I've been struggling for time to work on one of the cars and it needed a few things doing. I got a recommendation for a known good mobile mechanic. He lived up to that, i was impressed, old school type care and attention.
How much is a fair rate for a mobile mechanic?
He wanted to charge only petrol money for the best part of 2 hours work (which would have taken me 4 hours). I paid £40 because i felt that's what it was worth to me.
Stingy or roughly about fair?
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Erm for two hours work I would want £50 but if it is a regular customer often end up asking for £40 but they give me £50.
For a machanic though £40 seems far too cheap for two hours work. I am guessing he is a retired pensioner and the taxman will see none of that £40.
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About right for cash seeing as he only wanted his petrol money anyway, doubtless he was delighted with being paid promptly and reasonably for his first job for you.
I always pay well and immediately for jobs done similarly, when something goes wrong in future the chap already knows you are a proper customer.
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£35.00 an hour in local garage & you got a mobile so for the little £40.00 you robbed him blind.
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"He wanted to charge only petrol money"
Why? If he is a commercial mobile mechanic, why doesn't he charge a commercial rate?
If you you gave him £40 when he wanted "petrol money", he has nothing to complain about. I think in all the circs. he was more than fair and you were fair.
Where do you live? Would he come round to me?
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Where do you live? Would he come round to me?
seconded!
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I used to charge £30 to tune a car (mobile) back in the 80's 90's, it would take me about an hour (or less)
If it took me 3 hours (rarely) I'd still just charge the £30.
I'd expect to pay a tad more now, £40 an hour sounds about right - unless you're in the sowf east :(
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I can't fathom why the mechanic only wanted to charge travelling expenses.
Perhaps Skoda is such a nice guy, people want to work for him for nothing.
Last edited by: Iffy on Sat 20 Nov 10 at 08:43
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>>Perhaps Skoda is such a nice guy, people want to work for him for nothing.<<
Perhaps Skoda is a Woman with a short skirt and big tips.
(I said TIPS ... oh, forget it)
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The guy, really nice, seemed pretty happy with £40, but maybe he was just being polite.
His wee van was almost the same age as me, and the bodywork looked really worse for wear, although it ran sweetly. He's not pensionable yet. Guessing by the livery the van looked mint in the 80's and he spent a penny getting it fully liveried back then.
I think i'll pay ~£25/hour next time and ask the question indirectly since i've slim chance of getting a straight answer how much he'd like to be paid "how much do your other customers normally pay you?"
I scored in national tyres the other day, took in a slow puncture, they took the tyre off, removed the nail, mushroom patch (or whatever it's called) fitted, good care taken of my alloy, rebalanced, cleaned up (that tyre paste they use). Free! Gave them a tenner for beers.
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maybe the guy that turned up in his van was a figmment of your imagination?
theres nothing wrong with your car?
and it was all a dream?
just a thought?
or maybe hes henpecked and jobless and needs to leave his semi detached suburbia to get away from the pink curtains and foxgloves?
;-)
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I wish! (Slightly) leaking high pressure steering pipe at a union, also there's a section bent like a radiator kind of idea pretty corroded. Wont pass an MOT with the leak :-( those pipes are seriously expensive!
There's supposed to be a place in Rutherglen that you can take your old high pressure pipe along to and they'll make one to match. Couldn't find them though.
Got a 2nd hand one in v. good condition, so it's all good. Another bargain, £60 via uk-mkivs.net with a bunch of other stuff (bonnet lock, glove box, wing mirror & some other stuff) at the same time.
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>> There's supposed to be a place in Rutherglen that you can take your old high
>> pressure pipe along to and they'll make one to match. Couldn't find them though.
We used to get many burst/chaffed hydraulics on the transporters, there a several companies with fleets of mobile vans that carry enough pipes and fittings to make up replacements for 99% of burst pipes/hoses, also specialise in plant etc, they are signwritten quite obviously.
Worth tapping one of those chaps up if you have a pattern to show him, they usually re-use any odd end fittings and use special crimped ends to match, likely get an industrial quality replacement for a decent drink.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sat 20 Nov 10 at 12:22
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I use a very good and properly equipped mobile mechanic who charges £40 an hour, always based on book times, and also collects/returns the cars. If you have somebody honest, skilled and reliable pay them properly and promptly - you might never find another.
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If you have somebody honest,
>> skilled and reliable pay them properly and promptly - you might never find another.
