Do people ever rent garage space to wrench on their own cars?

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hobbitz09@reddit

Some us military bases have space you can use

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I rent out an airplane hangar with buddies. It’s really cheap! Like $270/mo. Each. I have a garage now so even though we’ve been there almost 2 years I think we are gonna stop the lease. It’s been awesome though. Highly recommend

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materialfax@reddit

Having a lift makes the work so much easier. Laying on your back underneath the car is not fun.

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Realistic_Ad_165@reddit

We have a place in town that rents lift space. It's been going a couple years, I hope it does well. I have no need for one because I can do most things at work. An actual auto repair place. Having access to info like procedures and wiring diagrams is as valuable as a lift. Although a lift is in the near future

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aroundincircles@reddit

I looked into doing one, even had a building that I was ready to sign a lease for, I couldn't get insurance for it. Period. Not that the insurance was too expensive, but I was told "no" by everybody and anybody. If I had opened my own mechanic's shop I could have gotten insurance, but not for a DIY place. ( I was going to rent out space/lift/tools/etc). This was \~15 years ago or so. I wanted to be a mechanic, but was in an accident that messed me up, so wanted to do something I felt was "adjacent". Now I work in IT, and work on my own shit boxes.

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Select_Angle2066@reddit

Yea, all the ones I've ever heard of are pretty much all dried up. And that's what I keep hearing, its the insurance that's the problem.

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Amputee69@reddit

When I owned motorcycle shops, the insurance was cheap, even after having to use it now and then. But. Employees ONLY in work areas! Otherwise they would cancel on me.

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cyprinidont@reddit

There's a place near me that does this so it's definitely possible. I go there when I need all 4 wheels off the ground and level.

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Raalf@reddit

story of my life, brother. i ended up just getting a house with a second, detached garage and finishing it out with a minisplit and insulation. Now I just hide in there and drink beer and wish I knew what the fuck I was doing with the cars lol

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aroundincircles@reddit

I bought property a couple of years ago, and plan on building a big enough workshop on to be able to install a lift, so maybe by my 50's I won't have to crawl around on the ground to work on cars.

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shotstraight@reddit

Be careful when building and make sure your floor is reinforced for the lifts, I have seen them go through concrete that was too thin. When building my home shop, the building inspector saw my lift under a tarp before the building was complete, and I got a cease and desist letter from the town about working on cars.

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aroundincircles@reddit

https://www.bendpak.com/support/frequently-asked-questions/car-lifts/

the lift manufacturers have the required cement thickness right on their website.

I live in an area that short of shooting guns on my property I can do anything I please, and the only reason I can't is because I simply need more land, I only about 3 acres, and I would need 10.

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shotstraight@reddit

I was too, and the county transferred zoning to the nearby city halfway through my build.

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broke-ass-@reddit

this is 100% the way

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bspires78@reddit

You could always try and find a decent sized storage unit that lets you work your car and turn it into a small shop

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Motorcycle-Misfit@reddit

Had the same idea, as others have said insurance killed it.

I share a pretty decent motorcycle shop, I have heated/AC garage with couple bays, well equipped, tools, lifts, tire machine, etc, in part because a couple buddies and I pooled our tools and equipment and share the costs and space.

Even with that, we all signed liability waivers, should the building burn I don’t wanna be liable for their tools or motorcycles. I signed one so they wouldn’t be responsible if a tool or piece of equipment they provided fail. It’s a litigious world.

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Polar_Ted@reddit

I had an older friend who ran a garage/ small dealership and had built a new building to work from so he rented me and a few other friends bays in his old shop. It was a blast having lifts and air to do whatever we wanted.

Mid 90s me and the car I should have kept. RIP Wayne.

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LetWaldoHide@reddit

There’s a funny story about Mathew McConaughey renting a garage in LA to work on his cars behind the building Ralphie May lived in. He would scream out the window about how his movies sucked ass and Matthew would get fighting mad but didn’t know where it was coming from.

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Furthur@reddit

insurance. the rate id pay equals the labor id pay to have a pro do it

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Amputee69@reddit

In the past, you could rent a bay at night from a Service Station aka Gas Station to do simple things, like brakes, tuneups etc. You usually had to be in with the owner though. That could be buying all your gasoline there, or coming in a few evenings, and washing cars or cleaning the place up. Being a member of a local car club opened a lot of "Doors" too. Some members would open their garages to others, or the club might even have a clubhouse with a big shop. When I was in the military, we had access to service bays, to work on our cars and motorcycles. Always someone in there that had knowledge you might not. There are a few places in some States where folks can afford to have a shop open to others. Many are either military Vet oriented, Disabled Vet, and even some for the gals who want to learn to do their own work. Once the old gas stations were replaced by convenience stores, we lost a great place to hangout, to learn and do....

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Isamu29@reddit

Nope too much liability. Plus people will start somthing and it takes 4x as long as they think because they dunno what they are doing. Then freak out when the rental costs to use the space start multiplying. It’s even worse when they don’t do the job correctly and now you are charging them cleanup fees and such for spilling oil, coolant and other chemicals everywhere. Plus as an owner it’s a pita keeping track of all those tools and knowing that people know how to use said tool etc.

