Do it yourself shop
 

Hey folks, some of the guys in our club are thinking about starting a do-it-yourself garage business where you can rent a stall in a fully equipped garage. Everything you'd need in terms of tools and supplies would be available onsite.

How many of you would be interested in something like this. Even if you don't live here, I'm trying to get an idea on how many people would use this.

If you would, what do you think would be a fair hourly rate that you'd be willing to pay?

Thanks for the market reseach help!

Gibby

I've used one before and love the idea. The garage I went to is now out of business, but it was in San Jose and they charged $20/hr I think. Just make sure you load up on insurance and have people sign their lives away before you let them in!

I was just about to post about that -- to ask my wrench-a-thon buddies if there was such a thing ... needless to say, if I lived in your area, I certainly would be hanging out there using the facility pretty much every weekend!! I think it's a great idea.

You know what would really be helpful. An option where you could pay a little extra and have someone who knows what they are doing to show you how or to help you out.
I hate going to a shop for things, b/c I don't get to see the process or learn anything. And I'm afraid that I won't be competent enoughto attmept a project on my own. So I have to comprimise with finding a shop who will let me watch while they do the install, so that in the future if I need to fix or upgrade, I have some idea.

But this is a great idea. You probably will have a hell of a time finding an insurance company that will insure it. But it would be a nice thing to have nearby.

Alot of military bases have a similar program. It may be worth looking around to see how they run it.

There was another garage in SF that I never went to but considered it. That place required a yearly "membership" which was per vehicle, not per person. They also had a 3-tier charge system. Lowest hourly rate = no help, no tools. Mid range = loaner tools. Highest rate = full on help/pay the guy to do it for you. They also had a consultant fee. Let say you were at the low DIY rate, but needed an extra set of hands or had a question or something - you could pay for that extra help in 15 min. increments.

oh yea
 

sweet idea,, just make sure its here in KANSAS CITY, lol the military has it, its sweet, great idea.

There used to be a string of shops exactly as described here in Washington, I built my Heep in one of them. However, more and more restrictive regulations for liability insurance, hazardous waste disposal and maintanance drove them out of business. The shops are subject to all the OSHA and WISHA regulations and all it takes is one guy to cut a finger and to decide to sue and your insurance will drop you, waiver or not you have to defend yourself...

Shortly after that, some folks tried it as a cooperative with a "membership" required. That got them around some of the red tape, but for the cost of insurance the buy in went through the roof.

Before market research, retain an attorney and look at that end...

Don't you hate the hassle of insurance!

We were looking at running the business ourselves, perhaps as a club. Similar to the swap meets and other fund raisers that clubs have. If not, a couple of us may consider it as a private business. Since I would be the landowner and I would already have the facility, our up front costs for the shop would be pretty low - probably under $20,000, and we'd staff it with off-duty mechanics, club members or other people we can trust that want to trade for shop time. This would be more of a sideline business for most of us this it wouldn't have to be a huge money maker (not that I'd mind if it was), but something to provide some extra income.

The point about having someone knowledgeable to help is important. We'd need someone more than just a teenage to sit there and hand out tools. However, the liability fact may really increase if that guys was to do any work. I'll have to check with Crash and the guys at S&N to see how they handle their insurance needs. They not only need to protect against someone getting hurt, but they have to worry about their liability if someone get's hurt because one of their welds broke.

Feel free to keep the comments coming. We have lots to learn and the volume of input is a good indicator of the feasibilty of the business. With enough volume of business the insurance costs could be absorbed more easily.

man that would be so amaizingly cool!!! i would love something like that, especially in the seattle area! i know quite a few people who would use it as well. my brother in law is in the marines and had mention that they have something like that as well. it would be awsome for a person like me, who only really owns a set of socket wrenches.

and maybe to keep the insurance prices down, (don't know if this would actually help) but maybe only have it open Fri-Mon. that way it would be easier to have people working there and maybe lower the cost of insurance since your not open as much?

That would be really nice!
I think if you set up some type of sponsorship with local clubs it would help spread the word and support more.

I would totally go for it!

I think that opening nights and weekends would be busier since most of us work for a living - otherwise how could we afford all this stuff that we break! Late hours and weekends I think would be packed and easier to find people to help out.

If there was a way to run this profitably without having to open a business and without the government ever knowing, I would!

It's a great idea - one that I have pondered myself. But I have to agree with what everyone else is saying. You really cant trust anyone these days. And, look at it from a marketing standpoint...

One bay, Saturday and Sunday would be huge days, but you could never get everyone in. All it would take is one person doing their clutch with their 4 year old, and the that's it, the lift is monopolized for the day, and you only made $200 for the 10 hours that the guy spent in there. Then the people on the waiting list get pissed, and never come back because they cant get in. See what I mean? It seems like it would work good, but only if you had 10 bays, and then your overhead would be insane.

My .02

Having worked at a Hobby Shop in the US Navy, I know how things would work. You have to remember first, start small. We would try and accomidate everyone. Stuff just happens. As this would be a small business at first. We would have to make money first and then re-invest into more lifts and stuff. But at least you would have a place to go and work on your vehicle out of the rain and have tools available.

I would certainly use a place like that on a regular bases, but just as 96Runner said, one person can hold a good bit of time on a lift with any decent mod/install. I only wish more of you guys lived over here on the East Coast so that coll things like this might actually be possible. I have often thought about doing the same thing once I'm out of college and have a bit of experiance, it's a great business venture. I can only hope it will all work out for you guys, who knows you get things going and I just mihg thave to make a cross country road trip just to install something :pat: :bounce: .

From a customers point of view, having access to a lift would be great in itself, as would an oil change pit, and lube equipment. If the problems with insurance could be worked out, I'd think you would have tons of people using that kind of shop. I havent found a shop like that in my area (so Cal) but if there was one, I'd use it. Also, selling products, accessories, drinks, tools, etc, there as well, might be a moneymaker. Greg

you could easily target other car groups as well, like my friend who is in a subaru club. i told him about it and he also thought the idea was awsome.

I have to second that it's a great idea, but as others have mentioned, the liability could be daunting. But, I'm one for following your dreams, so more power to ya. You can do it, but my recommendation would definitely be to stay small, get booked through the roof 24/7, then expand, but only if profitable.

Chris

Well, I did get a ball part quote today from an agent. It was only $2500/year for insurance... That's not that bad! At least it gives me something to start with and I know that it's not $20,000 per year...

It could look like the auto garage in Fast and furious II. You could have the chicks in bikinis walking around, with the wave runner races in the back, and the multi-colored Lifts :hillbill:

2500? thats nothin!