On iPad, the Work Orders tab uses a split view: the list on the left, the selected work order’s details on the right.<\/p>\n Before your first job, take a minute in the Settings<\/strong> tab to match the app to your business:<\/p>\n Enter your hourly rate (for example, $85.00). Every repair’s labor cost is calculated from this rate.<\/p>\n Choose Percentage<\/strong> (e.g., add 30% to your cost) or Fixed Amount<\/strong> (add a set dollar amount per part). The markup is applied automatically whenever you add a part.<\/p>\n Enter your local sales tax rate (for example, 9.25%). Tax is calculated on the invoice total.<\/p>\n Enter your business name, address, and phone, and add a logo if you have one. This appears in the header of every PDF invoice you generate.<\/p>\n In the Work Orders<\/strong> tab, tap the +<\/strong> button in the top corner. (On iPad with a keyboard: press \u2318N<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n Fill in the customer’s name, phone, and email. Name is the important one \u2014 phone and email let you call or message them right from the work order later.<\/p>\n Tap the camera icon<\/strong> next to the VIN field and point your camera at the VIN. Side Wrench reads both barcodes<\/strong> and the printed VIN text<\/strong>, then automatically fills in the year, make, model, trim, and engine.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong> The VIN is usually on a sticker inside the driver’s door jamb or on a plate at the base of the windshield.<\/p>\n No signal in the shop? No problem \u2014 if the VIN lookup fails, just enter the vehicle details manually and save. Nothing blocks you.<\/p>\n Tap Save<\/strong>. Your new work order opens, ready for repairs.<\/p>\n Every work order carries a color-coded status so you can read your whole list at a glance:<\/p>\n Welcome to Side Wrench! This guide walks you through setting up the app and creating your first work order. It takes about five minutes. The Three Tabs Side Wrench is organized into three tabs along the bottom of the screen: Work Orders 🔧 \u2014 your list of vehicles and jobs. This is where you’ll spend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":20,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54,"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions\/54"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Side](\"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/sidewrench-01-work-orders-list.png\")
First-Launch Setup<\/h2>\n
1. Set Your Labor Rate<\/h3>\n
2. Set Your Parts Markup<\/h3>\n
3. Set Your Sales Tax Rate<\/h3>\n
4. Add Your Company Info<\/h3>\n
![\"Side](\"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/sidewrench-13-settings.png\")
Creating Your First Work Order<\/h2>\n
Step 1: Tap +<\/h3>\n
Step 2: Enter Customer Info<\/h3>\n
Step 3: Enter Vehicle Info \u2014 or Scan the VIN<\/h3>\n
![\"Add](\"https:\/\/sidewrenchapp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/sidewrench-09-add-work-order.png\")
Step 4: Save<\/h3>\n
Adding Your First Repair<\/h2>\n
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Understanding Status Colors<\/h2>\n
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\n \nStatus<\/th>\n Color<\/th>\n Meaning<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Estimate<\/td>\n 🟣 Purple<\/td>\n Waiting on customer approval<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n In Progress<\/td>\n 🔵 Blue<\/td>\n Work is being done<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Awaiting Parts<\/td>\n 🔴 Red<\/td>\n Waiting for parts to arrive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Invoice Sent<\/td>\n 🟠 Orange<\/td>\n Billed to the customer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Payment Received<\/td>\n 🟢 Green<\/td>\n Job complete and paid<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n What’s Next?<\/h2>\n
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Tips for Success<\/h2>\n
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