Halfords extends Mobile Expert ‘garage on wheels’ across London

Autocentre chain plans 100-150 further vans across UK in 2 years after Manchester, West Midlands, Surrey trial run

Halfords will extend its Mobile Expert service to London, following its pilot in the West Midlands, Manchester and Surrey. The retailer will place five new vans in London from 30 March, which it says will cover the capital. The service means that Halfords Mobile Expert vans will be available to nearly a third of UK households. The company added that it plans to roll out between 100 and 150 vans across the UK within the next two years.

The vans offer customers 11 different motoring services including: servicing, oil changes, tyres and battery replacement. Londoners join Mancunians and West Midlanders in being able to book a selection of motoring services and fitting jobs online and have the Mobile Expert team arrive at their home or workplace within hours. Each of the Mobile Expert Mercedes Sprinter vans is equipped with technology and diagnostic equipment to tackle jobs that motorists are unlikely to process themselves.

A Halfords poll carried out by OnePoll between 6 November and 9 November 2018 with 2,000 adults polled reveals that 41 per cent of motorists profess no knowledge of car repairs, preferring to get their problems fixed by a professional. The survey also found that only 36 per cent know how to change a headlight bulb, while only 33 per cent know how to change a car battery.

Karl Baker from the retailer, responsible for the launch of the service said: “With our new vans, we can reach nearly a third of the UK’s households, bringing great convenience to wherever they are based. Drivers have always been able to go to the garage for these jobs, and now we can bring our expertise directly to them. If their battery goes flat or their windscreen wipers stop working, they can simply book online and we’ll drive to them.”

The service includes bigger jobs such as Interim Services and tyre changes, but also jobs like windscreen and paint chip repairs and the fitting of dash cams.

Baker adds: “The demand for convenience is growing as people lead increasingly busy lives, which is why we are expanding our offer.”

Halfords offers more than 30 motoring services in its shops and garages. Its list of Mobile Expert services comprises:

• Supply and fitting of new car tyres with old tyres taken away
• Supply and fitting of new car batteries with old ones taken away
• Supply and fitting of wiper blades
• Supply and permanent installation of dash cams
• Full oil change
• Engine oil top-up (5 litre oil supplied)
• Interim service
• Windscreen chip repair
• Paint chip repair
• Adblue refill
• Antifreeze refill