Interesting Do-It-Yourself auto shop just opened up...

[YELLAHEEP]

Down south here, near Broadway and 470. A place called "Auto Bayz" just opened a few weeks ago. It's a fully equipped auto shop with several bays, lifts, oil change rack, tire changer and balancer, A/C service equip, major tool checkout service, mig welder, bead blaster cabinet, large parts spray washing cabinet, and many other services.

Basically you rent a bay depending on your needs (lift: $25/hr, no lift: $20/hr) and you can wrench on yer own junk. Do your own oil changes for $8.33 and they have a full body/paint shop in the works to open soon where you can rent body prep and paint booth time.

Seems like a very cool idea. I'll be doing the oil changes on the GTO there since it's kind of a drag to do it on the ground. The wife's Envoy has some heat shields that are squeaking around the gas tank - the lift will come in handy for that for sure. They even cater to clubs for meetings and tech sessions..... :thumbup:

If you live south, swing by and check it out 8071-A S. Broadway, Littn. 80122. They have a website, but it's still under construction www.autobayz.com

Maybe it'd help some of you guys out that live in apartments and such. I wanna see this place do well! Great concept!

 

[Yucca-Man]

Benn trolling CO4x4, Troy? This topic is (was?) there...but I think it got deleted for whatever reason. Happens too frequently around there.

I like this idea; it reminds me of the Auto Hobby Shops we had on MCAS El Toro and at Camp Pendleton. Did plenty of work on my CJ-5 at CamPen and would love to be able to do the same here.

 

[XJ_99]

Yeah lets hope no one abuse the place cause that is a great idea . A friend of mine is doing the same idea but with a car wash/detail rent a bay type thing in longmont he also does chip and paintless dent repair.

 

[philip_g]

I had thought about a place like this before but thought it would be impossible due to liability, I guess not.

Down in parker is a DIY wood shop called wood-n-you, neat idea too.

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Benn trolling CO4x4, Troy? This topic is (was?) there...but I think it got deleted for whatever reason. Happens too frequently around there.

Nope, saw this on my own driving thru the area. Grand opening signs saying "Do it yourself auto shop" made me put it in reverse and go in to talk to the owners.

The super-mods at CO4x4 probably deleted it because maybe the thread there (not unlike mine here) sounds a bit like a business promo. Those mods over there need an enema in the worst way......

Yeah, I asked about the liability issues. Basically, you sign a waiver with a million words crammed into it. I have a feeling that someone getting hurt will likely be their undoing. I plan on going by there when I have more time to see the waiver, and look more into the tools/features they have to offer. I like that I can now bust tires and rims myself for $4 a wheel. I can do oil changes and not have gallons laying around until I can find a place to dispose of it.

I'd probably get a whole bunch of use out of that place once I start on the '46 Olds street rod project I have here. I could get a bunch of use out of the media blast cabinet - hell, the lifts would come in handy to lift the body off the frame.

 

[philip_g]

the problem I'd have is long term projects, you'd have to trailer them back and forth...

but yeah, one idiot dumps a car on his head and it's game over. do they have a mandatory shop safety class or something you have to take too?

Still, when I put long tubes on the goat I'll be THERE, or a clutch.

 

[xj-grin]

My brother in law and I talked about doing this like 5 years ago, but we too thought the liability insurance would be a killer - novice idiots with power tools, lifts and all... cool though, it may get some use from me too...

 

[XJ_99]

Well if they have a tire machine and balancer no more paying for mount and balance for me on new tires.................

 

[philip_g]

Well if they have a tire machine and balancer no more paying for mount and balance for me on new tires.................

if ya know how to operate them, it can't be hard but I have NO clue.

 

[liqwid]

if ya know how to operate them, it can't be hard but I have NO clue.

I'd need a refresher but it was seriously just a 5 minute lecture when I was in high school so I'm sure you could ask a couple of people to show you how.

 

[YELLAHEEP]

The cool thing is that they have at least one ASE certified tech on duty there who's only job is to be as much help as possible - at no charge. When I toured the place the other day, he was under a minivan helping the guy swap out CV shafts - dirtier than the guy who was supposed to be doing the work! They also employ people currently attending auto tech schools as staff who show you how to operate the machinery, so if you take tires/wheels down there, they'll be more than happy to be sure you know what you're doing first.

 

[philip_g]

that's damn cool. I have these used 32"s I haven't wanted to spend the $ to M&B, I'll take them up there this weekend.

 

[XJ_99]

I used to work for Super Shops back in the day doing tires and wheels it is real easy..............

 

[old_man]

There used to be one in FC. It was called U-Auto-Fix-It.

 

[YELLAHEEP]

I used to work for Super Shops back in the day doing tires and wheels it is real easy..............

Gawd, those were the days huh? Super Shops..... the car guy's candy store. I can still remember the radio ads. I wonder why they folded? Seems like they shoulda been able to stay in business since they really weren't much different than 4 Wheel Parts is now....

 

[philip_g]

checked this place out today, pretty nice place. Really nice people, really helpfull, their balance is a POS though.

they taught me how to run the tire machine and balancer and off I went, you're right, the tire machine is easy, the balancer is a little harder but only because they didn't have weight that would clip on my wheels so I had to use stick ons...

overall it cost me 58 bucks to do 4 tires, I could have paid a shop abou $12 ea to do them but next time I bet it'll go quicker.


if business goes well maybe they'll invest in a swamp cooler

 

[YELLAHEEP]

I went there today to fix a flat tire off my trailer. Cost me a whopping $1.07 to plug it.

Why did it cost $58 to mount an balance 4 tires? Shoulda been no more than $8 a tire from what the manager told me last week......... :dunno:

Please give us the break-down on how that was priced. That's kinda pricey.

 

[philip_g]

I went there today to fix a flat tire off my trailer. Cost me a whopping $1.07 to plug it.

Why did it cost $58 to mount an balance 4 tires? Shoulda been no more than $8 a tire from what the manager told me last week......... :dunno:

Please give us the break-down on how that was priced. That's kinda pricey.

from the invoice they gave me:

tire changer 4x $2.00 = 8.00
Tire Balancer 4x $2.00= 8.00
hydraulic floor jack 1.88hr x $1.00 = 1.88
flat bay rental 1.88hr x$20 = 37.60
Tax 4.08
---------------------------------------------------------

59.56

Now had I brought the wheels and tires in off the vehicle I could have probably rented the mini bay for $8 an hour, or maybe I could have this time I really don't know, I used their floor jack to lift my diff and used my own 4 way wrench so.... I don't have another jeep or SUV so I had to drive it in on the wheels I was mounting the tires.

I agree that's very expensive, would have been cheaper to pay swiss tire to do it and they would have had the right weights, not these stupid stick ons that will come off wheeling. he also did a static balance because of the weight situation.

PM me if you still want to run carnage tomorrow with your pops, I'd be up for it.

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Ah. Didn't figure in having the tires still on the vehicle and doing the work in a bay. Makes more sense now. Didn't realize they charge for using things like floor jacks and such. I thought everything out on the floor like floor jacks, jack stands, impact wrenches and the like would be included in the bay rental - I understood it that if you had to go into the tool room for a "specialty" tool, then you'd have to pay for that tool usage.... didn't realize you gotta pay for every little thing you use there.... that could be a big drawback.

 

[philip_g]

Yes, everything, 1-2 dollars an hour.
I don't know if you used their balancer but it's a POS and they didn't have the right weights for the jeep wheel (according to the tech) so I had to muck about cleaning the inside of the wheel to use the stick ons.

Honestly unless I NEED a lift bad, I won't be back.