Say I wanted to open an auto shop from the ground up. What equipment

a telephone.

Mechanics with mechanix(TM) gloves

>>17159755

Good suggestion. Can't forget the telephone.

You'd want:
>any potential fluids you might need
>a mass supply of batteries
>plenty of extra bulbs
>lots of spare filters
>some windshield wipers to try and shill off on people

>>17159767

I'd have to keep all of this in the back somewhere I take it?

>>17159794
Yes

If you have to even ask this question, lol

>>17159767
This anon knows, it's all about the windshield wipers, those are your bread and butter. Now you are ready to open your shop and start raking in the cash OP.

>>17159824
This.

Also, I hope you've got the capital for an:
Alignment machine
Tire machine
Fancy wireless OBD2 scanner
Fancy computer or tablet system with subscription to the entire collection of every brand's factory service manual system
Subscription to parts and consumables wholesaler

And let's not even mention having the market for your services.

>>17159762
>>17159762
thats funny

>>17159767
who buys windshield wipers from a mechanic?

>>17159920
Lazy people.

>>17159920

Lady boomers

a gun

>>17159902
FUck you I'm drunk and I tried my best.

>>17159824

I've never even been inside of one, but I'm gonna put on a suit and hit the bank.
See you on the moon anon, sorry.

>>17159835
This. The documentation alone will eat up far more than you'd expect. A shop I worked with years ago had a subscription service, so they always had up to date manuals for anything that drove in. As I recall it set them back something like $15k a year.

>>17159835

Alot of dealers use to get pissed because autoshops would order parts from them on credit for insurance jobs, bill the insurance for the oem parts, then return the oem parts to dealer before the account is even drawn to pay the dealer and use aftermarket cheaper parts on the repair to make huge money

>>17159934

What for?

>>17159835

What's the difference between an alignment machine and a tire machine?

>>17160013
>3rd mexican comes in that day asking to have their car stanced hella flush

>have some lady with 3 screaming kids in the waiting room for the past hour because your dumbshit mechanic #1 can't do an oil change in less than 30 minutes

>some middle aged business man that used to be a regular customer in your office threatening to sue you because dumbshit mechanic #2 forgot to put the oil cap on and blew up his engine

>your only good mechanic quit earlier that week

>property lease due tomorrow

its to kill yourself.

>>17160097

No, you see, I'm just gonna buy the place and PAY people to do that for me. I'm a kike.

>>17160111
And who is going to be responsible when those people inevitably fuck up everything?

>>17160158

My lawyers, dumbass.

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>>17160171
>he thinks lawyers can take the hit for him if he's liable

>>17160181

how would I be liable? My LLC with several owners would be liable...and my attorney would be responsible

>>17160204
Holy shit please never get involved with the auto repair industry. There is enough fucking retards in it. Don't need you adding to it.

>>17160236
Sounds like you're to stupid to withdraw monay and sign a paycheck

>>17160042
A Tire machine is for changing tires

A Alignment machine is for Alignment

>>17160111
>>17160299

Kek, could it really be that easy?

>>17160042
A tire machine helps you mount and dismount tires.

An alignment machine measures the alignment parameters of your wheels, and allows for accurate and verified adjustment of your wheel alignment.

>>17159749

Paying customers

>>17159749
Absolutely required items:
>secured parking for 20 cars on top of employee and customer parking. You WILL use every bit of it and more.
>a lift and a flat stall for every tech
>Professional quality repair info from sources like Alldata and Mitchell. Probably both since one may have info the other doesn't
>shop wifi for techs to use their laptops to access repair info at their workstations
>at least one refrigerant recovery machine. a/c is a huge profit center and you ain't doing it without one
>battery boost box and charger. Some techs will have their own. most won't.
>a couple of good floor jacks. Most techs won't have one and you don't want a minor job waiting around for a lift
>shop press
>professional quality air compressor, natch.
>professional scan tool or software/dongle arrangement that you like
Nice to have
>alignment rack. Almost a license to print money but your guy has to be good too or you get a bad rep quickly. Takes up a lot of space.
>wheel balancer
Mostly not needed
>tire machine. Only useful if you're selling tires. If you're not, send any inquiries down the road and for customers already in the shop that want tires too either sublet it or send the wheels over there.

>>17160204
people like you are what kills small business

>>17160013
To shoot Rudnik

>>17160901
>>alignment rack. Almost a license to print money but your guy has to be good too or you get a bad rep quickly. Takes up a lot of space.

Speaking of that, I don't understand how the fuck so many techs manage to fuck alignments up so badly. I used to do them all the time, and at a race shop at that. (Which means much more precise alignments and often ones that differ from factory recommendations.) Shit was easy as fuck, you'd have to be illiterate, retarded, or insanely lazy to get it as wrong as some of the bad alignments I've had over the years.

On a somewhat related note, I can probably help with answers to specific questions or whatever, since I managed a successful small shop for a few years and was part of setting it up when we moved to a new location and bought brand new everything. My answers may not be that useful, though, since we were a specialty shop and we ran it more like a racing team (which is the background the owner and I came from) and less like a normal shop.

>>17160901

>wheel balancer
>tire machine

These should be required items. It's like selling chips at a sandwich shop - while people may only really be in for an oil change, if they need their directional tires rotated at the same time (or you can convince them that they do), it's extra money that doesn't take very long and is pretty difficult to fuck up, so you can put the kid making peanuts an hour on it and leave the more expensive techs to the real work.

