Research Question: Would You Use a Rental Garage Facility?

[Raeston]

We are doing some research on a shop idea we have. The idea is a facility where people can rent a bay or a bay with a lift for a fee to work on their own car. We found that many of our friends were lacking a place to work on their own car be it because of apartment living, no garage, weather restrictions, etc.

Our plan is to carry a full line of tools available to rent as well including air tools, OEM specialty tools, engine hoists, hand tools, jacks, etc. Another feature is machines to use like tire mounter's and balancer's.

The shop would likely be open Monday - Thursday 9am-11pm and Friday-Sunday 7am- 1am.

We have not figured out pricing on anything yet as this is all still in the research stage of our plans. This is where we need your help.

So our main question is would you be interested in a facility like this? And what kind of prices would you be willing to pay for lift rentals, tool rentals, etc?

Our pricing would go from hourly all the way up to monthly with discounted rates available for daily, week and monthly renting.

Thank You for your time and any comments and concerns
Raeston Team

[e34john]

Whats gonna happen when some idiot kills himself when his car falls off the lift? I wouldn't trust someone that doesn't have a basic set of tools to correctly mount their own tires either.

[deutschman]

the only time i would need to use a rental garage is when im doing a job that i can not do with out special equipment or a lift. most of the time i can do my auto work at home with a floor jack and some stands. the things i have found my self wanting but can not afford and/or fit in my garage are a hydraulic pipe bender, good welding equipment, large presses, and other metal machining equipment.
you should think about adding a dyno machine.
also having some auto techs around that could help out if you get stuck or just need an extra set of hands would be a good idea.
a paint booth is also something people want to use a lot but don't have. it would be like diy heaven!
then you need to think about liability. a lot of this work could be very dangerous.

[kishg]

we thought about doing this. i think you will have liability/insurance issues.. otherwise, the concept is a good one.

[JUMPNYC]

They already have these

http://www.search-autoparts.com/searchautoparts/Industry+News/DIY-bays-offer-motorists-hands-on-capabilities-wit/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/412941

[deutschman]

you could also teach classes on how to use certain tools and equipment and on specific diy projects such as tuning, painting, welding, and such.

[JUMPNYC]

Another article about the franchises being opened in England

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/11/uk-entrepreneurs-open-pit-start-first-drive-through-self-serv/

Something like this already exists on most US military bases. It's usually called the Auto Hobby Shop. But I agree, something like this would be great for some people here in the US. Cities like London are so strapped for space that there is literally no place most residents can work on a car so the model works much better there. Maybe somewhere like NYC would be a good place to start. My only concern would be the cost. At ~$30 an hour you're only about half the cost of playing someone else to do it, but if you factor in that most people will take longer to do a job than an experienced mechanic then there may be no real savings at all compared to taking your car into a shop. Of course, this doesn't factor in the satisfaction of doing the job yourself, but you can't put a $ figure on that.

[1987E30project]

I agree with Deutschman. I think you should offer basic training on how to do certain jobs. Not everybody knows how to balance a tire. Let alone the safety side of things.

[Mastrcruse]

yea, I've lived in an apartments (exceptions of summers) and wish I had a garage. They want 90 a month and I don't see myself using it that often. Just an occasion here and there. Good idea but again I'd be worried about the liability..talk to an insurance agent and ask a lawyer for an hour of his/her time and see what they say.

[bataangpinoy]

if you go 200 a day with tool rental included, i'd do it.

but i'd only use it if i need to do some crazy shit like a motor rebuild, clutch swap, 5spd swap, turbo intall, suspension etc. u know, the kind of jobs that most of us dont have the tools for.

[Farbin Kaiber]

I've run enough shops. There is way too much liability in this idea.

[deutschman]

well just the fact that people have done it already and these shops are expanding should speak to the fact that it is not such a bad idea. there is a lot of liability in it but that can be worked out. i think with the right location, prices, and services this could work out really nicely.
maybe you could set it up so that people need to take a short intro class the first time they use any of the larger and/or more dangerous tools, and then have them sign off on it.
i think it could work very nicely. it would make a lot of work possible for people and maybe even save people like us some money. i would love to put in my own 8 point cage some day. i know how to weld well enough to do that but i would have a hard time getting my hands on a welder and a pipe bender.

[maximumangle]

i would use it all the time, or at least when i could, due to the fact that i am not going to have access to two garages and all of my tools anymore. military housing = no garage to mess around in :???:

[Raeston]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys. We have taken into account that liability is going to be high. We are looking into our options for insurance. Like several of you have said, it has been done before, so therefore obtaining insurance for it isn't impossible.

And they training idea has been brought up. We are discussing the pro's and con's of everything. We are determined to make this happen.

There was a shop in England that charged $15per hour for just a bay and $30 per hour for a lift. How do you guys feel about these prices? We have our own prices in mind but I would like to hear how you feel about these to begin with.

[kishg]

i'd go with a membership style structure with a lower per hour fee schedule.