When I was getting started, I would only work on vehicles of people I knew. Of course, I grew up in the area I was working and had lots of friends and acquaintances, so I had no shortage of work. Many times I would pass on jobs if I thought the person was going to be too picky or if the liability was too high.
retired lineman 70 learned with chiltons, Haynes and RUclips. have all th the tools I need, just don't have a lift. do all my work on my driveway. only missing a good bidirectional scanner. may get the xtool 8
Absolute worst thing you can do as a self employed mechanic. Youre undercharging and doing too many favors and are expected to work for a discount if not for free
Did a side shop on Nextdoor for 2 years. Just a few times a week. Made a killing. I only worked on 10 years and newer BMW and Toyota . Most of my customers had extra vehicles so I never had to rush. I worked out of my 2 car garage. Once I had awesome reviews. No one questioned my garage shop. I protected myself and had proof of emails and text of conversations. I took pics of the old parts next to the new. Only had 2 nightmare customer. The main lesson I learned was. Don’t do charity cases or work on crappy cars. Was threatened to go to court twice. Thank god I had proof that the car should not be driven.
I tried doing side jobs, really hated it, takes too much time between answering calls, making estimates, getting parts, doing the actual repair, and then having to answer all the follow up questions. One conclusion I made: if you value work/life balance - side jobs just don't work, because people will start calling you in the middle of the week - "ever since you worked on my car bla bla bla". And all the liability is on you. Thats why you either go all in, running your own business, get liability insurance and all that good stuff or stay out of it completely. Otherwise you'll end up working at work full time and then working at home all night and weekends.. Flipping cars is a way better side hustle cause you do it when it's convenient for you, you can take as much or as little time as you want, and you don't have to warranty anything - cars are sold as is.
I do mobile mechanic work and yes customers always want it cheap because your mobile and think your the same as a tree shade mechanic from the barrio that will do it for a 6pack. And honestly I’m already cheaper than any shop and they still want it cheaper
Yea I rarely get people trying to barter for a cheaper price since usually they are referrals but if I do I just tell them I’m not interested, side jobs are just extra cash for me so I don’t depend on them.
I'm currently doing side job, same way with you about charging customer base on hour. But I always inspect the car before I decided to take care of it. I also explain to the customer about the job and parts, I feel the side job help me to improve my communication and build up my sale experience for my future if I can't perform mechanic side so I can become service adviser.
When I worked at a Toy dealer (helping customers on the front end), many of the techs that worked Sundays did side jobs after the shop closed for the day. I think most dealerships discourage this now. I agree, you do a side job like you do on your regular hours and your customers will always come back and also refer others to you.
@@LetsDriftMedia Yeah, if you want to do work on your own car, you have to get a service writer to write a RO with "inspection" so you can do it while you're off the clock
I used to have a Mobile Auto Repair business and charged a Minimum cash 180 dollars 💵 applied to the work. Sometimes it would be something simple like a misfire and the fix would be simply to attach the spark plug cable and be on my way. However sometimes I can get a Honda with a broken timing belt and in that situation the cost goes up dramatically because of bent valves or worse yet a valve that knocked a hole through the piston. No matter what..... I always get my 180 dollars 💵 for my experience and ⌚ Time. No Free Lunch!
I always advise customers to use OE parts because of the same reason. I’ll put the autozone part in and if it fails or doesn’t work then it’s not my problem
Let me say something about the liability. Being in the hydraulic world I’ve learned that if a professional mechanic works on a job and cuts a corner, because his boss or customer said to, if someone is hurt the mechanic will be sitting in court explains why he new better. At this point the judge will look at you, ask how much money was saved by cutting the corner (say it’s $240.00), then he’ll turn to the widow and say “we’ll Mam, these professionals decided that your families life style and your husband weren’t worth $240.00 No matter how good of an attorney, no matter whom else testified, no matter if your boss AND customer testify that they told you to do it wrong, the judge will look you square in the eyes and say “YOU’RE the professional, YOU knew better, GUILTY!” This isn’t made up, I watched it happen, in the real word with real lives being directly affected. So, if you’re going to become a mechanic, fix shit right the first time, or DON’T FIX IT AT ALL!!
Loving the videos buddy. I appreciate this is a lot to ask so you do you, but as a hobbyist/diy'er I'd be very interested to see more tutorials on how to do X Y Z on the car like how you did the LS400 content. Keep it up mate
Damn, i charge 200/book hr. I dont mark up parts, but at 16 years experience, master certified, and i cover anything i break and offer warranty if its something i touched. I also invoice and take cc. But, i also specialize in luxury euro/exotic. Cheers mate, keep up your hard work!
I slowly phased out doing them just because most of the issues with trying to talk me down on my prices / or doing it on my time being an issue , bad parts replacement etc … got overwhelming. plus I breakdown gas ,labor ,tools ,time into perfecting my craft(school) into the labor time .
I feel that, I really dont do nearly as many side jobs for the same reason, alot of people expect cheap quality and speed. Main reason for me is I value my spare time alot more now then when I was in my early 20s.
Facts 💯 picky customers,want cheap prices, wrong parts ordered etc...all that adds up on losing $ and time...I still do some but not as much and work with customers that understand the work I put in and appreciate good work and no stress
I had taken my 2005 Chevy Impala to have front/rear brakes replaced at a PeP Boys a few years back. After I picked it up I was driving down the road approaching a stop light and almost slammed into the back of someone's car. Good thing I was not going too fast. I'm not 100% sure but I believe they left some residue on the rotors. I was livid. Told them what happened. How close I came to seriously injuring /killing someone . Manager was like, "Ok sir. We'll get it back in and get it taken care of."😳 No apology! I couldn't believe the man's reaction. I should have taken them to court.
