What Can a Mobile Mechanic Fix? The Honest List

A mobile mechanic can fix most of what goes wrong on a car in a normal week. Brakes, batteries, starters, alternators, belts, sensors and no-start problems are all driveway jobs. What they cannot do well is anything that needs a lift for hours, an alignment rack or a clean room for an engine.

Our own crew does mobile work every day in Southern California, and we list 12,772 mobile mechanics across the country. Here is the honest list, including the jobs a good mobile mechanic will turn down.

The Short Version

• Yes, in your driveway. Brakes, batteries, starters, alternators, belts, spark plugs, sensors, fluids and most no-start calls.
• Usually yes. Water pumps, radiators, struts, CV axles and fuel pumps, if the ground is flat and the weather is fair.
• Send it to a shop. Alignments, transmission rebuilds, engine swaps and most head gaskets.
• Diesel trucks too. 426 diesel specialists on MechanicRank will come to you.
• Not sure? Describe the problem on the phone. A good mechanic will tell you if it fits.

Jobs Done in a Driveway Every Day

These are the bread and butter jobs. A trained mobile mechanic carries the tools for all of them in the truck.

• Brakes. Pads, rotors, calipers and brake fluid. Pads run about $125 to $360. See brake pad prices.
• Starting and charging. Batteries, alternators, starters and cables. A no-start is the classic mobile call. The car cannot get to a shop, so the shop comes to it. An alternator runs about $275 to $800.
• Belts and cooling. Serpentine belts, thermostats, hoses and most coolant leaks.
• Misfires and check engine lights. Spark plugs, ignition coils, scans and testing.
• Sensors. Oxygen sensors, crank and cam sensors, and the warning lights they set off.
• Steering and suspension parts. Tie rods, ball joints, sway bar links and many struts.
• Maintenance. Oil changes, filters, fluids and wiper blades.
• Pre-purchase inspections. A mechanic checks a used car where it sits, before you hand over any money.

Jobs That Work With a Little Help

These jobs can be done on the spot, but they depend on three things. The car, the ground and the weather.

Water pumps and radiators are fine on many cars and a long day on others. Struts and CV axles need jack stands and room to swing a wrench. Fuel pumps on many cars sit under the back seat, which is easy, or inside the tank, which means dropping it.

Rain, wind and a sloped driveway all slow the work down. A good mobile mechanic asks where the car is parked before quoting these. If they do not ask, tell them.

Jobs That Belong in a Shop

A mobile mechanic who takes these on in a driveway is doing you no favors. The good ones will send you to a shop, and plenty of them own one.

• Wheel alignments. They need a rack that reads to a fraction of a degree.
• Transmission rebuilds and swaps. Too heavy, too precise and too many hours.
• Engine swaps and most head gaskets. These take days and a clean place to work.
• Frame work and heavy welding.
• Anything that needs the car up in the air all day. Clutches on many cars, full exhaust systems and some timing belts.

What About Diesel Trucks?

Diesel work goes mobile more than most people think. Fleets, farms and work trucks cannot sit at a shop for a week, so a lot of diesel techs work out of a service truck.

On MechanicRank, 426 of the 832 diesel specialists we list will come to you. They handle no-starts, fuel and glow plug problems, injectors, DEF and emissions faults, batteries, belts, and a lot of brake and air system work. Engine overhauls still go to a shop.

If your truck is in limp mode or will not start cold, read diesel limp mode and diesel will not start cold, then find a diesel mechanic.

What the Mechanic Needs From You

• A flat, safe spot. A level driveway or parking lot is best.
• Room on both sides of the car to work.
• Permission. Some apartments and HOAs ban repairs in the lot. Check first, or meet at a lot that allows it.
• The keys, and you or someone nearby to answer questions.
• Your year, make, model and engine, so they bring the right parts the first time.

How to Tell If Your Job Fits

Ask the mechanic three questions on the phone.

Can you do this job where my car is parked? How long will it take? What would make you stop and send it to a shop?

The last one is the best one. A mechanic with a real answer has done the job before. Someone who says nothing can go wrong has not.

Find a Mobile Mechanic Near You

MechanicRank lists 12,772 mobile mechanics who come to your home, your work or the side of the road. Every listing shows ratings, reviews and a phone number that rings the mechanic direct.

Find a mobile mechanic near you, or see what a mobile mechanic costs before you call.

Frequently asked questions