When you think of things that fall under "Do It Yourself," fixing your car is probably not on that list. After all, all of those parts under the hood can be intimidating.
What’s also intimidating is the bill that comes along with having a mechanic take do the job for you. It’s the cost of that comes will all the repairs that are inspiring a new trend in automotive care, businesses geared toward those who want to try their hand at doing the work themselves.
Elvis Rodriguez, who owns a moving company and is not a mechanic, started coming to Rent a Lift in Norfolk about one year ago. While he had no previous experience working on cars, he was not on his own to figure out how to make crucial repairs to his pickup truck.
“If I know I’m not doing it right, I can always go to the master mechanic,” he told us.
Space to work on the vehicle, tools and even a car lift are provided for a rental price.
“Once the vehicle is safe, secured on the rack, we raise and lower the vehicle for the customer,” said Rent a Lift manager Jeremy Hunger. “If you’re coming in here with your mom’s Ford Taurus and your brakes are making a noise... it’s not really that big a deal to check it out yourself.”
When you factor in the cost of a replacement part and the labor -- which typically ranges from $80 to $100 per hour -- auto repair bills can add up.
“On pad and rotor replacement, you’ll spend $400 easily,” said the ASE certified mechanic.
But customers are not left to go it alone and reach a point where their knowledge outpaces their skill.
“There’s a lot of stuff on these vehicles that people are like, 'Well, I’ve heard about it, but I don’t know about it,” said Hunger.
Instead of paying a mechanic for labor, customers can rent Hunger’s time to oversee their work and help with problematic issues that arise during the repair process.
“When it all breaks down, like I said before, it’s just nuts and bolts,” Hunger insists.
For Rodriguez, the work that he does on his own vehicle is about more than just saving money in an auto repair bill.
“You know what? Nobody can do this better than me! Because this is mine!”
Hourly rates start at $25, which includes tools, fuel disposal and help from onsite mechanics. There price does go down if you rent a bay for half or the whole day.