I don’t even do side jobs because I don’t have all my tools at home, nor do I have a lift at home and I’m not working off the garage floor. Additionally, I wrench enough hours as it is at my dealership, so I’ve got other things to do with my off work time.
Yea I thought after buying my house I’d be doing nothing but side jobs in my garage since I had a dedicated space, ended up doing the opposite lol the older I get the less I want to wrench on my days off.
Made that same rookie mistake of taking on a job that I had no idea what I was doing it was some electrical diagnostic with lights or something. Sucked having to say to the customer that I’m an idiot lol
Yeah I don’t do a lot of side jobs and I keep them simple. Oil changes, spark plugs, etc. Too much liability. And I don’t really want to do big stuff in my garage. I also don’t advertise it. I have some neighbors I do work for and they all approached me. I do a lot of work for family members as well for cheap. For close family members I have permission to use the shop which is nice.
In new England you can't go by book time I live in maine and jobs that should take an hour can easily turn into a full day . Everything is rusted and corroded. Something as simple as bleeding brakes is almost always impossible due to bleed screws being non existent rusted away . You so much as touch an exhaust bolt it's gonna break . Changing brake pads the slide pins are usually stuck . I've even had a rim rusted to the hub so bad it took torches and a sledge hammer to get off .
I'm not going to say what brand I work on but I've been with the same brand for 22 years Master level. I do side work, charge about half the dealer labor, ONLY use OEM parts or parts that I buy, never allow them to bring anything. I refuse a lot of work, heavy work, engine build, etc. Nothing that will take me a long time, nothing that the customer could mess up and blame me like engines.
Unless I had some form of liability insurance there is no way I would work on anyone's brakes as a side job. You just never know what could happen after the test drive/individual picks up the vehicle.
I'd say there's a huge percentage of vehicles on the road that have brake systems a lot worse than what any side job mechanic would leave them in, even if a mistake is made. Lots and lots of vehicles you drive next to at 70 MPH are just some bailing wire and duct tape away from a major crash. Look at the tire tread on vehicles next to you at red lights instead of your phone next time. You will almost throw up.
I did the same altima job to mines and I took the alternator off but ended up stripping the bolt I told my wife to pick up some strip socket bolts from sears luckily she worked at the mall that had one. Got the strip sockets ended up being too short now 8 hours into a 30 min job I finally get a big flathead and started hitting it with a wall hammer and chizzled the nut off. The early mechanic days they were fun
If it’s the techs fault it failed like improper installation then I’d say so. But not if it was just random part failure can’t really blame that on the tech.
I agree with everything you said. From my experience on side jobs, I recommend working on vehicles you have intimate familiarity with for the exact issues you pointed out. In my POST retirement now, for the time being I service only 06-15 Toyota Prius, 06-09Camry Hybrid, and 03-08 Corolla mainly because of my Knowledge, Skills, and abilities but more importantly I have or had these models in the immediate family. Use only OEM parts if possible to reduce come backs. Also, Toyota Tech Stream is a must along with generic scanners like the XTOOL and ANCEL V6. Charge the labor that is needed never cutting short ones self and don't rush to avoid mistakes especially on brake jobs. The estimates I give is exactly that, an estimate; otherwise it would be called an exact. I don't get too many penny pinching customer because word gets around that my jobs cost too much because I also insist that parts I identify as needing replacement not even related to the service request have to be changed otherwise I don't work on it. I have to service their vehicle as if it was mine. I would definitely get fired if I worked at Toyota deaIership. I don't like come backs even though it was not related to the primary request such as an oil change. Customers are not technical and they just think the oil change I did a week ago is the cause of the drive belt tensioner making a loud noise. The biggest chronic issue I run into is the caliper and brake Cyl. bleeders once open often don't seal perfectly and will have a slow micro leak while the brake pedal is held down. These require days for me to resolve with the vehicle sitting on jack stands in my driveway. Even OEM replacements have frequent defects and still seep. Have had to use the after market speed bleeders to resolve the seeping, but it has not been 100% successful. Anyone have any thoughts or advice, I am all ears.. I am in california, and pass on rusty cars because it gets me, facility, and my tools dirty, and bolts often break during routine removal. I price parts at List if OEM and +10% if aftermarket because there is a significant amount o time involved in purchasing from non OEM parts suppliers.
All good advise. I’ve been doing jobs like this for the last 3 years for a majority of my income and The liability is the worst part about it. Knowing I’ve recently worked on 10-20 cars and any of them could have a problem that will fall on me was stressful. Pricing is hard because you have to eat it if you quote to low. Another aspect that is difficult is you aren’t in a shop full of techs, if you run into a problem it’s on you to figure it out with no help. I just quit doing this kind of work and became a full time heavy equipment mechanic and I’m a lot happier being able to clock in and clock out instead of being my customers 24/7 on call mechanic.
Almost like being a business owner, huh? Except you don't have to worry about 4-8 employees and their families and hope you can make payroll instead of paying government fees, taxes, "taxes on the rich" and other BS .....