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punkassjim@reddit

I rented a bay once at a shop like that, to do the clutch on a friend’s car, and they didn’t make clear what the price structure would look like if I just used the bay, vs also using the tools in that bay. Wound up costing me almost $2k. Massive waste of money. That place is no longer there.

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cyprinidont@reddit

I do beyond basic stuff on my Z3 in my gravel driveway lol. Sounds like you don't want it enough.

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Peakbrowndog@reddit

There's an entire market now of rented and purchased garage spaces. They are geared for the high end market, but some have a variety of options. Most also have a lift you can use/rent if you're just renting storage space. I think Garages of America are the largest chain.

Another one in Dallas is basically garages plus storage and a clubhouse with full time mechanics on staff. One's like this are usually at our near local tracks, but Dallas being Dallas, this one is over the top. https://theshopclubs.com/dallas/

Both the large cities on either side of me have DIY garages for rent by the hour, basically old mechanic shops. They both included full tool cart with rental of the uncommon tools.

Many large MakerSpaces have an auto section with a lift and sometimes storage for bigger/longer projects.

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No-Locksmith-9377@reddit

I used to use the all the time in the last 6 states I lived. Most were an amazing service with reasonable prices and great amenities.

Im mad I now live somewhere without one.

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fmeupfam14@reddit

Man there's a commercial building for sale by me. It has 3 garage bays. I wanted to keep one bay and the "store front" open to experiment with whatever idiotic business decision to try. But had the idea to rent out the other 2 bays, wondering if anyone would rent. Ideally have a 2 post lift in the bay and shop air available.

The potential problem I see is you get someone with a project that starts doing stuff, loses motivation/money/time. Then you have an inop car blocking your bay. Not sure the legal ramifications of just wheeling the car out if they fall behind/fail to pay rent x months. Because I do get that could ruin some stuff, which isn't really what I want to do.

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BurpSnarts@reddit

Theres definitely a market for the "pro-sumer" crowd. Think the guys that have projects and maybe occasional side work while maintaining a more secure full time gig in a different field. I work in automation but I've been hunting for the perfect hobby shop type deal.

As for problems, either rent it under the same agreement as a storage unit or maybe a mechanics lien would work with the help of a lawyer.

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fmeupfam14@reddit

Metal structure isn't very expensive for like an outdoor canopy type deal. Just wheel it under there if they fail to pay rent. It's out of sun and direct elements at least. Wouldn't be trying to fuck anyone. I've been there, I get it.

Idk. I'd turn a blind eye to whatever someone renting a bay and paying was doing. Not my business.

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mikemontana1968@reddit

I rent an old two-car barn for $300/mo (Central NJ). I've been renting it for about 5yrs so far. No heat, no electricity. No insulation, no floor (I built my own plywood floor). I have a beefy gasoline generator to supply power for tools & lights, and two kerosene "torpedo heaters" for the winter. Overall it sucks on hot humid days, and cold winter days. Inbetween its glorious to have a place to wrench, play loud music and just get away from the keyboard.

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WarFit9567@reddit

Me living in central jersey trying to find the same thing, Im so envious lol. How did you find the property originally?

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mikemontana1968@reddit

I was looking in Facebook Marketplace for a garage rental. Something to consider though: not having power, heat, and having to make a floor is an all around "hmmmmm would $700/mo really be a better choice".

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perrymike15@reddit

I rented a 3 car garage in an alley to ATSV swap my ATS. Worked out pretty well for me, it was $500/mo and not too far from home. I rented it for about 6 months and it served it's purpose

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qkdsm7@reddit

Mmmmmmmm :) You on any of the ATS FB groups? Looking to go that route or... manual swapping a CTS V-Sport.

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perrymike15@reddit

Yeah in the ATS - vsport - lf3/4 FB group. See my yt here:

https://youtube.com/@perrymike15

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Allumina@reddit

We used to have a “automotive hobby club” here in town where it was basically a shop that had closed its doors what whatever reason, and you could pay a monthly membership to have your car there and work on it, there were lifts available, and equipment like welders etc, but no hand tools etc (basically nothing provided that could easily walk out of the door). Not sure if they’re still in business or not, I have a professional hotrod shop and know how quickly a project can turn stagnant. Seems like clunky business model.

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HiFiMarine@reddit

I looked into opening a shop like this in Texas, but the insurance was impossible or insanely expensive.

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gedden8co@reddit

We had one in Denver but insurance was a big reason it closed. Also abandoned projects.

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ChrisTheMan72@reddit

There’s one wayyyy past highlands ranch over by Littleton U pull it that rents bays out for but DIY and business use but there 600dollors a month for a single bay. There also got a version of that up the street closer to town that’s still being built but you buy them for a 100k. Usually just gets filled up for car storage that fancier then a regular storage facility. Wish the options we got were cheaper.

