The "Uber" Of Auto Repair Is Coming! How Do We Stop It?

[Chuy Reyna]

Like it isn't hard enough to be a shop owner! A start up company "Otobots" has allocated funds to start "yourmechanic.com."

As a shop owner I disapprove of a company like this, we run honest businesses, and this company is trying to cut our throats! How can we unite and take a stand??

 

The link to the artical I came across. http://www.dailydot.com/technology/otobots-uber-car-repair-on-demand/

 

 

Here is a link to the site https://www.yourmechanic.com

Edited October 10, 2015 by Chuy Reyna

[phynny]

I love it, people will be banging down my doors when dealing with these clowns. As soon as I saw "craigslist mechanics" I lol'd. At least once every couple weeks I got on CL and laugh at the "mechanic ads." I personally wouldn't worry for a second about this hurting business.

[skm]

Haha I was actually solicited by these clowns.. Looking for ASE master techs.. now who on earth as a master tech would go work in the streets? Laying on the ground working on your knees and crap like that. Look how big our tool boxes are and how many times you go back and forth between the car and your box to do a job. How many times have we run into problems where we need to drill bolts, heat things up etc? How are you going to do that on the street? Good luck with that LOL!

[phynny]

Here's just a couple recent ones, I love to read them and laugh

 

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/aos/5261800661.html

 

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/aos/5254737633.html

 

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/aos/5245567225.html

Edited October 11, 2015 by phynny

[lmcca]

not to worry, it wont work, horrible idea.

[xrac]

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[alfredauto]

In NY mobile mechanics are regulated as repair facilities. I doubt it will work here, as the only mobil facilities I know do big truck emergency repairs. There definitely is a market for that, price out what it costs to tow a semi and you'll see why they pay the guy $150/hr to swap parts on the highway to get it rolling to the garage.

 

But overall the idea of a mail order mechanic fixing anything in the housing project parking lot is stupid. Who even calls these people? I don't want a stranger dumping oil in my driveway. Got my gator socket and metrinch kit, good to go. Oi!

[FROGFINDER]

There is a large market for driveway service. Offer road service checks to your good customers. Have the drive on wrecker ready and get it back to your shop. Quick turn around and courtesy ride for your good customers.

[LynxStarAuto]

Eh this is old news guys. I was actually on board with Your Mechanic during my mobile days, back when they first started (circa 2010). It is a legit business, and a good opportunity for those of us who actually want to break out of our current routines, and become independent. From what I could tell, the techs who comprised the YM roster were solid. They do a pretty extensive background check, and ask for references, and check up on them. They also check up on your tools and equipment, and verify you indeed are equipped to do the jobs you mark yes on their form. The biggest complaint from customers was that they could not reserve the same tech who serviced their vehicle the first time. It is always a new mechanic that goes to visit the customer. They don't want you to get comfortable and that is the biggest flaw with YM was that it was just too easy to steal the customer for yourself, and too hard for them to prove it. Many times I would show up, and the customer would ask for a contact number so they could maintain a relationship with me. Eventually, YM didn't do so well in my area, and they dropped the program here, but they still operate in other states. I actually copied their idea for a while, and developed an app where all a customer had to do was schedule an appointment with me via their smart phone. I would get a notification, accept, and all was set. I would show up, do my thing, and the customer could even pay me through the mobile app via paypal.

 

Mobile service is a real thing, and a major convenience for the customer. So many times I would show up to the customer's house, and they would hand me the keys, and go back to doing their routines. I would finish up, get paid, and be on my way. That is the modern world for you. People want to be less and less involved in the process, and if you can connect with a customer via a smart device, you are set.

 

I can't talk bad about Your Mechanic, because they really helped boost my customer count, and showed me the ins and outs of the business (Mobile service is it's own animal). I also can not bad mouth CL. I advertised a lot on Craigslist back in the day, and earned a lot of good customers via it. Are there hacks, and parts changers on CL? Sure, but their are also a ton of hacks at repair shops too. The industry is full of crap, at all levels.

Edited November 3, 2015 by LynxStarAuto

[LynxStarAuto]

In NY mobile mechanics are regulated as repair facilities. I doubt it will work here, as the only mobil facilities I know do big truck emergency repairs. There definitely is a market for that, price out what it costs to tow a semi and you'll see why they pay the guy $150/hr to swap parts on the highway to get it rolling to the garage.

