Bridgestone's New Firestone Direct Is Like WFH For Vehicle Maintenance
Tires are joining the growing list of on-demand, socially-distanced services, with Bridgestone launching a mobile maintenance option that can not only switch your winter rubber over to your summer wheels, but carry out things like oil changes too. Firestone Direct basically promises to be for car maintenance what services like Carvana have become for vehicle sales, bypassing dealers and service centers so that you don't need to leave the house.
Instead – at least, assuming you live in the initial service areas – you'll be able to book an appointment and have the Firestone Direct van pull up to do that work on your driveway. Unsurprisingly, given Bridgestone makes tires, that'll include repairing and replacing the rubber on our wheels, but it won't be the only service on offer.
In fact there are twelve in total, including new tires and tire changeovers, to rotation and rebalancing, and tire repair. Firestone Direct can do oil changes, battery services and battery checks, and vehicle inspections. There's also replacement of windshield wipers, cabin and engine air filters, and lightbulb replacement.
The vans themselves have vacuum oil collection systems so that you don't get a slick on your driveway, and come with lifts to raise the vehicle being worked on up. They also have digital tire balancing systems in the back. As for the technicians, they'll be wearing gloves and masks, Bridgestone says, and will also take away any waste to be recycled.
It's part of a growing trend over the past twelve months or so to bring services that would traditionally have required going into a business, out to users instead. With the need for social distancing during the pandemic high, companies like Postmates, Grubhub, and UberEats all saw upticks in delivery, while online shopping also proved to be another boom industry. Just like remote working looks to be here to stay for many, even as COVID-19 vaccinations increase, though, the expectation is that many of these services will continue in popularity as users discover they really don't want to have to go out themselves.
Initially, Firestone Direct is available in Nashville, Atlanta, Orlando, and Tampa. However Bridgestone says it has plans to grow in the southeaster US through this year, and is targeting a nationwide launch by 2023. It'll build on its existing retail centers – which number around 2,200 around the US – for that.
As for pricing, you're looking at around $97 for an oil change – which takes around 45 minutes, Bridgestone says – or $20 for a battery check. Tire installation is $35 per wheel, rotation is $45, repair is $50 each, and a full tire changeover takes around an hour and is $125. Pricing and availability of service may, of course, depend on where you are and which vehicle you have, and users need to specify which services in particular they want in advance so that the Firestone Direct van has the right equipment and parts on hand when it arrives.