We need these in the U.S.

[OC]

http://www.iconoculture.com/Research/Framework/Observations/GenXers/index.aspx?DocName=xml_ogarage13499

France’s O’garage empowers DIY car enthusiasts to do their own repairs

WHAT'S HAPPENING

* Think auto shop for grownups. O’garage – in Roubaix, France, near the Belgian border – is a DIY garage for car repairs. Gearheads pay by the hour or half hour to use the facility’s fully loaded space and professional-grade equipment, including car lifts.
* O’garage offers instructional guides, clinics and classes for newbies as well as a range of fluids and tools for purchase.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

* The complexity and sheer size of cars make the logistics of DIY repairs a challenge even for serious enthusiasts. Car lovers who aren’t afraid of a little axle grease appreciate services that enable tinkering under the hood.
* Beyond mere mechanics, an environment that brings like-minded auto lovers together revs up gearheads who want a little bonding.

[johnnymk]

There were a couple of these garages around here. They both went out of business over 10 years ago due to lack of use. I am sure there were other reasons, too.

Fewer and fewer people work on their vehicles anymore, either due to the complexity of them, lack of skill and/or lack of time.

Even in the auto parts business, there are fewer Mom and Pop parts stores. I remember at least a dozen parts stores within a 3 mile radius of my home. Now there are 4 or 5 and they are all part of a chain.

[Bires]

Liability insurance would be gigantic in the Suenited States.

[Daedalus]

Fewer and fewer people work on their vehicles anymore, either due to the complexity of them, lack of skill and/or lack of time.
I think they're more intimidating to most people, but IMO today's cars are far easier to troubleshoot at least, and usually easier to fix. Anyone here ever rebuild a carburetor...that actually worked well? Compare that to replacing a fuel injector or MAF sensor. Scan the code to find the faulty system, then troubleshoot the system. And with OBDII a lot of the parameters and codes are standardized so any car made in 1996 or after can be read with the same scanner. Plug it in and you know immediately what the TPS, MAF, CTS, O2, CAS, etc are showing. Or perform a quick power balance test.

My buddy had this idea a while back. Liability was my first thought too. Cars fall off the lift in shops, and those guys are well trained. Just a matter of time before it happens with a shadetree. Still, it's very intriguing. Who wants to start one up? I know the armed forces has a similar thing on some bases for just facilities use (with lift). A retired AF guy says he has access to a lift on the local base for $5/hour.