For all the talk about automotive entities that might permanently disrupt the automotive industry, only a few have taken hold. Uber and Lyft only gained a foothold because taxi service in America was broken. Neither company produces sustainable profits and their business model is fundamentally flawed. Car subscriptions haven’t really caught on either, although not for lack of effort. Car sharing also imploded recently.
But there is one upcoming service that could gain traction. RepairSmith, which launched last year, aims to bring a substantial amount of car repair to customers. It can be a pain to get a car to a shop and Americans have a tendency to be lazy, so there is some potential here.
At-home car service isn’t exactly new or revolutionary. Companies like Safelite replace auto glass using that very business model. But car repair is a bit more complex and prices can vary. Still, there is an undeniable convenience in having a repair accomplished without ever leaving your home, or having something like an oil change performed in your office parking lot. There are a lot of issues with something like RepairSmith. For example, the website seems to assume customers already know what they need repaired. Most people don’t have that ability. And there’s a reason why initial markets are limited to California and Nevada. Do you really think a technician wants to work outside when it’s 20 degrees out?
And it appears RepairSmith isn’t as disruptive as it makes itself out to be. There will be physical locations. And the website has a section devoted to “Partner Shops,” meaning they’re looking to collaborate with local service facilities. That’s not exactly revolutionary. But shifting some aspects of car repair to an app sounds reasonably convenient. Basic tire related repairs, oil and fluid changes, and brake or suspension work could conceivably be done at the customers house, provided everything goes right. I don’t know if I’d use it, but I’m open to the idea. And for now, RepairSmith is here to stay, as it’s fully backed by Daimler.
Does something like RepairSmith sound good to you? Or are you fine with how you currently get your vehicle serviced?
This type of thing has been around forever, most/many areas have a “mobile mechanic”, now it looks like the tech venture capitalists are trying to be “disruptive” by throwing money at advertising to make it more visible I guess, likely the techs will get paid much less than a reasonably canny entrepreneur mechanic that realizes the overhead of an actual shop can be crippling and unnecessary for many repairs.
It’s certainly of use, the below pic is from my Isuzu I-Mark COAL when I used the San Luis Obispo Mobile Mechanic to change its clutch in my parking lot. I certainly could have driven it to a real/different repair shop but from what I recall it was less expensive to have him come to me. The repair worked fine and I had zero regrets.
This was in about 1991 so the old Econoline and my friend Dirk’s ’70’s Scirocco are way more interesting now…
Jim’s correct, this sort of thing has been around forever. The mechanics at a Ford dealership where I briefly worked the parts counter called them ‘Joe Shadetree’. As stated, this just sounds like an attempt to organize and advertise it to make it more visible and a bit easier to obtain. In that regard, I suppose it holds some potential.
Back in the day I did many clutches in parking lots. Back when most compact and subcompact cars and trucks had manual transmissions they were a steady source of work.
It will work well for simple repairs or maintenance. Troubleshooting? Not so well bc the mobile wont have all the parts on hand. In a city no issue drive to a parts store. In a rural area that could cost a fortune in drive time. Nothing is free.
As someone in the car repair industry many operational issues come to mind,, starting with how to have enough tools and parts in one van. However,. it seems this question is lthe greater concern:
“Do your neighbors want car repairs done on their street?”
Something of an issue for folks with their own driveway, but an even bigger issue for apartment and condo dwellers dealing with landlords and property boards.
My thoughts exactly. And not just neighbours, either; in places with a busybody brigade (homeowner’s association), this is going to, um, not fly.
HOAs don’t walk around and just shut something down on the spot. Someone complains or someone sees something counter to the rules and then there is a letter sent by which time the happenstance is usually long gone. It may not fly more than once per residence but they it’s not like they send the police and a tow truck. They can’t even assess a fine unless the correct procedure is followed and it the procedures virtually never call for a fine or whatever for a first offense.
Oh, sure, but that’s just the official level of things. If the Gladys Kravitz who heads the HOA decides she doesn’t like someone, then life’s going to be difficult for that someone—with or without any warnings, letters, fines, enforcement actions, or other suchlike.
I’m not too concerned or liable to live in fear about/of the volunteer board president who is elected by the homeowners. I’ve read the documents I signed before purchasing homes and understand my rights, responsibilities, as well as remedies against improper enforcement and/or harassment and as a result haven’t found myself adversely affected. I’ve also helped to successfully remove a board member that took her job too literally, it wasn’t overly difficult. The HOA isn’t exactly the KGB.
I’ve found that most people that complain about their HOA are demonstrably doing something egregious against the very covenants that they happily accepted and in fact signed off on at purchase and in general the HOA has bent over backwards to be accommodating and non-punitive as long as the rules that they were elected to enforce get followed. It’s just like the regular laws and codes in any community but with an additional layer on top of the public ones. Many people who live in HOA communities don’t bother to attend the meetings or give input but like to bitch. Similar to those who don’t bother to vote yet have very clearly defined political opinions and like to share them.
I’ve also found that many others complain about HOAs and have never lived in one, or have any clue about how they operate, they just like to complain.
Sorry, Jim, I didn’t mean to get on your nerves. I also didn’t mean to steer the discussion off topic.
Exactly what I was about to post.(neighbors, condos etc)
I don’t think I’d be interested in this, but then again, I’m retired so my time is much more free than maybe the average working person.
I did this for many years back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. At the time there was a parts store buying group that was owned by stores that catered to the wholesale crowd. Since they all knew each other with some of them II could call me preferred store, they would call the store near where I was and they would put it on my bill. Meanwhile they would call their warehouse and tell them to put the replacement part in the providing store’s next pickup.
