How Much Does a Mobile Mechanic Cost in Moncton?

How much does a mobile mechanic cost?

It depends on the job, and anyone who gives you a flat number before hearing about your car is guessing. A battery swap on a 2014 Corolla in a Riverview driveway and a no-start on a 2019 Audi in a Dieppe office lot are different jobs with different parts, different time and different tools.

What you can expect is a clear price before anyone drives out. A decent mobile mechanic asks for the year, make, model and what the car is doing, then tells you what the first visit costs and what would change it. If you can't get that on the phone, keep shopping.

We don't publish a rate card at OnCall for exactly this reason. We'd rather hear the problem and give you a real number than post a teaser price that grows once we're standing in your driveway.

What's actually on the bill

Almost every mobile repair bill is made of the same pieces. Knowing them makes any quote easier to read, ours included.

The two that confuse people most are the visit charge and diagnostic time. The visit charge covers getting a person and the tools to your car. Diagnostic time pays for finding the fault, which is separate from fixing it. If you already know the job ("front pads are down to metal"), there may be little or no diagnosis. If the car just won't start and you don't know why, diagnosis is most of the first visit.

• Visit or call-out charge: the cost of driving out with the tools. Some mechanics fold it into the job, some list it separately. Ask which.
• Diagnostic time: testing to find out what's wrong. Charged when the cause isn't known yet.
• Labour: the time to do the repair once you've approved it.
• Parts: the battery, pads, filter or starter itself. Some parts carry a core charge that comes off when the old part goes back.
• Fluids and disposal: oil, coolant, brake fluid, and getting rid of the old stuff properly.
• HST: New Brunswick's harmonized sales tax is 15%, charged on parts and labour. Ask whether the number you were given includes it.

A free code read isn't the same as a diagnosis

This is where a lot of people lose money. Plenty of places will plug in a scanner for free and hand you a code. That code tells you which test the car's computer failed. It doesn't tell you which part is bad.

A lean code, for example, can come from a split intake hose, a dirty airflow sensor, a weak fuel pump or a vacuum line that cracked on a -20 °C morning. Buy the part the code description names and you might fix it. You might also buy an expensive sensor you didn't need and still have the light on next week.

Paying for real diagnostic time often costs less in the end, because you only buy the part that's actually broken. When you compare two quotes, a cheap first number that leads to guessing isn't cheap.

When a mobile mechanic ends up cheaper overall

Mobile labour isn't always cheaper by the hour than a shop. Someone has to drive to you, and that time costs money. Where mobile wins is everything around the repair.

Think about what a dead car in the Champlain Place parking lot costs you if a shop has to fix it. A tow first. Basic roadside plans often include only a short tow, so a trip across Moncton to the shop you trust can end up partly on your bill. Check what your plan covers before you need it. Then a ride home, a ride back, maybe a rental, and a day of work you don't get paid for while you wait for the call.

With a mobile visit, the car gets looked at where it sits. If it's a battery, a starter or a set of brake pads, it can often be fixed right there while you keep working. You don't sit on Wheeler Boulevard at 5 p.m. to pick it up.

• No tow, or a much shorter one
• No rides to and from a shop
• Less time off work, because the repair happens in the lot while you're at your desk
• No second trip just to collect the car

How to compare two quotes without getting fooled

Line the quotes up item by item. If one includes HST and the other doesn't, the cheaper-looking one might be the more expensive one by 15%. If one includes a diagnostic visit and the other is a bare parts-and-labour number for a part they're assuming is bad, you're not comparing the same thing.

Ask each mechanic the same questions and write the answers down. A straight answer to every one is a good sign. Vague answers about "we'll see when we get there" usually mean the price will move.

• Is there a visit charge, and is it included in the repair if I go ahead?
• Is diagnosis separate from the repair price?
• Are parts and HST in this number, or added after?
• What brand or grade of part are you quoting?
• Will you call me with a new price before doing anything extra?
• If it turns out to need a hoist, what happens next and who handles it?

When mobile isn't the cheaper route

If your car drives fine, the shop is a five-minute walk from home and you're flexible on time, a shop can be the simpler choice for routine work. We'd tell you the same. And if the car just needs a boost and you have roadside assistance, use it first. CAA Atlantic, for one, does battery tests and boosts at the roadside for members.

Some jobs also need a hoist, an alignment rack or a press no matter who does them. A clutch, most exhaust work, a seized ball joint or a rusted-through brake line on a salt-eaten truck are shop jobs. When that's the case, we diagnose it where the car is, then take it into a shop and manage the repair to the end. You don't start over with a new mechanic and pay for a second diagnosis.

If you're in Dieppe, Moncton, Riverview or Shediac, send us the vehicle, the problem and your postal code, or call or text (506) 871-0669. We'll call back, confirm what's going on and give you the price before anyone drives out.