Mobile Mechanic - 2002 Dodge Dakota Tool Tour Including a Quick Jack!

[@viplegaleducation1292]

I can appreciate the thought process behind your setup.

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! It's worked out really well.

[@scottfoster2487]

I like the fact you usebasic non brand tools. nice set up,KISS!

[@mjspiess]

Thank you! I have had a few wobble extension break, but I was really torqueing them. And my Ryobi wrench broke, so I sent that back for warranty. Otherwise, I've been pretty lucky.

[@carlgallegos7903]

I really like your setup simple and to the point and great way to use space thank you for the look at your set up

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! I'm almost 3 years in and still using this setup. Good luck on your setup!

[@beardedtoolreviews7185]

The solar panel and led lights in the cab is a bad ass idea would of never of thought that. Good video and keep up the good work brotha!

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. I'm sitting on some footage, but I've been so busy with appointments, it's been really hard to find time to edit and upload, but it's on my to do list!

[@Joseph-eh4rs]

Yeah, very well organized. Love the solar panel to charge up the battery on the go.

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! It's been a little over a year since posting and still going strong. I actually just quit my day job, so I'm all in now!

[@andrewszucs8161]

Very well organised

[@mjspiess]

Thank you.

[@kingc4036]

Keep going man good job 👏

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! Still going strong and serving the Lansing, MI area.

[@petruadrianpatrascu6239]

Thanks for the ideas 👍

[@mjspiess]

You're welcome!

[@gabrielmendezlopez1316]

Awesome!! Keep it up!! Greetings from Puerto Rico

[@mjspiess]

Thank you! It's going so well, I'm 99% certain I'll be quitting my full-time job after this school year and transition into fixing cars as my only income. I'm so tired of trying to do both jobs right now because I'm so busy with car repair requests! It's a good problem to have though!

[@PauloSilva-ui8gp]

Good luck man. I wish the business ramps up and you grab lots of jobs.

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! I appreciate it!

[@Rrhode23]

Are those military grade cases available for purchase anywhere? Do you have any links ?

[@mjspiess]

Good question! I searched around and found these. I'm not sure if it's the exact brand, but this looks identical. Pelican iM2750 Case: amzn.to/3O3UPgS

[@lancefletcher2963]

Not the guy who made this vid, but I also carry those. Yeah, you can buy them a ton of places. They range from the full-on Pelican cases that run in the hundreds each that you can get from ULINE or other business suppliers, I use Seahorse cases that are cheaper than Pelican but still a few hundred each I got from Amazon and eBay, and Condition 1 makes similar cases still good quality but lower budget. If you've got a local boat/marine shop - they should carry them, or something similar. Harbor Freight did - don't know if they still do - have their Apache line of cases like this too. If you've got a local Academy or something similar - their firearms section has them too, and I believe their own store brand. But yeah, you can get them just about anywhere, at several diff price points.

[@joshgill5125]

So I'm want to do the same in but I have one of those full time jobs. Lol how do you manage your time and clients to work both to get started? Love the organization.

[@mjspiess]

It's a tough balance for sure and being organized is super important! Thankfully, my full-time job at the time allowed me to keep up on emails, texts, messages and phone calls fairly well. However, my suggestion would be to start slow! A good mechanic will get slammed with service requests once the word gets out you travel AND do good, quality, affordable work. When I first started, got my LLC and liability insurance, I only had a simple Google website/business page associated with Google Maps. I asked a few friends to leave me a 5 star Google Review and that will literally put you on the map and show people you are a legit business and people can find you. I keep track of all of my appointments through my Google Calendar with the title of their year, make, model, issue, estimate and location. Always get their VIN! I've had several people give me the wrong info and it gets annoying real quick when you buy the right part, but it's wrong for their vehicle. I use NAPA online estimator and Your Mechanic to create estimates. I created a Google Form for customers to fill out to get me key info I want and need. I communicate 99% through texts and messages so everything is documented. I only scheduled one appointment each day in case I ran into an issue and could follow up the next day. Don't over commit and say yes to every service request! Stick to jobs that are 2 hours or less, fairly routine and easy. Let the shops handle big jobs, exhaust work, rusty brake lines, etc. Buy your parts the day before or pick them up on your way to the appointment. If you don't need them, you can take them back. And I send a text when I'm on my way. Be prepared for everything. A bust bolt is the worst! Drill and sawzaw just in case. After appointments, I would hand that customer a business card or two. That got things rolling in the right direction. Once I felt like I could handle more appointments, I launched my Facebook business page and that's where I get most of my appointment requests. So hold off on that until you can manage it all. I use a Google Voice number and have that set straight to voicemail so it's not constantly ringing and forwarded to my personal phone so I only carry one phone, but have a business number and personal number. I did 260 appointments my first year. And 260 my second year. That comes out to 1 appointment a day and no weekends. The second year, I stopped taking on new customers in August and just maintain my current customer base and still averaging 1 appointment a day. Good luck! If you do good work, stick to easy appointments for a high success rate, you'll do great!

