Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber News
  • European Rubber Journal
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • Current Issue
  • BEST PLACES TO WORK
  • News
    • HUMANITARIAN
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
    • OBITUARIES
    • OPINION
    • MID YEAR REPORT
    • SERVICE ZONE
  • ADAS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Custom
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
  • Resources
    • Events
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
    • SHOP FLOOR
    • AWARDS
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • RUBBER NEWS EVENTS
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Best Places to Work
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
October 31, 2018 02:00 AM

TBC, Pep Boys testing mobile tire-fitting services

Bruce Davis
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    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.

    The program, operated by Goodyear's company-owned retail network, is known as "Goodyear Home Install" on the Goodyearautoservice.com website.

    Bridgestone and Michelin suspended their mobile-installation initiatives after a year or so in operation, while the website for ATD's Rubbr Automotive project urges customers to visit TireBuyer.com to buy tires online.

    ATD said earlier it considered this venture one of a series of "learning labs" it operates throughout the country to gather real-world experience with some of the "mega-trends" it has identified as potential game-changers in the tire distribution/servicing field.

    Rubbr Automotive, which debuted in the Indianapolis area in mid-2017, charged customers $25 per tire and a $50 "mobile convenience fee" per service call to cover mounting, balancing and rotation, according to the business' website.

    When asked about mobile tire service in a recent conference call with analysts, Monro Inc. President Brett Ponton said his company sees "some merits in that strategy from a consumer point of view" but questioned the scalability of such efforts.

    Among independents across the country with a track record in mobile tire fitting are:

    • ASAP Tire, with operations in Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif., as well as in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Virginia;
    • Anywhere Tire Care L.L.C. in the Albany, N.Y., area;
    • EnRoute Mobile Tire Service in the Houston area;
    • FasTire in the Phoenix area;
    • Fit Omni L.L.C. in Amarillo and Dallas, Texas, and Farmington, N.M.;
    • GetTread Mobile Tire Shop in the Orlando, Fla., area;
    • Kenwood Tire & Auto Service in West Bridgewater, Mass.;
    • Mobile Tire Guys in the Fredrick, Md., area;
    • Momentum Tire & Wheel of Caldwell, N.J., serving the greater New York City metro area;
    • My Tire Guys in the Boston area;
    • On Time Tires in the Houston area;
    • On-Site Tires in the Dallas and Denver metro area;
    • Premier Mobile Tire in the Sacramento, Calif., area;
    • SJ Tire Co. in the Denver area;
    • Tires on Site in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.;
    • Traxx Mobile Tire Inc. in the Nashville, Tenn., area;
    • 2U Tire & Wheel in Mesa, Ariz., and Mobile, Ala.;
    • Zohr Mobile Tire Service in the Kansas City area.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    Reader Services
    • Staff
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • BEST PLACES TO WORK
    • News
      • HUMANITARIAN
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
      • OBITUARIES
      • OPINION
      • MID YEAR REPORT
      • SERVICE ZONE
    • ADAS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Custom
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • Resources
      • Events
        • ASK THE EXPERT
        • LIVESTREAMS
        • WEBINARS
        • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
        • RUBBER NEWS EVENTS
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
      • SHOP FLOOR
        • BALANCING
        • DEMOUNTING
        • SAFETY
        • TIRE REPAIR
        • TPMS
        • TRAINING
        • VEHICLE LIFTING
        • WHEEL TORQUE
      • AWARDS
        • Best Places to Work
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION