Does Elio Has A Golden Opportunity Here To Change The Way We Think About Warranty Car Service?

[Mark Pascall]

I believe Elio has a golden opportunity here to change the way we think about car service. How about warranty service brought to you by factory trained independent MOBILE servicers as an option to shaky Pepboys?

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

A nice idea but not likely from a company trying to make a very low-cost vehicle. Mobile, independent service would be very expensive. Take all the costs of paying Pep Boys to do warranty work, then reduce the number of vehicles that can be done in a day due to travel, add in the cost of a fleet of non-Elio vehicles, add in other unusual expenses, and you have a formula for high-cost service.

Where would they work on the vehicle? Places I've lived and worked expressly forbid working on vehicles in their parking lots. I got called to the office more than once in one apartment complex because I opened the hood of my car. Working on a car parked on a city street would be difficult too, if not prohibited.

 

[JEBar]

interesting concept but from a cost standpoint its simply not financially viable .... contracting with existing mobile service companies might be a viable option and in areas without Pep Boys, I can see that being considered

 

[Coss]

interesting concept but from a cost standpoint its simply not financially viable .... contracting with existing mobile service companies might be a viable option and in areas without Pep Boys, I can see that being considered

But besides service trucks for construction equipment and semi's; where have you seen at home car service?

 

[wizard of ahs]

And besides, I don't want ANYONE doing ANY maintenance on MY Elio

I'll do my own, thank you !!!

 

[ross]

I have seen mobile RV repair services. But I agree, I'll do my own routine maintenance and repair and anything I can't handle, I have a very trusted mechanic who can (and is quite interested in the Elio).

 

[JEBar]

But besides service trucks for construction equipment and semi's; where have you seen at home car service?

mobile repair services are common in the RV industry .... yesterday a mobile tech completed the install of a replacement AC in our 5th wheel camper .... this outfit has a contract with Ryder and some other fleet operations .... the problem is the expense .... they charge $125 to drive onto a site and labor accrues when they have to find and pickup parts .... in our case it is worth it because we are living in our camper and do not have to find a motel or haul our rig to a place for service .... another example, a mobile tech back home is the only person I want to work on our truck ... he comes to our home to service it and to replace tires .... here again, his services aren't cheap .... I don't see any way EM would want to pay what would be necessary for such services to take care of their warranty issues nor do I believe most Elio owners will be willing to do so

 

[johnsnownw]

Tesla has this with their Ranger service, also in the UK Mahindra is going to service all of their e2o's this way. These are BEVs...so I'm not sure it's as easily translatable.

 

[Coss]

mobile repair services are common in the RV industry .... yesterday a mobile tech completed the install of a replacement AC in our 5th wheel camper .... this outfit has a contract with Ryder and some other fleet operations .... the problem is the expense .... they charge $125 to drive onto a site and labor accrues when they have to find and pickup parts .... in our case it is worth it because we are living in our camper and do not have to find a motel or haul our rig to a place for service .... another example, a mobile tech back home is the only person I want to work on our truck ... he comes to our home to service it and to replace tires .... here again, his services aren't cheap .... I don't see any way EM would want to pay what would be necessary for such services to take care of their warranty issues nor do I believe most Elio owners will be willing to do so

"....this outfit has a contract with Ryder and some other fleet operations...." just as I mentioned, semi's and big truck fleets.
And you're correct in the assessment "...his services aren't cheap..."; I don't think anyone that bought the Elio for saving money is going to want to have to spend that much on maintaining it; plus there's isn't enough profit built into them to be able to cover this under warranty. Even doing a shuttle service or free rental is going to be difficult to cover. You started with "...mobile repair services are common in the RV industry ...."; how many Elio's could you buy for what you paid for your trailer and tow rig?

Tesla has this with their Ranger service, also in the UK Mahindra is going to service all of their e2o's this way. These are BEVs...so I'm not sure it's as easily translatable.

I agree; here again if you do a cost comparison; how many Elio's can you buy for the cost of a Tesla Roadster? I'm not familiar with the UK Mahindra.
I also agree with the last part of your statement "....These are BEVs...so I'm not sure it's as easily translatable..." how much maintenance do you have on a BEV?

 

[Rickb]

Tesla has this with their Ranger service, also in the UK Mahindra is going to service all of their e2o's this way. These are BEVs...so I'm not sure it's as easily translatable.

I wasn't aware of the Tesla Rangers. Interesting customer service business model for a car manufacturer with the direct to consumer sales model.

Perhaps EM could partner with AAA and offer The Elio Raaanger Service.