I need your input whether you're an all around ASE mechanic or someone who doesn't know what a lathe is.

Description of my DIY auto shop:

A place where you can...

• use our lifts to do anything from oil change to engine swap
• mount your own tires
• have a room dedicated to electrical maintenance
• paint your car
• have a room dedicated to spray painting
• store your parts for free as long as you plan to use us for the install
• use to ship large items to reduce residential fees, as long as you use us for the install
• use our flat stalls for maintenance not requiring a lift

Additionally I will offer other services like

• free towing to my shop
• free advice from an ASE mechanic
• the option to leave it to the pro's if you can't finish it (for a price)
• free online access to your car specific manual
• the option to have us diagnose your car but you repair it
• late hours and open on sundays cause we know you work your a$$ off from 9-5pm during the week

Also, if you started a job and forgot to buy an essential part at your local parts store, we'll be glad to make a parts run for you for free!

stalls with lifts are $12.50/hr
flat stalls are $9.50/hr

Now that you have a feel of what I offer, please think about how many times you've thought to yourself, "man I wish I had a garage to do (your mod) in, and use the poll to give your honest input on whether or not you would find my services useful. If you want, throw some constructive criticism and ideas or tell me what services you like best!

 

i love this idea. just about the same thing you get on base when you use their shop. lots of things I wish I can do, but without a lift it just doesn't seem worth the hassle. Maybe I just hate jacking and crawling underneath a vehicle.

 

Couple issues pop up immediately, including waste of your supplies due to negligence, ignorance, etc. (how often will you have to stock up on any number of parts?), as well as accident liability (lifts? electrical? tire mounting?). I mean, when you say "A place where you can etc. etc.," do you mean anyone?

Part of the reason why people don't do their own maintenance is because they don't have the time to learn what they need and how to do it. You may find your shop sees less traffic than the Jiffy Lube across the street...

It is a cool idea though.

 

good points. I understand that my target audience is LIMITED specifically towards those who already do their own maintenance. I wont be able to attract the 50 year old grandma who's in a wheel chair, Instead I'll take the younger, more capable (physically and skilled) customer. I'll let jiffy lube handle the rest. Who knows, with enough attraction, that young skilled customer my come through my doors wanting to do an oil change for his 50 year old grandma to save her a couple of bucks.

As far as everyone's dilemma with not enough time, I plan to spend a lot of advertisement on my late hours that I am open and how Sundays are just as good as any other day to do an oil change.

In the end, with raising gas prices (NATIONAL AVERAGE $3.97/GAL!!!!....EW) and slowly recovering economy, I would hope that more people would see me as a way of saving vs. jiffy lubes' convenience. (thumbs up)

 

exactly! A lot of my inspiration started with those shops on base. I would always get friends saying that they wish they had access to something like that.

 

i miss the shop on base, ive been thinking of opening the same business.

 

What I would recommend doing is offering some sort of membership like system in replacement of or in addition to your hourly rates.

Some sort of hourly rate could get them in the door, membership will keep them coming back. Then it becomes as though you're renting a bay, or a sort of time-share of a bay.

 

^ and classes,you can't let someone use a piece of equipment they don't know how to ues.

 

This topic comes up every so often.. from what I gather, insurance on a DIY shop is a large preventative barrier and the reason we don't see more, or any of these.

 

Interesting idea. Poll is lacking options. Realistically, I might need a lift 2-3 times a year. I'm not gonna do an oil change there, because with lift time and supplies it'll cost more than paying someone else to do it. Are you supplying tools? I don't have room in the S to haul my tool box. If i bring a smaller tool kit, you know I'm gonna forget a critical tool.