these mechanic shops use inferior quality parts, resulting in costly repairs and breakdowns for car owners.

Furthermore, some repair shops charge customers for labor and parts that are never used, or they inflate labor hours to pad their bills. They may also employ hard-sell techniques to upsell unnecessary services or parts.

Boston-based entrepreneur Daniel Nieh has seen this happen too many times. His solution is to launch SPARQ, a company with the goal of “eliminating all dishonest auto repair shops worldwide.” 

Daniel sat down to talk about SPARQ, how traditional auto repair shops take advantage of customers, and why subscription membership is the future of car servicing.

Daniel: SPARQ is a tech startup that is changing the auto repair industry by offering an annual subscription plan that includes all labor costs. We get rid of the four things people hate about regular auto shops—their lack of visibility, accessibility, inefficiency, and inconvenience. We aim to become the most reliable auto service company worldwide by focusing strongly on customer satisfaction, transparency, and reliability.

Daniel: It’s common for auto repair shops to overcharge their clients. Markups for both parts and labor average 80 percent on a national scale. 

SPARQ’s goal is to offer auto repair memberships with no markups on genuine manufacturer (OEM) parts, nationwide access, and free labor services all year around. Customers could experience a 58% decrease in their maintenance cost with SPARQ. 

Daniel: Our services are five times more efficient than any other mechanic service and cost half as much. SPARQ is also certified by most major manufacturers, and the services we provide come with its warranties. We have simplified car servicing and made it highly intuitive for users by making the experience “as simple as ordering coffee” for car owners. They will no longer have to wait for hours, if not days, to get their vehicles fully serviced. 

Throughout the subscription, both the pricing structure and the services conducted are laid out clearly. Users can view all the information through our app. They are confident with SPARQ because they know precisely what is included in their membership and how much they must pay. After the company’s nationwide expansion, we will also build SPARQ Labs in the heart of every major city.

We also provide every new user with a free SPARQ Diagnostics Device (OBD-II). Users can connect their phones to the device and check on the health of their car whenever they need to. This saves them hundreds of dollars compared to taking their car to a service center.

Daniel: At SPARQ Labs, you can drop off your car and have it serviced right next to your downtown office while you work. You don’t have to worry about dealing with dishonest mechanics or being in an unpleasant environment with oil puddles, loud machinery, or other distracting things.

Our goal is to make a maintenance facility that is open, modern, and has a few bright, eye-catching colors, similar to a retail showroom. We plan for our labs to be technology focused.

People value transparency. Our service is made for people who don’t like not knowing what’s going to happen. Consumers like having a set price and being in charge of their own maintenance costs. It’s also helpful for them to know how much their car will cost them over the next 1- 5 years. It helps them make future plans. 

SPARQ is the first company to offer car maintenance by subscription. As we’ve seen with other subscription-based services, it gives users full control over their needs. The subscription model prevents conflict of interest with our users, and they don’t have to worry about being overcharged or dealing with many inconveniences.

We completed and closed our Angel Round Investment in June last year. Now, we’re preparing to raise our next investment round from renowned firms across the country. Our Boston users can expect to see SPARQ Labs location opening up as soon as 2023. We are planning to get SPARQ accessible to car owners across the country by the end of 2025.

The current member benefits only include 30% of what we’ve planned to bring into the membership. “We are excited to reveal more surprising benefits to our user base in the upcoming months,” said Daniel Nieh.