A service tech from a dealership performs maintenance work at a customer's driveway. People have shown they’re amenable to have meals, books and clothing delivered to their homes. Increasingly routine services for cars and trucks at a consumer’s home is occurring. “It’s becoming much more of a thing,” Amit Chandarana, founder and CEO of Curbee, said in an interview. Curbee provides mobile service technology for auto dealers. Last year, the company moved to take its technology national. Traditionally, vehicle owners took their cars and trucks to dealerships, garages and other providers of service for such things as oil changes, tire rotation, battery replacement, and work related to recalls. The time needed for such services can vary. Vehicle owners either waited while tasks were performed, or arranged to have rides until such work was completed. Advocates of mobile service say it can be more convenient and save time for vehicle owners. What’s more, vehicles are increasingly computers on wheels. They sometimes require software updates, similar to personal computers and smartphones. Such updates can be provided by mobile service units. Chandarana said mobile service is a way for dealerships to expand their service resources at less cost. Curbee estimates a dealership can start mobile service for about $20,000 per unit compared with $200,000 or more to construct a new service bay at the dealership. MORE FOR YOU Auto dealerships have seen oil-change businesses take customers away. Drivers replace oil and other fluids at such outlets rather than go into dealerships. Mobile service operations from dealerships “is a way to recapture revenue they had lost,” Chandarana said. For dealers, vehicle service “is the most stable part of the business,” he added. “Customers have the need to have this choice” whether to travel to a dealer or have such services performed at home, Chandarana said. “The more consumers know, they request it, the more dealers provide it.” Curbee says it helps dealers “reimagine pay plants, technician career paths, and operational workflows so mobile becomes a growth opportunity, not an overwhelming burden,” the company said in a statement. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions