We had a retail tire store here in town at which we allowed the DIY's to use our tools to remove their wheels to save some $$$$ on installation. As basic as this might appear, it often had it's issues. I have seen cars dropped off jacks, lug nuts snapped off, lugs stripped, jacks shoved into regular customer cars, arguments with staff ETC, ETC. They were slow and tied up the bays. It was always a big concern. We always watched these guys carefully but like always xxxx happens! I would have to think long and hard on this proposition and think thru the many challenges you are going to be faced with. I would have to make an awful lot of money to offset the risks and headaches. Just my 2 cents.
I thought everybody in Brentwood drove BMWs and Benz SUVs Highly doubt those folks are gonna work on their own cars...... Your idea has merit, as well as potential problems---but a man who's doing market research has already thought of that. I truly believe the majority of your potential customers would be the DIYers who would get in over their heads and need help, cause most capable self-helpers already have tools and a garage to do what we need. And you don't want a half-dozen dead cars in the way that the owners can't pay somebody to fix/finish them---and most likely their financial situation is what causes them to come in to DIY it in the first place I always wondered about the practicality of the "mall" concept---a large complex with what you're doing(with a couple of ASE techs on-site to advise/finish jobs ), and auto parts store, a body shop ( body shop scenario like what you proposed.....with a couple of combo guys i.e., guns for hire), a wash/detail shop, a window tinting shop, a tire/wheel/alignment shop, a storage lot and mini-storage, an upholstery shop...... If the site was big enough(or maybe too big) a used car dealer also.... All in one location. Kind of a one-stop automotive mecca. Now THAT would be a handfull to oversee! But still cool to think about.
I'd be interested, especially if some of the bays offered a lift. Pricing has to be determined by calculating your monthly nut (overhead) then doing simple division by number of bays, days in a month (including week-ends. figuring out the security is as big an issue as insurance - it's hard to insure a work in progress brought in for a months space rental.
I know most USAF Installations have an AUTO HOBBY SHOP. Granted, the DoD is flipping the bill for the facility, but they charge reasonable rates, are stocked with pretty much anything you would need to work on a car (minus specialty items like lathes, welding, etc), and they are ALWAYS packed. They charge like, $3 or $4 an hour for a stall, and tools could be rented out individually as well. They also stock things like oil, fuel, air filters, etc. Make sure you have a paint booth, prep booth, a couple different types of lifts, maybe even an oil change pit or two. And an industrial coil spring machine, and a few air comressors from hell. Depends on how much money you can invest. I'll be out of town, but if you PM me, I can get a general list of pricing for you when I get back around the 15th. PM me if interested. Again, just my $0.02.
A parts store I worked at long ago was thinking of doing this same thing. I was floored when I heard that the start up, if everything was in place, was going to be a million dollars. That was also 25 years ago, can't imagine what it would be like now. Good luck if you go through with it.
I'd pay $100 to use a spray booth for a weekend, but that's pretty much it. I know of a few local mechanics who charge $25 or $30 an hour, for that price I may as well have them do it instead of just renting out the stall and doing it myself. Long term restoration guys aren't going to pay an hourly rate if the car is going to be there for 3 months. And for guys who just want to do brake jobs or a trans flush, I'd be surprised if you found any interest over $10 an hour.
Few weeks ago I helped someone on the brake job from hell 03 focus , unserviced calipers , rusted pins . Car had 90K plus miles what should have been a hour turned into 5 looking for parts at the stores who were out of stock and so on . Now if I rented it for 2 hours to be safe and don't have the money for the other 3 hhmm rack is tied up or are you going to drag the car out . This could be a costly venture to say the least . Right on what alot say people have no respect for someone's property other then there own .
Thanks to everyone who took a second to throw in their opinion. I now have and extra $9.37 to throw into the start up budget. I knew the HAMB crowd would not be my target market, but I respect the HAMB as a whole and the opinions of the experienced members here. Thanks again.
Good luck on your venture..to be honest im glad to hear that there are guys out there trying to make a hold on their own biz. Let us know how it pans out for ya
I think a lot depends on location. Out here in Arizona there are so many HOA's that don't allow you to work on your car in your driveway, garage, etc....., so it may work in some areas. I actually think there is a place you can rent a bay with a lift in Gilbert Arizona but it may be closed, I am not sure. But, it sounds like a decent idea to me if you can swing it. I myself always wanted a huge chunk of land with a large pole barn or something and rent out spots for old indoor car storage. That is what I would like to have someday.......
there was a place like that near here attached to an auto parts store and a machine shop they had problems with people cleaning up after not dumping there oil and antifreeze into recycle tanks and not getting rid of old parts or leaving unfinished jobs and not coming back to pay and fighting between customers. non payment would be easier to deal with now using credit cards.I installed a 455 buick in a rambler there and had access to any tools I need to make mounts exhaust worked fine for me back then.
Any business insurance people in here? It's getting to be some what amusing hearing the confusion in the insurance people on the other side of the phone. "So your a mechanic?" "Your the land lord..." Thanks to everyone for your input and those who filled out a survey. It's really helped me figure out what ya'll do the most, want to do, and a good average price range for rent. I've received about 1 out of 3 return on the surveys sent out so I'd say that's pretty good. Currently the names we are leaning towards are "My Garage" or "DIY Garage". If there are any insurance people on here that handle business insurance shot me your contact info. It would be nice to talk with someone about this who already gets it.
I would not touch a place like that with a 10 foot pole. I was in a shop like this for a few years - it was all friends in there at first and everything was cool. Then we got a few fucktards in who brought their fucktard asshat friends in to help them with their car and everything went to hell. All my metric tools which were locked in my cabinet dissappeared over a few weeks when I wasn't there (someone cut off the lock), 4 T5 transmissions went missing, a couple of sets of rims and tires, and half the tools were broken and the place was a pigsty. They tied up the hoists for weeks at a time (would put the car up one weekend, take the tires or suspension off, then go home until the next weekend), and would take your car off the hoist if you were not there - wheels or not. We had two hoists and one was open, but they would still take your car off because they wanted to use the one you were on. The owner was forced to put in a video cam system to keep the thefts down, and threw out a bunch of people. Didn't help the people whos stuff was already damaged or missing. I now have my own little shop.
There you have it first hand from a guy who's been there on the customer end of it. It sounds like a colossally bad idea.
Lets say you need to do your brakes. You figure about a couple of hours to do the job(37X2=$74)with compressor use. While you are down there you notice a couple of brake cylinders need replacing, a trip to the parts store and another hour of bay rental($74+37=111). Crap!! you kinked and broke a brake line!! Another trip to tha parts store and another hour!!(111+37=148). Now you figure it will be easier to use the lift to install the new line, and you need to borrow a bender to make it fit(148+10+6=164). By the time you get your mess all cleaned up and tools put away, you are in for another hour(164+37=201). 201 hard earned dollars on top of parts costs? Wow!! if you got the cash i say go for it. But id rather work on the street for free before i would pay that kind of dough.
You are using someone elses prices, not mine. I have not put up rates yet. My original plan is to have the tools available as part of your hourly standard rate. Not charge per tool. The access to tools is one of the values of a place like this. I understand those who think it's a good up sale, but I see also how it adds to the value of your spent dollar.
I think that was the best answer you got so far though. This audience will likely not use your shop much. In Mn in the winter you will get a lot more takers, there are always times where my project is taking up too much of my garage and could use a warm place to work. But yesterday at 60 deg I thought it was rather pleasant to work outside on my daily. If you need to come up an hourly rate, you need to consider what your competition is. What does a lower end full service shop have for an hourly rate (not necessarily low end quality but low end price, I have several shops local that do goo work and charge different rates). If the local rate for a full service shop is about $80 per hour, that is your competition. So in this example you know that you cannot charge $80 per hour, at that rate I would pay someone else to do the work, obviously. At roughly $55 I would consider myself breaking even with the shop, paying myself $25 per hour labor. Again though, I would rather take it to a shop and work my job for the $25 because my job is much easier and a lot less messy than working on my car (and I always end up having something very frustrating happen with the car). So the way I look at it, if you want me to use your shop the rate would need to be significantly lower than $55 before I would even begin to consider it. But even then, I would be more likely to work in my driveway that rent a place. That is usually where the cars die anyway so its just easier to dig into them there. While I will not discount your idea, the one recommendation that I would give you: I think you are really working from the wrong end to start with. I think you should do your business plan and determine the minimum that you would need to make to cover your costs with an income for yourself, if this price is reasonable, then you might make it. If not the full service shop will likely win.
