Mobile Oil Changing In Tight Spaces Considered

Boy have I learned my lessons over the years on engineering and designing auto service vehicles. You see, when I originated the concept of mobile car washing out in California in the late 1970s, I wanted to have a vehicle to work out of, one that didn't block parking lots while working. As the business grew bigger and bigger, eventually to 23-states and servicing some 450 cities, I realized just what a challenge that really was.

You see, our volumes increased meaning we need to carry more water, more equipment and modify our methods. But as we loaded more and more on our service units stuff started breaking. Consider that water weighs 8 pounds per gallon, and by then there were new environmental laws, meaning we had to reclaim our waste water - more equipment, more tanks, more room and more weight. In walks a multi-state contract with Standard Parking for their amenities program after an article I had written was featured in the parking industries two major publications (trade journals).

Whoops, now we had even more limited ability for space, tight spaces, weight limits, no trailers and height restrictions. Well, that's the history of the size and shape of the service vehicles I had re-engineered and re-configured. Then we added mobile oil changing since we already had a huge customer base. To make a long story short, I wasn't too surprised recently when a college student doing an MBA business plan project for school contacted me and asked;

What challenges present themselves when it comes to doing a mobile oil change in a tight space such as a company parking lot or garage? Would there be issues in going into these actual garages, or other common issues that you may have come across in your years?

Sure well, what about the challenge of head space of work vans, if you use vans you need ambulance suspension to handle the weight, but that raises height. Nothing pisses off people more than when you get in their way. People get claustrophobic and irrational in parking structures, it's an innate albeit genetic throw back fear.

Golf carts work better with small trailers, plus no smoke, people get angry when you run generators or motors, it's noisy or smoky. If you leave the golf cart in the facility or in one that is across the street from several that makes sense too, provided you have good security for it to lock it up. Well, that is my advice on this issue and trust me, those are ALL hard learned and costly lessons, so please consider all this and think on it.