[@kctyphoon]

I think a small enclosed trailer with enough head room to stand up, or a used delivery type box truck would be a worthy investment if this develops into a full or busy part time business. Eliminate as much ‘work’ involved with just getting set up before you can start doing something, and have an enclosed work area with a small work surface so everything doesnt need to be done on the ground. Even a very small enclosed trailer you cant stand upright in, with a ramp - would allow you to have a tool cart filled with tools you can just roll down the ramp and bring out all the basics you need in one trip - maybe even build a small work table on wheels to compliment the tool cart if its a really small trailer. I imagine it’s tough starting out - and trying to balance how much money you spend to get started with the amount of work you’re currently getting. Maybe if the revenue is good enough to warrant further investment, you can take the plunge and upgrade into something that will make the work easier. Cant be easy with Michigan weather when it gets cold. Good luck with your venture.

[@mjspiess]

I totally agree and it's definitely something I have entertained. The Dakota was gifted to me from my brother after he replaced it with something newer, so that was a fairly big investment I didn't really have to make in order to get started. It was a huge blessing! That being said, my up front start up costs have been very minimal. The QuickJack was the biggest purchase and I had that paid for within the month I bought it. I like the trailer idea, but I live in the city and don't have a 3rd garage bay or side parking yet and I would prefer not to park either the truck or a trailer outside. We've had too many petty and larger scale break-ins and theft in my neighborhood to risk something like that. I like the delivery type box truck or high rise transit van idea better, mainly because of my current and likely long term garage and parking situation. I haven't quit my day job yet and don't really need to rely on this extra income just yet. I plan to quit in 2-3 years and do this part time to supplement an early retirement. It's been slow, but steadily picking up over the last 2 months. I work on the school schedule and have the summers off, so I'm hopeful I can get pretty busy in a few weeks through the summer months to get a better gauge if this is going to provide enough supplemental income and help me reach financial independence and retire early! I'm extremely frugal and cheap, so I'll likely keep the Dakota set-up until it breaks down beyond reasonable repair and upgrade into something that will make the work easier as I age. Once I quit my day job, any extra income will be helpful, but my goal will only be ~$18k a year after taxes. I should be able to pull that off pretty easily April-December and take January-March off and do some traveling or work exclusively indoors during those colder, crappy months. The $18k will cover my annual taxes, medical insurance, HSA and Roth IRA contributions. All the rest of my expenses will be covered from my investments. Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. My wheels are constantly turning, thinking and planning on what I want my life and business to look like in the next 5 years and beyond. It's exciting to plan and be creative as I go and I really appreciate the feedback and encouragement.

[@kctyphoon]

@@mjspiess a friend at work has a son that does this full time out of a small older pickup truck. He was a professional mechanic before this. He just spent 20 grand last weekend on a newer truck cause the frame on his current one started bending under the constant weight of all the tools hes having to carry. I’m betting years of salt and rust from the winters didnt help (we live in NJ). I’m sure hes also been carrying much more in terms of heavy tools. Maybe a newer style van like a Dodge Promaster can be something to grow into down the road. A lot of telecom contractors use them cause you can get a high top model and stand up while working inside. They use them as mobile labs for fiber splicing,. Enough room for a work table and tool cabinets or shelving on the opposite side. Many channels on KZbin use them to make campers out of. Small enough for a residential driveway and just big enough to work or live/camp out of. I didnt have good luck with those harbor freight line wrenches. They were great at rounding out old brake lines and were quickly replaced. Good luck - subbed..

