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I’ve been seeing a flood of comments about me getting a lift lately and I’d like to respond to them here. This will be my ‘go to’ link as a response to this question from here on out.
As for why I don’t have a lift there are several reasons. The first of which is that I don’t work on cars for a living, I make repair videos for a living. As a result I’m at the shop 1 maybe 2 days a week and I only work on a few cars at a time. Repairing vehicles is one thing, making videos of those repairs is quite another and it takes a great deal longer to do. For example, the Accord/CL clutch video that I shot last week took 16 hours. If I was just doing a clutch on the car, 4 hours tops but since I was setting up every shot and dealing with the electric going out every time the compressor kicked on I ended up working till 2:30am. For that reason alone it’s hard to justify the cost of a lift. In fact I’d rather invest in a new computer and some new cameras before looking into getting a lift. Trust me, that’s going to set me back quite a bit but I believe it will have a much higher return on investment based on what I do.
The second reason is that the electric at the shop could be better. Well, it could be a lot better as I mentioned above. I pop breakers all the time while I’m shooting because the entire wall of outlets I use is on the same breaker. When I’m running my lights and the compressor kicks on, the lights and everything else on that wall goes out. A lift runs on 220 and I’d first have to make sure I have enough juice coming into the shop to run another 220 line, not to mention fix the outlets on the wall I’m having issues with now. If I’m maxed out with the breakers I have now then I have a real problem. So factor in the cost of redoing my electric into the cost of a lift. While I’m at it I should probably replace the electric hot water heater that went out last winter at the same time as I do the electric for the rest of the shop. Now we have plumbing AND electric to worry about. The rabbit hole keeps getting deeper…. Welcome to life as a small business owner.
Something that also needs to be considered is the shop itself. My lease is up as of August 2013 and at that time I need to decide if I’m going to stay where I am or look for a different place. The reason I would consider moving is because I’m right next to a busy intersection not to mention the trucking company next door. If I was a repair shop this wouldn’t be a problem but as I said I’m not a repair shop, I’m a production studio. Having noisy trucks parked outside doing loud things doesn’t make for good video. In fact it’s an interruption that’s been an issue in the past. It would be great to have a place that was a little more ‘out of the way’ and didn’t have the same noise issues. So when July/August comes I’ll take a good look at the situation and decide where to go from there. I don’t see the point in going through the electric and putting in a lift if only to use them for a couple of months and then leave. Another possibility is if the owner wants to do something different with the property and I’d need to leave anyway. There’s no guarantee that he’ll renew the lease and if he does perhaps the new terms will be beyond my reach. That being said, I think no matter what I can’t even think about a lift till later this year as it would be just one more thing to move if I did need to leave for some reason.
Lastly, I estimate over 90% of my viewers don’t have a lift. If I start doing my videos using a lift I can still show the work but it’s not the same as if I was on the ground working in the same way they would. In part I put off getting a lift as a way to remain close to my audience and the problems they face working on the ground. I wouldn’t have the same experiences working on a lift. In fact even if I did have a lift I would still do some work on the ground for that very reason.
I hope that clears up any questions about why I don’t have a lift at this time. If not, feel free to post away. (pun intended)
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Defiantly a good reason not to get a lift Eric, I for one dont have a lift and probally will never will apart from a actual workshop, and there nothing best then getting on our backs :).
I bought an ezcarlift last year… It lifts the car/truck 26 inches off the ground and allows easy access to all areas… It’s also portable and can be stored away very easy… Check it out http://www.ezcarlift.com
Hi Eric,
I’m an electrician… Be happy to add some outlets in your shop…
No charge…You’ve helped me out quite a bit with my lil CRX…
SparkyPS: I do plumbing on the side as well..
We do not have a lift but we do have a pit.. this has it’s ups and down literally…. getting transmissions in the pit when working alone is a challenge but makes some things much easier. And working on front wheel drive transmissions like the honda you just done would be next to impossible.. but i bet if me and my boss got our heads together we could get r done…We also have an air winch over the pit that makes engine swaps a dream..
