Question: How do you chop a $4,000 car repair bill down to $600?

Answer: Take out the labor charges.

But there's no such thing as free labor, right? Well, actually, there is. And we don't mean your own labor, or that of the nice uncle who will replace the brake pads for a 12-pack of beer.

At any one time, 11 million students in this country are preparing for jobs in auto repair, home construction, Web design, computer technology, horticulture, cosmetology . . . the list goes on. And in each class, whether it's at a high school, a community college or one of 1,400 vocational-technical centers, the instructional mantra is the same: to learn by doing.

By doing jobs for the public, students are exposed to real job dilemmas, real customers, each finicky and fickle brand. Just as important, the school gets reimbursed for materials. Wood, metal, paper, shampoo — nothing has to go to waste.

Friends and faculty have been taking advantage of this unadvertised gold mine for as long as young people have been hammering out doghouses. But anyone can partake, as long as the work fits into the curriculum and the customer fits into the students' schedule.

So how much can you save? That depends on the price of the labor being cut.

Even using a conservative rate, Dennis Neal figures he's saved more than $10,000 by taking his vehicles to Madison County Area Technology Center in Richmond, Ky. One recent project — a weeks-long, bumper-to-bumper troubleshoot of a 1979 Ford F-350 pickup — barely nicked his wallet at $600 for parts. A garage would have cost more than $4,000. Oh, and he also had to pay a $15 school shop fee.

"They've helped me out a lot," he said. "They've saved me tons."

Money isn't everything

Neal, a retired U.S. Air Force jet mechanic, says he's compulsive about workmanship and prefers the school over some garages. The students have good tools, good training, a good work ethic and an attentive, honest instructor who "wouldn't let the truck out on the street if it wasn't ready for the road."

"In some ways we're better, because there are reputable shops and there aren't," said Art Coon, an auto-body teacher at the Wilco Area Career Center, in Romeoville, Ill. "Our students are taught the proper methods, where at some of the body shops they skip steps."

At Wilco's body shop, students use only high-end coats and primers and can bang out a fender and repaint the adjacent panels for $100, a fifth the cost of a shop.

On the downside, it might take five days instead of two to get your vehicle back, and there's no free rental car. You could also get turned away altogether, if the shop is full or the students aren't studying your problem. And while instructors check each step, student shops don't guarantee their work and may ask you to sign a liability waiver.

Patience is required

In Oklahoma City, Tina Woodfork waited four months for her custom-built kitchen from Metro Technology Centers. Students often spend just a few hours a day in a skills class and work carefully, stopping for instruction.

The payoff for Woodfork's patience? Beautiful cabinets with raised panel doors and concealed hinges, an island and a counter for less than $1,000 — the cost of the red oak the instructor bought at a contractor's discount. A professional would have had to charge $8,000 to $10,000 to cover labor, workers' compensation and insurance.

If you hire a student to build a Web site, keep in mind that he may call with frequent questions that an experienced designer would have anticipated early, or could tackle on his own.

"Customers might need a little more personal commitment to the project than they would going to a professional business," said Rodney Kozar, a multimedia instructor at the Auburn Career Center, near Cleveland, whose students create free slide shows and videos.

If these deals sound appealing, how about:

• A $5 haircut. Yes, some are still priced that low. BJ's Beauty and Barber College outside Seattle even gives free cuts to unemployed people and their families.
• Choice rib-eye beef for several dollars less 99 a pound than market price. An agriculture school's meat lab might even flash freeze and shrink-wrap it. Some schools farm and sell fish.
• A three-course lunch for $5 at a culinary school.
• Free tax preparation by accounting students, at evening clinics set up for low-income filers.
• A shed or doghouse built by carpentry students for a quarter the retail price.
• Computer repair from a budding techie. Let a student try to save your crashed system and save several hundred dollars.
• Preschool classes for tens, instead of hundreds, of dollars a week, and with a high number of adults present.
• A pampering facial or an indulgent body wrap from a cosmetology school at half or a third the price of a salon.
• A dog grooming for a quarter the normal price.
• Flowers arranged at a wedding, for the price of the flowers only.
• Business cards, newsletters and posters printed by a graphics program at half the usual cost.
• A Web page for your nonprofit or small business in exchange for crediting the student on the site.

The pros and cons

It's possible to get custom-made work. Neal, the auto customer, also brings designs to mechanical and welding students because they have a shop and because, outside, "the chance of finding a journeyman craftsman anymore is nil to none."

You'll find a friendly atmosphere. If you want a private, quiet spa treatment, don't go to a beauty school, where students might work together in a large room. But if you enjoy eavesdropping, it can be a great place to pick up information. The same can be true at a culinary institute, where chefs-in-training may enthusiastically share their techniques.

The work available can vary. A school's first priority is education. Your transmission rebuild might not align with the curriculum. Or you could luck out and become a class project. A Texas man got a 1947 Farmall A tractor restored to mint condition — every bolt oiled — by an agriculture mechanics class. He paid $4,700 in parts and the students put in 800 hours.

School services can be challenging to find. Schools aren't out to compete with private businesses, and they don't advertise their services. To find technical schools in your area, check a U.S. Department of Education search engine or your state's department of education Web site for a listing (such as this one for Kentucky). Technical schools usually have online public affairs departments that can provide information on consumer services. If that fails, simply call a school near you and ask for the department you need. Instructors (or students) can tell you what public services are available. Keep in mind that not only are students' hours limited, but many schools have spring and summer breaks.

Remember to give back. If you do get work done and walk away with a fat smile and a fat wallet, don't forget to express your gratitude with a donation. Students often use the money to take trips to skills contests. Consider giving back 10% of what you saved and feel good about being part of the educational process.

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