Many years ago in my career I had founded and managed a number of automotive service franchise companies. I started with mobile car wash, truck wash and oil change services. Business was doing well, as we are a nation of automobiles. Today, we are still, cars, cars, cars, everywhere; Gasoline cars, electric cars and, soon, flying cars and hydrogen-powered vehicles as well. Not long ago, an entrepreneur asked me if I thought that a mobile oil change franchise business was still a viable business to start in the current period. I gave this some thought and considered all the future challenges and opportunities. Let’s talk, shall we?

Well, is this a feasible business model today and in the near future (five to ten years)? Yes, I think so, mobile supermarkets tend to work well, and there are many who are looking to start a small business under the new Trump Administration. Reciprocating motors are not going away, and even electric vehicles need battery conditioning services, wheel lubrication, etc. Hydrogen cars also have moving parts, air filters, heat shields, etc. The tires will still need car, balance and rotation.

What type of service vehicle is needed for the franchisees doing the work and servicing the vehicles? Should a truck, trailer, or van be used? Well, trucks tend to do well with mobile oil change, and the fleet business is the best of all, and sometimes it means a trailer is needed for additional storage tanks for new oil and used oil, and parts; belts, windshield wipers, oil filters, air cleaners, etc. Working in hanging parking structures can be a difficult thing to worry about, which is why sometimes trucks are not the best option and some vans are too tall, for example the Sprinter Van, which is roomy but too tall for parking structures .

A huge benefit today that we didn’t have in the 1990s is the ease of use of mobile payment and the efficiency of online ordering, which makes it possible to stay efficient even by making one and two for individual cars. Of course, in the future, autonomous cars can drive alone to get an oil change, or they can drive to the franchisee in the middle of the night to get a discount, and the service vehicle can make that work perhaps by renting a parking lot. . a lot at night. I think there are a lot of good things in this industry that look to the future. Consider all of this and think about it.