DIY auto repair garage

Doing a professional car repair in your garage can be a good regular income or family business. Many people think about how you can set up your business if you have a garage and hands that can start any engine.

Let's calculate how much initial cash investment is needed to start your own business, and pay attention to the advice of specialists who have long been involved in auto repair "in garages".

First of all, this is a room, which is adapted for repair and painting, and also has normal access to the road. Preferred in this regard - rent, as you can present documents for these costs. For car repairs, you need a garage with a convenient inspection hole.

Advice. If you plan to register and work officially, then in addition the lease agreement should be certified by a notary, indicating all penalties in case of early termination, so that there are no unexpected problems with the landlord.

Where is it better to rent a garage - in a cooperative or in a separate building. In both cases, there are pros and cons:

• the contract for a separate garage must be concluded with the owner. Since now in Moscow and in many large cities there is a systematic demolition of unauthorized construction, many garages fall into this category. You need a garage for rent with all title deeds and registration with the BTI. It is possible to find such an equipped garage in Moscow, but the rental amount will be from 10,000 rubles per month, no less, and this is without paying for the electrician;
• renting a garage in a garage cooperative will immediately provide a certain number of clients - members of this cooperative. But difficulties may arise with the owners of garages, who will be unhappy with the flow of other people's cars and the smell of paint, the constant sounds of repair work.

Advice. Immediately look for a way out to the chairman of the garage cooperative and establish relationships with him. This will make it easier to solve the issue of paying rent and electricity bills, which on average, taking into account the tariff of 5 rubles / kW, will cost 5,000 rubles a month.

Initially, decide whether you will perform car repairs in the garage initially, then you can expand the list of services, but you need to start with the basic assortment:

• body work;
• painting and tuning;
• tire fitting - the most monetary time is the off-season (autumn, spring), the rest of the time is moderate calm with clients;
• repair and adjustment of car electronics.

Important. One person is unlikely to cope with such a volume, assistants are needed. You need a good body builder and a responsible paint person. They must work in tandem.

Often there is a situation that in case of poor body straightening, the painting master is responsible for the "jambs", because the client receives the car from him for repair. And he cannot paint normally, since the straightening is done poorly.

In the garage, you can only carry out painting and repair of the body, more complex repairs are for the service station. What equipment will be required without fail:

• hydraulics for work on body straightening - an average price of 20 thousand rubles;
• an acid bottle and a semiautomatic device - 25 thousand;
• reverse hammer and spotter - 7 thousand;
• compressor - 12-15 thousand;
• Bulgarian - 2 pieces - 8 thousand;
• spray guns for priming, for acrylic paints and for metallics - 10 thousand;
• grinding machines (flat and round) - 10 thousand;
• polishing machine - 5 thousand;
• winch - 4 thousand;
• grinding bars - 4 thousand;
• yews - 5 thousand;
• propane heat gun - for fast drying - 10 thousand.

In total, the average cost is 500 thousand rubles, you can rent the equipment, it will cost up to 15 thousand rubles a month.

Additionally, you will need a set of keys, a tool for straightening dents and many other small tools.

Depending on what kind of repair you plan to do, you may need a wheel alignment stand and a balancing device.

The expenditure part at the initial stage when buying a garage and tools will be about 800 thousand and up to a million. This is buying a garage and tools. A good, fully equipped garage for repairs with an extractor hood, good self-leveling floors and heating will cost at least 300 thousand. A regular box can be bought in Moscow up to 100 thousand.

It should be noted that if you work in your own garage, and not in a rented one, then the likelihood of inspection by supervisory authorities is lower than when concluding a garage lease agreement for repair work.

Now on the scope of work. Let's take an average of 5 cars for full painting (50 thousand each) and 15 individual parts (5 thousand each) - a total monthly income of 325 thousand.

We take into account that we pay for the depreciation of equipment, electricity and garage rent on a monthly basis - this is a minus from the income of 50 thousand, at least.

If you work officially and register an individual entrepreneur, then the costs will increase by the following points:

• accountant's pay - 7 thousand;
• purchase of a cash register;
• pension fund tax for each employee hired - 30% of the amount that was handed over;
• Personal income tax - 13 percent;
• Income tax - from 6 to 15 percent.

This is not all the costs per month. Firefighters, environmentalists, sanitary stations and many other supervisory organizations will come to you.

Make a conclusion yourself, register officially or earn extra money as a hack, without turning car repair into a business enterprise.

How to find the first customers is a serious question. Many get a job at a service station in the service department of interest and gradually build up their clientele, with which they then work "in garages", some inherit this business from their father, and some advertise for repairs on websites or in newspapers in Moscow and other large cities.

