How Much a Mobile Mechanic Charges, From Our Own Price List
Most pricing guides are written by people who have never quoted a job in a driveway. These are the prices Supercanic publishes for its own mobile work in Southern California, and the math behind them.
Free plan, not a trial. No card. We look at every new shop ourselves and switch it on, usually the same day.
Three Parts to Every Mobile Price
The call out or diagnostic fee
Covers the drive and the time to test the car. Ours runs $90 to $150 in the Inland Empire, and we apply some or all of it to the repair when the customer approves the work.
Labor
About $100 to $150 an hour for our mobile work. Dealers near us charge about $180 to $220 an hour, and the customer still has to get the car there.
Parts
The same quality parts a shop uses, marked up from your real cost. Never price parts off a website's retail price.
From Supercanic's own published prices for Southern California, August 2026.
What Common Mobile Jobs Cost Our Customers
| Job | Typical total, parts included | Time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | From $150 | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Battery replacement | $180 to $350 | 30 minutes |
| Front brake pads | $180 to $320 | 1 hour |
| Front pads and rotors | $300 to $550 | 1 to 2 hours |
| Alternator | $350 to $700 | 1 to 2 hours |
| Starter | $300 to $650 | 1 to 2 hours |
| Spark plugs and coils | $200 to $600 | 1 to 2 hours |
| Water pump or thermostat | $250 to $700 | 1 to 3 hours |
| Mobile oil change | From $150 | 30 minutes |
Supercanic's published ranges for common vehicles in Riverside County, August 2026. Luxury and diesel work runs higher. Every customer gets an exact written quote before work starts.
How to Work Out Your Own Rate
Start with what you need to earn in a month, then add every cost you pay whether you work or not. Divide by the hours you can really bill. Not the hours you work. A mobile mechanic who works fifty hours often bills thirty, because the rest is driving, buying parts and quoting.
Then set a minimum. A half hour job is still a drive, a van and a tech. Our own minimum on a call is $150, because a smaller price loses money once the drive is counted.
- Monthly pay you need, plus monthly costs
- Divided by hours you can bill, not hours you work
- A minimum charge per call that covers the drive
- A call out fee you can apply to the repair
Quote It in Writing, Every Time
A price said out loud in a driveway turns into an argument when the job is done. A price the customer signed on their phone does not. In Shop Desk you set your labor rate once and your parts markup once. Every quote prices from them, and the customer approves and signs before the job can start.
Questions About Mobile Mechanic Prices
How much does a mobile mechanic charge per hour?
Do mobile mechanics charge a trip fee?
Is a mobile mechanic cheaper than a shop?
How much should I charge as a new mobile mechanic?
What should a mobile mechanic invoice include?
More for Mobile Mechanics
- Mobile Mechanic SoftwareRun the van from your phone
- How to Start a Mobile Mechanic BusinessThe order to do it in
- Mobile Mechanic Business PlanA plan you can fill in tonight
- Free Mobile Mechanic Invoice TemplateFill it in, print it, done
- Auto Repair Invoice SoftwareFor small and mobile shops
- Best Apps for Mobile MechanicsWhat earns a spot on your phone
- Auto Repair Shop SoftwareFree to start, built in our own shop
Ask a Mechanic Who Uses It
Not ready to sign up? Tell us how your shop runs and what your software gets wrong today. One of us will call you back, and we will tell you straight if Shop Desk is not the right fit.
- A person reads it, usually the same day
- No sales sequence and no drip emails
- We run our own shop on this software
Rather email? Write to hello@yourshopdesk.com