Example: What a ShopDocs SOP Actually Looks Like

Here's a real example of what ShopDocs generates from a plain-English description — this one took under 60 seconds to create. This is a sample document, not a specific customer's SOP — it's here to show the actual format and level of detail ShopDocs produces, not to represent any one shop's exact procedure.

What We Typed In

We didn't write a formal spec sheet. We described it the way an owner would explain it out loud to a new hire:

"Walk me through a tire rotation — checking for directional tires, doing it safely up on the lift, torquing everything back to spec, and flagging anything that needs a manager to look at before the car goes out."

That's the whole input. Here's what came back.

Tire Rotation Procedure

Purpose: Rotate tires correctly to promote even tread wear and maintain vehicle handling and safety, while catching anything that should be flagged before the vehicle is returned to the customer.

Required Tools & Materials:

• Impact wrench and torque wrench (or torque stick)
• Valve core tool
• TPMS relearn tool, if applicable to this vehicle
• Tire pressure gauge

Procedure:

1. Pull the repair order and confirm the vehicle's tire size and rotation pattern before starting.
2. Raise the vehicle to working height — verify the correct lift points for this make and model before lifting.
3. Inspect each tire's sidewall for a directional arrow before removing any wheel. Directional tires must stay on the same side of the vehicle; only non-directional tires can move side to side.
4. Remove all four wheels and inspect each for uneven or abnormal wear.
5. Rotate per pattern: non-directional tires follow a cross pattern; directional tires move front-to-rear on the same side only.
6. Reinstall wheels — hand-tighten lug nuts in a star pattern before torquing.
7. Torque lug nuts to OEM specification for this vehicle, in two passes — do not estimate or carry over a number from a different vehicle.
8. Set tire pressure to the spec on the door placard, not the number molded on the tire sidewall.
9. Relearn TPMS sensors if required for this vehicle.
10. Lower the vehicle and do a final visual check of all four wheels before it leaves the bay.

Quality Checklist:

• All lug nuts torqued to OEM spec, verified in two passes
• Tire pressures match door placard spec
• TPMS light off, or relearn completed
• No directional tires swapped sides

Safety Notes:

• Never exceed the lift's rated capacity, and confirm lift points for this specific vehicle before raising it.
• If a tire shows wear that suggests an alignment or suspension issue, note it on the repair order — [MANAGER SIGN-OFF REQUIRED] before the vehicle is returned to the customer.

Why This Is What It Actually Looks Like

Notice what's missing: an actual torque number. ShopDocs writes "torque to OEM specification for this vehicle," not a number pulled from thin air, because the real spec varies by make, model, and wheel type — and a wrong number in a printed SOP is worse than no number at all. The lift points and TPMS relearn step work the same way: flagged as things to verify for that specific vehicle, not guessed at.

That's the difference between a generic checklist and a real SOP. It took under a minute to generate, and from here it's editable — add your shop's specific torque spec if you mostly work on the same fleet, cut a step that doesn't apply, or add a note about a piece of equipment unique to your bay. Start with what ShopDocs gives you, then make it yours.