[@mjspiess]

@@kctyphoon I believe it. Trucks are so expensive! I don't know how, but my Dakota has very little rust, but most I see around are very rusted out. I'm mostly sticking with "easy, quick" repairs that won't require an air compressor, generator, etc to hopefully cut down on heavy equipment. Yeah, those Dodge Promasters are nice and roomy and yeah, I see them being used to convert into mini campers which is definitely in my future. Bummer you didn't have luck with the Harbor Freight line wrenches. To be honest, I've only used the 22mm on a few O2 sensors. I've been lucky so far on the brake line front, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the tip and subscription!

[@project4bangers]

Love the video! I just started a mobile mechanic business as well. I’m considering getting a quick jack. How long does it take to set up from the time you pull it out to the time the car is being lifted? And do you just plug the hoses in and plug the cord in or is there more to it?

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! The QuickJack is pretty awesome! It does take some time to set it up and I'll likely get faster, but I'd plan for 20-30 minutes to get it set up initially...which seems daunting and counterproductive. However, I just had an exhaust leak inspection this week and it was well worth the effort as I could inspect the entire exhaust while rolling around on my creeper. Pinch welds make it so you have to be pretty precise as you only have a few millimeters of play to get the lifting blocks to align onto the pinch welds...all at the same time lol I've found if I start with the pinch weld block, I can often barely slide another block below and the pinch weld block only falls a little bit, but stays within the pinch weld keeping it well aligned. Once the blocks are placed, I slowly lift to make sure there's no tilting, but after that, I send it all the way up and lock it out. Yes, the hoses are all quick connects and plugs into any 110v with extension cord. The alignment is what takes the longest, but I think worth it so far.

[@georgeschmitz4422]

How do you advertise for new customers. What management software do you use?

[@Subpopular01]

Great setup. Looks very efficient without being overly expensive. Question, have you found the quick jack to be worth the money overall? Has it been as useful as you hoped? Im thinking of getting one

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! Efficient and cost effective was definitely in mind with this set-up. Yeah, I think so. I can set it up in 5-10 minutes now and has proved to be pretty useful. I typically use it for brake jobs, especially if I'm doing both front and rear or brakes + oil. It's also super helpful for transmission oil/fluid changes as the vehicle is level and allows you to get the fluid level correct once warmed up. It's great for exhaust work too, although I don't really do much exhaust work up here in MI. And finally, I use it for pre-purchase vehicle inspections so I can spot potential rust, etc. under the car more easily.

[@WizzRacing]

First guy I seen. That doesn't have a Harbor Freight 2 ton aluminum jack...Was the first thing I bought.

[@mjspiess]

My traditional Craftsman floor jack sprang a leak, so the Harbor Freight 2 ton aluminum jack may be in my future lol I really like my QuickJack though. I rarely use my floor jack anymore unless I'm working on just one corner of the vehicle.

[@WizzRacing]

@@mjspiess Yeah I don't think that lift was made to moved all the time. Maybe if they come to me. Then it might be worth it.. But man you need electricity to use it...An added expense...I just use ramps.

[@mjspiess]

@@WizzRacing It's quite mobile with the wheels. I haven't had any issues with it. Even at apartment buildings I've been able to use it with an extension cord. Car ramps are definitely simple and effective though, especially for simple things like oil changes.

[@bperrybap]

I'm curious why you didn't go with the 12v quickjack pump. Seems like that would have been useful for some side of the road or parking lot type things where 110v power isn't available.

[@mjspiess]

Yeah, I know. Home Depot didn't have the 12v pump on sale at the time and I'm not sure if they ever do. I do a decent amount of work out of my garage too, so it was a tough decision. I read the 12v pump can be pretty hard on the batteries, so I didn't really want to deal with dead batteries too.

[@spencershaw2407]

you are in lasing me too. im a dealer tech right now is business good?