 

But overall the idea of a mail order mechanic fixing anything in the housing project parking lot is stupid. Who even calls these people? I don't want a stranger dumping oil in my driveway. Got my gator socket and metrinch kit, good to go. Oi!

 

Same here in Miami. If you want to provide mobile service, you need to register a repair business. To do that, you have to have the licenses, and certifications required to do business. After that, you have to have the mobile vehicle inspected so that the county tax collector can sign off, and initialize you. FInally, you have to advertise you services for 30 days either in the newspaper, social media, or sites like Craigslist (that's how I got on CL).

 

 

[Hands On]

On 11/3/2015 at 12:07 PM, LynxStarAuto said:

Eh this is old news guys. I was actually on board with Your Mechanic during my mobile days, back when they first started (circa 2010). It is a legit business, and a good opportunity for those of us who actually want to break out of our current routines, and become independent. From what I could tell, the techs who comprised the YM roster were solid. They do a pretty extensive background check, and ask for references, and check up on them. They also check up on your tools and equipment, and verify you indeed are equipped to do the jobs you mark yes on their form. The biggest complaint from customers was that they could not reserve the same tech who serviced their vehicle the first time. It is always a new mechanic that goes to visit the customer. They don't want you to get comfortable and that is the biggest flaw with YM was that it was just too easy to steal the customer for yourself, and too hard for them to prove it. Many times I would show up, and the customer would ask for a contact number so they could maintain a relationship with me. Eventually, YM didn't do so well in my area, and they dropped the program here, but they still operate in other states. I actually copied their idea for a while, and developed an app where all a customer had to do was schedule an appointment with me via their smart phone. I would get a notification, accept, and all was set. I would show up, do my thing, and the customer could even pay me through the mobile app via paypal.

 

Mobile service is a real thing, and a major convenience for the customer. So many times I would show up to the customer's house, and they would hand me the keys, and go back to doing their routines. I would finish up, get paid, and be on my way. That is the modern world for you. People want to be less and less involved in the process, and if you can connect with a customer via a smart device, you are set.

 

I can't talk bad about Your Mechanic, because they really helped boost my customer count, and showed me the ins and outs of the business (Mobile service is it's own animal). I also can not bad mouth CL. I advertised a lot on Craigslist back in the day, and earned a lot of good customers via it. Are there hacks, and parts changers on CL? Sure, but their are also a ton of hacks at repair shops too. The industry is full of crap, at all levels.

I  am dredging up this old post because they are getting more aggressive with it, and it sounds like this guy is a testimony that some good techs are willing to make the leap in order to try to branch out on their own.  I was heading to Zip Recruiter to try out the new recruiting site on the block. I started by searching to see who is looking for techs in my area during what is normally a slow time for the other shops. Only one posting showed up for my town. Can you guess? :

***EARN UP TO $1,500/WEEK - FIX CARS AS A MOBILE MECHANIC***

YourMechanic Longmont, CO 80503 USA

BECOME A MOBILE TECHNICIAN WITH THE LEADING AUTO REPAIR COMPANY

YourMechanic is a mobile mechanic company. We offer car repair services at our customers' homes and offices. With no shop overhead, we pass the savings on to our customers and provide our technicians better pay. We handle all the marketing, appointment scheduling, parts ordering, invoicing and customer support for our technicians, leaving the technicians to do what they love- fix cars.

EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES

• GREAT MONEY: Earn 2-3x what auto shops and dealers pay you. <--------  SOME GUYS ARE GOING TO TRY THIS OUT, AND WHO KNOWS IF IT MAY BE WORTH THE HEADACHES.
• COMPLETE FLEXIBILITY: Set your own hours (full time, weekends, evenings, weekdays).
• DO WHAT YOU LOVE: Work on cars while we take care of everything else (appointments, support, parts, warranty).
• WORK DIRECTLY WITH CUSTOMERS: Get to know your customers, speak to them directly about repairs, and show them what a great experience auto repair can be.

I am dealing with the AirBNB phenomenon right now as a member on my HOA's board. That is really hurting the B&B industry and the hotel industry. Hotels are acknowledging that they are feeling the pain now.  Does everyone really still think that this will never hurt us?  I feel like I have positioned myself in such a way that my best customers will not be calling something like this, but if it does start to gain a lot of traction, people will use it just to try something new, and it may start to hurt, if even only for a year.