Would you use, and how much an hour would you pay

I think u would have to be doing a gearbox remove and refit to make it worth while. For service work if you add 50 bucks of hire time and fuel cost etc u may aswell pay a qualified mechanic to do it.

 

Yeah, but your forgetting the intangible...alot of people who DIY on their cars do it because it's a hobby, not due to cost. I play with my cars because i enjoy it, not because I can't afford to pay someone else to do the work.

 

me mates place is a good idea but i rekon the prices are a bit iffy. and we need a per hour charge on spray booths it doesn't take 8 hours to spray a car, can mask up, spray and bake a car in 2 hours.

 

This makes no sense, if you can afford to waste the money on doing a small job at a shop like this then you should be able to afford your own tools / hoist etc and just do it at home?

 

not everyone has space at their house for a hoist, tools and jacks and stands and stuff I have, but a hoist would make working on the undercarriage so much easier and safer, I was looking at getting one of them parking hoists like tekky has but it wont fit in the gfs parents garage which is where I am living at the moment, and Im sure there are alot of other people that are in this general situation, although it is a good idea I dont think I would drive to vic to go work on my car, but if there was one close by then I would definately use it, probably not for just changing oil, but definately for suspension and drive train work, could even be a possibility to have contacts to get tyres from and have a tire changer facility available, and then charge them for the disposal of tires, (would be good for those people that go out with stockies and do burnouts to the point where the metal bands have come loose and dont want to look suss going into a proper tyre shop) but that would be towards the end when everything else is set up and you know that it is going to make money.

 

Since when does a few hours @$30-$50 equate to the cost of buying a hoist?? Also not everyone has a garage let alone the space for a hoist either..

 

No, but you can buy some good axle stands for that. Another 2 hours and you have a trolley jack.

But, a long time ago when I was renting, I used this sort of service but at a much cheaper cost.

Good for beginners that rent in inner city and want to learn, not save money.

 

Undoubtedly, and im sure 99.99% of people who work on there cars regularly have the above. There are some things though that are just soooo much easier with a hoist and good work space..

I myself have a massive backyard but only a tiny bit of concrete and shade. Would much rather work somewhere less cramped with good equipment, and id be willing to pay a few bucks... It really isn't that much $$$...

 

Change oil in the sun at home - $35 for oil plus $15 for filter. You COULD get up early Luke when it's still cold. Total time 5 min's to empty, 15 to fill up again.

Rent a hoist - $35 for oil plus $15 for filter + $50 for hoist. 30 min's to get there, 5 min's to empty, 15 to fill up again, 5 min' to pay, 30 mins to get home.

Change a gearbox at home - A bit tricky and hot middle of the day. Problems and you let it sit until you find the parts or tools.

Rent a hoist, If all goes well a couple of hours and you are laughing. If you have problems, big hourly costs.

It does not seem worth the cost for smaller jobs - add $50

It seems risky for bigger jobs. You could get stuck for days.

But, if you have no space whatsoever, have a good toolbox and a job that is mainly labor, can do it yourself, why not.

I just think the market is rather small. Why did the others in the past disapear ?

 

All valid points and i don't disagree with any of them, i just think that it could be a good idea if set up right and you can find some way to keep insurance costs down. Just saw the flyer tektrader posted and that pricing structure looks pretty well thought out.

Oh and for the record i'm up at 6am daily!! Only its for uni/work, not fun stuff like working on my Z