Why mobile work suits the Central Coast
A long way between places
The Coast covers 1,681 square kilometres, and not all of it is close to a workshop. Mangrove Mountain is 34 km west of Gosford, and Yarramalong is 20 km up the Wyong River from Wyong. When a car won't start out there, a mechanic who drives to it can be the difference between a fix on the spot and a long tow.
Cars that sit while you take the train
The rail line mainly serves people commuting to Sydney or Newcastle. If the car stays at home most of the week, a mobile mechanic can service it there. RAC WA says infrequent use can affect the battery, fuel quality and tyres, so mention how little it's driven.
Stopped on the M1? That's roadside assistance
The M1 is often disrupted by breakdowns and crashes, and it carries heavy freight. If the car stops there or on a busy highway, get everyone somewhere safe away from the traffic, put the hazard lights on and call roadside assistance. If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 000. A mobile mechanic is for once the car is somewhere safe.
The van needs a licence too
NSW says a mobile repair business needs a motor vehicle repairer licence, the same as a workshop, and part-time work isn't exempt. NSW Fair Trading points to the Verify NSW tool for checking a mechanic's licence, so it's quick to look up before the van turns up.
What can be done at your place?
More than people expect, as long as the job doesn't need the car up in the air. RAC WA says its mobile mechanics can do the same logbook service items as a service centre, except wheel rotation and balancing, which need a hoist at a fixed workshop. Batteries, starting faults, and fluids and filters are the bread and butter of a mobile van.
Batteries are the classic call-out. RACV says a replacement should have the same or higher cold cranking amps, the same size and the terminals in the same places, and RAC WA says some new batteries need the car's electrical system reset afterwards (battery registration). Give the make, model and year so the right one comes on the first trip.
A pink slip at home is possible too, but only from a mobile AIS provider. NSW says the pink slip fee doesn't change, though a call-out fee may apply, so ask before you agree. An ordinary mobile mechanic can't do the inspection. Pink slips on the Central Coast has the rest.
Worth asking before the van comes
- Is this a driveway job, or will the car need a hoist?
- Can you do it on a sloping block, or should I move the car somewhere flat?
- Will you bring the part, or is it a second visit once it's ordered?
- Is there a travel or call-out charge, and is it on the written quote?
- Can you stamp the service book or update the digital record?
What we'd do
For a car that won't start at home, at work or out in the valleys, we'd go mobile first, and say in the note exactly where it's parked and on what kind of ground. If the job needs the car on a hoist, like a wheel balance or anything underneath that's major, we'd skip the van and send it straight to a workshop.