In a small town, everything is easier, because people know each other, and word of mouth works better than advertising.

Body repair is the most expensive job; in a car service for many car owners, prices are unaffordable. Therefore, the flow of clients for such work is ensured. What are the most common problems with the body:

• need repairs after an accident;
• dent from unsuccessful parking;
• slight damage to individual parts;
• blows from stones;
• scratches and dents;
• body corrosion;
• latent manufacturing defects.

More often they apply for local repairs, since major repairs require serious equipment and appropriate tools.

In addition to car repairs, it is often required to prepare the body for painting. This is a time-consuming job if done well:

• after the body is washed and dried, we inspect the surface and remove all stubborn dirt with White spirit;
• we remove all small parts (mirrors, lights, plastic and handles), process the areas covered with rust. It is more convenient to work with hard brushes or sandpaper on a drill, chemistry can cause an unexpected metal reaction. It is convenient to work with a nozzle on a vinyl drill, it gently cleans the metal and does not heat the surface;
• all areas with corrosion must be removed from the body;
• we eliminate all defects - holes, stretched metal (large dents), small deformations of the body.

That is why the straightener usually works in conjunction with painting. If rust remains, the paint will lay unevenly and quickly begin to peel off.

For these works, you will definitely need a professional soldering iron and a cylinder with oxygen and acetylene, reinforced hoses and a gas burner.

The swollen or concave section of the metal heats up and cools sharply, as a result the surface is leveled.If you buy PDR repair tools for work, then small dents can be removed in a few hours without painting and priming the body.

The workshop in which work will be carried out to restore the car body must be spacious enough. There must be enough room for manipulation around the machine. It is also desirable that there is room for a spray booth equipment. Usually, however, you have to build on what is. And often, "garages" and repair and paint a car body in the same room.

So, you need to proceed from which garage is available. If the area is small, then it is advisable to free up the space where the cars will be repaired, everything you need to transfer to one part of the room. Thus, the repair area will have enough room to work and it will be easier to clean before painting.

You can highlight the main criteria that a garage must meet so that it can be called a body repair shop, and it is convenient and safe to work. The room should be equipped with ventilation, be well lit, heated in the cold season, have a device for rigid body fastening for further convenience of manipulation with pulling devices, and you also need to have the necessary tools to carry out work on the restoration of the body.

Ventilation in the garage is necessary, even if it is just a place to store a car, and if the room is used for body repair, then ventilation is necessary.

There are three types of ventilation: natural, mechanical and combined.

Natural assumes two holes without the use of fans. One hole for air inlet, another for outflow. For this to work, the holes must be at different heights, at different ends of the garage.

Mechanical ventilation involves the equipment of the entire supply and exhaust system. In it, powerful fans are used for the inflow and outflow of air, the incoming air is heated and filtered.

The combined ventilation system is a compromise between natural and mechanical systems. A fan in a combined system is used to extract air. The inflow is carried out in a natural way. It is this scheme that is advisable to use when equipping a workshop for body repair. This option is the most acceptable in terms of financial costs and at the same time can cope with the ventilation of the workshop premises with a small amount of work.

The disadvantage is the lack of heating of the incoming air. That is, the temperature in the room will drop during the hood.

Good lighting is also very important for the workshop. With certain straightening techniques, it is important to see the surface well lit. In the process of painting a car body, good lighting from all sides is also very important. For lighting, fluorescent lamps are most often used. To increase the light effect of the room, it is better to paint the walls of the workshop white.

Each in his own way solves the problem of heating the garage-workshop. You can use a wood-burning stove, working off, diesel fuel, gas. All of these heating methods have their drawbacks.It should be borne in mind that if a stove is used with fuel that supports the fire, then there will be a problem of contamination of the room with soot, and there are usually many flammable substances in the workshop. In addition, gas stoves, for example, burn oxygen and it is not safe for health to be in a room with such heating for a long time. Electricity is a good but more expensive alternative. You can use electric heaters, or an electric boiler with water heating. When using electric heating, it is important that the wiring in the garage is adequate for the loads and that the voltage is sufficient and stable for a workshop heating application.

If the garage is properly insulated, then heating costs will be much reduced.

When correcting deformations, the body of the car being repaired must be rigidly fixed. For this, a device such as a slipway is used. Usually, in garage workshops, frame rolling stocks are used. If you use a factory slip, then the size of the garage should be sufficient for this. To use the power boom that pulls, you need enough space around the slipway.

