"disallow" <loewen_t at yahoo.ca @> wrote in message
news:78412ce27abfc97297f3195bbb1746ae@localhost.ta lkaboutautos.com...
> so i am doin this school project, i have to come up with a
> proposal for a Do it yourself garage. I'm in Canada.

The first issue is "who is the market"?

The average motorist is not interested in this, because they have no
knowledge or desire to do the work themselves. The market is the DIY guy
(yes it mostly guys), but the next question is what do these guys want to be
able to do?

Basic maintenance, oil changes etc? Maybe, but when you add the cost of bay
rental, and time off work (unless your plan is for a weekend available
shop), it always cheaper to pay your local garage to do it.

Major overhaul work eg clutches, transmission replacements, engine rebuilds?
Maybe ... These things often require days of effort on the part of a DIYer,
or have the car on the hoist for extended periods while the major components
are sourced or repaired.

Custom modification or performance upgrades. This is the most likely market,
as much of this work is not difficult, but requires the car to be on a hoist
and the right tools.

Main Problem: tools and equipment get broken and "lost" (read stolen). Its
necessary to have a strict control on the sign-out of special tools (all
tools really) so that a sign-in is done.
Second Problem: the job always takes longer than expected.


I have local garage where I can rent a bay. I had some basic work done there
on my modified sports sedan and the owner came to realize I knew what I was
doing. When the time came to swap the engine and transmission, I asked if he
would do the job, as I did not have the heavy lift facilities . His response
was "did I want to rent a bay for a few days?" The job took me four 8 hour
days, as I had to replace the front cross member and fabricate some new
engine mount brackets and other stuff. I had estimated two days, and I've
been working on cars for 35 years. I worked alone with the occasional hand
from the other mechanics.

Point is, very few shops provide this facility, mainly because of liability
insurance issues, and secondly because of the wide range of abilities of the
DIYers. Thirdly, it has to be substantially cheaper than paying someone to
do the same work, and still be able to make a profit.

Stewart DIBBS