The Dark Underworld of New York Mechanics

The Houston Chronicle has a piece on New York's unlicensed street mechanics, who risk imprisonment hawking illicit oil changes and illegal tuneups.

Via Fark

Comments

[Eryk Boston]

OK, where can I find such people in MA?

[crimethink]

For once, the NYC regulations that send these people to jail make sense. Are y'all trying to say that it should be legal to pour used oil into the street?

[Rick Barton]

Remember that list that came out a few weeks ago that ranked states by ecomomic freedom? I think that New York was last or, at best, close to it.

[MP]

There's nothing in the article that speaks of any sort of licensing requirements for NYC mechanics.

[grylliade]

For once, the NYC regulations that send these people to jail make sense. Are y'all trying to say that it should be legal to pour used oil into the street?

Probably not, but if it weren't illegal to make repairs in the street, so long as you weren't obstructing traffic, then these guys could probably find some way to meet the legal requirements for oil disposal. It's basically a scam to prop up the prices charged by legit organizations; those of us wealthy enough to operate in the regular economy can sometimes forget how hard it is to pay for all the regulations we've imposed. I would have no car if it weren't for my parents being kind enough to help me out when my car needed repairs; people don't make enough on a minimum wage (or even near minimum wage) job to repair their cars. Often, too, the cars that poor people have need more repairs (and more expensive repairs) than those that wealthier people own. The real cost of so many regulations is borne by the people who can least afford it.

[Eryk Boston]

If they're operating within a stone's throw of an auto part shop then they have a perfectly good place to dispose of the used oil available.

[andy]

Grylliade,

"Often, too, the cars that poor people have need more repairs (and more expensive repairs) than those that wealthier people own. The real cost of so many regulations is borne by the people who can least afford it."

Well, wealthy people can afford to buy new cars every couple years before their cars turn to shit. They then sell these to less wealthy people for a fraction of what they paid for it. So really, we all pay the same for cars, be it in buying new cars or fixing old ones.

[serafina]

>we all pay the same for cars, be it in buying new cars or fixing old ones.

Heh. What an amusing, if false, rationalization for wasting money on a new car or a lease.

[Rhywun]

I think that New York was last or, at best, close to it.

Yes, last place. NY is rapidly becoming less free in every way. A couple years ago they sneaked through a law requiring you to pay "unpaid taxes" on internet purchases at tax time. Needless to say, there is no way to enforce such a thing, yet now they're using it to punish smokers yet again.

[Warren]

How very Brazilesque

[crimethink]

grylliade,

The laws mentioned in the article would not prevent anyone from doing auto repairs, so long as they do them on private property. How can they possibly be part of a scam to prop up existing mechanics?

And please cut the "rich people don't understand" crap. If these mechanics are any good, they won't be poor unless by choice. Chino, and the other experts mentioned in the article, could work in the legit economy if they so chose. Why don't they? Because they're making money.

[trainwreck]

yeah I wish I could just dump all my office expenses, heating bills, overhead, etc. and just get somebody to provide me a workspace for free.

[D Anghelone]

The laws mentioned in the article would not prevent anyone from doing auto repairs, so long as they do them on private property.

There are laws enough to prevent that. And the last thing you'd want is to have assets (private property, for intance) in your name.

[NoStar]

Getting an oil change while stuck in NYC gridlock? Now that's what I call multitasking.

[NoStar]

Especially if yoo're on your cell phone too.

[Evan Williams]

"Chino, and the other experts mentioned in the article, could work in the legit economy if they so chose."

Aside from the specifics of this particular issue, that statement surely does not justify protectionist legislation. Just because one has the option of capitulating to protectionist regulations does not, in and of itself, justify said regulations.

For example, each year, I am charged hundreds upon hundreds of dollars by my county, merely because I own a car. Now, I am making enough money that I can and do pay this "property tax". But the fact that I can afford to pay it does not mean that it is justified. The mere ability to capitulate to bad legislation does not make it any less bad.

[grylliade]

And please cut the "rich people don't understand" crap. If these mechanics are any good, they won't be poor unless by choice. Chino, and the other experts mentioned in the article, could work in the legit economy if they so chose. Why don't they? Because they're making money.

Well, I wasn't talking about the poor mechanics. I was talking about the poor people who go to these mechanics. Rather than pay the jacked-up prices for legit mechanics, they go to the street mechanics. But then those more well off complain because they don't like the way it looks to have people doing repairs out in plain sight, or that it's difficult to dispose of oil, or whatever. I'll concede that "it's public property they're using" might be a valid point, but still . . . My main point is that protectionist legislation raises prices, and that cuts the poor out of the market. It's much the same as anti-pollution laws, or car insurance requirements.

[Equality 7-2521]

I'm just in it for the action...get in...get out...

-De Niro
Brazil

[crimethink]

I was talking about the poor people who go to these mechanics. Rather than pay the jacked-up prices for legit mechanics, they go to the street mechanics.

I'm still not clear on how the prices legit mechanics charge are "jacked up". The market for auto repair is a competitive one (especially in NYC!), and there are no licensing requirements. The only barrier to entry mentioned here is that you must have an off-street place to do the work. Which doesn't seem like an overly burdensome requirement, considering the city's legitimate interest in keeping the streets free of used oil, car parts, and inoperable vehicles.

[JD]

Yeah, everybody knows you can't touch a thing without a form 27b/6.