Mobile Mechanic Starting out

[AndyGee]

Hi i'm Andy 28 From Ipswich Suffolk, next month i;m starting out on my own as a mobile mechanic and woud like to know if i'm missing anything obvious from my startup plans.

Basically i will be a mobile mechanic going round in a van offering repairs and servicing to people in the local area

Have over the last few months purchased all additional tools required and a van to allow my business to startup.

Have got various trade insurance quotes that cover me and all my vehicles as well as customers vehicles for road risk cover, one broker i;ve spojken to has advised i will not need public liability cover but i;m guessing i should have it, i assume this will cover if the wheels fall off a car after a repair etc?
Insurance wise i'd rather be over-covered than leave myself wide open to stupidly massive expenses! Is there any cover I can get to cover me against damages to vehciles? for example say I replace a cambelt on a vehicle and 3 months later due to a component defect etc. the belt snaps and ruins the engine

Advertising - Website and Facebook page currently a work in progress along with a flyer design that will be delivered by myself on the quiter days through all doors in target areas

Bank Account - Assume I need a business specific account I cannot just open a regular bank account in my name and use that as a seperate account for business?

I currently also have a workshop hired from a local landowner on an informal basis i.e. no paperwork etc. as its purely for hobby use, landowner is happy for me to use it for business etc. as long as its only me bringing vehicles to workshop i.e. no customers knocking on his door looking for me etc. assume if this is declared officially it'd be subject to business rates, in which case i;d rather avoid using it as i sense business rates would be horrendous despite the fact i;d only be using the equivalent of a car space in a large barn (and only used for jobs where roadside working is not feasable)

Waste Disposal - all waste will be stored and disposed of correctly and stored at the above workshop, but as i will be carrying waste oil etc. in the vehicle will I be subject to waste carriers liscence?

Tax etc. is still a bit confusing but got a few friends doing the same job who seem willing to help the HMRC advice all seems very vague and difficult to relate to a mobile business any online guides that are a bit more specific to my needs?

Thanks in advance and if anyone can see anything i;m overlooking please do tell me! Not looking to become a millionaire just be able to provide myself and family with a better wage than I am currently on

 

[alasdair1982]

Hi

Best of luck to you.
I started my business a mobile mechanic and moved into premises after about a year.

You may have it covered but i suggest you have some form of device for taking payments from customers, most will want card facilities. I never did and was constantly having to return to collect payments etc.

Also word of warning make sure your van is secure and has good locks, especially if it is sign written, i lost a considerably some of tools by underestimating this.

Above all don't undervalue your self or the service you will be offering. I went in really cheap to begin with didn't really consider operating costs, i remember travelling to heathrow airport from bedford to jump start of coach with flat batteries and i only charged the customer £65 ish... It took most of the day due to traffic and cost half that in fuel..

alasdair

 

[Scalloway]

In general you can claim any expense that is related to your business. There is some help here.

http://www.which.co.uk/money/tax/gu...mployed/self-employed-tax-allowable-expenses/

You mention rent of premises. If you want to claim this against tax you must provide some kind of evidence, such a receipt for payments. I understand that in England small businesses do not have to pay rates on their premises. Before you approach your local council I would check on what planning permiision there is for your garage.

 

[AndyGee]

Pricings a difficult one for me at the mo lots of jobs people say I do far too cheap others i seem to do a cheap quote and lose out but guess thats always how its going to be!

Securitys a huge issue van resembles a mobile fort knox as pretty much everything I own is in it so gotta be secure!

Is there any cost effective way of taking card payments out and about? initially as business will be quiet I dont wanna spend a fortune on a card machine etc.

 

[Scalloway]

This is a recent thread on taking mobile payments

http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=282959&highlight=mobile+payments

 

[Alan]

Checkout the rates of other mobile mechanics. If you don't feel comfortable, get a friend of family to phone and get quotes for some standard jobs.

 

[N8rbos]

Use magnetic signs if anything for your van,these will be free advertising for work but removable if needed say at night.. Do as robot suggests regards prices. Look for opportunities, pop in garages and leave card if they get too busy and need hand out, taxis etc ok not as much money as public but regular. Offer your customers a discount on next service/repair for recommendations. You will know price of part add say 30%, you know how long it'll take add this to 30%+10% for tax,ins,veh,tools (which you will obv. Claim back anyway).

Yes you will need a waste transfer licence or just quietly take to local recycling centre.

 

[MrCloser]

A lot of garages are struggling at the moment, and a lot of jobs can be done much quicker with a ramp and fully equipped well-lit and heated workshop, even if you charge less per hour.

You might want regular servicing and easy repairs, but might end up getting a lot difficult non-start faults on immobile cars, the sort of thing a lot of garages struggle to fix. Good if you can specialise in that but main dealer level diagnostics and the updates is expensive needs a big turnover.

Local MOT stations, tyre and exhaust places will take a lot of servicing and repair work, your marketing skills are just as important as your technical skills here I think.

 

[renamecor]

Just to add my bit, and for anyone else that is considering going down this route.
There is a company called HUK hosting that sell website packages at very reasonable prices.

I mention them because they have a business package specifically for Mobile Mechanics. Google them, they have some demo websites to view too, a mobile mechanics one included.

 

[Simon.P]

Best of luck to you. Don't go too cheap. Remember, you are offering people a service without the hassle and time spent waiting in a garage/car dealership by going to their home/place of work.