Although I haven’t had to drop a transmission before or anything too major, I much prefer working on the ground as opposed to working on a lift. I’m 6’3 and lifts can never go high enough haha. I like the fact that these videos are from a “non-lift” point of view.
[quote=”celticbhoy” post=53845]Although I haven’t had to drop a transmission before or anything too major, I much prefer working on the ground as opposed to working on a lift. I’m 6’3 and lifts can never go high enough haha. I like the fact that these videos are from a “non-lift” point of view.[/quote]
I feel ya celticbhoy. I am 6’4 and with my work boots on makes me about 6’6. can’t tell ya how many lumps I got on my head from cracking it on rear ends , mufflers , lower control arms and the lift arms themselves.
I can’t afford a lift either. I do most of my automotive work from the ground or car-ramps and jackstands, and ALL of my work is done outside. I’m working on organizing my garage, but that’s another story.
I appreciate you shooting these videos from a “real” perspective. If I could afford a lift AND had the space to install it, I would have one in my garage, but like you, Eric, I don’t have the electical capacity either.
I wish you luck on your lease renewal. If it doesn’t work out in your favor, how about coming to Idaho? I’m unemployed and would gladly lend a hand on your projects. I’m fairly handy with photography / video equipment, too. Let me know if you’d like to set up shop in ID and I’ll make some inquiries for you.
I was linked here from the newsletter…
As far as your reasons listed for not having a lift in your shop, & the lease situation, it makes perfect sense!
My Integra is currently lowered & countless times have I WISHED I had a lift for better access & manueverablity… But the reality is I (like many) have to work from the ground using a jack & jack-stands. Your videos keep it in real life with what most of us have to work with. Don’t get me wrong, whether it’s at this shop, or the next, I hope you are able to have a lift… but I do appreciate the detailed videos you make for all of us from “on the ground”.
THANKS!This is what I love above Eric, he’s real. In his videos fasteners are rusted, things get stuck, etc… and he shows us how to overcome this stuff.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=53804]
Lastly, I estimate over 90% of my viewers don’t have a lift. If I start doing my videos using a lift I can still show the work but it’s not the same as if I was on the ground working in the same way they would. In part I put off getting a lift as a way to remain close to my audience and the problems they face working on the ground. I wouldn’t have the same experiences working on a lift. In fact even if I did have a lift I would still do some work on the ground for that very reason.
[/quote]This is exactly what I was thinking as I read your post.
On a related note, why not just build a shop behind your own house? Unless you live in the city and have no room for one.
A lift is an awsome thing… but i have found in my 30 plus years of working in my yard or someone elses… the ground is not a bad way to work.. gravity works and sometime works to well… i have had parts that my buddy took a bolt out of and said nothing of this and i jump up and take another out.. a ford starter is what it was 1 top bolt and one on the bottem… well seeing the wire allready off i start to pull the bolts and start at the bottem and pull it.. well knowing i need a 6 inch extention for my ratchet and turn to get it. when i touch the starter it dislodged and commenced to make a dent in my forehead…. after many (thanx) to my bud who was working on the top before lifting the truck.. we had the starter out… sorry but just had to share this…only took 4 stitches to fix gravities work
[quote=”celticbhoy” post=53845]Although I haven’t had to drop a transmission before or anything too major, I much prefer working on the ground as opposed to working on a lift. I’m 6’3 and lifts can never go high enough haha. I like the fact that these videos are from a “non-lift” point of view.[/quote]
i found that even if you had lift but, if your ceiling is not high enough to lift your vehicle away from freaking bay door…almost no point since stupid shop was built by bunch of crazy monkeys with no brains.
sucks…what is the point it won’t clear your doors…when you are so busy working…
keep taping
Eric, I am one of the 90% of viewers without a lift. I always appreciate someone showing a repair by having to jack up the car and use jack stands, chocks/blocks, etc., to do a repair. That’s how us poor folk do our repairs, lol. Every time I watch a repair video and the guy has the car up on a lift, I always say to myself, “hell, if I had a lift it would be that easy too.”
Keep up the great work!
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