Who is a backyard mechanic/moonlights?
 

Just curious, I work in the trade and the more i get to know guys, the more I find out they do a ton of jobs after work in their own garage and etc. What are your guy's experiences on this? TBH, I can only think of disasters such as seized or sheared off nuts and bolts, something that doesn't really cover your ass when shit hits the fan. I have done small jobs around for myself and family, but never really thought of it as another source of income.

So whats your guy's take?

The only reason a person goes to a backyard mechanic is because they're price conscious
The only type of car (mostly) that will go to a backyard mechanic is something thats a couple years old


Sounds like a bad clientele that's already tight with their wallet and cars that will need extra work to boot.

Too much headache, ontop of that you don't even have their credit card info so if the job does go above and beyond initial estimate it could potentially be very troublesome to get back your losses.

Maybe just for simple, straight forward, un-fuckup-able jobs -- but does such a thing really exist? I've spent two hours installing a cold air intake before because of a rounded off bolt (not my doing) lol.



Should mention I'm not a mechanic just a hobbyist .. but even to me it doesn't seem like anything profitable. I always hate it when a friend comes over with a new part or something for me to fix because there's always some complication on an older car

I think it'd be awesome -easy cash in your pockets and the freedom to do it whenever you want.

business is picking up for me extremely lately, im making good money doing jobs for people, Also ordering parts for people from the US for a fraction of what shops would charge locally, cheap parts + cheap labor = business.

that being said, I have the tools to pretty much deal with any situation that might arise, and deal with it quickly,

if a broken rusted bolt is going to hold you up for a few hours, its probably not worth it for you.

edit:

also be very carefull from family members and long lost cousins who youv never heard of,

once they hear you can do car work for cheap, they will all suddenly be your best friend and expect shit for free, I guess that goes with any trade you learn.

I do work for my friends and family, rarely for random people unless it a family stranded on some back road (Like a few months ago). I do price parts and help neighbors problem solve their troubles but would be weary to take their vehicle into my garage.

Rusty bolts suck :(
owner of two 85 nissan/datsuns

I pick my battles carefully. I'll help my closest friends do whatever I can for pizza and beers, but otherwise it's cash and I have to factor in how long the job would take and if it's in my scope of experience and if I have all the equipment I need.

Most techs I know at shops or dealerships do side work for free. When the customer pays $100-$120/hr at the shop, but the techs only get paid $20-30 and hour, both parties are happy to have work done for $50-75/hr cash under the table. But as mentioned above, there are many many risks, so you have to pick and choose carefully. Often the job may be easy, but the customer is not worth the headache.

I know a few people that do this for a living,some were certified techs and some really know cars and have alot of the proper tools to work on cars on the weekends.The ones that do it for a living make really good money,they charge half of what a shop wants for labour and they are always busy.

Anyone with good experience will not be held back by a broken bolt,stud or rounded off nut,they have gone through that shit many times and know what to do to solve that kind of a problem swiftly.

All the above mentioned is valid. I work in the trade and my side work customers are mainly friends, through word of mouth, and people around the neighborhood. Between my fulltime and home jobs I'm almost too busy to do anything else. Home jobs come with a certain risk since there is no "company" in the middle to take the blow when things don't go as expected. As long as both you and the customer understands the scenario then it's ok. Rich is right in that you should pick your battles carefully. Much more so for those with little experience pulling wrenches because you'll find yourself in a bind quickly whether it be a lack of knowledge or tools.

This. Fucking this. Short of an oil change, I think only one quarter of 'new' projects (i.e. doing it the first time on a car) ever come out perfectly smooth on a used car.

But when it does, it feels amazing :fuckyea:

That said, if it was an ex mechanic and has the proper, high quality tools (e.g. snap-on vs Canadian tire or sears, the former of which is less prone to rounding out old bolts from what I'm told) then it could be worthwhile.

My parents have a family friend who is a retired mechanic that they take their cars to for the general maintenance stuff. They know that they can trust him, he's not trying to rip them off and he'll do a proper job. If a problem arises, he'll let my parents know right away and they'll never never have a problem with extra costs since, well, shit happens.

They don't go to him because they're cheap, they go to him because they feel they can trust him more than some shop. The low rate he charges is just a bonus. I think they'd still go to him even if he charged regular shop rate.

I had him do the axle seals on the Ranger one weekend while I was in Vancouver. It's something I could have done myself, but my time was worth more than the $150 (including parts) he charged me to do it.

^ this,

a lot of people dont trust mechanics,

and for good reason too,

80% of them are out to screw you out of every possible dollar they can, and will find unecessary shit to fix to charge you more.

when people come to me they appreciate the honesty more than anything, when they tell me their mechanic said to "replace this" I look at it and tell them theres nothing wrong with it, they are blown away, and always come back.

My brother is a certified tech, I never been to a repair shop. :D

Just curious, do you guys have hydraulic lifts in your garages or are most jobs the car is on jack stands?

Cant fit a lift in this garage :( Maybe the next house :P Jack stands work for everything i have needed to do

I think having a mini tire shop in your garage is awesome.

All you need is a tire machine, balancer. and a mini hoist

Probably won't get into alignment or selling.

just install, balancing and swap overs

I am a full time bodyman but I do moonlight mechanic and minor body work as well, I have tools to do pretty much anything, jobs I take after work are mainly for friends and isn for much money, I do that as a hobby more than a second job

i go to my family friend mechanic for the trust factor - nothing else.

someone once told me I need to have the following people in my life at all times - a good lawyer , a good accountant and a trustworthy mechanic

Anyone here got 10-20 ton press? Need help pressing out/new diff bushings? Beers on me!