I can’t see him earning much more if he did set up, but he will still be actually working a lot of hours. Not only can you only really book in one job a day, there is so much wasted time that isn’t chargeable, leaving something like as few as 20-30 hours as revenue. You have simply got to get the labour rate right and that is not going to look quite as attractive to the customer as you had hoped. Even if you know the vehicle, if the customer has it off the road he either wants it back for lunchtime or expects everything done for the next morning; both can completely mess with one’s own plans for the day and possibly the next day. Parts delivery vans only come out at scheduled times of the day, however urgent your need you are going to have to wait or go and collect it. That collection is more than likely going to be FOC. Inspection and service sheets have to be filled in, probably on the computer in the evening. To justify time taken on the job the wording on the invoice has to reflect what was actully done. As has been mentioned before manufacturers will not pay their dealers for diagnosis time for warranty jobs. That invoice you are in the process of raising has to be fair to both sides, four hours or quite possibly longer diagnosing an obscure electrical fault you haven’t come across before, and on an unfamiliar model, is going to look excessive when seen in black and white along with actual fault; time is going to have to be written off. You can save some of it, but wording the invoice to reflect the work involved is going to take a lot of thought. Even run of the mill jobs undertaken in the workshop are going to take longer. Cleaning larger parts from a paraffin pot with a brush does not compare favourably with the ability to use a steam cleaner. There is every chance as well that you are going to have to ensure that the customer’s premises are not contaminated with the residue.
Now consider where a very significant proportion of revenue is going. The list of equipment needed and the consumeables required is staggering. All has to go in the van or be kept at home safely. To be versatile even a 3.5 tonne van is too small - it cannot carry the weight: compressor, axle and chassis stands, 3 tonne trolley jack, tool boxes, welder, oxy acetylene, lubricants, umpteen bits of wood; and then there are the consumeables - and more of them - and more still, all needing to be safely stored which means racking and containers - lots of them. That leaves the vice and a means of mounting it so possibly a bench? Before long it looks like a 7.5 tonner is going to be necessary - so where is that being parked overnight?
And I haven’t mentioned the weather yet, you will be working outdoors most of the time.