TBC, Pep Boys testing mobile tire-fitting services

AKRON — Icahn Automotive Group L.L.C. and TBC Corp. are the latest aftermarket companies to test the mobile tire-servicing waters, with Icahn opting to go after larger corporate/fleet business with its Pep Boys Mobile Crew initiative.

These new initiatives are in addition to a mobile tire-installation program being tested by Goodyear along with dozens of independents already active across the country.

Bridgestone Americas and Michelin North America Inc. tested the concept in 2016, and American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) ran a test in the Indianapolis market in 2017-18 under the Rubbr Automotive Services L.L.C. name.

Of the two newest initiatives, Icahn Automotive's is more comprehensive, offering a package of preventive auto maintenance services, and is market-ready.

The Pep Boys Mobile Crew rig is contained in a 28-foot, dual-axle trailer with a 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.

Pep Boys said it is still evaluating what —if any — surcharges it might apply for the mobile service versus work done at a store.

"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."

The concept — which was tested under rigorous real-world 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 their car keys in a drop box at the Mobile Crew site set up at their place of work, and pick their vehicles up when the services are completed.

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 (ACA), 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 has two Mobile Crew rigs operating in Florida, with more to come in early 2019.

TBC initiated a mobile tire-installation service in early October in the Dallas and West Palm Beach, Fla., areas through its NTB Tire & Service Centers and Tire Kingdom Service Centers, respectively, but declined to comment on its reasons for selecting those areas or for how long the tests might last.

In announcing the tests, TBC said people are turning increasingly to delivery options in many areas to help them manage busy schedules, careers and commutes.

"We're constantly talking to consumers to see how we can better fit our services into their busy lifestyles," TBC Corp. President and CEO Erik Olsen said.

"What we've heard from them, and what we've all witnessed in other industries, is that convenience is paramount," he added. "What better way to tailor to the lives of our busy consumers than giving them the option to have tires installed wherever, and pretty much whenever, works best for them?"

The mobile van will perform services Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. TBC did not say what services, if any, beyond tire mounting and balancing would be offered.

TBC is charging a $50 service fee per visit, plus tire disposal fee and TPMS reset fee, where applicable and/or required, as well as a shop fee of up to 10 percent of the non-discounted retail price of the transaction, not to exceed $35.

Interested consumers in the test areas can arrange for the service at select NTB or Tire Kingdom locations or by calling 1-844-Get-Tires.

There are 30 NTB retail stores in the Dallas metro area and 17 Tire Kingdom stores in the West Palm Beach area, which includes TBC's headquarters city of Palm Beach Gardens.

Goodyear is now in the second year of testing its mobile tire-fitting service, called Goodyear Mobile Tire Shop, in the Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif., and Raleigh, N.C., areas to evaluate the efficacy of this tire-servicing alternative.