Need opinions: Independent Toyota hybrid specialist?

HSD vehicles ARE low maintenance. It's just oil and filter changes, which you won't do. No income for you there.

Gen 1s are mostly out of warranty. Gen 2 2004s are beginning to fall out of warranty, most newer cars will be under warranty for most major stuff for a while. Since the number of Gen 1s and early Gen 2s is smaller than the number of later Gen 2s, that universe is fairly small. Since you won't do warranty work, no income for you there.

Who will be your customers? The few who want something tweaked? The small percentage who want someone to attach the BT Tech plate? I just don't see a big target market. Not much income for you there.

I would always choose to take my car to a specialist independent mechanic, rather than the stealership. The stealership is too big to care, inependent guys usually care about the car they specialize in. The problem is, I won't need your services for a while. And if I have the Platinum Extended warranty I bought here on PC, maybe even longer.

I know the State of Mind is a big place, but how many people within 30 miles of you drive an HSD? How will you get the word out? Where will you put your flyers?

I don't mean to be negative, just realistic.

 

Good luck! I hope you are a great success if you decide to jump. Like I said, I prefer to take my car to someone who likes my kind of car. At a dealer, you don't know who will work on it.

The only real work I've had done was the steering shaft SSC, which had to be done by a dealer, of course. They didn't follow the Toyota procedure, the tech even told me, "We don't have to secure the steering wheel, we mark the shaft." Needless to say, they had to do an alignment to try to get the steering wheel square again. And I don't go to that dealer anymore.

 

Very interesting idea, trance. Some URLs which will be self-explanatory:

http://www.auto-careers.org/Qualified%20sh...20consumers.htm

http://www.artsautomotive.com/Hybrid.htm

http://www.autobeyours.com/

Even though Toyota does not specify transmission fluid changes (in the US), there is some evidence that they are appropriate precautionary maintenance. Similarly, seems to me that people ought to have their brake fluid at least checked for water absorption. Changing it in the new model Prius is apparently complicated. Waiting to change it until after internal damage from corrosion would not be smart.

Some areas that concern many Prius drivers might be great specialties for you. Thinking about suitable 12 volt batteries at a reasonable price, and troubleshooting suspension alignment (etc.) when there are concerns about high speed/wind stability.

I used to think there could be a cottage industry rebuilding HV batteries, but for the most part they are turning out to be way too reliable.

I'd be happy to bequeath my classic Prius accelerator pedal rebuilding. It's been real slow lately...

Aftermarket installations of data scanners, audio, and 110 VAC inverters (my particular favorite) seem like a good sideline.

Engine oil changes would probably be low-profit, but there may be a niche for a provider that bundles this with 'appropriate' OC intervals, synthetic oil, and used oil analysis.

Your website, linking to great Prius info on the web (like PriusChat), and perhaps highlighting a 'Prius question of the week' (with answers from you or other attributed sources), would really enhance visibility and traffic. In other words, I am suggesting that you should have a web site.

Last thing might be to consider a move to the highest population of hybrid vehicles. But then again, I don't know where you are...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(trance @ Apr 23 2007, 12:02 PM) [snapback]428520[/snapback]</div>

With my past cars, I switched from dealers to reputable independent technicians as soon as the cars were out of warranty. The same will be true for the Prius if I can find one conveniently located (my office is located virtually across the street from a Toyota dealership).

 

>Would you consider using a WELL QUALIFIED independent tech? Anyone?

if it wouldn't void my warranty, sure.
mobile service - great.
come to where i am, change the oil, rotate the tires, reset the maintenanc e light, yup, i'd pay someone to do that.

i wonder if you'd have enough volume to make a living at it however.

 

Yes, trance, we need you! Please come to Tulsa!

I go to quality independents because they have my best interests in mind, doing the job right, explaining exactly what needs to be done and why, all because they depend on repeat business. I feel strongly that I've saved money over the life of my cars by using the indepenent shop vs. dealer. See cartalk.com's mechanics files for examples.

 

Trance, Yes I would go to an indy who I thought was qualified but I echo Bill's observations from post 5. Starting small and running a business on a "hobby" level is a good idea. A fair sized loyal clientele can be built this way. However, I can't stress this enough: DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB! Being a good mechanic is one thing. Running a successful business is another. Should you get to the point where you want to expand into your own shop please do so only after you have learned about the business side of running a business.

I have a brother who is a mechanic. He used to have a steady clientele come over the house for oil changes, brake jobs, and no doubt other stuff that I've forgotten about. He was also a certified mechanic at a Jeep/Oldsmobile dealer. Things went downhill in his life and he lost interest in doing the side jobs and repairing the cars in the family. He was persuaded to open his own shop in a gas station. No business sense, no advertizing, no customers, no money, and after a year, no business.

I urge you to keep a day job that offers medical coverage and certification. Getting these on your own is a lot more expensive than you may believe. The SBA or VISTA may be able to provide guidance. Best of luck with your decision.

P.S. I believe I know who you are.

 

I have a marketing company, so let me give you a bit of my thinking. It's free and worth every penny!

