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mechanic rates again

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Brian in MO

12-30-2006 16:11:49




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Thanks guys for all your ideas, I should have included that I have worked for this guy last summer doing some custom brush hogging. I have worked on friends and neighbors stuff before for nothing or at least next to nothing but don't want to underprice myself to the public and right now work at my "real" job is slow. I'm not a full time mechanic but I fix all my own stuff, nothing goes to any shop and I wouldn't be worried about fixing anything for someone else. I am thinking about half of the local shop rates should be fair to both of us, besides I don't think I could look someone in the face and say $50 per hour. I know I wouldn't pay it, but I would think $25-$30 would be reasonable to someone who does not have the time or does not have the ability to fix their own equipment. Thanks for all your help, Brian

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dan hill

01-01-2007 05:15:35




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
Electric motor shop 70.00 magneto repair shop 93.00.Thats why I do my own motor and mag work.Theres no way I could charge these rates fixing fence chargers.Most jobs would run over new replacement costs.I would have no work then.This is why the import stuff is taking over.I know it costs money to maintain a shop and buy tools but if your rates get so high customers stop coming, your done...Friend just paid 60.00 to an oil burner service to press the reset on his furnace.Wasnt there 5 minutes, was on his way home.Another friend that serviced restaurant equipment left his lights on. Fellow came from a service station across the road to boost him .35.00.He said the co he worked for charged less at that time.He bought a booster pack for 30.00 next day to keep in the truck.I have one and have used it to start customers cars in my drive way.Price ripoffs will lose customers.My customers drop off fence chargers and say fix it.They know I will call if the charger is not worth repair costs.Most say fix it any way.

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Hobo,NC

12-31-2006 09:16:37




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
Theirs a guy with a brake problem over on the tool board, ABS/traction control lite on. See’in as you are opening up your shade tree and werk fer $30 hr. I recommend he go to you. Good scan tool $4000, @ $30 hr. he would need to use it fer 133.33 hr. to pay fer it and lets not fergit updates @ $1000.00 a year. So the first year he’s into it fer $5000.00 so he would need to werk it 166.67 hr with no profit to pay fer it. Don’t fergit sales tax so add a nutter 10 hr. are so. So we close down the shade tree and would be lucky to git 1/5 th of the investment back, its out of date now. So kin sumone tell me were to git a good nail hammer when it rains I still have'ya werk and would like a roofers holiday from time to time.

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Hobo,NC

12-31-2006 08:27:57




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
I use the higher labor rate to weed out the folks/cars I don’t want to werk for or own..
Normally when one ask my labor rate I price it high to run’em off. Several different ways to look at rates, for sum no matter how low it izz they kin not afford it so what difference does the rate make they kin not afford cheap or high rates. For sum the labor rate does not matter as long as they feel they are gittin sum’in for their money, sum it don’t matter as long as its fixed rite the first time, its hard to put a dollar amount on that. The guys that werk cheap and don’t git’er’done help me git the big bucks. I say jump rite on in and go to werk you surly are not gonna hurt the real professional mechanic, you mite even help when your customers see cheap will not git’em done. No matter how cheap you werk your customers are gonna expect the same quality as the over paid mechanic’s give.

If you have a back up Real job then you could werk fer minimum wage look’em in the eye and feel good. Only take on meat and gravy jobs and leave the bones fer the guys that git the big bucks. What folks don’t look at izz if they make $20 hr at their real job they don’t see the back side of their pay were it may cost the employer $20 hr more to keep’em on the pay roll time you figger in benefits& tax’izz Your real job could be worth $40 A hr. so now you @ $30 you would be better off to werk overtime on yer real job and come out way ahead.

The more I look at it why did’in sumone had me a hammer and nail apron when I wuz young and explain to me you git all the roofers holidays off. No other tools to buy you keep all you make, you cover up all yer mistakes

When you figger out how to charge fer every hour you werk on sumones vehicle let me know I then may be better off @ $30 a hr.

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JCSinGA

12-31-2006 05:00:55




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
I make my living at this sort of thing, $50 per hour, $1 mile for the service truck, time starts when I leave my shop and ends when I get job completed. Only charge driving time one way. Mileage both ways. Not trying to blow my own horn but if you work in a timely manner and know what your doing people dont seem to mind paying, I turn work away almost every day. If word gets out that you are a good mechanic it will snowball into a full time job shortly especially at the rates you are planning to charge. I'm a little higher but I weed out the lazy people this way, they just want someone to do the dirty work for them, the way I have it now the people that call genuinely need my services.

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Jim Johnson

12-31-2006 04:11:33




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
Well the difference is whether or not you are giving them a bill that you will have to pay taxes on. Mine doesn't. Jim



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IaGary

12-31-2006 04:01:16




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
My mechanic isn't charging to much but the trucking back from Nebraska is gonna add up.

But I knew that before I hired him.(:~})

Gary



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37 chief

12-30-2006 23:12:36




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
I would think 30.00 would be more than fair. If you pay taxes on that money you wouln't make much. If it is under the table it will be like 45.00 an hr. That is why I try to avoid working for anyone I know. When I do work for someone I know I usually cheat myself. I don't have a problem telling a strainger what I get for discing, or mowing. Stan



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the tractor vet

12-30-2006 21:42:28




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
Well myself my rate today is 55 and hour plus travel time . Then one of these days you'll get into something that will requier special tools to do the job and when ya start buying this and that and see what all this stuff costs you'll start thinking that that your rate is to low . I worked on them for 19 years for a living and when i started i had a wright nice tool collection and thought that would do me it was not long before i need this and that to do a job then came running all over 4 states tryen to buy the special tools from dealer close outs , well i have massed over the years the whole I H special tools for all I H's up to the 88 seires and that is what 99 %of my work was on but ya always had someone that had and off brand that just had to have you work on his and ya hated to turn work away . Well towards the end i was getting guys that wanted me to work on there industral equipment and after doing one 580 B case backhoe i drew the line in the sand and said no more industral . and started to turn away the off brands as it was getting out of hand and when ya don't have the special service tools things can go wrong and starts costing you.

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chuck t

12-30-2006 19:51:51




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
Where in MO are you?



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Brian in MO

12-31-2006 10:20:15




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to chuck t, 12-30-2006 19:51:51  
I'm in the North East part just south of Hannibal



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old

12-30-2006 19:06:42




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
I would up that by about $5-10 or so. I know in my area 35-40 and hour is less then half what the shops get



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kyhayman

12-30-2006 18:07:23




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 Re: mechanic rates again in reply to Brian in MO, 12-30-2006 16:11:49  
I think you are wise in your pricing. Its a supply and demand thing. If the supply of your labor is plentiful, and your demand for funds high then I'd price lower. If your available labor is pretty booked and not hurting for funds, then go to a higher figure.



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