Wow. that is too much!

 

45.00 an hour here.......

 

There are many ads in the paper and Internet of people who work on ATV,Sleds and thing privately around here that work for half the rates here that work out to be a much better deal. There usually ex dealership mechanics or work on the side at home after work.

 

Obviously none of you have run a business before.

You think maybe they have to charge so much because there isn't too much work......how about the facilities, lights, heat, insurance, etc, etc. and then everyone wants everything dirt cheap!

Just take being an air craft mechanic.......do you get that in your check? Do you have down time like an atv mechanic may have?

I am not a mechanic or work at any dealership, but do own a business. We charge well over $100 an hour. For some reason people think we make over $100 an hour every day of every week just like their piddly hourly job. It's not true, and to be honest, it's tough out there. People collecting an hourly check every week will never understand.......

 

$80+$20 for oil and filter, for a oil change is a rip off no matter what anyone says. If a business can no do a 15 min job for less then that then maybe they should be out of business.

I go to a lube business with my truck and they charge $35 and that includes the oil and filter and greasing and a truck take 3X the oil as a ATV.

 

I actually do run a business....but not an ATV related business so it doesnt apply.

Local place has been in business for over 30 years. Father and son shop. They sell used motorcycles, atvs etc and do service....but mostly the do service. They keep maybe 5 or 6 used units out front. They charge $35 an hour......they have all the work they want and dont lack for money.

They are polite, knowledgeable and usually you have no longer then a 2 day wait to get in for work. They dont inflate prices on parts, in fact the few times I have checked they sell me parts cheaper then I can order them on the internet. They also dont have a flat rate.....they charge me for 15 mins of time to change the oil in my motorcycle......and a big $3 for an oil filter. I bring my own oil.

Shows you dont have to charge outrageous hourly rates to survive.....if you know what your doing. Apparently they have it figured out as they have been around long enough to see the other guys come and go, come and go.....while they keep on working.

 

aaron.....maybe that dealer doesn't have overhead like other dealers??? Maybe they don't have as much competition???? Maybe they like to live on hot dogs and beer????

I've seen plenty of dealerships close up. They don't make as much as some think.

TLC, I think the quicky lubes have a little more business than an atv dealership for oil changes. There are quite a few more cars and trucks than atv's. Besides that, they have a 17 year old kid swapping out the oil, and not using a qualified mechanic to do it. They work on volume and cheap labor. That can't be done in every business. As a matter of fact, that is one reason quality is in a downward spiral in this country.

 

You have a point there there skilled guys do every job even the quick easy jobs like belt,spark plug and oil changes. I think they also have a minimum 1 hr fee even if the job takes 10 min.

IF my dealer offered to change a plug,belt and oil for free labor I would decline, It just would not be worth the hassle of hauling the ATV down there and picking it back up and bringing home for a job like that.

 

They likely dont have much overhead....as they dont have fancy building, tons of inventory or the like. They also dont have any competition to speak of as everyone has gone out of business. They certainly dont live on hot dogs and beer....they own (not make payments on) their own homes, have a few bikes and cars but dont live extravagantly.

.....but like I said....apparently they have figured out how to do it right as they are still there doing it and making money in the process all while charging $35 an hour.

The succeeded where others failed.

 

If your business model is to charge exuberant prices to compensate for downtime then you should be out of business because that is a bad business model...
you also need to keep in mind that typically during down time prices actually drop, its the common theory of supply and demand. So your argument doesn't make any sense at all.

The reason dealers charge so much is because its specialized labor. Finding good mechanics for atvs I'm sure is much more difficult then say a vehicle mechanic and thus will take a larger wage to keep them around.

Although I agree that $80 for an oil change is outrageous, that in of itself is a different issue then the hourly rate charged by a shop.

$50-$75 hourly sounds about the average for atv work at a decent shop.
I used to work in the specialized area as a mechanic and my company charged $150 an hour for my labor because i was the only one in the state certified for it, of course I made MUCH less then that lol