More often, craftsmen make a slipway with their own hands. A homemade slipway is usually a floor system. The body clips are installed and screwed tightly onto the pre-installed floor mountings. The main thing is that these fasteners withstand the load of the pulling devices and the car installed on the slipway does not budge. Instead of a power tower in a makeshift slipway, channel bars or thick-walled pipes are used, concreted into the floor in several places around the perimeter of the garage.

Also, craftsmen copy and reproduce with their own hands models of frame slipways.

You can also do without a slipway, channels and clamps for rigid body fastening. To do this, it is still necessary to have loops around the perimeter of the workshop, concreted into the floor. To do this, when extracting deformations, the machine must be attached with a chain from the back side, or under lateral load, it must be supported on the back side of the body with one or more bars so that the car does not turn around. This method is ineffective. But it has a right to exist and, with not too complicated repairs, is used for body repair in garages.

There are different opinions about what you need to have in the arsenal of a body repair shop. Do I need to purchase an expensive instrument or a fairly cheap analogue. Is it necessary to purchase tools and devices that were not in use from the old school shopkeepers. One can only say to this that you need to reasonably approach the choice of an instrument, study all the pros and cons, read and listen to different opinions and draw your own conclusion.

Regarding the price of the instrument, it can be said that the higher price is often due to the professional purpose of the instrument. The service life and time of continuous operation of such a tool is longer than that of household counterparts. Again, you need to approach the purchase wisely and, if possible, not overpay for an expensive brand.

Let's take a look at the basic set of tools without going into detailed descriptions.

Welding machine

In garage workshops, a semiautomatic welding machine is most often used. Welding is carried out using an automatically fed wire. It can be cooked with carbon dioxide or without gas.Depending on this, it is necessary, according to the instructions, to change the polarity of the "mass" connection and the supplied wire. Also, different wires are used for welding with gas and without gas.

An angle grinder, popularly called a "grinder" is needed when repairing a body. It is used for cutting and cleaning metal. It is better to take a "grinder" of a well-known manufacturer from a professional series. There are models with and without speed control. It is more convenient to adjust the speed of rotation, since sometimes it is necessary to clean or grind at low speeds. "Bulgarian" without adjusting the speed of rotation is more reliable, since the design is simpler.

In garage workshops, a piston type compressor is common. It is quite reliable, durable and affordable. You need to choose a compressor based on what capacity is required when using a pneumatic tool.

Normal parameters can be considered a compressor with an outlet capacity of 250 liters per minute (350 l / m for HVLP spray guns) and a pressure of 8-10 atmospheres and a receiver of 50 liters. To paint the entire body in one go, you need a more efficient compressor.

Paint gun

The most common spray guns are HVLP and LVLP spray systems.

HVLP nozzles (High Volume Low Pressure, high volume, low pressure) are characterized by a high percentage of transfer of the sprayed material to the surface, the absence of fog when painting. Thanks to no pressure at the outlet, the air inflates the surrounding space less and does not raise other dust and debris. Requires high compressor performance.

LVLP nozzles (Low Volume Low Pressure, low volume, low pressure) are a newer development, characterized by a high percentage of transfer of the sprayed material to the surface, while they do not require high compressor performance, unlike HVLP nozzles.

It is advisable to have several spray guns with different nozzles for spraying different materials. For painting with “metallic” you need a spray gun with a nozzle of 1.2mm - 1.3mm, for varnishing or when using acrylic types of paints - 1.4mm - 1.5mm, for primers - 1.5 - 2mm. A spray gun with a nozzle of 1.3–1.4 mm is available and can be used universally for all types of materials.

Regarding the cost, if there is no experience, then you can choose an inexpensive spray gun, practice, and then leaving it as a primer, purchase a more expensive, high-quality spray gun. It can be noted that the proven premium spray guns, such as DeVilbiss (Great Britain), SATA (Germany), Iwata (Japan).

The drill will be needed to drill out the contact welding points when replacing the body panels. It is also convenient to use a drill with metal stripping attachments.

Sander

The most effective in body repair are eccentric (orbital) grinders. In addition to reciprocating movements, they also make circular motions, which increases productivity and less clogs the sanding paper on the sole of the machine.

The spotter is a very handy device for repairing damage. When straightening, the spotter helps a lot in pulling out places, access to the back side of which is limited. It is also convenient for them to upset the stretched metal. Some masters do without this device.It can be noted that the spotter may not be the first-order purchase and you can purchase it when all the necessary equipment has already been purchased and it becomes necessary to carry out a large amount of work that requires a spotter.

Grinding stones

To make the filled surface even, sanding stones and planers of different sizes are required. When buying grinding planers and a bar, you need to inspect the work surface and control with a ruler so that it is perfectly flat. If the sole is skewed and not even enough, it will be impossible to make the part to be repaired even.