Hello great there! Wanted to start off by staying I really enjoy your videos. I recently started a mobile truck repair business and have been finding difficultly trying to hire on trailer mechanics. Would happen to have any successful tips on finding more mechanics to hire? Thanks!
I have no experience really in hiring new employees, but as an employee myself I would say offer competitive pay /benefits that would make someone want to work for you. Money talks!
Very interesting discussion. How would I go about searching for and finding a good mechanic like you doing side jobs in my area? Thanks. I'm close to Huntington NY (Long Island).
Hello, 👋 New subscriber, I really enjoy your channel 👌👍 and by the way this is a very interesting topic that you were covering and while I’m at it I wanted to ask you if there’s a page or website information or maybe you know to look up hourly Rate on certain jobs, Four instance ( a water pump on a D13 Volvo truck) since I like doing that as A side hustle,
I like your enthusiasm. But the liability associated with side customer is way too high. Everyone in America watch too much court tv. They will try to sue you for every little thing. You'll spend more time in court than actually working on a car. It is okay to work on you friend or family car. But I would take caution on stranger car.
They watch court tv they don't have a clue how to sue anybody or how much it costs. Once they realize it's $100k to take somebody to court those thoughts will be gone.
Would you recommend someone that's 30 years old to get into this trade? I was going to start school soon like mid April lol for Associate of Occupational Studies In Automatic Technology and have the opportunity to get up to 8 ASEs Certifications. My overall goal was to either open up my own shop in the future or also have a mobile mechanic side job while working at either dealership or what seems reasonable. I live in Texas by the way but I heard Feet Mechanic is the way to go and I do have passion for this kind of stuff but I know it'll take more than that lol but I'm just curious on what advice you would give if it was worth it for you as a career choice? I know every job is not going to be perfect i understand that but I would really like your advice on this man. Great videos also 👍🏼
Get the experience first. I started working on cars when I was 29. Most of the guys I'm working with have been working on cars since they were 15. Get the experience in first, then think about opening up a shop.
Here's how I handle things - customer says "Can you give me a break on the price?" and I say "How much of a break did you have in mind?" Then I RAISE the price by the amount he states so the asshole knows how it feels, and let him know the extra charge is for pissing me off and insulting the value of my workmanship. If he wants MY service after that, he pays the increased price and never f**ks with me again. If not, good riddance to future trouble. I was only doing the exact same thing he tried to do to me, and his leaving only shows he can't abide by his own one-sided standards of fairness. Shoot that shit down with authority and shock value, and the argument ends right there.
Quick question. If charging same as dealership, why not just go to dealership? Real question, not sarcasm. Without thinking at all on it, ny initial thought of "neighbor mechanic" is that, i can get him $$$, hed save me on dealership costs, we both win. *** nvm didnt watch more of the vid lol. Its even more labor at the dealership. Now that makes sense lol.
Hello Nick I wanted to ask you for some advise. Im thinking of switching my career path. Right now I work as a automation technician/Mechanic. I work on cars on the side but I dont have much experience to show on paper for automotive tech.. But I have been working as a Automation technician for 7 years. I have a good background in electrical, mechanics and mechatronics. If I wanted to go into automotive technician do you think I would have to go to school and get some type of degree to work as a automotive tech for lets say any dealer company or would my knowledge and experience in what I do already be sufficient. Thanks
One thing I always wondered is how do you go about payment in a side job. Like, do you ask for some or all the money up front or do you carry out like a shop where they pay in full after? And have you ever had someone dip out on payment? It's such foreign territory to me.
It depends on the person. If it’s someone I know I usually just wait for payment when they pick up the vehicle or they’ll offer to pay in advance. I don’t do business with shady people so haven’t had a problem yet. But if it’s some one new I would ask for a deposit or at ask for the money for the parts if I’m getting them, before starting especially if it’s a big job. End of the day you have the keys to their car so kind of hard for them to dip out without paying but I understand the concern.
Hi sir I always watching your video.. I just question only because I have job offer from Sherwood Honda company I am also automotive service technician.. my question on only about the MTS and ASN I need idea how to fill up.. I am Filipino citizenship and I am here in Saudi Arabia no problem if I can DM with you. Thanks
I’m about to take my A1 ASE test. I’ve pretty much mastered the material needed to pass the practice test that’s in the booklet. Are the test questions gonna be similar to the ones on the practice exam?
Yes, best tip I have for ASE is read the question carefully, especially for the All answers are correct EXCEPT type questions. Remember on the tech A and tech B questions that they are usually 2 questions sometimes they are not even related to each other. And eliminate the clearly wrong answers for each question to help your chances of passing.
The best advice I can give someone is DO NOT do anything like this unless you have a book that gives you the hours. I learned my lesson immediately. If a job looks easy but the book says 15+ hrs....bits not easy
My suggestion is dont take side job from people you dont know, take side job on cars you know, like a family member or friends atleast you are some what familiar with the car or the vehicle owner
I know a guy that had his own business, almost nothing but LS swaps. One of the reason he semi quit (not taking new clients) is because people want to go to the junkyard, pull a motor, then pay him $800 to swap it. He said no thanks. That’s also why he quit letting customers order their own parts. He got tired of having to order the right ones (usually the engine harness).
@@LetsDriftMedia I want to do them all but haven't had time to study lol. I may be going back to the Medical Quality field so I may not end up doing it.
