Identifix was created in 1987 with the goal of helping automotive repair businesses multiply their profits by providing a resource that would let them fix more cars in less time. As a single-source diagnostic and repair information center for shops across the country, Identifix has achieved its goal numerous times over.
Identifix stays at the forefront of the market by continuing to create and advance the latest technology, leading the automotive repair industry into the future. The timeline on this page tracks Identifix's evolution and its development and application of up-to-the-minute technology used in today's automotive repair industry.
Company Milestones
| Founded by an automotive trainer as a telephone help desk for independent repair technicians in 1987; marketed under the name Identifix, it grew into the largest help desk serving automotive service providers. | |
| Introduced a private-label repair-hotline program providing technical support for many large parts-distributors' service center customers and after-market manufacturers in 1988. | |
| Pioneer in providing hotline support for technicians in diagnosing emissions problems. Selected by the State of Maine for their first in nation IM-240 program and by the State of Arizona contractor to create technician hotline support programs to effectively diagnose emission problems. | |
| Repair-Trac, a database of proven fixes for hard-to-diagnose pattern failures, was introduced as a phone-in service in 1995; added its fax-back complement in 2000; went online in 2002. | |
| Chosen by Microsoft CarPoint, now autos.msn.com, to provide repair history and maintenance information to its website in 1996. | |
| Diagrams-Online, an on-demand 24-hour service, providing high quality wiring diagrams via fax, was introduced in 1997. | |
| Developed and deployed the industry's first diagnostic tool to be supported by artificial intelligence in 2001. | |
| Identifix-Online was introduced in February 2002; evolved into Direct-Hit in October 2002. | |
| Direct-Hit wins Motor Magazine’s Top 20 Tools Award for 2003. | |
| In 2004 Hotline Archives were added to Identifix Direct-Hit, allowing subscribers to search case notes from thousands of hotline calls received each month. | |
| Direct-Hit wins the ASA Member Benefit of the Year Award for 2004 from the Automotive Service Association (ASA). | |
| Direct-Hit releases significant product upgrade highlighting new Preventive Maintenance feature in November 2005. | |
| NAPA selects Identifix to provide repair hotline services and Direct-Hit to their customers in January 2006. | |
| CARQUEST selects Identifix to provide repair hotline services and Direct-Hit to their customers in March 2006. | |
| Direct-Hit surpasses 100,000 Hotline Archives in June 2006 Identifix enters Canadian marketplace to provide Repair Hotline and Direct-Hit services in September 2006. | |
| Identifix Direct-Hit awarded Babcox Publishing, TechShop, Top 5 Favorite Tools Award; 2007. | |
| Direct-Hit® surpasses 200,000 Hotline Archives™; September, 2007. | |
| O’Reilly Auto Parts selects Identifix to provide repair hotline services and Direct-Hit to its customers; March, 2008. | |
| Identifix Direct-Hit awarded Babcox Publishing, Underhood Service Readers Choice Award; 2007 and 2008. | |
| Direct-Hit® surpasses 300,000 Hotline Archives™; March, 2009. |

