Business Plan

[mamzak]

In a university class I'm taking we have to come up with a small business plan. We are allowed a $200 000 loan, and that's pretty much the only rules.

My idea is to have a mobile oil change/vehicle service company. The idea being that we come to your residence and do the oil change or other basic service (OBD2 diagnostics, 21 pt. inspection, etc). This saves you the trouble of either taking it to the dealership/Lube center or doing it yourself and wasting your time.

What do you guys think? Would you pay for a service like this? Any ideas on what else we could offer?

P.S.--Obviously I know that most of the people on this site change their oil, but hypothetically... assume you were the majority of people that don't.

[Threehz]

Great idea, I can see a lot of people going for it.

The things I would do with $200,000...

[mamzak]

I think it would be pretty successful. You have pretty limited overhead right?

We have a slightly limited client base just because the person would have to have an area of private land that we could do it on right? It would have to be someone with a driveway basically because it's illegal to do that on the street.

[markseven]

I like the idea.

What is the projected cost for a six cylinder using dino oil?

Would you be able to carry an large inventory of oil and filters or would you stock the vehicle based on appointments scheduled?

Will office complexes be okay with you doing oil changes in their parking lots?

[Chaz]

I suppose if I were an old man I would use this service. Maybe keep customers on record and then call them when they are scheduled for another oil change.

[markseven]

I think it would be pretty successful. You have pretty limited overhead right?

We have a slightly limited client base just because the person would have to have an area of private land that we could do it on right? It would have to be someone with a driveway basically because it's illegal to do that on the street.

You have to target people who are at work. It would be cool to have the oil changed without having to blow a lunch hour or Saturday morning.

[mamzak]

I like the idea.

What is the projected cost for a six cylinder using dino oil?

Would you be able to carry an large inventory of oil and filters or would you stock the vehicle based on appointments scheduled?

Will office complexes be okay with you doing oil changes in their parking lots?

Toying around with that idea right now...whether I would just tow around a trailer that's stocked with a bunch of different filters and oil or schedule appointments and have them all pre-picked out.

Still determining a price. I've come up with a total cost to the business of about $42/oil change with buying materials, paying wages, truck insurance factored in per job, WCB coverage factored in, etc. So now I just need to determine how much people would pay for the service.

[mamzak]

You have to target people who are at work. It would be cool to have the oil changed without having to blow a lunch hour or Saturday morning.

As long as their car is somewhere that it would be legal to service then yeah this is a great idea!

[ALYKZANDYR]

Intreastng idea but there must me a reason why businesses like this don"t exist. Service garages exist to provide a place to preform the service. Like mentioned not everyone has a driveway and most businesses may not be ok with auto service being done on their property.

Next you would need a service truck complete with used oil storage tank, all nessessary tools and some form of capture system to collect spilled fluids (by law shops must have this and so will you )

[mamzak]

Intreastng idea but there must me a reason why businesses like this don"t exist. Service garages exist to provide a place to preform the service. Like mentioned not everyone has a driveway and most businesses may not be ok with auto service being done on their property.

Next you would need a service truck complete with used oil storage tank, all nessessary tools and some form of capture system to collect spilled fluids (by law shops must have this and so will you )

Maybe the idea doesn't exist because I'm just THAT brilliant? haha just kidding.


What do you mean by capture system? Like Flor-dry/Absorbent pads? And yeah I realize I'll need a decked out service truck with storage tanks, etc.

[TurboJake]

Cough cough

http://www.drlubewausauwi.com/

I sold parts to this guy all the time when I was the commercial parts pro at Advance auto parts.

[Farbin Kaiber]

I bought a truck from a guy that did this in the summer, and used it to plow snow in the winter. It was called Oil Valet. They were based in Jackson, WY., and charged $55 for an oil service. He picked up filters first thing each morning, based on his appointments. I sat and asked him questions about it for two hours when I picked up the truck.

[ALYKZANDYR]

Maybe the idea doesn't exist because I'm just THAT brilliant? haha just kidding.


What do you mean by capture system? Like Flor-dry/Absorbent pads? And yeah I realize I'll need a decked out service truck with storage tanks, etc.

Yes some form of asorbant material. You cant hose the spilled fluid into the sewer drain.

[markseven]

Toying around with that idea right now...whether I would just tow around a trailer that's stocked with a bunch of different filters and oil or schedule appointments and have them all pre-picked out.

Still determining a price. I've come up with a total cost to the business of about $42/oil change with buying materials, paying wages, truck insurance factored in per job, WCB coverage factored in, etc. So now I just need to determine how much people would pay for the service.

Try hard to bring your cost down. I would pay $40 tops (2002 Sienna, 5 quarts of 10/40.

Invest in or invent a high-capacity, powerd Mighty Vac machine so that you don't have to drain oil. It will save a lot of time and clean up materials if you don't have to handle to old oil. I assume you'll have bulk vats of the (cheap) popular oils and pump it via a hose into the car's oil filler?

[Vivek]

That's a lot for an oil change, IMO. A business like this would honestly be sketchy at best (the service may be amazing, but changing oil out of a truck in a parking lot..), and I don't think someone would pay that much for an oil service. How much does a dealer charge for this? Like 80 bucks-ish? I know a place that does oil changes for 25, 20 if you're a regular (unwritten benefit obviously). It's sketchy as fuck, but the main guy is pretty good and a nice guy. And it is a full shop with lifts, garage space, etc.