@@scientist100 yea every shop is different so there’s different so what ever shops charge I do half. Plus if you get a account with your local parts shop you can get discounts and then make money of parts too. Cus just on labor alone it’s hard to make it
@@LetsDriftMedia hey man I start an apprenticeship this Monday at they at starting me at 15 an hour. 2$ raise after I finish the 2 yr program. Then a flat rate of 30$. Is it worth it ?
Side jobs are just one reason why our industry is not being taken as seriously as we want it to be. One of the Reasons why we lack value. We want to be treated as professionals but also want to work on our free time because money is better on our days off? Ever heard of a lawyer or doctor doing a side job? No because THEY MAKE MONEY ON THE CLOCK. If you can’t pay your bills live well on the clock and have to do side work to make it or even to make more… it maybe time for a lot of you guys to take a look at your career. Side jobs are the reason why we are all looked at like lube techs “man I’ll just ask someone and see if they will do it for the low I ain’t paying that guy at the shop to do it”. When they pay for the shop hourly rate. They pay for the entire shop/benefits/healthcare and insurance incase I or there vehicle gets hurt. Be a professional! If your making more money on the side and your job isn’t paying, leave and start a legit business you will make way more. I’m sure I’ll get slammed for this but it sucks losing jobs because “I know a guy” just for it to comeback all jacked up because someone didn’t have the tools/equipment/time to do it right.
Well if companies actually paid what mechanics are worth so many wouldn’t do side jobs. For everything mechanics need to know with todays car’s mechanics are well underpaid. Many techs need to do side jobs or a second job to pay bills
"Side jobs" have always been around. I was helping a friend of mine do plumbing/electrical side work 25 years ago. I've done "side jobs" since I was about 10 years old. There's always been a demand for side work and people willing to do it. The bottom line is whether or not YOU, the worker, want to lower your standards and rates to appear like you are desperate. There's plenty of people out there willing to pay for "side work" and pay well and not hassle with going to a business storefront and deal with corporate BS.
Appreciate you insight. But when else is one to do side work besides on there free time since they probably have a day job hence why they do “side jobs” nothing wrong with wanting to make extra money. And all my customers are more then happy to pay me rather then taking it to a dealership and paying double the price for a tech just like me to work on it. Since usually when I do the repair they don’t have issues and have to bring the car back. I don’t think you can compare us to doctors or lawyers. Have you ever heard of a doctor who gets paid less then his secretary does? Service writers are basically that. They take the customer info. They write up a ticket. But just like doctors, the mechanics are the ones who ACTUALLY DO THE WORK. I don’t think it’s fair that a service writer can make six figures while not actually fixing the car. I know for sure that a doctor wouldn’t stick around if his secretary made way more then him. Just have to add that you are the first person I’ve ever talked to who looks down on side jobs and would rather the customer take it to the dealer.
When I was getting started, I would only work on vehicles of people I knew. Of course, I grew up in the area I was working and had lots of friends and acquaintances, so I had no shortage of work. Many times I would pass on jobs if I thought the person was going to be too picky or if the liability was too high.
Only way to do it.
i deal with family only
retired lineman 70 learned with chiltons, Haynes and RUclips. have all th the tools I need, just don't have a lift. do all my work on my driveway. only missing a good bidirectional scanner. may get the xtool 8
Me currently
Absolute worst thing you can do as a self employed mechanic. Youre undercharging and doing too many favors and are expected to work for a discount if not for free
Did a side shop on Nextdoor for 2 years. Just a few times a week. Made a killing. I only worked on 10 years and newer BMW and Toyota . Most of my customers had extra vehicles so I never had to rush. I worked out of my 2 car garage. Once I had awesome reviews. No one questioned my garage shop. I protected myself and had proof of emails and text of conversations. I took pics of the old parts next to the new. Only had 2 nightmare customer. The main lesson I learned was. Don’t do charity cases or work on crappy cars. Was threatened to go to court twice. Thank god I had proof that the car should not be driven.
I tried doing side jobs, really hated it, takes too much time between answering calls, making estimates, getting parts, doing the actual repair, and then having to answer all the follow up questions. One conclusion I made: if you value work/life balance - side jobs just don't work, because people will start calling you in the middle of the week - "ever since you worked on my car bla bla bla". And all the liability is on you. Thats why you either go all in, running your own business, get liability insurance and all that good stuff or stay out of it completely. Otherwise you'll end up working at work full time and then working at home all night and weekends.. Flipping cars is a way better side hustle cause you do it when it's convenient for you, you can take as much or as little time as you want, and you don't have to warranty anything - cars are sold as is.
I needed to hear this.
Church for mechanics.
Subscribed
I do mobile mechanic work and yes customers always want it cheap because your mobile and think your the same as a tree shade mechanic from the barrio that will do it for a 6pack. And honestly I’m already cheaper than any shop and they still want it cheaper
Yea I rarely get people trying to barter for a cheaper price since usually they are referrals but if I do I just tell them I’m not interested, side jobs are just extra cash for me so I don’t depend on them.
I do the same, mobile, cash, if a job looks like a liability dont do it
I'm currently doing side job, same way with you about charging customer base on hour. But I always inspect the car before I decided to take care of it. I also explain to the customer about the job and parts, I feel the side job help me to improve my communication and build up my sale experience for my future if I can't perform mechanic side so I can become service adviser.
When I worked at a Toy dealer (helping customers on the front end), many of the techs that worked Sundays did side jobs after the shop closed for the day. I think most dealerships discourage this now. I agree, you do a side job like you do on your regular hours and your customers will always come back and also refer others to you.
