Shawn- I'LL reply, although I don't own a repair shop, I do own a parts store and have spent my time wrenching. I haven't seen any responses publicly, so I'll go ahead and broadcast mine.
1. Shop rates are generally determined by what is called a flat rate manual. It gives times that should be reasonable to attain after doing a job somewhere between 2 and 5 times. Don't expect to make time the first time you do a job. This only works on original cars that haven't been "fixed" by everybody else before you got there. 2. You do the best you can. Will the customer supply the parts from a known supplier, or is it up to you to supply the parts? Sometimes you pull it out of youre a$$ hoping to beat Joe-up-the-Street on price, other times you will have to know he won't touch the job. Either way, it's your call. How3 bad do you want the job? Is It something you're familiar with or is it breeding parts to hopefully creating a frankenstien? Your call. Sometimes you have to rely on your gut instinct. The other option is to offer to do it by the hour. You will make your shop rate, which likely you will beat by the time you're in business for a year or two simply due to experience. 3. 3 Letters :CYA Cover Your Ass. Make sure that the places you deal with will take back warranty defective parts, your machine shop will deal with defective work. It is not always the case, most likely not, but it is up to you to prove it. The customer brought you a vehicle needing a rebuild, and it was not done to his/her satisfaction. Why? Get to the root of this and you'll solve the problem. Make sure you have a good understanding of what the customer is expecting in the end product and quote the job as needed, even if it exceeds your competition. Explain that doing custom work takes longer, fabrication etc. You may become known for costing more, but remain in business while your competition passes by the wayside. I deal with several shops on a regular basis who have a similar reputation. They do the job and it's expensive, but it's done right the first time. No come backs. I hope this has been of some assistance...Write to me direct if you need more information Devin -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Shawn Price Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 5:53 AM To: The Chevelle Mailing List Subject: [Chevelle-list] OT: Seeking out Shop Owners Since the list has been a bit slow lately I thought I would query the shop owners on the list regarding a few things about your businesses. I'm about to be 'downsized' in the next few months and would love to get out of the IT industry. For years now I've been wanting to open up a restoration/repair shop for American classic and muscle cars. I want to specialize in late '60's and early '70's Chevy's but will work on just about anything that DOESN'T HAVE A COMPUTER! (I'm sick to death of these damn things). Having been a white collar mechanic (Network architect and engineer) for several years, and wrenching on the evenings and weekends all my life, I think I'm ready to make the jump to business ownership. I'm currently working on my business plan and am having problems with the marketing and projected revenue parts. My questions are: 1) What are some standard shop rates for repair work? And is there some kind of guide for how long a particular job should take, such as replacing a clutch or other worn part. 2) I know that some folks will want certain things done to their cars and trucks that will be considered a project, such as installing aftermarket disc brakes, or an updated transmission. How do you go about estimating time and materials, and do you use your standard hourly rate or do you lower it a bit to hit a certain price-point. 3) What kinds of things do you do to protect yourself against liability problems, such as an engine you installed shows up 'blown' after a couple weeks, and the customer is trying to blame you, even though you know by the Jiffy Lube sticker on the windshield that the drain plug fell out from the oil change. 4) Are there any kinds of Shop Owners Associations where you can exchange ideas, similar to this mailing list? These are just sort of general questions to get me started thinking about more specific questions later on. And I do appreciate any input, comments, warnings, stories you may have. Also if this is deemed off-topic feel free to send any responses to shawn at zekesgarage dot com. Thanks for reading the long post! -- Shawn '69 Corvette 427 4-Speed '69 Chevelle SS 396 4-Speed '69 Charger R/T 383 4-Speed '67 Chevy C-10 3-On The Tree '00 Suzuki GSX-R 750 1-Down, 5-Up -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.9/623 - Release Date: 1/11/2007 3:33 PM -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.9/623 - Release Date: 1/11/2007 3:33 PM
