You should stick with your bottom line - no money, no work. No one expects you to work for free - if they do, they are probably delusional.
If the owner wants you to continue working on the car - have him pay up - your time = money. If he wants you to bring him the hood - have him pay up - you are not a delivery boy = money for transportation costs.
I know that you probably don't want to leave things unfinished - but you hit it on the head early on your post. This is NOT your car, you don't have any personal interest invested in it. If the guy needed to fix the car on a deadline and for a fixed cost - he should have taken it to a body shop and have them fix it for 4 or 5 times the cost easy.
Bikeman982
You should stick with your bottom line - no money, no work. No one expects you to work for free - if they do, they are probably delusional.
If the owner wants you to continue working on the car - have him pay up - your time = money. If he wants you to bring him the hood - have him pay up - you are not a delivery boy = money for transportation costs.
I know that you probably don't want to leave things unfinished - but you hit it on the head early on your post. This is NOT your car, you don't have any personal interest invested in it. If the guy needed to fix the car on a deadline and for a fixed cost - he should have taken it to a body shop and have them fix it for 4 or 5 times the cost easy.
You are exactly right.
I do like to see things finished - especially cars I work on.
I usually do a complete job - even the small items should be corrected.
A body shop would not have tackled this car - they would have said "unfixable/unrepairable".
I accepted it as a challenge and now have it back to a drivable condition.
I do have to return there - I like my jack stands.
Given time, I think they will get more desparate to have it completed and meet my terms.
I will wait it out.
More to follow.
Hate to see that someone is trying to take advantage of you... Hope they payup + an advance on the remaining work. I know you'd like to finish what you started.
Bikeman982
Hate to see that someone is trying to take advantage of you... Hope they payup + an advance on the remaining work. I know you'd like to finish what you started.
I like to help out friends, but this person is only the owner, and not someone I have known for a while.
They can finish the car on their own, unless I get more money.
More to follow.
Bikeman982
I e-mailed them that it will be $100 for the hood. That is cheap.
More to follow.
I e-mailed them that it will be $100 for the hood. That is cheap.More to follow.
You bought that car back to life and the owner should appreciate of what you did. Plus 20 hours of labor is alot already. He should pay you double for sure!
Be VERY careful when you are transporting the hood...
Bikeman982
I was called by the owner and I will bring the hood down (for $100).
My plan is to take the hood off my car and put the hood for the repair car in its place.
When I get there, I will take it off and drive home without a hood.
As far as I know, it is not illegal to drive without a hood in CA.
The owner wants me to do more work - change the window from electric to manual, etc., but that will cost extra (parts and labor).
What would be a fair labor rate to charge?
1,424 posts
I was called by the owner and I will bring the hood down (for $100).My plan is to take the hood off my car and put the hood for the repair car in its place.
When I get there, I will take it off and drive home without a hood.
As far as I know, it is not illegal to drive without a hood in CA.
The owner wants me to do more work - change the window from electric to manual, etc., but that will cost extra (parts and labor).
What would be a fair labor rate to charge?
$65 an hour.
That's what the local mechanic charges in our little town in south central Ohio.
Bikeman982
I was called by the owner and I will bring the hood down (for $100).My plan is to take the hood off my car and put the hood for the repair car in its place.
When I get there, I will take it off and drive home without a hood.
As far as I know, it is not illegal to drive without a hood in CA.
The owner wants me to do more work - change the window from electric to manual, etc., but that will cost extra (parts and labor).
What would be a fair labor rate to charge?
$65 an hour.
That's what the local mechanic charges in our little town in south central Ohio.
Is he a mobile mechanic??
1,424 posts
I was called by the owner and I will bring the hood down (for $100).My plan is to take the hood off my car and put the hood for the repair car in its place.
When I get there, I will take it off and drive home without a hood.
As far as I know, it is not illegal to drive without a hood in CA.
The owner wants me to do more work - change the window from electric to manual, etc., but that will cost extra (parts and labor).
What would be a fair labor rate to charge?
$65 an hour.
That's what the local mechanic charges in our little town in south central Ohio.
Is he a mobile mechanic??
No, and that is his hourly labor charge, electrical diagnostic work is $100 an hour
my mechanic buddy charges $20-40 per hour for side work and the local shops charge $65-85 an hour. the dealership is over $100 per hour. I'd say $25 per hour for time spent and include trips for parts and drive time. so if you spent 2 hours on the car and an hour chasing parts total $75.
Bikeman982
my mechanic buddy charges $20-40 per hour for side work and the local shops charge $65-85 an hour. the dealership is over $100 per hour. I'd say $25 per hour for time spent and include trips for parts and drive time. so if you spent 2 hours on the car and an hour chasing parts total $75.
I was trying to get $20/hour (which seems too cheap now).
The gas is not too important, since I stop by on my way to work. It is two miles from where I work.
I don't go unless I have to work, otherwise it would be $10-$15 for the gas.
As far as the hood - I have changed transport method.
My wife's Mazda3 Hatchback is big enough to hold the hood and I can borrow it for a day.
I just put the hood inside and drive it there.
It will be $100 for the hood (used from the local junkyard, not perfect, but still acceptable).
Bikeman982
No work today, so the hood will be delivered tomorrow.
More to follow.
The owner wants me to do more work - change the window from electric to manual, etc., but that will cost extra (parts and labor).What would be a fair labor rate to charge?