Yea any dealer I worked at it was a No Go to bring in any vehicle unless it was your immediate families vehicle or your own.
@@LetsDriftMedia Yeah, if you want to do work on your own car, you have to get a service writer to write a RO with "inspection" so you can do it while you're off the clock
When nick starts with “YO YO YO” i feel like im greeting a homie after not seeing him forever lmaoo. We’re all automotive family I suppose
At the dealer I work at, someone who was doing a side job had a car fall off a lift
I used to have a Mobile Auto Repair business and charged a Minimum cash 180 dollars 💵 applied to the work. Sometimes it would be something simple like a misfire and the fix would be simply to attach the spark plug cable and be on my way. However sometimes I can get a Honda with a broken timing belt and in that situation the cost goes up dramatically because of bent valves or worse yet a valve that knocked a hole through the piston. No matter what..... I always get my 180 dollars 💵 for my experience and ⌚ Time.
No Free Lunch!
Flat fee baby.
I always advise customers to use OE parts because of the same reason. I’ll put the autozone part in and if it fails or doesn’t work then it’s not my problem
Yea, I mean its cool if they wanna use cheap parts as long as they know that they may fail and it will be on them not me to do the job again lol.
I get most of my parts from rockauto for the last 20 plus years, so far no problema
Let me say something about the liability. Being in the hydraulic world I’ve learned that if a professional mechanic works on a job and cuts a corner, because his boss or customer said to, if someone is hurt the mechanic will be sitting in court explains why he new better. At this point the judge will look at you, ask how much money was saved by cutting the corner (say it’s $240.00), then he’ll turn to the widow and say “we’ll Mam, these professionals decided that your families life style and your husband weren’t worth $240.00
No matter how good of an attorney, no matter whom else testified, no matter if your boss AND customer testify that they told you to do it wrong, the judge will look you square in the eyes and say “YOU’RE the professional, YOU knew better, GUILTY!”
This isn’t made up, I watched it happen, in the real word with real lives being directly affected. So, if you’re going to become a mechanic, fix shit right the first time, or DON’T FIX IT AT ALL!!
Loving the videos buddy.
I appreciate this is a lot to ask so you do you, but as a hobbyist/diy'er I'd be very interested to see more tutorials on how to do X Y Z on the car like how you did the LS400 content.
Keep it up mate
Thanks man. And will do, I try to film whenever I do any repairs at the house.
@@LetsDriftMedia legend. Thank you!
Nice to have you back on youtee bro awesome
“This is not OfferUp…” 😂😂😂
Don’t sell yourself short.
Thanks for the vid! 🙏🏽
Damn, i charge 200/book hr. I dont mark up parts, but at 16 years experience, master certified, and i cover anything i break and offer warranty if its something i touched. I also invoice and take cc. But, i also specialize in luxury euro/exotic. Cheers mate, keep up your hard work!
I slowly phased out doing them just because most of the issues with trying to talk me down on my prices / or doing it on my time being an issue , bad parts replacement etc … got overwhelming. plus I breakdown gas ,labor ,tools ,time into perfecting my craft(school) into the labor time .
I feel that, I really dont do nearly as many side jobs for the same reason, alot of people expect cheap quality and speed. Main reason for me is I value my spare time alot more now then when I was in my early 20s.
Facts 💯 picky customers,want cheap prices, wrong parts ordered etc...all that adds up on losing $ and time...I still do some but not as much and work with customers that understand the work I put in and appreciate good work and no stress
I had taken my 2005 Chevy Impala to have front/rear brakes replaced at a PeP Boys a few years back. After I picked it up I was driving down the road approaching a stop light and almost slammed into the back of someone's car. Good thing I was not going too fast. I'm not 100% sure but I believe they left some residue on the rotors. I was livid. Told them what happened. How close I came to seriously injuring /killing someone . Manager was like, "Ok sir. We'll get it back in and get it taken care of."😳 No apology! I couldn't believe the man's reaction. I should have taken them to court.
Not surprised. After working in the dealer for 10years realized very fast that they really don’t care about the customers. Only the money.
@@LetsDriftMedia I agree. I worked for Toyota for a very short time.
No damage no foul so they don't worry at all.
Also- you may drop a socket into the abyss and the time to get that socket out.
I don’t even do side jobs because I don’t have all my tools at home, nor do I have a lift at home and I’m not working off the garage floor. Additionally, I wrench enough hours as it is at my dealership, so I’ve got other things to do with my off work time.
Yea I thought after buying my house I’d be doing nothing but side jobs in my garage since I had a dedicated space, ended up doing the opposite lol the older I get the less I want to wrench on my days off.
@@LetsDriftMedia yes, been doing that unless it is someone desperate to get their things fixed.
Made that same rookie mistake of taking on a job that I had no idea what I was doing it was some electrical diagnostic with lights or something. Sucked having to say to the customer that I’m an idiot lol
I don’t advertise my rate, I give a price. If the customer doesn’t agree they go somewhere else. They come back.
Yeah I don’t do a lot of side jobs and I keep them simple. Oil changes, spark plugs, etc. Too much liability. And I don’t really want to do big stuff in my garage. I also don’t advertise it. I have some neighbors I do work for and they all approached me. I do a lot of work for family members as well for cheap. For close family members I have permission to use the shop which is nice.