 

[The Byre]

The one thing that works for the small mechanic is word-of-mouth and that is best fed by honesty. If you can persuade your customers that what you are telling them is true then they will tell their friends.

What I can never fathom, are those numpties that still believe that they get a better service from a dealership, than from an experienced mechanic that is open and honest about what the car needs and does not need.

BTW, have you thought about tractors and other agricultural stuff. Difficult to move, so ideal for your business model, but nice and chunky to work on! And Mrs Muggins may faint at the sight of a £500 bill, but Farmer Giles wonders why it was so cheap!

 

[cientiros]

Andy,
I know this is an old post, but did you ever get your website up and running?

My father is starting his mobile mech business back up and I'm helping him with marketing.

Thanks,
Marcos

 

[RBS]

But are you allowed to do repairs on the road? Council wouldnt object? Its ok on driveway, but public road? Give them a call and ask before you start changing break pads on side of the road

 

[MobileMercedesMechanic]

Hi Andy, I've just come across your post so I joined up to give you some advise as I was once in your shoes.

It really comes down to what you want out of it and how you can handle pressure.

I know many who have gone the road of massive loans, employing staff, large premises and opening 6/7 days a week but that wasn't for me.

It's very hard to adapt to working outside especially if you have never done it before and being 100% professional with customers standing over you.....just to name a few.

The biggest advise I could give you is to be completely honest with people.

You won't make a profit on all jobs as cars are very unpredictable. If you have massive overheads you may go into the territory where a lot of garages are.......under financial pressure every month equals lies.

August is a dead month so you'll need to put abit aside to stay a float.

If your good at what you do and honest it will work.

And I've never had a problem working outside from roadside breakdowns to OSP but I'm not your average greasy mechanic it's about being professional and clean hence why I've never had a problem.........use your common sense.

 

[MobileMercedesMechanic]

Lol abit late.........just saw the date

Well at least I'll learn something now from this site..............Andy your probably well on your way now

 

[ChrisM1989]

MobileMercedesMechanic, Hi.

Quick question, what did you do in regards to compressed air on the go?

Ta

 

[The Byre]

A wild guess - an air compressor!

 

[Lambk01]

Hi i'm Andy 28 From Ipswich Suffolk, next month i;m starting out on my own as a mobile mechanic and woud like to know if i'm missing anything obvious from my startup plans.

Basically i will be a mobile mechanic going round in a van offering repairs and servicing to people in the local area

Have over the last few months purchased all additional tools required and a van to allow my business to startup.

Have got various trade insurance quotes that cover me and all my vehicles as well as customers vehicles for road risk cover, one broker i;ve spojken to has advised i will not need public liability cover but i;m guessing i should have it, i assume this will cover if the wheels fall off a car after a repair etc?
Insurance wise i'd rather be over-covered than leave myself wide open to stupidly massive expenses! Is there any cover I can get to cover me against damages to vehciles? for example say I replace a cambelt on a vehicle and 3 months later due to a component defect etc. the belt snaps and ruins the engine

Advertising - Website and Facebook page currently a work in progress along with a flyer design that will be delivered by myself on the quiter days through all doors in target areas

Bank Account - Assume I need a business specific account I cannot just open a regular bank account in my name and use that as a seperate account for business?

I currently also have a workshop hired from a local landowner on an informal basis i.e. no paperwork etc. as its purely for hobby use, landowner is happy for me to use it for business etc. as long as its only me bringing vehicles to workshop i.e. no customers knocking on his door looking for me etc. assume if this is declared officially it'd be subject to business rates, in which case i;d rather avoid using it as i sense business rates would be horrendous despite the fact i;d only be using the equivalent of a car space in a large barn (and only used for jobs where roadside working is not feasable)

Waste Disposal - all waste will be stored and disposed of correctly and stored at the above workshop, but as i will be carrying waste oil etc. in the vehicle will I be subject to waste carriers liscence?

Tax etc. is still a bit confusing but got a few friends doing the same job who seem willing to help the HMRC advice all seems very vague and difficult to relate to a mobile business any online guides that are a bit more specific to my needs?

Thanks in advance and if anyone can see anything i;m overlooking please do tell me! Not looking to become a millionaire just be able to provide myself and family with a better wage than I am currently on

Are you still doing it and what kind of take home did you get in the first yeah

 

[Deleted member 335660]

Pricings a difficult one for me at the mo lots of jobs people say I do far too cheap others i seem to do a cheap quote and lose out but guess thats always how its going to be!

Securitys a huge issue van resembles a mobile fort knox as pretty much everything I own is in it so gotta be secure!

Is there any cost effective way of taking card payments out and about? initially as business will be quiet I dont wanna spend a fortune on a card machine etc.

We have a standard bank credit card machine. Although it needs mains supply to recharge it lasts a long time. You can take it with you and just switch it on when you need it.

As for pricing, set and hourly rate and then the only guess work is how long it takes and this will improve with practice. Always say materials extra.

Good luck.

 

[Mark T Jones]

Is this UKBF's most revived thread?

 

[fisicx]

Is this UKBF's most revived thread?

9 years isn’t bad. I’m going to find an older thread and post something just to beat the record. Can we have an achievement for this?

 

[bodgitt&scarperLTD]

A wild guess - an air compressor!

It would need to be petrol or driven off the van engine.

Mind you, all pro mechanics these days use battery tools rather than air.

 

[The Byre]

I've just worked out that my compressor is over 30 years old! But then my stick-welder is 42 years old.