Why change the window from electric to manual????
You should charge more because you are driving there. $65+/hr sounds reasonable.
Bikeman982
The owner wants me to do more work - change the window from electric to manual, etc., but that will cost extra (parts and labor).What would be a fair labor rate to charge?
Why change the window from electric to manual????
You should charge more because you are driving there. $65+/hr sounds reasonable.
I am changing the window from electric to manual because the car has manual windows and I changed the entire door which was set up for electric.
Now I need to change the door to match the rest of the car.
I am driving 2 miles out of my way - on the way to my work.
They could never afford $65/HR - Plus the car is not worth it.
It was totalled by the insurance company. It is a 1995.
The repair bill would cost more than another car.
I just want to see it back on the road again (but not for free).
Bikeman982
Bringing the hood down today.
Should I just drop it off, or install it as well?
I also need to get my jackstands back, so I will jack it up and then take them out.
In case I get no more money to work on the car, everything of mine will be removed.
I can walk away and never go back.
It will cost the owner at least $25 an hour for my time there and I don't think they can pay.
I have other cars I can work on.
I would not install the hood. No Money = No Work.
Labor is not free - plus you probably already kicked in some extra time here and there for the project. Delivering the hood is already above and beyond what is to be expected (aside from getting your jack stands back).
Bikeman982
I would not install the hood. No Money = No Work.
Labor is not free - plus you probably already kicked in some extra time here and there for the project. Delivering the hood is already above and beyond what is to be expected (aside from getting your jack stands back).
I concur.
Hood delivery and jackstand retrieval are my objectives for today.
I might put the hood on the car (I am not bringing any tools, so it will be a placement in position, but no attachment).
If I get no money, the hood comes back with me - hopefully after I have my jackstands back.
Bikeman982
I dropped off the hood, picked up my jackstand.
The owner had already taken the car off the jackstands.
They still owe me for the hood.
If they want me to continue working on the car - they will have to pay for it.
The car does run and they drove it to the gas station and back.
There is some work still needed on the car and we will have to negotiate the terms, if they want me to do it.
Bikeman982
I went back on Friday, and of course, they had no money.
They installed the hood themselves (although I would have done it better - too much gap between one fender).
It may be the last I see of the car, since it is running and all parts are installed.
It does need more work, as the headlight connectors, corner lights and bumper lights are broken and need replacing.
The door handles are missing/broken and need to be changed.
The window regulator has to be converted from power to the original manual.
Bikeman982
No reply to my e-mails and no call from the owner.
I am now looking for another car to work on.
There is a 1993 Honda Acura Integra that has been sitting in my neighbors driveway for 2 years.
I am thinking of making them an offer on the car to see if they will sell it.
It needs a fender, tires and some engine work.
Anyone familiar with this kind of car???
1,424 posts
No reply to my e-mails and no call from the owner.I am now looking for another car to work on.
There is a 1993 Honda Acura Integra that has been sitting in my neighbors driveway for 2 years.
I am thinking of making them an offer on the car to see if they will sell it.
It needs a fender, tires and some engine work.
Anyone familiar with this kind of car???
One of my best friends had a 1994 Integra RS 2 door.
It was a great car, fun to drive, sexy, ran like a top.
It was reliable, but when things did break they were expensive.
Remember that even though an Integra is an entry level type car, it is an Acura and parts are not as plentiful or as inexpensive as Honda and Toyota parts.
Bikeman982
No reply to my e-mails and no call from the owner.I am now looking for another car to work on.
There is a 1993 Honda Acura Integra that has been sitting in my neighbors driveway for 2 years.
I am thinking of making them an offer on the car to see if they will sell it.
It needs a fender, tires and some engine work.
Anyone familiar with this kind of car???
One of my best friends had a 1994 Integra RS 2 door.
It was a great car, fun to drive, sexy, ran like a top.
It was reliable, but when things did break they were expensive.
Remember that even though an Integra is an entry level type car, it is an Acura and parts are not as plentiful or as inexpensive as Honda and Toyota parts.
I have seen similar cars at the local junkyard and thought it was a fairly common car.
Definitely not as common as a Toyota.
My plan would be to purchase it for a low price, change the fender and tires and fix the engine, then sell it at a profit.
I probably would not keep it, since I am more of a Corolla guy.
1,424 posts
I have seen similar cars at the local junkyard and thought it was a fairly common car.Definitely not as common as a Toyota.
My plan would be to purchase it for a low price, change the fender and tires and fix the engine, then sell it at a profit.
I probably would not keep it, since I am more of a Corolla guy.
You may see more Integras than other Acuras since they are relatively inexpensive, but they are no where near Civics and Corollas in terms of availability
What you need to remember is that like Civics, not all Integras have the same engines and transmissions.
Depending on year it may have a 1.6L, 1.7L, or 1.8L. Unless you want to do a lot of work, you will need to find one from the same model year or close to it with the right type of engine.
To further complicate things, there are three trim levels of Integras (GS RS and GS-R or GS, LS and GS-R depending on year) some with different engines even for the same model year. If the car happens to be a GS-R or Type R then it needs the GS-R or Type R engine or you're misrepresenting what the car is when you go to resell it..
yes this can be fixed, I have seen way worse fixed before, just get some junk yard parts and you should be good to go.