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WarFit9567@reddit

what state are you in? Open to finding something together if need be

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DorpvanMartijn@reddit

I do this exactly with a friend. €250 a month, 7 m deep, 3.5 m wide. It's not perfect but I bought a party tent to put in front. Most work I do completely dry and warm, which is very nice for the 8 months of rainy autumn and winter here .. Would definitely recommend

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shotstraight@reddit

I have been a tech for 36 years and a shop owner and in those 36 years I have never seen on in NC. I think they existed in the 70's and earlier and were mostly located at salvage yards as a way to sell parts.

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87eebboo1@reddit

About 20 years ago my buddy found an old barn/warehouse with cheap rent, and enough space for about 15 cars. We had a Volkswagen club and would all chip in like $50 a month to cover the space and would have a spend a Friday night tinkering on our cars, hanging out and drinking and stuff. It was a sweet setup.

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Neon570@reddit

Don't even have money to finish my project, let alone a garage space

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too_much_covfefe_man@reddit

There's a diy place local to me. Bays with lifts and tools are like $45/hr there. I swapped out the shocks on my Pontiac and the muffler on my Miata there. Even for mundane stuff it's really nice to have the work area at chest level without having to roll around on the driveway

I used to rent a regular storage unit that I kept my motorcycles in, and would work on them there too. Not a lot of places let you do that though

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itsjakerobb@reddit

Location? I’m wondering if the place has insurance, and if so how that works.

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too_much_covfefe_man@reddit

The diy place I go to is called Ant's Community Garage, they have one in Seattle and in Everett

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Pistonenvy2@reddit

i currently do that. ive been doing it for over a decade. ive rented spaces that could barely fit the car itself to spaces that i could fit 7 cars in lol

if it isnt explicitly a temporary space you have to kind of decide if its worth it for you to just have a space that you can setup for whatever you want to do and throw the money away or if you want to make money with it.

ive never needed insurance, i keep fire extinguishers and im OSHA safety certified etc. etc. etc. but its definitely not a bad idea, shit definitely happens and it could happen to me too but just saying for clarity sake its never been a requirement for me as a renter. you definitely cant do commercial work out of a rented space that isnt zoned for commercial tho and with that kind of zoning you would absolutely need insurance to do that kind of work and the cost explodes from there, to wrench on my own shit ive always just paid rent and utilities if they werent included.

word of mouth/facebook marketplace/craigslist are how i used to find spaces, i havent had to look in a while but first place i would check is facebook.

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goatboy1970@reddit

I'm a member at one in New Orleans. It's a makerspace with an auto/motorcycle shop, a metal working shop, and a woodworking shop. Monthly membership for 24/7 access to the space and you check out the bays on discord.

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Boilermakingdude@reddit

My guy. A Miata you could literally rebody in a driveway. You don't need anything more that a 6' by 15' gravel strip

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xjosh666@reddit

I rent a commercial shop for diy. Kinda looks like a really bad sole proprietorship mechanic shop from a lease and insurance standpoint.

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ZeGermanHam@reddit

I did a frame off restoration of my GTO at a DIY shop. I rent my own private shop space now, though.

https://theshopclubs.com/

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its_just_flesh@reddit

I have, its a pain in the ass, you have to haul all your shit there and haul it all back. In the end you have to do what you gotta do to get your project going

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the-holy-one23@reddit

I’ve had a car on a rotisserie on my drive.. you don’t need a garage…

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1453_@reddit

I was in a similar situation where I had more cars than storage. I ended up buying an 1800 sq/ft commercial bay. Still in the planning stages of getting a lift for it.

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Red_Swingline_@reddit

There's one by me.

The rates are ridiculous, especially if something goes wrong and you end up leaving your car overnight.

It would be okay for a quick brake job or something where you know it's going to go well, but otherwise...

$150 or $240/day depending on if you need a hoist or not. Goes up to $395/$640 for a week, $500-1200 for a month...

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e30gang@reddit

I got super lucky finding a garage to rent from a farmer with extra bays in nj. very very rare arrangement but if your always looking and ready to take action you could get lucky too.

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Aberk20@reddit

https://www.e3storage.com/

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chucky5150@reddit

Ok, that's kind of cool. Would hate to see what the T2 pricing is, but still neat.

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Sir_J15@reddit

When I priced last it ranged from $75 a month(paid yearly) to $475 a month for personal bay with personal lift.

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Sir_J15@reddit

Some storage unit places will allow you too and some places like B2Motorsports.com do it as well.

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spareribs78@reddit

That would be cool, like Arnie on Christine.

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19Ben80@reddit

It’s not really an option in the uk, there are a few places but not many.

Most people don’t even have drives or garages, I’ve done all sorts parked on the side of a road

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bigdaddybodiddly@reddit

I've used a few DIY garage places. I'm likely going to use one in the next week or two.

If you mention where you are, someone here may be able to suggest one they're familiar with.

Since you're working on a Miata, joining the local Miata club will be a great resource, you can probably find folks to wrench with, along with recommendations for diy garages and probably folks who'll do less extensive stuff at thier place with you for a six-pack or in trade for help with thier miata.

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ShaggysGTI@reddit

Nope. I do my shit on the street like the Gods intended.

I also have to keep it registered and insured to park there but it is what it is.

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