Help with custom air conditioning hose pricing

[Chris142]

Some of you may remember that I make custom ac hoses and general ac repairs at home after work.

Got a guy that is putting a Chevy v8 into an old Datsun. I made him 3 hoses.

The rubber hose costs me around $12 per ft and I used 6 ft.

The real expense is the special barbed fittings I use along with the special welding rod .

Each rod costs me $10.

Each hose takes either 2 weld on barbed fittings or a whole new fitting. Fittings can get real expensive.

Getting the parts is getting pretty tough. So far ebay seems to be the best choice.

All this plus 1.5 hrs of my time.

Can't go by what new hoses ( pretty inexpensive on rock auto) cost because they won't fit what the person is doing if that makes sense .

Thoughts?

 

[spasm3]

Figure out how much your time is worth to you, per hour. That time plus parts is what you charge. Figure in the cost of any specialty tools you use, work that out to an hourly cost for the tool and figure that in as well.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I live in the industrial world. Custom = expensive because you can't just go buy it. If you need it you need it.

You also need to mark up the parts because it takes time to source them.

Its either worth your time to do, or it isn't. Charge accordingly.

 

[4wd]

I live in the industrial world. Custom = expensive because you can't just go buy it. If you need it you need it.

You also need to mark up the parts because it takes time to source them.

It’s either worth your time to do, or it isn't. Charge accordingly.

Reminds me of Grainger - king of cost (not) …

 

[Sequoiasoon]

No offense but shouldn't that be worked prior to doing the job? Yes it's correct and what he needs, custom stuff but many aren't into blank check. If you told him $500 after completing it all would he just say OK?

As other said, your time at whatever rate, parts normally with some markup, other overhead if you calculate that (electric, supplies) etc.

We had a vendor that gave us crazy price differences between 6 ft and 3 ft hoses. Our procurement dept said give us a price per ft of hose, price per fitting (installed/crimped), shipping etc. The 6ft hoses were originally almost double the 3ft, once priced accordingly only about 40% more. Labor and crimps were the same actual hose cost was the difference.

That may also play into word of mouth, future business etc. Word will be @Chris142 gives fair honest pricing, quick service, stands behind his work. Do others offer the same type service? What do they charge?

We deal with multiple hose vendors and order from them all so we are not as constrained if something happens to one. Currently that is at least $50k per year for 3 vendors I know of just for our building and we are worldwide. Some building deal with vendors closer to them for respective reasons.

 

[AZjeff]

Do stores buy something for $10 and sell it for $10? No and you shouldn't either. You have time and money invested in getting that part in your hand. There was just a chart on here in a thread about parts mark-up: Thread 'Parts Mark-Up at your Independent Repair Shop' https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/parts-mark-up-at-your-independent-repair-shop.404837/ This chart is a sliding scale and seems a bit excessive as noted but maybe you could pick a markup multiplier and use it for all of the parts you need to build hoses and make your life easier. Your labor should be more than whatever the shop you worked at building hoses before charged. You're doing custom work it's worth lots more than a hose off the shelf at NAPA. BITD I figured if I couldn't make more money per hour on custom side jobs than my day job it wasn't worth doing. You have expertise that has value, don't sell yourself short.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Reminds me of Grainger - king of cost (not) …

The industrial world is odd. High volume commodities they squeeze every last nickel. Custom - price doesn't matter seemingly - factory needs to run.

Grainger isn't all that common in the industrial world as far as I see. I think they do more commercial / government etc. I see Motion Industries, Wesco, Vallen, etc. Common stuff - PPE, bolts, etc seems to be Fastenal or McMaster.

 

[anderson]

make lots of hydraulic hose at my shop , if its not marked up x2.25 then its not worth doing.
i am still far cheaper then most places at that too.

i get a ac fittings from a canadian company called greggs distributors , crimp ready no welding required

 

[Chris142]

make lots of hydraulic hose at my shop , if its not marked up x2.25 then its not worth doing.
i am still far cheaper then most places at that too.

i get a ac fittings from a canadian company called greggs distributors , crimp ready no welding required

Do others offer the same type service? What do they

Nobody around here other than me can do this type of work.

