TimeShare Garage space?

[Ken]

I was looking for places in my area where I might put my Corvette on a lift to go over everything, and to check all the past work I've done to see how well it's holding together, when I came across an interesting idea for those of us in the same boat, who are seeking places to work on our own vehicles.

Drive, tow, or push your wreck to the nearest Rent-a-Garage, and spend the day fixing it. I like doing work on my car, but some of the equipment needed, such as the lift, is too expensive for an individual to obtain. How about having a place where you could rent a well equipped mechanics shop for half a day or a day? There could be several bays, with a mechanic there to oversee/answer questions. This whole complex could be adjacent to an autoparts store chain, like AutoZone or the like. Tool rentals would of course be available. I'd bet that with a price of up to $200 per day on weekends and $100 per day on weekdays, a place like this could stay full. Vehicle storage on premises for projects that weren't completed would of course be available for a fee.

Buy the parts, rent the bay...drive away.

Most people shot it down saying it's been done before and that insurance is the major reason it usually fails. Not always, but usually it's the killer.

However, someone came up with the following idea. Now, I have no business sense whatsoever, so maybe it's a far-flung idea ...

[font=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica]Instead of "renting" the bays or requiring Membership, why not make it a timeshare situation? Ownership should help to alleviate the liability issues, you can't sue yourself, in most cases.[/font]

[font=Trebuchet MS, Arial, Helvetica]For $500, you get 50 hours of bay time per year. Overnight storage is charged off at 15 minutes per hour, so that to store it 16 hours overnight would only eat up 4 hours of your alloted time. Additional hours could be aquired for $10 per hour usage fee in blocks of 10 hours. Annual maintenace fee of $500. Transfer of ownership subject to $50 transfer fee.[/font]

What do you all think about something like this in your area?

 

[Ken]

The Army does it!

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Welcome to the Fort Myer Auto Shop![/font]​

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Milton Hawthorne, Manager​

Forrest Circle, Building 227
(703) 696-3387

Wednesday – Friday 12:30 PM– 8:30 PM
Saturday – Sunday 9 AM – 5 PM
Closed Monday, Tuesday and Federal Holidays[/font]

Let our capable staff assist you with your car care needs all year long, or you can rent our bays and equipment to do it yourself. We also offer short term vehicle storage both inside the shop and in a secured outside area, for very reasonable rates. We are located on Forrest Circle, the road that runs between the Post Office and the Caisson (horse stables) just before the Thrift Shop. We have all the tools to get the job done right!​

FREE safety inspections at Fort Myer

The Fort Myer Auto Shop is providing free safety inspections to help ensure that you have a safe trip this summer. The staff can also assist you with any minor repairs necessary or you can do any job yourself using the equipment and bays. The Shop can mount and balance your new tires for only $8 per tire. Flat tire repair is only $4 and if you BYOO&F (bring your own oil and filter) the capable staff will change the oil and filter and properly dispose of both for $10. Regular bays rent for $3, bench work is $2.25 per hour, a cut-off tool can be used for $2, and strut machine charge is $5 per strut. Vehicle storage is only $3/day for 1 – 7 days ($2 outside) and $5/per day for 8 – 30 day storage (inside out outside). So don't hit the open road without checking in at the Auto Shop!

17 Service Bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3 per hour


5 Car Lifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4 per hour

Tire Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4 per tire

Wheel Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$6 per tire​

Brake Rotor Turned . . . . . . . . . . . .$10 each​

Brake Drum Turned . . . . . . . . . . . .$10 each​

Battery Charger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2 per battery​

Vacuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1 use fee​

Self car wash (nearby) . . . . . . . . . .Free​

Hydraulic Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5​

Tire Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2​

Oil Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1​

Antifreeze Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . .$1​

Bench Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2.25 per hour​

Air Cutoff Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2 per use​

Strut Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5 per strut​

Flat Tire Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4.00​

Oil Change with Oil and Filter . . . . .$10.00​

Inside storage for cars under repair: $3 per day (1-7 days), $5 per day (8-30 days), (30 day max)​

Outside storage for cars under repair: $2 per day (1-7 days), $5 per day (8-30 days), (30 day max)​

​

 

[I_R_DA_ONE]

Happy new year Ken

This all sounds very good....the only ketch would be to find enough people in a certian area to make it work.... It would be intresting to find out if the fort myers shop is solvent....making money.....
What do they do with the cars that are brought there that are not running....does the customer leave them on the property?????....In SC [Richland county] we can't leave an untitled or not running car outside.....Does the Fort Myers shop limit the amount of work that can be done on the customers car....???? you know like motor rebuilding and other time consuming projects......

just a thought
Mike

 

[MyOtherCar]

I have the luxury of being retired from the USMC and I can tell you that one of the benefits afforded to myself is the use of these on-base service garages. Most military bases have them. The reason they are so inexpensive is that they are but a part of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Division on the bases. Combined, the base-wide MWR activity fees support these establishments, hence, not any one activity HAS to make money all the time to stay in business. The last such activity that I know closed down was the garage at the base in Groton Connecticut, and it closed because of the inability to comply with all EPA requirements. But yeah, it is a good deal for military folks active duty, reserve and retired. Put the profit requirement in it and added insurance costs, move it off base, and you have a rather expensive undertaking. I like the idea of a time-share approach....

Bill

 

[JohnZ]

Many years ago there were several of these "Rent-A-Lift" outfits in the Detroit area, but as the bottom-feeding plaintiff attorneys began to smell the blood and multiply like rabbits over the years, the cost of liability insurance put the businesses under and they closed their doors. Like Shakespeare said, "First, we kill all the lawyers". :eyerole

 

[Ken]

We used to have them out here too John, but they all disappeared.