Is offering services as a "Prius Handyman" a good idea?

Interesting question, from the degree of ignorance that is prevalent about the Prius and cars in general I think it is a good idea IF, you can round up a steady supply of customers. To find out if you are protected from liability then probably you would have to go the whole legal business liability route, with legal, tax advice, etc. However a small relationship might evolve with the Prius owners in your neighborhood, on a casual basis thru distributing advertising on the neighborhood parked Prii. I"m sure house calls would be most useful. Wish you luck. :cheer2:

 

just don't charge them for replacing the waterpump belt, that sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen!

 

There is a class of activity called "hobby". It's sort of a "below the radar" business that doesn't make much money, or may even lose money. Another class is "day laborer", which is generally ignored, and sometimes even supported. Day laborers work for cash, no benefits, and no reporting to anybody.

And then of course there's a fully licensed, reported, insured, etc. business. You'll probably need a business license from the city. The city planning department will require that your business be located in a place that is zoned for business. The state sales tax people will want to know your projected taxable revenue, for which you may have to make a deposit. If your city/state requires a license for a car repair business, you'll have to satisfy them.

One business model you may want to follow is the mobile locksmith. There must be some website where these guys gather to talk shop.

If you want to have a business name other than your personal name, you'll have to get a "DBA" (Doing Business As) from the local county clerk's office. Once you've got one of those, you're committed to doing the next nine yards, as you've declared your existence to officialdom.

My suggestion is to put up a notice on Craigslist and see if it flys. Something like "Prius Maintenance, Oil Changes, Tires Rotated, etc". You might get a prepay cell phone to use as the contact phone number. And a free email account from Yahoo or Google. Run the ad for a week, and then drop it or at least change it. If you get a flood of calls, maybe you should go formal. If it's just a nibble or nothing, you haven't wasted all the effort and money that it takes to go formal.

 

If you are in Chicago area, I will definitely be one of your customers.

 

1. Form an LLC -- SteamPunk Prius Repair LLC
2. Get a tax certificate so that you can buy parts at wholesale from the dealers and parts stores and not pay tax on them either.

 

Depends on which model. The Gen II has a belt; the Gen III is beltless.

Tom

 

Saw on this mornings news that a woman is suing Toyota because she didn't turn her car off and left it running in the garage, killing her SO from carbon monoxide poisoning.

 

I would take the class and become A Certified Prius Technician. Also in this lawyer feeding frenzy lawsuit society I would not be so quick to blow off the insurance. All it would take is one lawsuit and you could be through before you get well established. There are many Prius owners that would prefer a properly trained mechanic over a dealer. Good Luck on this one, it could be a Goldmine !

 

I think it is a *great* idea, but definitely set up an LLC. You do not want your personal savings and home at risk from a lawsuit.

Heck, you could offer vanilla Prius maintenance per Toyota reccs at a fraction of the cost of the dealership. Booya!

 

It's either a job or it isn't. If you take money for it, it's a job, and one screw-up could cost you everything you own and everything you will ever make. If you want to make money doing this, treat it as a real business and form an LLC, get insurance, and any license you might need. If that's too much bother, stay away from charging.

Tom

 

When it comes to the state & taxes you are either all the way in or all the way out.

First, is there really a market for the service? Oil changes & air filters, wiper blades yes. How many light bulbs burn out? Part of the car's charm is low maintenance.

Back in his younger days my brother built up quite a clientele for oil changes, brake jobs, etc. (things that didn't need a lift) by word of mouth mostly Mom's coworkers & relatives. All the work was done at home. He got discounts at the local auto parts store. He was not licensed or registered in any way & had no problems. He was an auto mechanic so he knew what he was doing.

Second, if you apply for sales tax exemption the state is going to expect to see payments of sales tax collected from your customers. They will also expect to see income from your business since you are buying stuff for resale. This income is going to be reported on your tax return unless a separate entity is created.

Now that you are collecting, paying & reporting sales tax your business is going to need a location & some sort of license or permit. I'll bet your home isn't zoned for commercial use so you'll need to rent some commercial property.

What did you intend to do with the waste oil? How is that regulated in your state?

My advice: stay low. Solicit the neighborhood, coworkers, parked Prius. If you can get some jobs lined up buy oil when on sale. Your services seem low risk so I wouldn't expect legal or insurance issues.

Best wishes for doing some good in the community.

 

Another quick thought... If you do it informal, don't charge any markup on parts/oil. That would be a sure sign of being in business. Going shopping for someone is in a different legal world than buying at one price and selling for more.