How much should I charge?

[Chris142]

I have the AC machine,tank of Nitrogen ect to properly charge r134a AC systems. Done a couple lately but not charging what we were getting at the shop.

A lot of shops can do a regular recharge on a normal car. Nobody will touch custom stuff. I did one today on a custom built system for a guy.

Pressure test with nitrogen went well. Pulled a vacuum,let it sit and it did not bleed down so I charged it

Total time spent was 75 min and 25 oz of r134a. What is my knowledge worth?

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Labor = $80.00, plus 134a cost per lb used.

 

[Ihatetochangeoil]

I've paid $150 for vac testing & A/C charging at a radiator shop and thought I was getting a good deal for my geographical area (greater St. Louis). I wouldn't know or care if it took 15 minutes or 3 hours; I cared that my A/C works at an affordable price.

 

[clinebarger]

I'd say $100 an hour labor as you're offering a service no one else in the area does.

 

[wpod]

What did you get paid per hour as an employee? Do you have overhead costs of a repair shop? Material and the cost of your time plus a bit for the machine. Cash in pocket or reportable income?

 

[Wolf359]

Why not come up with a basic flat rate recharge rate and post on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace? List a few basic cars and then say others will be more....

 

[Chris142]

Why not come up with a basic flat rate recharge rate and post on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace? List a few basic cars and then say others will be more....

I really do not want strangers coming to my house. The guy today was a friend of a good customer so I didn't worry about him turning weird.

 

[clinebarger]

What did you get paid per hour as an employee? Do you have overhead costs of a repair shop? Material and the cost of your time plus a bit for the machine. Cash in pocket or reportable income?

Why does any of that matter? He has the experience/knowledge & the tools to do the job.

 

[Chris142]

What did you get paid per hour as an employee? Do you have overhead costs of a repair shop? Material and the cost of your time plus a bit for the machine. Cash in pocket or reportable income?

So if I do a 30m vacuum I should charge $9?

 

[Nick1994]

$100-$120 sounds reasonable to me.

 

[EA82]

A little off topic but is it common practice to use a micron gauge in auto ac or just to pressurize with nitrogen?

 

[atikovi]

A/C service is highly regulated by state and federal governments. Many required permits and licenses not to mention heavy fines for simple infractions as simple as record keeping. I'd think twice about doing a/c work from home for compensation. One disgruntled customer reporting you to the EPA or even zoning, could be a huge headache.

 

[EA82]

A/C service is highly regulated by state and federal governments. Many required permits and licenses not to mention heavy fines for simple infractions as simple as record keeping. I'd think twice about doing a/c work from home for compensation. One disgruntled customer reporting you to the EPA or even zoning, could be a huge headache.

As long as you don't vent refrigerant in the atmosphere I don't see what the big deal is, im assuming Chris has an EPA card. They sell r134a containers to everyone at auto part stores as DIY, if it was anything serious selling it would be more regulated.

 

[wpod]

So if I do a 30m vacuum I should charge $9?

What are we getting at with the figure you posted? At your old job did you get paid $9.00 to do a 30 minute evac?

 

[KJSmith]

Knowledge plus time plus overhead plus parts.

I would be in the $250 range.

 

[GSCJR]

$100 + refrigerant, but I need to give myself a raise; it's long overdue.

 

[Chris142]

What are we getting at with the figure you posted? At your old job did you get paid $9.00 to do a 30 minute evac?

Basically. I made $18/hr

 

[Chris142]

A little off topic but is it common practice to use a micron gauge in auto ac or just to pressurize with nitrogen?

Most shops to not pressurize with Nitrogen. They just keep shooting cars up with refrigerant hoping that the leak will stop.

 

[Chris142]

As long as you don't vent refrigerant in the atmosphere I don't see what the big deal is, im assuming Chris has an EPA card. They sell r134a containers to everyone at auto part stores as DIY, if it was anything serious selling it would be more regulated.

I have had an epa card since 1992!

 

[KrisZ]

I’d say charge on the upper end of the scale and don’t sell yourself short. Skill, experience and quality work has to be rewarded.