Used to be a place like this in Laramie, Wy. I used it to pull/rebuild the motor in my 67 Commando. It worked out well for me, and it seemed to always have plenty of business. 'Course that was back in 75.
There's a guy around here that has a indoor custom car storage facility, each "bay" is enclosed with a locked chain link fence, and the cars have to have covers... some have the 4 post lifts in them to stack the cars... the other end of the shop has an area with some tools, I think he may do maintenance like oil changes on them, and he uses it as his personal hobby area for his own cars... No dirty work I can see. He has limited hours... He also has a guy doing detailing and has project car/boat/camper storage in back... I don't know if this a very profitable business, I think he owned a successful paving business up North, it may be just a hobby that pays for itself. In an affluent area with deed restricted housing, a safe secure place to keep you car and be able to even do minor maintenance might fly... Just have someone on hand to make sure the customer doesn't do things incorrectly and get him/herself hurt, or just offer the white glove maintenance you can't get at a 10 minute oil change shop.
As someone who had a couple profitable business at the same time (auto repair and a restoration shop) I can only advise you to in a couple of ways. 1. Make a business plan. Don't know how? Learn how or hire someone. 2. Contact a local insurance agent. Explain, in detail, what you are proposing to do. Get an estimate. Double that figure for use in your business plan. You eventually will have to take a few hours and ask all of the what if (insert worst case scenario) happens. What do they cover and what don't they cover. I saw many, many business persons in this field loose money because they were under-insured and didn't realize it. They didn't ask all of the questions they should have. 3. Hire an accounting service. These people see this start-up business stuff everyday and can foresee the pitfalls that you don't. 4. Accept the fact that you are catering to a clientel that does not have the means to afford a private place to do repairs nor the money to pay to have the work done by others. These are the people, that when backed into a corner, (the jack that they rented gave out and hurt them) will be the first ones to sue you, your company, your relatives, whatever. 5. If you really work the numbers you may find out that it is a break even venture at best. The risk may not equal the reward in the end.
there was a group here in denver that did just what you are looking at, first class operation with all kinds of equiptment for rent, did a car show to kick it off, lot of interest at first, then they just went under, lasted about 6 months , and their building is still up for lease. just take it for your information. MikeB
we were going to open one about 5 years ago, had quite a few people interested ( i was going to have welders and everything you would need to build anything) thought i was ready to go i knew insurance would be high but i figured it would be worth it... til i talked to a lawyer he straight up told me no thats a bad idea unless you are with every single customer watching them and even then it could be your fault. he said no matter what i had them sign there would be loop holes and if they got hurt at all it could come back to me. this is just one of those great ideas that doesnt work in todays " i wanna sue" world. sorry but trust me give it up.
I think you on are on the right path but,,,,,,,,,,,,my thought was to build a condo complex with a central hugh garge for all of us retired Hot Rodders to move into,and still keep our hobbies
This is the worst idea I have heard in a long time. Listen to the stories of all the places that lasted 6 months and be forewarned. The problem is that there is limited opportunity to make a profit and a zillion-and-one ways of losing your shirt. Most of them are listed above. Here's another: Ok, so you get and hold a drivers license to get a bay. Some scumbag ripoff "mechanic" finds someone else's driver's license and gives it to you as registration for the bay. He steals a car and uses your place to part it out. He "borrows" your tools and takes off in mid-day with the stolen car parts and your tools. The remains of a stolen car are left on your lift. Police come and shut you down for a day or two. How the hell do you make money at this for more than a few months? If *everything* goes well, you make a profit. If *anything* goes badly wrong, you go bankrupt. Where is the upside? Or the guy who wants to learn to weld and tries his technique on your lift post... or the guy who tries to put 150 psi into a car tire and wrecks the car next to his when it blows up... No insurance agent would touch this without a premium of $30K / month. You won't make that much, sorry.
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