If your car began to smoke ominously while you were a few feet away from an unfamiliar garage, would you risk pushing your ailing vehicle across town to your regular provider? If your auto repair service is tethered to one garage, you probably hate questions like that. To keep your clientele and grow your business, you need to kick those geographic boundaries to the curb by adding mobile auto repair to your menu of services.

Mobility Builds Loyalty

"Mobile" has become the watchword for modern consumer society. Shoppers consult their smartphones to find the stores, products and services they want. But the reverse also holds true. GPS technology makes it easier than ever for businesses to bring their products and services directly to the consumer. It's hard to imagine a more relevant situation than a driver whose car has died in front of their home, at their workplace, or in the middle of the road. They need your help, and they need it now, but they can't get to you. Dash to the rescue in a mobile mechanic van, and that customer will remember it and turn to you the next time something needs fixing.

Essential Tools and Equipment

If your auto service has never included any kind of company vehicle, your biggest single investment will invol

ve purchasing a van with plenty of room for equipment, employees, and any customers who may need a lift. If you already own a company van, you just need to deck it out with the proper equipment. Obviously you'll need to install a GPS system if it doesn't already have one. You should also equip your mobile mechanics with mobile devices to help them receive and respond to trouble calls efficiently. Then, of course, you'll want to stock the van with essential tools of the trade for handling the most common emergencies. Put a multimeter, diagnostic scanner, batteries, puncture repair kits, compressed air pump, a full inventory of automotive fluids, and all necessary hand tools on your shopping list.

Marketing Matters

Make sure you leave room in your business plan for your principal money-making engine — marketing. Print shops can create stunning vehicle wraps for your mobile mechanic van, including your company colors, logo, slogan and contact information. What better way to advertise your service than by sending the actual vehicle out on the streets as a giant moving banner? Keep plenty of business cards, brochures, and cute promotional items in the van (and in your shop) to keep your clientele thinking about your service. It also makes sense to sprinkle these items around local hotels, business suites, and any other areas where stranded drivers could use some guidance.

Making It Easy to Pay

While you're making your auto repair easy to access, don't forget to make it an easy financial decision for the consumer. While you may have to include some sort of markup to cover basic trip expenses, you can roll it into a flat-rate menu to ensure fair, predictable prices. Your employee smartphones, or the vehicle itself, should also have access to a mobile point-of-sale program for easy credit card payments anytime, anywhere.

Obviously any new enterprise, or expansion of an existing one, requires a certain amount of planning and capital to move forward. But once you get your mobile mechanic service rolling, you may marvel at how quickly it shifts your business into high gear!