[@mjspiess]

Cool. What dealership are you at? Business has grown very well for me, so much so, that I am quitting my full-time job in July after the school year is over. Last month was my most profitable month. I had 26 appointments in 31 days and exceeded my monthly expenses, so I plan to just schedule 1-2 appointments a day and be done by noon, Monday-Friday and coast into early retirement. I don't plan to work at all/very little January-March while the weather is crappy up here. I have my own garage I can work out of, but I prefer to remain mobile as MANY people have really appreciated the fact they don't have to go anywhere.

[@spencershaw2407]

@@mjspiess I work at Grand ledge Ford. not experienced enough I don't think to be doing mobile mechanic only been doing it about year and a half. so many things seem to go wrong. but I'm gonna try get a few easy jobs outside of work

[@mjspiess]

@@spencershaw2407 Got it. I'm currently an Athletic Trainer at Saint Johns High School, but I've been maintaining my own, friend's, family and neighbor's vehicles for 15 years. After 15 years, things still go wrong lol But, I definitely have a fairly good feel for what to avoid so my success rate and customer satisfaction is high. I try to stick with jobs that are 2 hours or less and mostly routine maintenance/repairs. Yeah, for sure start off with easy jobs like brakes, starters, alternators, batteries, thermostats, spark plugs, etc.

[@gabrielmendezlopez1316]

How is it going so far?

[@mjspiess]

It's going well! I'm still using this set up. I quit my full time job a year and a half in. I am still doing this, but just part-time by choice. The first 2 years, I did 260 appointments in each year. This year I took most of June, all of July and most of August off to travel and will only do 150 appointments, but I'm staying busy as I want to be and making ends meet. I love the freedom, but it can be exhausting if you book 4+ appointments a day. My goal is 1-2. That allows you wiggle room the next day if you happen to run into issues the previous day or weather issues. I've learned a lot along the way.

[@gabrielmendezlopez1316]

@@mjspiess Awsome. I would love to try something like this. Sounds like a lot of responsibility and dedication but it must be great. I would like to start with simple stuff then work my way up. Thanks 🙏 for the feedback

[@mjspiess]

@@gabrielmendezlopez1316 It can be stressful starting out, it is a lot of responsibility and dedication, but I think it is highly rewarding. I would advise sticking with repairs that are simple, 2 hours or less repairs. You want your success rate to be consistently high. This will keep you motivated and get you a lot of referrals. I started off at $60/hour. $80/hour year 2 and now I charge $100/hour. Starting off lower will drum up business very quickly. Starting an LLC will allow you to open commercial accounts at O'Reilly's, Auto Zone, etc and you'll save a lot on parts prices which will help make you money too.

[@gabrielmendezlopez1316]

@@mjspiess Good to know I was wondering how much per hour starting out. I think that is a very fair price considering today's market.

[@gabrielmendezlopez1316]

@@mjspiess I'm also happy that O'Reilly auto parts just open in Puerto Rico so now we have almost every auto parts at hand to work with.

[@jimmyhall1903]

Great video! How well does your ryobi tools work out in the field?

[@mjspiess]

Thanks! They have been working great! My only complaint is battery life, but I only have 2 standard base model batteries for now. I plan to get bigger Ah batteries later, but as long as I remember to use my solar charging set up, I always have a spare fully charged and ready to go. Impact sockets make a big difference with the impact wrench. It takes off lugnuts with no issues most of the time. The ratchet really speeds up disassembly and reassembly. It's nice combo to have.

[@kevinkeenan9607]

I hope your truck dont have the 4.7 v8 in it

[@mjspiess]

Nope, it has the 3.9 V6. I'm just about to roll over 180k miles and runs well.

[@kevinkeenan9607]

@@mjspiess Thats good because the 4.7s don't normally make 150k I enjoyed your video im hoping to start a mobile mechanic business pretty soon

[@mjspiess]

@@kevinkeenan9607 Good to know! Thanks! My business is thriving so much I'm having a hard time keeping up! Although, I'm still working my full time job too, but I'm so busy with car repair requests, I'm planning to quit my full time job after this school year. I'm hoping to put out more videos soon, but it's so hard to keep up with everything. I have a lot of footage to work through, but just don't have the time. Good luck on your start up! It's been fun!