BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — It is a business for people who know their way around a car but do not have the equipment to do all the repairs themselves.
"We rent our lift bays and our tools, specialty equipment, everything basically to get any job done and in a safe manner," said co-owner of DIY Auto Repair, Reagan Waskoviak. "We are helpful for people that are in the industry themselves that just need a lift and kind of know what they're doing, to someone that maybe wants to learn something new."
Waskoviak says most of their clientele are mechanics, car dealers, gearheads and people who are confident working on their cars.
"We just saw a need in the community as far as people having a space, and it doesn't make sense for somebody to go and spend $300 on a brake line flaring tool to use one time on their car, when it makes sense for me to buy that tool and have it here for multiple people to use," said co-owner of DIY Auto Repair, Chris Waskoviak. "I've got a $1,000 computer that plugs into a car. This is an area where they can come and not only use that tool but also have somebody here to help that knows how to use these specialty tools."
One customer says he has been going to DIY Auto Repair since they opened in October.
"It's just easier to do it here than on your back in your garage or driveway or wherever you live," said customer Wil Harrison. "It's just the tools, the time, it's more cost-effective."
Even though Harrison knows much about cars, he could always use extra help.
"When you combine more than one person with one issue, it's easier to come to a solution a lot faster than you scratching your head, going to YouTube University, and trying to figure stuff out," said Harrison. "You get more people involved. You can source the problem a lot faster."
DIY Auto Repair can be a more convenient option, especially when getting parts delivered promptly.
"We basically offer all of the benefits of a professional mechanic shop available to the general public," said Waskoviak. "I've got commercial accounts set up with all the local parts suppliers here in town. We offer our discount to our customers so you get a price that a mechanic shop will get."
Renting a lift bay costs $50 an hour. If you want a real mechanic to help you with your repair, it's $110 an hour.
"If you want us to just take over, we have that option as well," said Waskoviak. "$130 an hour is our shop rate. There'll always be someone here that can help no matter what, so we'll never let anyone go down in flames. We are helpful for people that are in the industry themselves that just need a lift and kind of know what they're doing, to someone that maybe wants to learn something new."
Waskoviak says there are about 100 different "Do It Yourself" auto repair shops in the country, but they are the first in the Treasure Valley.
"It's really exciting," said Waskoviak. "I'm getting a lot of calls from people saying, 'You're really renting out your lift bays?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, we really are! 'We've got everything you need: tools, specialty equipment. We do fluid disposal. We get great parts discounts through a lot of the commercial shops here in Boise."
Waskoviak says DIY Auto Repair is a timely alternative for people looking to fix their cars.
"You can't replace a mechanic. There's a lot of mechanic shops out there, some really great ones. We're friends with a lot of people in the industry, and it's not supposed to replace the mechanic. It's supposed to help be more efficient on time because you might have a shop that's able to get to it, but it might not be until a couple of months down the road, and some people need it done now," said Waskoviak.
The Waskoviak's are both Boise natives, hopeful you'll give their local business a try.
"I think people would be surprised at what they can do," said Waskoviak. "This is a dream come true. I want to help other people get into doing this."
DIY Auto Repair is located at 10250 W. Fairview Ave. in Boise.
ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmpaeTlrlwwNGemKytopp6t63LpZyyq12btrO%2F02aborFdlsK1u4yrnKmZmad6tLTOqWSapJykxLR5wq6qraedmr%2B0edOoZLCnoqB6sLqMrZ%2BeoaJivLi6jJyYqw%3D%3D