I usually stick to relatively simple jobs, and only do work for people who have another car
In new England you can't go by book time I live in maine and jobs that should take an hour can easily turn into a full day . Everything is rusted and corroded. Something as simple as bleeding brakes is almost always impossible due to bleed screws being non existent rusted away . You so much as touch an exhaust bolt it's gonna break . Changing brake pads the slide pins are usually stuck . I've even had a rim rusted to the hub so bad it took torches and a sledge hammer to get off .
Great no nonsense advice!
Awesome topic man love the video
I used to do them but I found most customers were cheap Charlies, not worth the hassle, easier to do more hours at my day job.
Pro tip don’t do side work at work
I never do side jobs, people today are lawyer crazy.
I'm not going to say what brand I work on but I've been with the same brand for 22 years Master level. I do side work, charge about half the dealer labor, ONLY use OEM parts or parts that I buy, never allow them to bring anything. I refuse a lot of work, heavy work, engine build, etc. Nothing that will take me a long time, nothing that the customer could mess up and blame me like engines.
Unless I had some form of liability insurance there is no way I would work on anyone's brakes as a side job. You just never know what could happen after the test drive/individual picks up the vehicle.
True but you could say the same thing about any safety related item when it comes to side jobs.
@@LetsDriftMedia True.
Test before
I'd say there's a huge percentage of vehicles on the road that have brake systems a lot worse than what any side job mechanic would leave them in, even if a mistake is made. Lots and lots of vehicles you drive next to at 70 MPH are just some bailing wire and duct tape away from a major crash. Look at the tire tread on vehicles next to you at red lights instead of your phone next time. You will almost throw up.
SOLID advise!
You live and you learn man
I did the same altima job to mines and I took the alternator off but ended up stripping the bolt I told my wife to pick up some strip socket bolts from sears luckily she worked at the mall that had one. Got the strip sockets ended up being too short now 8 hours into a 30 min job I finally get a big flathead and started hitting it with a wall hammer and chizzled the nut off. The early mechanic days they were fun
Isn’t it if the tech supply the part and the part fail, the tech would have to do the work again with new part?
If it’s the techs fault it failed like improper installation then I’d say so. But not if it was just random part failure can’t really blame that on the tech.
I agree with everything you said. From my experience on side jobs, I recommend working on vehicles you have intimate familiarity with for the exact issues you pointed out. In my POST retirement now, for the time being I service only 06-15 Toyota Prius, 06-09Camry Hybrid, and 03-08 Corolla mainly because of my Knowledge, Skills, and abilities but more importantly I have or had these models in the immediate family. Use only OEM parts if possible to reduce come backs. Also, Toyota Tech Stream is a must along with generic scanners like the XTOOL and ANCEL V6. Charge the labor that is needed never cutting short ones self and don't rush to avoid mistakes especially on brake jobs. The estimates I give is exactly that, an estimate; otherwise it would be called an exact.
I don't get too many penny pinching customer because word gets around that my jobs cost too much because I also insist that parts I identify as needing replacement not even related to the service request have to be changed otherwise I don't work on it. I have to service their vehicle as if it was mine. I would definitely get fired if I worked at Toyota deaIership. I don't like come backs even though it was not related to the primary request such as an oil change. Customers are not technical and they just think the oil change I did a week ago is the cause of the drive belt tensioner making a loud noise. The biggest chronic issue I run into is the caliper and brake Cyl. bleeders once open often don't seal perfectly and will have a slow micro leak while the brake pedal is held down. These require days for me to resolve with the vehicle sitting on jack stands in my driveway. Even OEM replacements have frequent defects and still seep. Have had to use the after market speed bleeders to resolve the seeping, but it has not been 100% successful. Anyone have any thoughts or advice, I am all ears.. I am in california, and pass on rusty cars because it gets me, facility, and my tools dirty, and bolts often break during routine removal. I price parts at List if OEM and +10% if aftermarket because there is a significant amount o time involved in purchasing from non OEM parts suppliers.
i just bought and get installed a hub bearing wheel from autozone to a ford! 😢 do you suggest me to replace it for an original brand Piece?
Is it giving you problems?
All good advise. I’ve been doing jobs like this for the last 3 years for a majority of my income and The liability is the worst part about it. Knowing I’ve recently worked on 10-20 cars and any of them could have a problem that will fall on me was stressful. Pricing is hard because you have to eat it if you quote to low. Another aspect that is difficult is you aren’t in a shop full of techs, if you run into a problem it’s on you to figure it out with no help. I just quit doing this kind of work and became a full time heavy equipment mechanic and I’m a lot happier being able to clock in and clock out instead of being my customers 24/7 on call mechanic.
Almost like being a business owner, huh? Except you don't have to worry about 4-8 employees and their families and hope you can make payroll instead of paying government fees, taxes, "taxes on the rich" and other BS .....
That intro never gets old. Love it!
I wouldn't stress selling yourself short, they play games even if you aren't. You know what it's worth if they have problems with it you go from there
you could always do side jobs on atv's.utv's etc ive been doing there really simple
Hello great there! Wanted to start off by staying I really enjoy your videos.
I recently started a mobile truck repair business and have been finding difficultly trying to hire on trailer mechanics. Would happen to have any successful tips on finding more mechanics to hire? Thanks!
I have no experience really in hiring new employees, but as an employee myself I would say offer competitive pay /benefits that would make someone want to work for you. Money talks!
Very interesting discussion. How would I go about searching for and finding a good mechanic like you doing side jobs in my area?
Thanks. I'm close to Huntington NY (Long Island).
Best bet is to ask a friend if they know of anyone who does good work. And see if you can get referred to someone around you.
The lowballing is insane
"This is not like Offer Up here" LOL. Love it!
Hello, 👋 New subscriber, I really enjoy your channel 👌👍 and by the way this is a very interesting topic that you were covering and while I’m at it I wanted to ask you if there’s a page or website information or maybe you know to look up hourly Rate on certain jobs, Four instance ( a water pump on a D13 Volvo truck) since I like doing that as A side hustle,
there is a couple, Alldata, Mitchell, ProDemand. But they are not free and require a paid subscription to use.
I like your enthusiasm. But the liability associated with side customer is way too high. Everyone in America watch too much court tv. They will try to sue you for every little thing. You'll spend more time in court than actually working on a car. It is okay to work on you friend or family car. But I would take caution on stranger car.
They watch court tv they don't have a clue how to sue anybody or how much it costs. Once they realize it's $100k to take somebody to court those thoughts will be gone.
Would you recommend someone that's 30 years old to get into this trade? I was going to start school soon like mid April lol for Associate of Occupational Studies In Automatic Technology and have the opportunity to get up to 8 ASEs Certifications. My overall goal was to either open up my own shop in the future or also have a mobile mechanic side job while working at either dealership or what seems reasonable. I live in Texas by the way but I heard Feet Mechanic is the way to go and I do have passion for this kind of stuff but I know it'll take more than that lol but I'm just curious on what advice you would give if it was worth it for you as a career choice? I know every job is not going to be perfect i understand that but I would really like your advice on this man. Great videos also 👍🏼
Get the experience first. I started working on cars when I was 29. Most of the guys I'm working with have been working on cars since they were 15. Get the experience in first, then think about opening up a shop.
Here's how I handle things - customer says "Can you give me a break on the price?" and I say "How much of a break did you have in mind?" Then I RAISE the price by the amount he states so the asshole knows how it feels, and let him know the extra charge is for pissing me off and insulting the value of my workmanship. If he wants MY service after that, he pays the increased price and never f**ks with me again. If not, good riddance to future trouble. I was only doing the exact same thing he tried to do to me, and his leaving only shows he can't abide by his own one-sided standards of fairness. Shoot that shit down with authority and shock value, and the argument ends right there.
Quick question. If charging same as dealership, why not just go to dealership? Real question, not sarcasm. Without thinking at all on it, ny initial thought of "neighbor mechanic" is that, i can get him $$$, hed save me on dealership costs, we both win.
*** nvm didnt watch more of the vid lol. Its even more labor at the dealership. Now that makes sense lol.
What dealership do you know is open late and on Sundays? That's the point. You pay me $$$ and I'll work on your hunk of trash at 7:00 pm until 9:00pm.
@@BigEvan96 yea, i edited my post lol.
Any tips on T series ASEs ? I plan on getting them
Just did a video on ASE tips see my last upload 👍 same advice applies to T series and A series
What do you use to look up labor times?
I prefer All Data.
Hello Nick I wanted to ask you for some advise. Im thinking of switching my career path. Right now I work as a automation technician/Mechanic. I work on cars on the side but I dont have much experience to show on paper for automotive tech.. But I have been working as a Automation technician for 7 years. I have a good background in electrical, mechanics and mechatronics. If I wanted to go into automotive technician do you think I would have to go to school and get some type of degree to work as a automotive tech for lets say any dealer company or would my knowledge and experience in what I do already be sufficient. Thanks
One thing I always wondered is how do you go about payment in a side job.
Like, do you ask for some or all the money up front or do you carry out like a shop where they pay in full after? And have you ever had someone dip out on payment? It's such foreign territory to me.
It depends on the person. If it’s someone I know I usually just wait for payment when they pick up the vehicle or they’ll offer to pay in advance. I don’t do business with shady people so haven’t had a problem yet. But if it’s some one new I would ask for a deposit or at ask for the money for the parts if I’m getting them, before starting especially if it’s a big job. End of the day you have the keys to their car so kind of hard for them to dip out without paying but I understand the concern.
Hey Nick! Appreciate you sharing your experience.
What software or website do you use to look up labor times?
I like to use all data, or Mitchell
Hi sir I always watching your video.. I just question only because I have job offer from Sherwood Honda company I am also automotive service technician.. my question on only about the MTS and ASN I need idea how to fill up.. I am Filipino citizenship and I am here in Saudi Arabia no problem if I can DM with you. Thanks
Hey I was wondering what do you use for your receipts and keeping records of your side jobs? Also do you provide them with a vehicle inspection sheet
You can get automotive repair orders at walmart
I’m about to take my A1 ASE test. I’ve pretty much mastered the material needed to pass the practice test that’s in the booklet. Are the test questions gonna be similar to the ones on the practice exam?
Yes, best tip I have for ASE is read the question carefully, especially for the All answers are correct EXCEPT type questions. Remember on the tech A and tech B questions that they are usually 2 questions sometimes they are not even related to each other. And eliminate the clearly wrong answers for each question to help your chances of passing.
I charge the same thing in the same way
The best advice I can give someone is DO NOT do anything like this unless you have a book that gives you the hours.
I learned my lesson immediately. If a job looks easy but the book says 15+ hrs....bits not easy
My suggestion is dont take side job from people you dont know, take side job on cars you know, like a family member or friends atleast you are some what familiar with the car or the vehicle owner
Solid advice.