Polishing machine

A polishing machine is essential in body repair. At the initial stage, at small volumes, you can use a drill with a special attachment for polishing wheels. But no drill can replace a good polishing machine, especially when you need to polish the entire car body.

Power (1000–1500 W) and the presence of a speed regulator are important parameters for high-quality polishing. A different number of revolutions per minute is required at different stages of polishing. Good polishers have features such as soft start and power compensator.

A smooth start is convenient because you can start polishing at any speed, first placing the polishing wheel to the surface, without fear of ruining the varnish from a sharp start. Also, a smooth start saves the machine from additional wear on the electric motor.

The power compensator maintains a constant number of revolutions when the level of load on the machine changes. That is, it will not allow the varnish to be wiped off with strong pressure.

Infrared drying

Infrared drying is needed to speed up the drying of repair coatings. In addition, using infrared drying, putty and soil sag already during the repair process and, having sanded and painted the already sagging material, the repair areas will not sag in the future when the car is in use.

In general, the thing is very useful, but not a primary purchase.

Hydrostretch set

Hydraulic stretching, as well as hydraulic tensioning, are necessary to restore damage to the strength elements of the body. It is better to take a set with a hydraulic cylinder giving a 10 ton load. The set includes different attachments and extensions.

In general, it can be noted that many tools can be purchased when a car arrives for repair that requires the use of these tools. You also need to take into account that more expensive professional tools eventually pay for themselves, while the very work with good equipment is more convenient and of high quality.

Abrasive and protective polishing of the car body

The garage is a kind of second home for a guy with a car. It is not only a storage room for a car, but also a place where you can put various tools and preserve your wife, but often it is a mini-workshop in which you can make any repairs to your car and various repair work on the household. Therefore, a garage for auto repair is a holy place for a man and you need to approach its arrangement seriously, so do everything better with your own hands.

When building a garage for repairing a car with your own hands, you should pay enough attention to the dimensions of not only the building itself, but also the dimensions of the various structures that are supposed to be installed: racks, shelves, tables, a cabinet, a workbench and, of course, an inspection pit. Garage tools and equipment need to be easily and easily accessible to the maximum.It is also worth considering that the room must be warm and dry. And it would not hurt to take care of protection from penetration into the interior of thieves.

The main workplace in the garage is a table with a workbench. Most of the repair work is done behind it. So the convenience of its design is very important. That is why, when arranging a garage for car repairs, a workbench also needs to be made by hand. In the manufacture of a workbench, you need to use strong wood and sheets of metal. The working area is covered with a thick piece of metal sheet. It is done in several levels, such a structure will allow you to arrange the maximum number of necessary things at hand. The wall behind the workbench is hung with small shelves and a board with nails or screws; it will be convenient to hang keys and other commonly used tools on them. Also, it is worth taking care of good lighting of the work surface and ensuring access to the mains.

A comfortable and good inspection pit with a small cellar can be a good addition to the proper arrangement of a garage for a car with your own hands. Making the right hole is the most important and tedious process after building the garage itself. Indeed, besides the fact that you need to dig a hole of the correct size and height, you will need to: level the bottom, plan the location of the niche for the tool and parts, lay out the walls of bricks, reinforce the edges with iron corners, take care of good lighting of the hole, which will allow you to see the bottom of the car well, and so also provide for the possibility of closing the pit when not using it.
So, as you can see, making a good garage for a car with your own hands is not at all easy, and if you only need it for storing a car and basic vehicle maintenance, then you should not bother, because in order to remove a wheel, change brake pads or perform work under a simple set of tools is enough for the hood, but for more complex repairs, including household work, you cannot do without a well-equipped garage.

If the car owner decided to do repair, then he will need to provide a work front for himself in advance.

It is important that the building and finishing materials used meet safety requirements.

This place should be adapted to the needs of its owner.

The garage building can be used as workshop... Let's find out how to make repairs in a garage? Where to start ennobling a place intended for storing a car?

Repair - This is a mandatory measure for maintaining the premises. The structure is constantly influenced by negative factors. Precipitation, wind, gasoline vapors can damage flooring, walls and ceilings. It is better to ennoble the house for your iron horse in warm season, then the building will dry well.

The garage repair includes the following types of jobs:

• renovation of gates and walls;
• replacement of flooring;
• insulation and lining of the ceiling;
• renovation of roofing;
• installation of additional waterproofing in the basement.

Do it yourself garage repair - Photo:

Walls needed to clear from old plaster. All cracks must be carefully repaired with a trowel so that no damage remains on the surface. After that, you can apply new layer plaster. They put on the walls protective paint, which is resistant to chemical fumes.

