New Shop In Town

[Hall]

2) A large 10 hr repair job has a fixed amount of revenue. In the 10 hrs (or more) that the service bay is tied up, there could have been a few maintenance tickets (30/60/90 service, T-Belt, etc.) with more opportunity to find additional revenue. Again, the bump in labor rate helps absorb some of the opportunity cost.

The independent shop down the road from my work no longer does "large" jobs, i.e. even a Honda timing belt. I don't know where they draw the line or will they do this for good customers. I suspect they will... Otherwise, I think they prefer the relatively short jobs with decent labor charges (for them). High margin parts are probably a big factor too.

 

[D60]

The independent shop down the road from my work no longer does "large" jobs, i.e. even a Honda timing belt. I don't know where they draw the line or will they do this for good customers. I suspect they will... Otherwise, I think they prefer the relatively short jobs with decent labor charges (for them). High margin parts are probably a big factor too.

I kinda get it - I've always felt like there's just so much more to go wrong in a big job. For one thing I'm pretty sure EVERY electrical connector on the planet hates me....but I hate to break them so I often spend WAY too much time just futzing with plastic connectors that SHOULD just squeeze and pull.....

Beyond that, the deeper you go the more you're facing potentially rusty or stripped hardware, etc etc. The big, experienced shops seem to take it in stride and I've always respected them for that.

 

[Andrew1972]

i hope he can make the business sustainable for customers and portable enough for himself.

I have access to a inexpensive competent mechanic who charges $70/hr labor and $28.95 for conventional oil changed with the 10 th free.

Turn around of vehicle sometimes takes 2 days and only email to setup a call for appointments. You cannot call shop without voicemail picking up as he is there by himself.