How Much Does a Mobile Mechanic Charge Per Hour?
If you find yourself in need of a mobile mechanic, chances are, you’re not thinking about the price. If you’re stuck on the side of the road with a flat or in need of an emergency fill-up, all you want to do is get on with your day.
In many areas, mobile mechanics cost just as much as in-house mechanics with standard rates anywhere from $70-$100 per hour of labor.
This, of course, depends on the cost of living in the region and the average mechanics rate for your city, as well as how far you are from the nearest mobile mechanic, and whether it’s a holiday, after-hours, or a weekend.
Because mobile mechanics don’t charge more – or much more – than a standard mechanic, it can leave you wondering why the in-house mechanic business model has lasted for so long. By searching for a mobile mechanic near me with Same Day Pros, you’re certain to find quality work at an affordable price.
How Do Mobile Mechanics Get Customers?
Mobile mechanics get customers a variety of ways. Sometimes, it is through the recommended provider search for insurance companies. Other times, it might be word of mouth from satisfied customers.
Every mobile mechanic has a different strategy for marketing their business, and many own their own business as an individual, freelancing mobile mechanic. This means that there are plenty of creative ways that they market themselves as a one-man (or woman) band.
Some larger companies, however, are now beginning to send their mechanics out, offering a mobile mechanics service, in which case this gets rolled into the current marketing efforts which often include tv or newspaper ads, local listings, and word of mouth through return clientele.
The most popular way for mobile mechanics to get customers whether they are well-established in their service city or brand new to the area is to get recommendations from listing sites like Same Day Pros.
This ensures that they are held to a certain standard of legitimacy, and they must enroll as a contractor and list their service areas, giving customers additional peace of mind whenever they call in a service request.
Why Should I Hire a Mobile Mechanic?
No one plans for accidents or roadside emergencies, which is why it’s important to keep your vehicle tuned up and in good repair in the first place. By keeping your vehicle in good condition, you can minimize your risks on the road.
Unfortunately, not everyone has time for visiting the mechanic on a routine basis. Even something as simple as going in for oil changes every 3,000 miles or 3 months can be difficult to manage if your schedule is busy.
Fortunately, mobile mechanics have put an end to constantly balancing your time between the mechanics shop, work, and your personal life. Mobile mechanics help you balance that work-life balance, traveling to provide services to you, wherever you are.
Mobile mechanics can visit you wherever your vehicle is located, whether it’s the side of a road, your home, or place of business.
They’ll quickly take care of the problem for you, allowing you to get back onto the road in no time, without any additional time spent or a surprise trip to the mechanics shop when something goes wrong.
Mobile mechanics have only been around for a few years, but they’ve received a large amount of praise over their ability to save time and stress when car troubles arise.
What Services Do Mobile Mechanics Offer?
The type of services any particular mobile mechanic offers will be determined based on the equipment they have on hand, as well as their personal business model.
Most mobile mechanics offer basic maintenance services such as changing your oil, taking care of the air filters, and replacing fluids in the vehicle. Engine tune-ups may also be offered depending on the mechanic and the make of your vehicle.
Other services mobile mechanics can offer often relate to emergency roadside assistance services such as changing spark plugs, tires, and brake pad and rotor replacement.
In some cases, your mobile mechanic may even be able to perform more intensive services such as starter and alternator replacement or even detailed diagnostics and repair.
If you are looking for a mobile mechanic for a specific problem, it is important to check with the mobile mechanic to ensure that they can perform the services you are looking for before hiring them. If you aren’t certain what services you need, diagnostics can be done on-site. Often, repairs can be made immediately once the issue is diagnosed, depending on the problem.
Unfortunately, there are some services that may be out of a mobile mechanics’ hands, such as wheel alignments or intensive work that requires the vehicle is suspended higher than a portable jack can raise the frame.
Questions to Ask Your Mobile Mechanic Before Hiring
You should always ask your mobile mechanic questions before hiring them for the first time. Fortunately, you only need to do this once, because once you get to know a mobile mechanic, you can count on them to help you whenever you need it next.
First, it’s important to ask about their service range and their experience. To learn more about their experience, you can ask for customer reviews, but this is not often something that mechanics keep on hand, nor is it an actionable question to ask when you are short on time and need services quickly.
Instead, try determining their expertise by their relative knowledge and helpfulness. Mobile mechanics should be able to help you troubleshoot the problem over the phone while they prepare to dispatch to your location.
If you have any kind of insurance coverage for repairs or damages to your vehicle, it’s important to ensure that the mechanic is covered by your insurance.
Unfortunately, most mechanic work isn’t covered by insurance unless emergency roadside services are included at minimum, but it is important to ensure that the mechanic you are working with is qualified as a service provider under your insurance.
Whether it is within your car insurance’s network isn’t a matter of how skilled the mobile mechanic is, but whether they have signed a deal with that provider allowing them to be covered under the services.
Next time you are looking for mobile mechanics services, be sure to check that they are covered under your insurance provider so you can submit a reimbursement claim, and you’ll be back on the road as if nothing ever happened.
Credentials Are Important
While you might not expect to see any customer reviews, credentials are important when it comes to hiring the right mechanic. (1) Many states require that the mechanic is not only certified to do their work, but also hold a valid business license and insurance to protect both themselves and your assets should something go wrong on the road.
“In most states, you’ll have to be a certified mechanic[…]”
– Entrepreneur
Credentials like these elevate mechanics above the average person who understands how to fix a vehicle. While it’s always important to have a rudimentary understanding of how to fix or repair your car in an emergency, relying on a professional with the proper credentials gives you more peace of mind in the moment and helps reduce potential risks and hazards that come from improper training, especially if your vehicle is stranded on a busy road.
