Where a mobile mechanic can work in Brisbane
Off the street, except in an emergency
Brisbane City Council's Health, Safety and Amenity Local Law bans painting, dismantling, repairing or maintaining a vehicle on any council road or road related area, and that includes footpaths. The exceptions are emergency repairs, such as changing a flat tyre or charging a flat battery.
Driveways, garages and car parks
So a service or a brake job needs off-street space: a driveway, a garage, or a work car park where the building manager is happy for it to happen. In a unit block, check with the body corporate or the building manager before the mechanic arrives.
Not every suburb is the City of Brisbane
Greater Brisbane takes in other councils with their own local laws. Browns Plains, for one, is in the City of Logan. If the car is outside the City of Brisbane, ask the mechanic what's allowed where it's parked.
Heat and storm season
A driveway in full January sun is a hard place to spend two hours, and storms are common from November to March. If you've got a carport or some shade, say so in the note, and ask what happens if a storm rolls in halfway through.
Jobs that suit a driveway, and jobs that don't
Logbook servicing, oil and filter changes, batteries, brake pads, drive belts and a lot of diagnostic work can all be done where the car sits. RAC WA, for one, says its mobile mechanics do the same logbook service items as a service centre, but leave wheel rotation and balancing for a hoist at a fixed workshop.
Anything that needs the car lifted high or the gearbox out, a wheel alignment, a big suspension job, or a repair that turns out to need parts nobody carries in a van usually ends up at a workshop. A good mobile mechanic tells you that on the phone, not after an hour on your driveway.
What to sort out before a mobile mechanic arrives
- A flat, off-street spot with room to walk right around the car and lift the bonnet.
- The keys, plus the service book or a photo of the page for the next service.
- A gate code or parking instructions if it's a work car park or a unit block.
- Whether they'll take the old oil, filters and battery away with them.
Mobile safety certificates
If you're selling, some approved inspection stations will come to the car. Queensland's Find an AIS tool can filter for stations offering a mobile inspection service, and the department says to check with the station, because its listings rely on third-party information.
Where we'd start
If the car won't start, we'd pick "Come to me" and say so in the note, because a battery or starter fault is often a driveway job. For a scheduled service, we'd make sure there's room off the street first, then send the job with the postcode where the car spends its day.