In NY mobile mechanics are regulated as repair facilities. I doubt it will work here, as the only mobil facilities I know do big truck emergency repairs. There definitely is a market for that, price out what it costs to tow a semi and you'll see why they pay the guy $150/hr to swap parts on the highway to get it rolling to the garage.

But overall the idea of a mail order mechanic fixing anything in the housing project parking lot is stupid. Who even calls these people? I don't want a stranger dumping oil in my driveway. Got my gator socket and metrinch kit, good to go. Oi!

There is a large market for driveway service. Offer road service checks to your good customers. Have the drive on wrecker ready and get it back to your shop. Quick turn around and courtesy ride for your good customers.

Eh this is old news guys. I was actually on board with Your Mechanic during my mobile days, back when they first started (circa 2010). It is a legit business, and a good opportunity for those of us who actually want to break out of our current routines, and become independent. From what I could tell, the techs who comprised the YM roster were solid. They do a pretty extensive background check, and ask for references, and check up on them. They also check up on your tools and equipment, and verify you indeed are equipped to do the jobs you mark yes on their form. The biggest complaint from customers was that they could not reserve the same tech who serviced their vehicle the first time. It is always a new mechanic that goes to visit the customer. They don't want you to get comfortable and that is the biggest flaw with YM was that it was just too easy to steal the customer for yourself, and too hard for them to prove it. Many times I would show up, and the customer would ask for a contact number so they could maintain a relationship with me. Eventually, YM didn't do so well in my area, and they dropped the program here, but they still operate in other states. I actually copied their idea for a while, and developed an app where all a customer had to do was schedule an appointment with me via their smart phone. I would get a notification, accept, and all was set. I would show up, do my thing, and the customer could even pay me through the mobile app via paypal.

Mobile service is a real thing, and a major convenience for the customer. So many times I would show up to the customer's house, and they would hand me the keys, and go back to doing their routines. I would finish up, get paid, and be on my way. That is the modern world for you. People want to be less and less involved in the process, and if you can connect with a customer via a smart device, you are set.

I can't talk bad about Your Mechanic, because they really helped boost my customer count, and showed me the ins and outs of the business (Mobile service is it's own animal). I also can not bad mouth CL. I advertised a lot on Craigslist back in the day, and earned a lot of good customers via it. Are there hacks, and parts changers on CL? Sure, but their are also a ton of hacks at repair shops too. The industry is full of crap, at all levels.

In NY mobile mechanics are regulated as repair facilities. I doubt it will work here, as the only mobil facilities I know do big truck emergency repairs. There definitely is a market for that, price out what it costs to tow a semi and you'll see why they pay the guy $150/hr to swap parts on the highway to get it rolling to the garage.

 

But overall the idea of a mail order mechanic fixing anything in the housing project parking lot is stupid. Who even calls these people? I don't want a stranger dumping oil in my driveway. Got my gator socket and metrinch kit, good to go. Oi!

 

Same here in Miami. If you want to provide mobile service, you need to register a repair business. To do that, you have to have the licenses, and certifications required to do business. After that, you have to have the mobile vehicle inspected so that the county tax collector can sign off, and initialize you. FInally, you have to advertise you services for 30 days either in the newspaper, social media, or sites like Craigslist (that's how I got on CL).

 

 

On 11/3/2015 at 12:07 PM, LynxStarAuto said:

Eh this is old news guys. I was actually on board with Your Mechanic during my mobile days, back when they first started (circa 2010). It is a legit business, and a good opportunity for those of us who actually want to break out of our current routines, and become independent. From what I could tell, the techs who comprised the YM roster were solid. They do a pretty extensive background check, and ask for references, and check up on them. They also check up on your tools and equipment, and verify you indeed are equipped to do the jobs you mark yes on their form. The biggest complaint from customers was that they could not reserve the same tech who serviced their vehicle the first time. It is always a new mechanic that goes to visit the customer. They don't want you to get comfortable and that is the biggest flaw with YM was that it was just too easy to steal the customer for yourself, and too hard for them to prove it. Many times I would show up, and the customer would ask for a contact number so they could maintain a relationship with me. Eventually, YM didn't do so well in my area, and they dropped the program here, but they still operate in other states. I actually copied their idea for a while, and developed an app where all a customer had to do was schedule an appointment with me via their smart phone. I would get a notification, accept, and all was set. I would show up, do my thing, and the customer could even pay me through the mobile app via paypal.

 

Mobile service is a real thing, and a major convenience for the customer. So many times I would show up to the customer's house, and they would hand me the keys, and go back to doing their routines. I would finish up, get paid, and be on my way. That is the modern world for you. People want to be less and less involved in the process, and if you can connect with a customer via a smart device, you are set.

 

I can't talk bad about Your Mechanic, because they really helped boost my customer count, and showed me the ins and outs of the business (Mobile service is it's own animal). I also can not bad mouth CL. I advertised a lot on Craigslist back in the day, and earned a lot of good customers via it. Are there hacks, and parts changers on CL? Sure, but their are also a ton of hacks at repair shops too. The industry is full of crap, at all levels.

I  am dredging up this old post because they are getting more aggressive with it, and it sounds like this guy is a testimony that some good techs are willing to make the leap in order to try to branch out on their own.  I was heading to Zip Recruiter to try out the new recruiting site on the block. I started by searching to see who is looking for techs in my area during what is normally a slow time for the other shops. Only one posting showed up for my town. Can you guess? :