A business is like a three legged stool; any one leg is weak or missing and you fall on your a$$, losing a lot of $$. The three legs are DOING the business, in your case being an HSD specialist; RUNNING the business, buying parts and supplies, paying people on time, taking payment (you need to take credit cards, it's a cost of doing business and not that expensive), budgeting, taxes, accountants, bankers, etc., etc.; and GETTING MORE business, which is where the flyer (where will you put them out?) and the web site and lots of word-of-mouth come in.

Most people get into business because they like the DOING, which is good but not sufficient. I could argue that even if you were only mediocre at the DOING, but good at the RUNNING and GETTING MORE, you could be successful. Most small business fail, and it's not because the entrepreneur is incompetent in the DOING.

It is physically demanding, financially scary, and an emotional rollercoaster for you, and your family, to jump out on your own. I encourage you to run your part-time business as a business from the get-go. Register your business name with your state, incorporate if necessary, meet any government requirements for your kind of business, talk to your insurance agent about liability insurance and any other insurance you may need. In other words, operate it as a business, not a sideline.

The cost of diagnostic equipment may be high, but what happens if you make a mistake and someone's car dies and they sue you for replacement, or worse, something happens and they are injured and they sue you for a bad repair job, even if that isn't the cause?

I'm glad you are looking at this from all angles, and I really hate to be such a wet blanket and so pessimistic sounding. I wish you every success! Just be prepared to do three things all the time.

 

Would definitely come to you to install my EV switch. It's been sitting in the envelope for a year now!!

And I agree with those that said that they would like their mechanic to "know my car", and would rather come to just one mechanic for everything from the oil changes to the 60K service.

 

I would go to an indy in a second a) if I knew they were experienced with the hybrid system b. they were less expensive than the dealership c) they guaranteed their work, if defective d) they were accommodating so far as scheduling is concerned e) there was no conflict with warranty validity.

So far as the business angle is concerned, cash is your friend. You also may want to look into a loan structured for a small business. You'll have to work like heck to find a bank that'll be supportive to you. You'll probably have to sign personally. You should research Small Business Administration loans and see if these are geared for your needs from a pay down perspective and an interest rate perspective. These may not require as comprehensive personal backing since they're structured to prompt start up companies, so they may even be more forgiving in the event of a default.

I cannot stress enough that you should invest in a good business accounting system so that you can identify your expense outlay, view income, profit and cashflow trends. You can probably even view income trends per geographic area so that you can better identify a sector where you may want to concentrate your future marketing.

It'll take you anywhere from 3 to 5 years to get a business off the ground, and that's giving it your full time investment. Take that into consideration as you'll only be doing this part time. This is one of the main reason that businesses fail. The owner doesn't incorporate endurance into their start up business plan. Also, many start up businesses are not financed adequately, which is why I brought up cash and lending.

From everything I've read, business cards are the least expensive, most widely read means of getting your business name out there an identified. Trade marks, tag lines and logos can work wonders. Colors are important too, so know your marketing target and research the psychology behind colors and your target audience. Maybe you can design a tri fold pamphlet and have a slot for your card?

Get acquainted with a good CPA. They can set up the corporation for you (which I highly recommend) and figure out which corporate structure will benefit you most. To do your own research before hand, google C Corporations, S Corporations or LLC's. Each structure has their own benefits and/or drawbacks and/or limitations. Pay attention to the tax structure for each as this'll be what affects you most at the year end period.

Contact an insurance agent to find out which business coverages you'll need to ensure that you're protected from any monetary damages that may be inflicted upon your business due to perceived negligence. You may need E&O insurance, general liability coverages to name a couple. If you have employees, you may need worker's comp insurance or your State may have a fund under which you'll be able to operate without an insurance company policy. Research "Occurrence" and "CLaims Made" forms to better understand which type of policy you should get within these coverages. Your agent will be able to help you better identify what you need for your type of business.

I'm wishing you the very best of luck. You deserve it!

 

I would take advantage of the aftermarket add-ons... especially if I didn't even have to go shopping for the item myself. I'm sure that I could handle them myself, but I would much rather have someone who's taken the dashboard apart a few times handle such things.

 

I have for MANY years, valued Independent Shops. In part because I can actually talk with the Technician who works on my vehicle. The 'layers' of insualtion present in Dealerships' Service Departments have always, and still do, irritate me. Regardless of the knowledge level of the "Service Advisor" (or whatever they call him or her), they still simply cannot know all the details the Technician knows - and that person represents added costs for servicing my car. For my 2004 Prius, now traded for a 2007, I did have my Dealer Service Dept. provide maintenance for at least two reasons - [1] The technical complexity of the Prius for which my Independent Shop was not trained or equipped, and [2] Warranty repairs and upgrades. Another factor was the reputation of the Asst.Svc.Mgr. who has an excellent "Prius knoweldge" reputation in the Dallas area - learned about him in the Prius Meetup Group. In addition, should there be a significant or major problem, the Dealer records would verify maintenance, changes and previous repairs. Surely these comments would not surprise you.

In time, Independents will certainly continue to become a factor as Prius and similar hybrids continue to proliferate. Should you make your 'move,' I wish you the best and believe that a market for your services will continue to grow.