What would you charge to repair

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#1

I’ve been fixing FG bodywork for motorcycle road racers. I’m starting to get a good rep and a lot of people wanting me to fix what they crash. So the first question is, “what will this cost me?”

I know this is basically “what is your time worth to you,” but I was wondering what should be expected? A new upper from Sharkskinz or Cheetah (which is mostly what I fix) is $250-350. So I obviously can’t charge near that if I want to do it.

I’ve been using epoxy and carbon/Kevlar hybrid material and it is working nicely. And I usually only do the structural repair - I don’t get it all looking nice and ready for paint. I just get it back together and they put a little body filler on, sand, and paint it.

The last piece was ripped apart at the top and had about 7 cracks on the side. I ground all the loose material away and put new material on it. I didn’t use much for materials - maybe $15 - and I charged him $40. He gave me $75 and said he was impressed. So I must be charging too little :confused:

#2

dont kill for materials. charge by the hour, most body shops charge no less than 45 an hour nation wide average.

Ive learned however that in the end, most of the time its more efficient to just replace them they are so cheaply had these days.

Start charging 20-25 an hour and see how long you actually work on it, not cure times but work times

#3

So I suppose keeping track of how long it takes me - would be a good thing (no duh - right?)

I DO enjoy this work, really like to feel appreciated, and don’t like seeing repairable bodywork go in the trash.

So thanks for the advice and I’ll keep track of my hours from now on. :smiley:

#4

I am doing the same thing including the off road racers. I charge $35-$95 per hour it depends on what you are working on. As well as per part I recently build a bottom kick plate for a friend for free and as a result all his racing friends wanted them so I charged them per part. I charge only $95 per hour if I work on an aircraft repair. Dirt bikes about $35. Hope this helps. Cheers

#5

Don’t feel bad, my wife always tells me that I don’t charge enough for my worksmanship!:rolleyes:

It is best to keep records of the time used to fix a part. Even take pictures and keep a file on them and a work sheet. Then you can show the customer the time involved and what it will look like when you are done.