MONEY, MONEY MONEY !!!!!

[drthrift035]

[b]Each day I realize there is so much money in automotive work. Most people are not able to repair their own vehicles.
However so many people are on the wrong track. Knowledge is power. Some of my observations:[/b]

1) People going over board with tools that are so expensive and are not able to recover their money in a reasonable period of time.
(Attain tools that are quality and don’t worry about the brand name. Keep your tool cost low). Getting them free is best or buy them second hand at garage sales where people just want to get rid of them. ( BE CAREFUL WITH POWER AND AIR TOOLS YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE IN GOOD CONDITION. I SUGGEST NEW OR SLIGHTLY USED IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE.

Topic

[twiggy]

I like the boot camp idea. But $25 per day is way too low. To compare there is a cooking boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America that charges $500 per day.

[drthrift035]

Thanks for the comment. I really appreciate it.

[dreamer2355]

Be very careful if you are not certified or insured if you decide to do small automotive repairs particularly automotive braking systems as the liability on those types of repairs are huge.

I like how you pointed out about torque specifications. That’s always critical and always over looked.

Good luck in your endeavor though. Its a fun profession.

[wafrederick]

Another thing is if you don’t have the specialty tool,don’t touch it if the application requires it.With buying cars to resell them,there is junk out there and this is with $500.00 cars if you can find them.Most of the $500.00 cars get sent to the scrap yard sold for crush and get more money out of them this way.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Thanks for the suggestion, a couple of things to add if I may.

On the point about tools I would say that quality tools are probably the most important investment with it comes to auto repair, there is a time and place for cheep tools but only with the ones you don’t use often enough to justify the cost. You really don’t realize the difference a quality tool makes till you actually use one. You’re right not to get in over your head but I would say look to the pawn shops and estate sales for the quality name brand used tools as most of them have a lifetime warranty which means even if you buy it broken you can get it replaced with a new tool, a used quality tool is way better than a new ‘cheep’ tool. Don’t use cheep hand tools it will cost you more in the long run. As a technician your tools are an investment treat them as such because it’s not what a tool costs it’s what it can MAKE for you and if an expensive tool can save you time and effort it saves you money as well.

As for working on cars when you’re not insured or have the qualifications to do so make sure you know what you’re getting into before you commit to a job as nothing will wreck your day more than screwing up someones’ ride, in fact it could put you out of business in a heartbeat and if you bring me something you couldn’t finish along with a box of parts I’m going to charge you extra right out of the gate for making me go back and correct your mistakes as any respectable technician should.

EDUCATE YOURSELF, meaning don’t rely on just your knowledge and skill set. Find a reputable school and attend it to get certified, become legitimate. In this day and age what you don’t know can get you in a lot of trouble, it’s even gotten to the point where you need a scan tool to bleed brakes on some vehicles and if you’re not aware of these facts you could find yourself in deep water quick so know what your getting into and do everything you can to get a quality automotive education, the days of being able to just pick it up along the way are long gone not to mention the liability of working on other peoples cars and trucks, lets face it, if it’s not done properly people could get killed or seriously injured and you don’t want that on your conscience.

Lastly automotive repair is a business and you should treat it as such. You can be the most talented mechanic with the best tools in the world but if your not prepared to manage the business side of things you could loose everything so make a plan and stick to it, don’t just pick a number out of your butt when estimating a job, know the labor times and your parts cost and know how much your time is worth, that way you’ll be able to continue doing what you love instead of always being broke and wondering why.

Thanks again for your input I really appreciate it.

[drthrift035]

Thanks for your insight Eric. I really appreciate it. Right now I am in an Automotive Program. I am working towards my license. Thanks again to everyone for their insight.

[cb7ftw]

Know when to turn down a job. Don’t want to change spark plugs on an engine, where you have to pull the motor to get at them.

[Author]

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