If the fittings you are using are compression fittings they won't work with refrigerant gas.

 

[bdcardinal]

Double your cost for the parts at a minimum. As for your time, call around to all the shops and ask what their hourly rate is. Since it is custom work, go on the higher end of things. Also remember your time includes sourcing the parts. Charge them for the shipping also on a separate shipping line. Remember you are selling your skill so charge accordingly.

 

[AZjeff]

Don't feel guilty making a profit. Right now what you do is a hobby, get defined labor rate and parts markup in place and make it a business.

 

[PandaBear]

You need to make a profit to make your gig sustainable. Anyone needing custom work because they are modding should understand that. If they don't they should be doing their own sourcing or make their own stuff.

This is why those custom motor mounts and AC solutions are there. If they want something already made instead of custom they should go buy those kit and not ask you to build them. If they want you to do it you need to charge enough on top of your cost to cover the overhead and risk if something doesn't work.

 

[anderson]

Nobody around here other than me can do this type of work.

If the fittings you are using are compression fittings they won't work with refrigerant gas.

fittings like this , then the ferrule crimps over the hose and fitting. easy as can be.

if nobody else provides that service then you should be charging for your hours at a rate probably slightly less then shop rate for hose assembly and then mark upo your materials however your comfortable. in my market that is 2.25.

that being said i dont charge labor on the hoses i make but your welding them together so thats a bit more intensive.

Nobody around here other than me can do this type of work.

If the fittings you are using are compression fittings they won't work with refrigerant gas.

 

[bdcardinal]

Also remember you had to buy your tools to make the hoses. Even if they are paid off, you can still incorporate it into your labor. Billing a blanket shop supplies is illegal in California, but you can either itemize or incorporate it into your labor.

Also you can charge different labor rates for different things. You can charge more per hour for welding if you want. Just like body shops will charge different hourly labor rates for paint, body work, detail work, etc.

 

[Chris142]

View attachment 327138View attachment 327139
fittings like this , then the ferrule crimps over the hose and fitting. easy as can be.

if nobody else provides that service then you should be charging for your hours at a rate probably slightly less then shop rate for hose assembly and then mark upo your materials however your comfortable. in my market that is 2.25.

that being said i dont charge labor on the hoses i make but your welding them together so thats a bit more intensive.


View attachment 327140

You often can't use that style of end when making custom stuff. You must utilize the old line ends as you can't buy them. Thats fine for things like busses and tractors though.

 

[Chris142]

You can't buy stuff like this. It's bent to go around something. Must weld a barbed fitting onto that old line.

 

[anderson]

You often can't use that style of end when making custom stuff. You must utilize the old line ends as you can't buy them. Thats fine for things like busses and tractors though.

good point , i mostly do industrial stuff.

when i do reuse a oem end ive had good luck with these aeroquip aluminum compressions.

 

[Chris142]

good point , i mostly do industrial stuff.

when i do reuse a oem end ive had good luck with these aeroquip aluminum compressions. View attachment 327157

A compression fitting will leak in a year. We used to fix every one the competition put on. Even those with an oring will leak soon

 

[JHZR2]

Back in 2018 or so I think I paid $150-180 for a set of custom hoses from my Parker store. The hose was pretty high end for oil temperature and pressure. I provided the OE lines, they removed the old crimped on lines, brazed on fittings on both ends, and then made custom length threaded jumpers.

Thread 'Issues using push lock hoses for oil cooler'

Sep 7, 2018

I wanted to replace the oil cooler lines on my 1981 MB 240D. Was already doing other maintenance, one connection was seeping a bit, and the rubber was original...

These lines are notoriously difficult to maneuver in and out, even with the engine lifted and an engine mount out. Many owners find other approaches to replace the flexible line section.

I went to my local Parker store and got Parker 836, which is good for oil at pressure to 300F. Nice and flexible. But it's a push lock design. The pressure rating is great and apparently the barbs are VERY aggressive...

Would anyone have...

• JHZR2
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Mechanical/Maintenance Forum

That was 2018…

Four brazed fittings, four new connections, lengths of special hose, and probably 50% more expensive today.