What can a mobile mechanic do in your driveway?
More than most people expect. RAC WA says its mobile mechanics can do the same logbook service items as a service centre, with one catch: rotating and balancing the wheels needs a hoist at a fixed workshop.
Swapping a battery, testing the charging system and working out why a car won't start are the other everyday mobile jobs. Heavier work, like a clutch or a gearbox, usually goes to a workshop, and the mechanic will tell you which side of that line your job sits on.
Where the car is changes the job here
Across the river at Noosa North Shore
There's no road or bridge to Noosa North Shore. The cable ferry over the Noosa River at Tewantin is the only way in, so if the car's on that side, put it in the note and the mechanic can plan the crossing.
Up on the Blackall Range
Maleny, Montville, Mapleton and Flaxton sit among rolling hills, and a sloping driveway is no place to jack up a car. RAA asks for flat ground, off a public road, with room for a trolley jack before it does a mobile inspection, and that's a fair test for any mobile job. If home is on a slope, a flatter spot nearby may work better.
Unit blocks and holiday lets
If the car lives in a unit block's car park, check the body corporate is happy for work to be done there, and that there's space beside the car. Mention the car park level and any height limit in the note.
Broken down on the motorway
A car that stops on the Sunshine Motorway or the Bruce Highway is a safety job before it's a mechanic job. Get everyone well away from the traffic, put the hazard lights on, and call roadside assistance if you have it. If anyone's hurt or in danger, call 000. A mobile mechanic can take over once the car is somewhere safe.
What to tell the mobile mechanic
- The exact spot: the street address, the car park level, or which side of the Noosa River.
- Whether the car starts, and what happens when you turn the key.
- The make, model and year, and which service is due if it's a service.
- Whether there's flat, off-street ground with room to work beside the car.
- For a battery job, whether the car has stop-start, since RAC WA says AGM batteries suit stop-start cars.
Questions to ask before you say yes
- Can this job be done where the car is, or will it need a workshop?
- Is there a call-out charge on top of the work, and will it be on the written estimate?
- Will you stamp the service book or update the digital record?
- If you find something bigger, what happens next, and who moves the car?
Does Queensland license mobile mechanics?
Queensland has no general mechanic licence, mobile or otherwise, so ask about the business's ABN, its insurance and who'll be doing the work. A safety certificate is different: only an approved inspection station can issue one, though some of them come to the car. Safety certificates on the Sunshine Coast covers that.
Where we'd start
If the car won't start, we'd make sure it's safe where it sits first, then pick "Come to me" and describe what happens at the key. For a routine service at home, we'd mention any shudder or pull at speed, because a wheel balance needs a workshop hoist and it's better to know that before the mechanic turns up.