>>
How true that is and dishonest customers do us as big a disservice as the rogue trader to the honest trade.
My old established MB indy is a diamond, never ceases to amaze me the people who try to fleece him...being a gentleman himself he treats customers accordingly, some of 'em need a good slap, they can't help taking the p.
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35-40 quid an hour for a mobile mechanic round my way, about the same as the local garage I reckon.
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I think i'll pay ~£25/hour next time
Your taking the urine out of his good nature pay him a wage not pocket money.
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The OP paid the chap more than he asked for, why are you trying to needle him as if he's ripped the bloke off, he obviously hasn't.
If an indy is charging £40ish an hour with expensive overheads i wouldn't be expecting to pay the same for a mobile fellow who's costs are a fraction.
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The mobile fella has come to your home and done it for you and you don't have the hassle of taking dropping off and waiting for your car, So yes pay him a wage.
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>>If an indy is charging £40ish an hour with expensive overheads i wouldn't be expecting to pay the same for a mobile fellow who's costs are a fraction<<
It's not as simple as that though gb, is it, the indy is in a nice warm garage whereas the mobile man is out in all weathers sometimes with the customer literally breathing down his neck AND as Big Tea says - he has to travel to you and come back to you if any problems arise.
Give em £40 :)
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sorry but im with gb, overheads are killing this country (apart from my free rates till next october) it therefore follows that a man with a van doesnt have to pay incidentals like
business rates
insurance
enviromental fees
buildings insurance
electricity
water rates
repair and maintain lease agreements
oh and i forgot the most important one
rent on premises
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Bellboy,
As you know the Snap-on dealer charges top price for tools and some might say there the best, So the man in the van has to buy these to keep going.
Also he may pay public liabilities insurance.
fuel for van.
Insurance buisness use.
The cost of the van & kitting it out.
So £40.00 per hour is fine not £40.00 for 2hrs.
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Bigtee
i was taught a long time ago that its the man not the tool that does a job properly so your snap on man idea doesnt hold water with me
let me put it another way if you want a job doing properly and efficiently you cant do it up someones drive as you are forever having to readjust your thinking because if you have a sooty van you cant carry a complete workshop with you,i didnt even mention ramps oxy acetelene or the ability to have parts delivered by your supplier whilst you put your feet up and make a cup of cha
mobile is fine for simple servicing
garage is better for the full monty
:-)
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Yea agree with you mobile is for repair work to a point & a workshop is for the rest as a good garage offers both services.
But the mechanic has to buy his own tools there not supplied are they bellboy?
So the man in the van has to be getting a decent wage to buy tools to do his job.
It's a different world here all my tools are supllied im not allowed to bring any of my own to work something to do with insurance.
Last edited by: Bigtee on Sat 20 Nov 10 at 14:48
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>>But the mechanic has to buy his own tools there not supplied are they bellboy<<
That's an affirmative ... cost me over £12k to put my outfit on the road, and that was in the 80's,
I went for the best tho - VW Transporter + Sun Motor Tester, many Snap-On tools etc., etc., etc.
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>> Give em £40 :)
>>
He did and the geezer seemed happy with it, it doesn't sound like he's got a 7.5 ton truck armed to the teeth with rows of special tools and enough computing power to run the country.
Course as we are talking pound notes it makes a slight difference to amounts charged and i imagine the mobile feller is making a reasonable living.
A lot depends on the area too, rich pickings in the SE and the West Country where wealthy landowners can afford to pay well...;)
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>>it doesn't sound like he's got a 7.5 ton truck armed to the teeth with rows of special tools and enough computing power to run the country<<
He's probably like a lot of Farmers I've met - loadsa mone£ but drive around in an old wreck :)
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>> The OP paid the chap more than he asked for, why are you trying to
>> needle him as if he's ripped the bloke off, he obviously hasn't.
>>
That seems to be par for the course. It is Bigtee's style, quite often.
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Hourly rate can be a bit of a red herring. Depends how many hours you're going to be charged for. I know I'm not paying for unnecessary work, it's always book times, and I'm not charged any extra for the running around either. Most important, I know everything that needs doing is done.
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...Hourly rate can be a bit of a red herring...
Good point.
The mechanic might have taken the job easy, perhaps because he had nothing to follow on, but being a fair man, charged Skoda the correct price for the work as if done at full speed.
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Mobile Mechanic rate - RattleandSmoke