The equipment itself is also relatively small (compared to an alignment rack anyway), fairly inexpensive, and can generally be found used and functional for cheap if you really want to.

I mean yeah, in a state where you can run summers year round, maybe a tire machine isn't that great of an idea. But when first snow hits and suddenly every single soccer mom needs their tires changed over TODAY, you're really just pissing money down the drain by sending it to another shop. It's also a great way to get customers in the door the first time, even if it's just out of desperation because every other shop is busy, and could easily lead to repeat work if you come across as someone that can get things done quickly, while giving at least 1/10th of a shit about the customer.

an ase cert if you want to stay afloat

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>>17160013
>What for?

>>17161252
>you'd have to be illiterate, retarded, or insanely lazy
You've literally described 85% of techs working at any dealership.

>>17161292
>>17161252
>>17161388
>>17160901


Thanks anons, I'm writing all of this down.

>>17161292
>But when first snow hits and suddenly every single soccer mom needs their tires changed over TODAY
What people do now is have summer and winter wheel sets and have the tire place store the set they're not using. Only ultimate poor fags have the tires themselves changed seasonally.

>>17161388
Bah. Customers have no idea what that is and care even less. Customers go by word-of-mouth for their primary source of info about what shop is good.

>>17161252


How many garages did you have, and how many tehnicians?

>>17159749
Experience working a few years in a garage, then you know what you need

>>17162980

I don't have a few years, what bad advice.

>>17161252
> I don't understand how the fuck so many techs manage to fuck alignments up so badly
Bad racks, bad calibration, using the rack improperly, not driving the car first, putting everything smack in the middle of the green instead of compensating for the crown of the road, and not compensating for issues with the car. If you looked at my alignment printouts for 10 of the exact same model you would think I was half assing them since they are all different and I always leave the caster difference L/R in the red, but all the cars drive dead straight. Then look at a techs sheets where every one is smack in the middle of the factory numbers and I guarantee the car pulls to the right.

>>17162991
>I don't have a few years
If you're in a hurry to make money, then do something else.

>>17165192

I'm in a hurry to start a business, I don't need money faggot, YOU niggers are the ones that need jobs.

Does anybody know where I can buy batteries, windshield wipers and other random inventory items in bulk?
I already have a warehouse

>>17160042

Camber, caster, and toe are the most commonly changed settings in an alignment. If you have the right hardware, ride height and sway bar stiffness can also be adjusted. Very uncommon on OEM cars.

>>17159749
Oil collection tank seriously.

>>17159749

Let me get this right, Americans call a shop "a store" but a garage an "auto shop" ?

Either way, I wouldn't go opening one unless you've worked in one a while.

>>17162973
3 racks (2 two-post lifts and a scissor alignment rack) in one big space. Two techs, two "helpers," an engineer who worked part-time with us on R&D stuff and our race cars, and me, who came in to run the business side but ended up doing some tech work when necessary. (One of the techs was a "general" mechanic and didn't come from the motorsports side of things, while I did, so I did a lot of specialty stuff like alignments and corner balancing.)

>>17163016
Yeah, I can see how a bad rack could be at fault. It seems to me like a lot of guys just adjust it until it's green and call it a day, though, even if the car drives crooked as fuck because of cumulative error. Road crown is admittedly a bit of a hassle, but a test drive usually sorts it out, though we rarely had to account for it because we mostly did race cars meant to drive on level track surfaces. We often aligned and balanced cars for specific tracks, though, which is a whole art in and of itself, and one that my boss was much better at than I am.

>>17166521
"Shop" and "store" are pretty much interchangeable when talking about retail places, "store" usually means a big place, like a supermarket, while a small place is a shop, but that's not a fixed rule.

When it comes to things like garages, "shop" comes from "workshop," and the same applies for any kind of place where trade work is done, i.e. a "machine shop," "wood shop," "metal shop," etc.

>>17159767
>any potential fluids you might need
>a mass supply of batteries
Don't forget the contract for disposal of the old ones.

>>17165805
Wallmart.

>>17159749
Let's not forget safety equipment, MSDS sheets for any and all fluids, cleaners and chemicals your crew may come into contact with.


>gloves
>masks
>eye wash station
>fucking wet floor signs


Seriously, any shit to cover your own ass in the event of an accident or an employee being maimed. Preach safety to anyone you bring in, as all it takes is one fuck up where even if you aren't at fault but something like a sign was missing, you can be raked over the coals.
>plenty of insurance to cover that one dumbass employee and all the licensing bullshit you'll need as general business practice
>dealing with customers who refuse to pay
>customers whose vehicles aren't safe to leave, as in bald tires, brakes totally shot, etc

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>>17166974
>>17160901

i would add:
> a good welding device like a MIG or TIG in some cases and a guy to knows how to use it.
You would be amazed how many parts and money i saved with the simple knowledge of welding. It has many various positive points:
No broken part in stock ? >can be repared
Shipping takes long? Weld it is more quick
Broken part piss expensive > weld it properly is cheaper
need some custom work done? >weld it
see a horny girl? >horny girls love welders
want to go full takumi eurobeats? weld that fucking diff

>>17166521
we go shoppin not storin what u talkin bout