Shop space by the hour. There’s a place in NJ

I know we have discussed if a place like this could exist. Looks pretty cool. 
 

https://uwrenchitauto.com/?fbclid=IwAR0pz2Xgz9QGJn70Uf82S4y0wpCkiJ3PrJCfvjFQ8lOgR3kylARutUYkP-k

There is a place like that I use in San Jose, CA all the time now that I don't have a private garage anymore. It is usually busy and apparently quite a successful business model for them.

https://diyordietech.com

At first glance those rates look brutal, but I guess that depends on how well stocked the tool selection is and what kind of work you want to do.

As a hobbyist in my own fairly well equiped garage anything much more serious than an oil change is going to take more than an hour, and it just takes 1 stripped bolt or stubborn part to start setting you back a whole lot further and a lot of $$$.

It would be wonderful for just getting cars up on a lift for underside inspection though

https://gearheadworkspace.com/

This is the one in Chicago. 4-5 years ago when it opened they ran a few ads in grm. I was in contact with one of the owners back then, but it's a bit far from me and I have most of my own stuff, so I've never had an opportunity to swing by.

I think they also had plans to build a lemons car with members and race it for fun and promotion.

There's one in Austin, too.  Like most here, I have almost everything I need at home, but a lift would be handy for some jobs.  I thought I read that they have a spray booth for rental, too.  I could see using it at some point in the future.

Prices are higher than above, but they still don't seem horrible considering the time you'd save having a lift.

-Rob

I honestly don't think those rates are too bad. 

There was one a few miles from me, but it went under in the last year or so.  Not sure of what their rates were.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

https://gearheadworkspace.com/

This is the one in Chicago. 4-5 years ago when it opened they ran a few ads in grm. I was in contact with one of the owners back then, but it's a bit far from me and I have most of my own stuff, so I've never had an opportunity to swing by.

I think they also had plans to build a lemons car with members and race it for fun and promotion.

these guys were on WGN news a few weeks back.  I live in the western burbs and remember looking at the pricing $44/hr for a lift bay and was trying to justify that cost.  Not considering that my time has money a professional mechanic is likely going to be able to do things in 1/2 the time that it would take me to do it, so if a mechanic charges $100/hr and it's a 2:1 professional effort vs me doing it.   

There's at least one near me and they're opening up another location as well. Seems like a cool place. I only stopped by when they first opened to check them out. Real nice place and people. They have a ridiculous amount of tools you can use.

https://stewsgarage.com/

I'm actually surprised this business model has taken so long to get a foothold. The first engine swap I helped a buddy with was on base at the shop you can check out. Although those are real cheap because they're on military bases.

yupididit said:

I honestly don't think those rates are too bad. 

My thoughts exactly; looking at them, there's no way I would rent my shop for $20-$30/hr even without tools or the lift.

I think to make this work moneywise  you need to do some work at home first , 

check lug nuts , loosen then tighten them so you can take them off quickly , 

same thing with motor stuff , make sure all the bolts can come off , spray the bolts , make sure the battery cable ends are good etc , 

Do they have a local auto parts shop they work with ?

PS, or bring your Nascar Pit crew !

iansane said:

I'm actually surprised this business model has taken so long to get a foothold. The first engine swap I helped a buddy with was on base at the shop you can check out. Although those are real cheap because they're on military bases.

It's been discussed here a few times if a business like this would ever work and there are plenty of people that give reasons why it won't.  Insurance, theft, high rent, etc.  Now when someone tries it, the first comments are "it's too expensive" so I'm not surpised it's not common...

Steve_Jones said:

iansane said:

I'm actually surprised this business model has taken so long to get a foothold. The first engine swap I helped a buddy with was on base at the shop you can check out. Although those are real cheap because they're on military bases.

It's been discussed here a few times if a business like this would ever work and there are plenty of people that give reasons why it won't.  Insurance, theft, high rent, etc.  Now when someone tries it, the first comments are "it's too expensive" so I'm not surpised it's not common...

I think what we normally discuss is slightly different, which is renting out your own personal shop to others, via a sharing site like Airbnb or VRBO for your house.

A business built around simply renting space is a bit easier, I think.

Honestly it seems worth it just for the big ticket tools they have - tire equipment, A/C charging, etc. If there was one local to me I'd probably use it for mounting tires, doing a set in an hour isn't hard with decent equipment, $20 (or even $40 if you run over an hour) is way cheaper than most shops charge to mount tires. And assuming their techs are competent, $120/hr labor isn't awful especially if you can provide your own parts and save the shop markup.

$30/hr?  Oh man, the Mercedes project would have cost me a FORTUNE…!

Seriously, though, that's not terrible at all.  I wonder how it works for those projects where you have to do a thing on the lift and then wait for parts to come, or take something to a machine shop, or something like that.

I know this place exactly, they always seem to be trying some new automotive venture for their shop, and it never seems to exactly work out for them. They were a parts store, AC repair, radiator shop, tire wholesaler, european repair shop, used car dealer, "specialty" used car dealer, courier service (very short time), ect, ect. 

Renting some shop time seems way less expensive that buying a lift. I can see a place for this in our world. 

Canoe bumped. 
 

but i also love the "hold this random tool and act like you are doing something" that makes no sense. 

those rates might not too be too bad, but I don't think they're feasible for the average car enthusiast

Im just thinking of how often i get into something and find i need some other part that adds a few days delay. 

Depending on the computer diagnostic equipment the ground rate could be great. I have 2 friends with multi thousand dollar snap on diagnostic machines and I use them sometimes. I don't want to over use the priveledge so I will not ask very often. I have a cheap machine that's better than a code reader but a far cry from the two way comm snap on. If you can use a professional unit like that for $20 an hour that's a deal. 

I wouldn't pay what they are asking but in the same breath, I'll say I wouldn't rent my shop to a stranger for 10 times that price.

Another thought would be for a race track to do something similar. You get a bay full of tools for the weekend. All you need to do is bring your car. Racers are willing to pay $125 a day for a covered paddock space. I'd bet a lot of them will pay many times that to have a lift and not have to haul tools. 

I think they are missing a revenue stream as well. They need a lounge called the Finish Line. A place for gearheads to hang out and bench race. +1 if they can add a bar. 

In reply to Toyman! :

NJMP already has the finish line pub....

Also, surprisingly, Uwrenchit is still in buisness and seems to have great reviews. Good for them, I am glad it worked out. I think a big part of why it works is their nearly-urban location. Philly and the surrounding area has a pretty good car scene, and for some people, scant places to work on their car/store tools. 

 My niece's husband has this kind of business, but with motorcycles in Dayton. He's also offering storage space along with the other stuff mentioned above.. He just started it this spring. Seems like it could be a tough crowd though.

I talked to a retired gearhead from SoCal who told me this happened all the time back in the day-- or night, because shops would let you rent their bay after hours. He didn't mention a tech, which in my naïveté I might suggest wasn't as needed in the 60s?

Of course the work they were doing back then was a lot of drivetrain stuff.