Popular thermal insulation materials include the following:

• mineral wool;
• polymer heat insulator;
• fiberglass.

The insulation is securely attached to the walls, and after that they make sheathing... It is recommended to use plastic panels or wood paneling. The owner of the car should take into account that, after sheathing, the area of ​​the room decrease.

Garage doors should be carefully inspected to detect areas of rust. If you find problem areas, clean them with sandpaper.The surface should be treated primerto prevent rust from forming again. Insulate the sashes with foam or mineral wool. On top of the heat-insulating material, you can additionally make a cladding.

Friction of car tires about floor surface leads to cracks with potholes. Unsightly stains from gasoline or grease with a specific odor remain on the concrete. To do new flooring, you will need to take everything out of the garage. Make a cement screed more than 1 cm thick and level it. The pouring should be done from the back wall towards the gate. For the coating to dry completely, you need to wait 2 days.

Special self-leveling floors will help save time. This will take a day. To prevent stubborn stains with a pungent odor from appearing on the flooring in the future, you need to lay on top tilesthat you can easily wash off the remaining gasoline or grease.

Garage roof being tested for strength constantly: it is influenced by temperature changes, precipitation and wind. The roof covering needs to be inspected yearly... If damage is found, it is important to repair it quickly.

Inexpensive roofing material - roofing felt. To lay the canvas, bitumen is used. The service life of roofing material does not exceed 7 years. More expensive and durable materials are ondulin, tiles or corrugated board.

Do-it-yourself garage repair photos:

Comfortable conditions in the garage allow you to create insulation and ceiling sheathing. The performance of the work depends on the configuration of the roof. So, for a flat roof, they use outdoor insulation.

It is recommended to use expanded clay... Granules of loose material retain heat inside and do not let cold air into the room. A parapet is installed along the perimeter, which will hold expanded clay.

Thickness sand-cement screed should be at least 20 - 30 cm, and the layer of insulation - 10 - 15 cm. Complete drying of the screed will have to wait 3 weeks.

The surface of the concrete base must be cleaned of debris and, if necessary, made waterproofing using roofing material. Sheets of waterproofing material with an overlap of 10 cm are covered with expanded clay. It is better to use a mixture of small and large granules.

DIY repair - ceiling in the garage:

If the roof of the garage gablecovered with metal or slate, then you will have to insulate the ceiling of the building from within... Insulate the roof with basalt wool or fiberglass in rolls.

A mineral material that retains heat well and is afraid of moisture. Therefore, it must be protected from above. hydro-barrier, and a vapor barrier is laid from below.

An alternative option is the use of foam plates, which are glued if the ceiling is metal. When concrete floor slabs are insulated, the foam is fixed with plastic dowels, and plastered on top.

During the renovation, the owner can equip the roomto ensure the most convenient operation. It is necessary that you can freely park your car in the garage and make minor repairs. When there is no way to arrange workshop in a separate room, it has to be combined with a garage. The tools and accessories necessary for the owner can be located here.

Shelves for various little things and racks are a great way to clean up your garage. If you make the necessary structures for storing various items with your own hands, then the owner will find the required thing in a matter of seconds. Self-made shelving units optimally meet individual requirements. The home craftsman himself determines the required dimensions and selects the optimal design. Shelves can be of the following types:

• stationary;
• collapsible;
• mobile;
• rotating;
• hinged.

The movable structure reminds cart, it is comfortable, but not suitable for heavy equipment.

Hanging shelves and revolving racks are rare.The most popular designs are collapsible and stationary.

Fixed racks that are fixed once, more reliable by strength.

Without equipped workplace repair operations are difficult to carry out.

A folding metal workbench is an excellent solution in terms of optimal organization of the internal space. It is used for its intended purpose, and after work is lowered down so that the device is practically merges with a wall.

You don't have to build a barn to store your crops, wine, and pickles. For this purpose, it is enough to equip a pit, a cellar, or a caisson. The constructions are a dry chamber with an air pocket. They are installed in the ground where the water table is high. The building blocks include the following:

The basement is considered the most damp placewhere mold can easily grow. This can be avoided by the timely use of a protective composition. After processing, fungi and mold are not formed on the surface. Insulation of the basement ceiling will prevent the formation of condensate.

For waterproofing walls, special polymer-based impregnations can be used. Ready composition "Penetron" proved to be a good side. It has excellent waterproofing properties.

Do-it-yourself garage repair and interior arrangement will allow the car owner save your money. The owner will be able to organize the workspace in such a way that everything is at hand.

Watch a video about DIY garage repair: