The Irish Mitsubishi FTO Owners Club

hi all well heres the deal for the last year i have been looking to start a mechanics apprenticeship but i cant find a garage close enough to me that has any available so im contemplating opening my own small garage only problem is i need a mechanic.I have a premises in kildare just outside rathangan village on my parents property .Its a decent size garage detached from their house and they have given me permission to set up there if i can find a mechanic willing to take the job.As this is a new venture i cannot guarantee wages but once up and running i would hope to offer better than average wages along with a percentage of the yearly profits.any mechanic would have to have his/her own tools and be willing to train me as well but i already have some experience so im not a complete novice.If anyone is intereted or if you know anyone let me know cheers folks

One thing that strikes me with this one - what's in it for the mechanic ? You are bringing the premises but he has to bring everything else.
I may be missing something, but what are the main selling points for your own Mr Miyagi ?

What you want is a slave

I see where hes coming from, in times like this, recessionary that is, there are a lot of people out of work, and they would give anything to be doing something with their days again, if it meant working for very little pay for a while till they get the opportunity to do something better then they'd settle for that. Look at all the FAS courses out there now, you work for someone, and you dont get paid, all you get is the dole, yet people are doing them so they can just get experience in their jobs, especially people just out of college.
Might be a long shot getting someone but I admire your initiative and if it works good for you.

cheers dragonheart at least you have the sense to understand what was written ,im not looking for a slave im looking for a mechanic who is either out of work or looking to get himself a better deal and start a new garage the only reason i havn't said a 50/50 partnership is that the premises are my parents and i cant have someone own half a business on my parents property.And in answer to me only providing the premises,i have had my own business which i lost in this wonderful recession ,and it takes more than someone with mechanical training to run a business ,vat ,tax ,marketing etc etc so im offering someone the oppurtunity to share in the profits without having to worry about the messy end of it, and in the process if i can learn the trade its a win win situation.all the mechanic is asked to provide is his tools which i would expect any good mechanic would already have im not looking for any one to put up any money or investment hope this answers your doubts

Thanks for the replys

and when i said better than average wage i meant better than a mechanics wage and any garage needs more than one lad workin it, so training me or having a different helper/apprentice is all the same only one less wage

eamop wrote:cheers dragonheart at least you have the sense to understand what was written ,im not looking for a slave im looking for a mechanic who is either out of work or looking to get himself a better deal and start a new garage the only reason i havn't said a 50/50 partnership is that the premises are my parents and i cant have someone own half a business on my parents property.And in answer to me only providing the premises,i have had my own business which i lost in this wonderful recession ,and it takes more than someone with mechanical training to run a business ,vat ,tax ,marketing etc etc so im offering someone the oppurtunity to share in the profits without having to worry about the messy end of it, and in the process if i can learn the trade its a win win situation.all the mechanic is asked to provide is his tools which i would expect any good mechanic would already have im not looking for any one to put up any money or investment hope this answers your doubts

Thanks for the replys

Good stuff - that makes it a lot clearer. I'm understanding the selling messages now. The initial mail had me thinking of a spotty teenager who just finished school and whose dad has offered him the shed out the back to try and make something of. I'm being somewhat facetious of course, but you get what I mean

Good luck with it.

fair play to ye mate, think dragonheart sumed it all up. the state the job front is in, i cant see why this cant work for you, hope it works out for ya, if it does , we know where to go to get work done on our fto's at discount prices

Best of luck. Boards.ie have an entrepreneurial forum, maybe if you posted there someone might be interested in your idea.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=106

Cheers lads gonna put a few more ads up on boards and might even get fas to advertise it but need to check a few more things out first but at least I know now it's not a bad idea so thanks lads

Would your parents mind if you got a lift installed?

I know its no a necessity but you'll find most mechanics are happier when they don't have to be scrambling under cars the whole time!

I can get you a motor trade quote for your insurance........

Uncle B wrote:Would your parents mind if you got a lift installed?

I know its no a necessity but you'll find most mechanics are happier when they don't have to be scrambling under cars the whole time!

no they wont mind i already talked to them about it and they have given me free reign to do what i want would need to re arrange the roof joists slightly to allow the room to lift a car but its not a big job just have to take some joists out and raise them a days work only.I actually already priced a lift €1300 would get a decent new one

and dave yeah that would be great what do you need to know

Just give the office a call, 01-4033700, motor trade would be one of our main lines of business....

ok cheers dave need to make a few calls to the local planning office tomorrow just to make sure its ok to use the garage for business purpose and then find a mechanic obviously then i,ll start to look at the business start end of it can i ask for you when i call

No ask for Mark Farrell, tell him I sent you... I don't work in the insurance side of the business!

ok thanks again dave and everyone else for your positve comments and obviously all fto members will receive a good discount if i get it started so thanks again folks

If you're raising the roof you'll need planning all right, and for change of use for the garage I think, even though its still a garage its now commercial so you'll probably need to get planning for that too. Try not to go too high on the roof and there should be no bother with it though. No harm in talking a planner to get a feel for it first though, always looks good on a planning form when you tick the box that says you had a meeting with a planner.

Brilliant initiative.. Rooting for you!

Cheers lads
I don't have to raise the actual roof structure just the internal joists if you can imagine it's like a small bungalow in construction with a tiled roof which is plenty high for a lift but inside it has a small attic space with timber joist like the ceiling in a house so just have to raise these to accomodate the atttic space into the garage and gain the extra head height so now need for planning for this work it's change of use I need to talk to the planners about

Thing with the change of use is the discharge of oil, and other messy stuff going on related to garage work. Also where is the garage located and what tools are you intending using, if theres a lot of noise and its in an urban area it limits the possibility of getting planning, if in a rural area out of the way theres a much better chance. Would probably have to submit proposals for getting rid of effluent, watch that one, saying you're running waste into a septic tank or sewage wont work, dont know what they're take on bringing it to a waste disposal place is, presume its ok as a lot of places do it. Also ventilation, and the usual boring stuff of health and safety awareness and fire exits blah blah blah, lot of niggley bits but once you're aware of them all you'll be grand.

Yeah I know what you mean .well to start with it's rural so shouldn't be a problem with noise etc once kept within workin hours and a mechanic already exists about 3miles up the road on the same stretch of road but in a more populated area so should be ok .As for waste products oil coolant etc so long as it is disposed of safely can't see that being A problem.I am also in the lucky position that a farmer at the back of my folks house built three large farm buildings without permission blocking a lot of light onto my folks property and they're an eyesore too , my folks put in a complaint but that granted him retention so they would have a hard neck to refuse this as a precedent has been set so hopefully will just be a formality. And as the building has two exits , one garage door at the front and a side door the fire exit should be covered too

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/57/58080157.html
Guy looking for a job as mechanic.

Cheers Cullen but I think he might be too far away for this gig but might pop him an email anyway

actually looking forward to this working out for ya mate. you get people with same idea and then say,sod it couldnt be arsed.
so any names for this business venture. have to have a name.