SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Icahn Automotive Group L.L.C. has inaugurated a mobile tire-fitting and auto service concept, called Pep Boys Mobile Crew, that is designed for carrying out multiple service calls at each location.
The Pep Boys Mobile Crew rig comprises a trailer and service bay equipped with mobile lifts, tire-changing and diagnostic tools and equipment and staffed by ASE-certified automotive technicians.
Pep Boys Mobile Crew offers "check engine" diagnostics; tire repair, replacement, rotation and balancing; brake, shock and strut maintenance; belt and hose replacement; and heating, air conditioning and cooling system maintenance, Icahn Automotive said.
Services such as battery, wiper blade and headlamp checks and replacement; and oil and other fluid changes also are available.
The concept — which was tested under rigorous conditions recently in the Florida Panhandle following Hurricane Michael — is being pitched to corporate human resources departments, office managers and fleet representatives, who arrange a visit and alert their employees to the opportunity.
Once a visit is scheduled, vehicle owners can book service appointments online, Icahn Automotive said. On the scheduled day, they park their vehicles at work, leave the keys in a drop box at the Mobile Crew site set up at their place of work and pick them up when the services are completed.
"We know our customers balance extraordinary demands in their lives and on their time," Brian Kaner, president of service for Icahn Automotive, said.
"Pep Boys Mobile Crew is a natural extension of our ongoing investment in customer convenience and value, and the first comprehensive mobile automotive maintenance provider to be affiliated with a national service network."
Early feedback on Pep Boys Mobile Crew has been positive, according to Mr. Kaner, who noted one customer who said: "Service was extremely convenient. I have been trying for months to get my regular maintenance done, and this made it very easy to get my car serviced."
Icahn Automotive noted that, according to the Auto Care Association, just 40 percent of motorists performed their vehicles' manufacturer-recommended scheduled maintenance.
This translates to more than 75 million passenger vehicles on the road with unperformed maintenance. Of the drivers who delay auto repairs, more than 20 percent cited lack of a convenient time, according to the ACA. Additionally, nearly 16 percent of vehicle owners reported choosing a repair provider based on its location.
Icahn Automotive did not disclose where or how many Mobile Crew rigs it has operating nor say how many it expects to deploy.