Yeah exactly and it’s good nature not all of us are out for money I just Looked and seen lol I dunno so simple “just sayin “ meh it’s up to them yeah?
“If you bought a bad engine, that’s on you.”
I take it you got a couple junkyard LS swaps, huh? 😂
Lol lucky no but I’ve heard stories
I know a guy that had his own business, almost nothing but LS swaps. One of the reason he semi quit (not taking new clients) is because people want to go to the junkyard, pull a motor, then pay him $800 to swap it. He said no thanks. That’s also why he quit letting customers order their own parts. He got tired of having to order the right ones (usually the engine harness).
I do flatrate and make up parts to compare date time for parts. But my labor is usually cheaper if they supply a part it’s double labor
Post more if ya can man
Trying man
Which ase’s did you get?
T series HVAC AC, Electrical, Suspension, Brakes, Preventative Mait. Failed drivetrain and Diesel engines 😔
Congrats man. You’ll get those two next time around im sure. Btw enjoy the vids!
@@LetsDriftMedia I want to do them all but haven't had time to study lol. I may be going back to the Medical Quality field so I may not end up doing it.
I charge 1/2 of what shops usually charge since you don't have over head
I usually do 60 bucks or if I feel too cheap, I bump it to 80 based on book time. I live in a Indiana where all cars are rusty and not where Nick is.
@@scientist100 yea every shop is different so there’s different so what ever shops charge I do half. Plus if you get a account with your local parts shop you can get discounts and then make money of parts too. Cus just on labor alone it’s hard to make it
Good video
Thanks
What state do you live in
how do I reach out to you for potential side jobs in the future? I don’t do IG.
Sorry I don’t take new customers through RUclips. Too many weird people out there.
@@LetsDriftMedia you calling me weird Nick?
I think its time to open Garage petroheads coffe-oil change shop!!!!!
Long time no see
👍👍
Why do u sat yow yow yow ar the start I'm new to the chznnel
Don’t do it , it’s not worth it, unless it’s emergency 🆘
Yoooo yooo yoooooooo❤
''this is not offer up'' lol
That's not expensive as an independent in Michigan we charge $130.00
Mmm I have many questions…
Ask away
@@LetsDriftMedia hey man I start an apprenticeship this Monday at they at starting me at 15 an hour. 2$ raise after I finish the 2 yr program. Then a flat rate of 30$. Is it worth it ?
$80 to $140 an hour labor?!?!? WTF planet do you live on? Everybody in my area charges $60 an hour!
It’s different when you are mobile and come to them. A shop probably is 60 an hour
Not going to end well 🤣🤣
Side jobs are just one reason why our industry is not being taken as seriously as we want it to be. One of the Reasons why we lack value. We want to be treated as professionals but also want to work on our free time because money is better on our days off? Ever heard of a lawyer or doctor doing a side job? No because THEY MAKE MONEY ON THE CLOCK. If you can’t pay your bills live well on the clock and have to do side work to make it or even to make more… it maybe time for a lot of you guys to take a look at your career.
Side jobs are the reason why we are all looked at like lube techs “man I’ll just ask someone and see if they will do it for the low I ain’t paying that guy at the shop to do it”. When they pay for the shop hourly rate. They pay for the entire shop/benefits/healthcare and insurance incase I or there vehicle gets hurt. Be a professional! If your making more money on the side and your job isn’t paying, leave and start a legit business you will make way more. I’m sure I’ll get slammed for this but it sucks losing jobs because “I know a guy” just for it to comeback all jacked up because someone didn’t have the tools/equipment/time to do it right.
Well if companies actually paid what mechanics are worth so many wouldn’t do side jobs. For everything mechanics need to know with todays car’s mechanics are well underpaid. Many techs need to do side jobs or a second job to pay bills
"Side jobs" have always been around. I was helping a friend of mine do plumbing/electrical side work 25 years ago. I've done "side jobs" since I was about 10 years old. There's always been a demand for side work and people willing to do it. The bottom line is whether or not YOU, the worker, want to lower your standards and rates to appear like you are desperate. There's plenty of people out there willing to pay for "side work" and pay well and not hassle with going to a business storefront and deal with corporate BS.
Appreciate you insight. But when else is one to do side work besides on there free time since they probably have a day job hence why they do “side jobs” nothing wrong with wanting to make extra money. And all my customers are more then happy to pay me rather then taking it to a dealership and paying double the price for a tech just like me to work on it. Since usually when I do the repair they don’t have issues and have to bring the car back. I don’t think you can compare us to doctors or lawyers. Have you ever heard of a doctor who gets paid less then his secretary does? Service writers are basically that. They take the customer info. They write up a ticket. But just like doctors, the mechanics are the ones who ACTUALLY DO THE WORK. I don’t think it’s fair that a service writer can make six figures while not actually fixing the car. I know for sure that a doctor wouldn’t stick around if his secretary made way more then him.
Just have to add that you are the first person I’ve ever talked to who looks down on side jobs and would rather the customer take it to the dealer.
@@LetsDriftMedia he probably manages a dealer as he is referring himself as the "professional" dealer probably.
too many stealerships out there
$80 dollars an hour is very fair
i love ur channel but i hate the yo, yo, yo lol
If you work at Toyota, don't do Toyota side jobs.
😘 ρɾσɱσʂɱ
Everyone needs a break, welcome back dude. 🖱🖱