I didn’t carry much in the way of parts in the van, sure I kept basics like hose clamps, hose, fluids, common oil filters and a few other odds and ends. For a lot of things I’d get before I came and if I had too I could also take them back.
Yes there certainly were places like apt complexes and condos where I couldn’t work. Other times I did it in the owner’s garage. I did build up a pretty strong clientele of people in the building trades through word of mouth and did a lot of work in under construction developments. Their vehicle is their business so when it won’t start to leave the job site or barely makes it there they were happy to pay top dollar so they don’t miss any work.
Of course I always made sure not to leave a mess wherever I was.
Then kids came along and I just couldn’t do the unpredictable hours and started doing only wholesale work for other shops being a mobile diagnostician well before that was a thing and A/C service because demand in our area just wasn’t high enough for most shops to invest in the equipment, necessary training and licensing.
I have been doing my vehicle repairs and maintenance with my trusted mechanics for the last 10 years. I found it is convenient, economical and you know what you are getting. Most of the time I bought the parts and materials amd only paid for labor. That is one of reasons l can keep my aging 2003 ML350 running for all those years.
There is also a hidden fact why some of these guys starting his own mobile business, they save the rent, insurance, environmental regulation and other overhead costs. But they nenee to invest on some specialized tools like diagnostic software. They normally do not do the jobs required the lift.
I’m pretty happy with my situation, but this concept is intriguing. Basic stuff I do myself, but my local mechanic is a short walk away. He’s also an honest “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” kinda guy. I can drop my car off and walk home. Then walk back up and get it when he’s done. For the Honda, I just take it to the dealer and they have a free shuttle service if I need it.
Having said that, every time I have needed auto glass since they started with this service many years ago, Safelite Auto Glass has been my go to, and yes, I use their mobile service exclusively.
One other mobile service I’ve enjoyed recently was a detailing of the aforementioned Civic that my wife got me for my birthday. I’ve even had them do the interior of her Lancer. That’s how I discovered them. As to the Mustang, I’ll take care of detailing that car myself, thank you. 😉
I have used a similar service to have my lawn tractor repaired and it was great. As for auto repair what I’d really like is a service that drives up in a rental car, drives away in my car, takes it to the shop, and reverses the process when the car is done.
That reminded me that we have a mobile bike service guy like your lawn tractor guy. He seems to do a fairly good business tuning people’s bikes and fixing them as needed.
Your rental drop off service is practiced by several new car brands, when we still had the Mercedes and it needed something they’d offer to send someone to pick the car up and would drop a loaner off. And then in reverse when completed. Completely seamless and a big time saver. Of course all that costs money and it’s figured in somewhere but when a warranty or recall repair it makes the whole process a lot less annoying.
A friend of my son’s does this. The way Chris works tho is he has a contract with a shop and if it is something that can’t be fixed on site the vehicle is taken to the shop and he repairs it there. So you are dealing with the same person start to finish.
He is married with a family and has done this for a few years so I presume it makes enough to support them.
I’ve had mobil service done in Scottsdale – where there are lots of car people and lots of providers to cater to them.
One was the PDR guy; he did a great job on two cars. The other was a very qualified detailer who did some “paint repair” that was beyond my ability. Both guys did not have a shop but did work out of very clean and nicely equipped vehicles for their work (large Chevy van & Nissan pickup). I’d use either again.
I do all my own maintenance items and simple part swapping myself at home but recently I used yourmechanic.com to have the water pump and timing belt replaced on my 4Runner. I liked the idea of having the repair done at my house where I could see what was going on. Not that I stood over his shoulder the entire time he was working, but I would check in on him from time to time. The mechanic was very professional, friendly, honest, and skilled. I supplied all the parts myself because I wanted OEM parts and didn’t want to take a chance on letting them supply the parts because I didn’t know where they got them from. I felt like the price was very reasonable too. It came out to about $85 per hour. I even tried to give him a tip when he was done but he told me I had paid enough money for the day and that he had made good money on the job and told me to keep it.
I would be much more inclined to use a service like this when it is “Joe the mechanic”. With Joe, you know who will do the work and once he has shown you he knows what he is doing, you will develop a comfort level with his work.
Joe.com is not an idea that would appeal to me. Getting a mechanic Uber-driver style would be a total crapshoot each time – do you get someone like Joe, or do you get some rotating group of idiots. And with Joe.com taking a huge percentage of the repair fee, you get a bunch of low-paid guys who are willing to work in the rain and snow and cold or in the blistering sun. I cannot imagine that such a gig would draw quality mechanics.
I am like Retrostang Rick and have a great little shop very close to home that fixes what is needed (and fixes it correctly) and doesn’t fix what isn’t needed. I know who they are and they are all older mechanics with virtually no turnover.
Perfect example, Jim… I recently thought I was buying a water pump for my Mustang, as that’s where it appeared to be leaking. Funny thing gravity (and capillary action). It ended up being a known weak spot on these 4.0L V6 engines. The thermostat housing assembly. Ironically, that’s how I found these guys several years and 80+ thousand miles ago. That was the first repair they ever did for me. (I thought the worst then too, like a blown head gasket or something – it was at night that time 😉).
Long story short, had I gone to “Karl.com” (if they even had a freakin’ website), I’d could’ve gotten the wrong (and more expensive) repair. Karl & Brad and his team, fixed it correctly, as they always do. They’re labor rates are a little high, like that of a dealer, but you get what you pay for, and only what’s needed. AND from what I’ve heard from my other older neighbors, they’ll even walk down to get your car if you can’t drive it up there for whatever reason.
As a dealer I use a number of these services, as a consumer, no I wouldn’t use them, mostly because I run unusual cars.