The Process of Hiring a Mobile Mechanic
Hiring a mobile mechanic is easy. So long as there are service providers in your area, all you have to do is go to Same Day Pros’ and search for the service type – in this case, mobile mechanic near me – and enter in your zip code.
We’ll look through our database to see if there are any mobile mechanics in your area. If so, we’ll quickly connect you with a list of providers who are local to you and ready to help today.
Does Your Vehicle Need Servicing?
If your vehicle needs maintenance services, it’s important to get it done as soon as possible. Waiting to get any kind of work done on your vehicle shortens its lifespan and increases the risk that it will develop a larger, more problematic issue as the smaller problems wear away at other parts.
Instead of carving out precious time from your day, hire a mobile mechanic who can come to you and get your vehicle back into prime condition in no time.
Mobile Mechanics Provide More Services Than Emergency On-Site Repairs
For the longest time, mobile mechanics were only thought to be available for emergency on-site repairs and roadside assistance because they would be dispatched by insurance companies whenever they called in. Fortunately, that’s not the case. (2)
“buying a used car is a process full of potential pitfalls. […] If you can, hire a mobile mechanic service to do an on-site inspection.”
– Forbes
Mobile mechanics can also provide their skills in ways that don’t involve hands-on car repairs, such as on-site inspections if you are purchasing a used vehicle, registration inspections for a vehicle you own, and diagnostics to help you figure out minute problems that might not require a repair.
How to Choose the Best Mobile Mechanic in Your City
Choosing the best mobile mechanic doesn’t have to be difficult. Simply choose Same Day Pros whenever you’re looking for a new service. Type in the service you are looking for, and search for your zip code. We’ll help connect you to a mobile mechanic near you as soon as you need it.
Next thing you know, you’ll be connected with a mobile mechanic local in your area whose waiting to hear from you. Discuss the details with them, and they’ll dispatch to your location in no time.
Benefits of Using Mobile Mechanics Services
Mobile mechanics provide their customers with a significant quality of life improvement, allowing these individuals to go about their day with fewer stressors. Their job is to fix your vehicle so that you can get back on the road in no time. Many people, however, use mobile mechanic services even when they aren’t in a situation that requires roadside assistance. While many services are moving into centralized locations, it seems that the mechanic’s shop is dispersing into a more remote-based, flexible model of work that is starting to make house calls.
Below are some of the most common reasons that people use mobile mechanics’ services even when they’re not strictly necessary.
Affordable Auto Maintenance
Mobile mechanics’ affordable rates are just one of the reasons that people choose their services over standard in-house mechanics or even dealerships.
Because of their reasonable hourly rate, it often makes more sense to call the mechanic to your home or place of work to do vehicle maintenance rather than take off work early to make it to an appointment.
Skip Crowded Appointments
No one likes getting up early in the morning for a car maintenance appointment, which can make the mechanics’ shop a wild place while everyone else is just waking up.
With mechanics bustling about trying to get their work orders done for the day, and grumpy customers unhappy about how they have to spend their time waking up, the shop can become a mess of confusion, making the wait feel like it takes forever.
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for a mobile mechanic. Once they arrive on-site, they’re focused on your project, then they move on to the next customer in line, leaving you with a perfectly repaired or maintenance vehicle in its place.
Stress-Free Car Repair
For many people, the idea of car repairs never brings the words “stress-free” to mind. Damages are often a surprise, so you’re reluctant to spend the money, but you need the vehicle to travel. Feeling like you have no choice in the matter is stressful situation, but add to that matter figuring out a new ride while its in the shop, and coordinating appointments?
Mobile mechanics make the process easy. The vehicle stays wherever you are, and the mechanic comes to you when it’s time to make the repairs. It’s as simple as that!
More Time in Your Day
Forget having to wait for appointments or taking a late lunch to make sure your vehicle’s oil is changed. Hiring a mobile mechanic to take care of all the work for you can give you more time in the day, allowing you to spend the extra time in the day however you’d like.
Can A Mobile Mechanic Do the Same Job as a Workshop?
For most services, a mobile mechanic can do just as good a job as a shop mechanic. The only differences between these two skilled workers are the equipment they have available to them.
For general repairs and services, a mobile mechanic is most often equipped with the tools necessary to do repairs, replacements, diagnostics and maintenance.
More in-depth repairs may still require you to visit the shop.
When You Might Need a Mobile Mechanic
You might need a mobile mechanic if you are on the side of the road with a busted tire or in need of a spark plug replacement. Mobile mechanics can also help you diagnose the issue if you aren’t certain what is wrong with your vehicle.
In a pinch, mobile mechanics can help you repair, replace, or maintain just about anything with your vehicle so long as it is not so in-depth it requires stationary equipment that only a shop can house.
Let Same Day Pros Help
Same Day Pros is the top resource in your area helping customers connect with pros the very same day. Whether you’re stuck on the side of the road or don’t have time to visit a mechanic yourself, hiring a mobile mechanic near me is one of the best options for a busy schedule.
After all, you deserve to enjoy some of your time off, not spend it waiting in the stuffy mechanic’s waiting room across town.
We’ll help you find the right fit for your needs. Simply search for mobile mechanic services and enter your zip code and we’ll start searching our list of mobile mechanics to find the best pros local to your area.
References:
- Entrepreneur, Mobile Mechanic, https://www.entrepreneur.com/businessideas/mobile-mechanic
- Forbes, How to Negotiate The Price of a Used Car, https://www.forbes.com/wheels/advice/how-to-negotiate-on-a-used-car/
