Mobile car repair service offers contact-free work right at your home

When your car needs service or repair, you typically have to take it somewhere. But not necessarily, anymore.

"Car repair, the business model's been the same for about 50 years, and people don't love it. And so we're just trying to make it better," said Joel Milne, CEO of El Segundo-based Repair Smith.

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"Obviously we're going to wipe down the steering wheels, the key fobs, the door handles. We try and do everything to keep it as clean as possible...I have quite a few customers that work in hospitals right now and they need their car. It's really important."

The company launched in 2019, and sends a mobile work van, with a certified technician, right to your driveway. Most jobs can be done on-site, rates are competitive, you're given an estimate in advance and there's a one-year guarantee on all repairs.

The service is now particularly popular during the COVID-19 situation, when people are trying to stay home as much as possible.

"For anyone who wants a no-contact safe experience, we are the safest form of car repair. We come, you can leave the keys outside, our technician will communicate via phone and take care of the job, send pictures if needed, and you don't even have to leave your house," noted Joel Milne of Repair Smith

Each mobile service van is fully equipped with all the tools needed to do repairs, including oil changes. All the technician has to bring along is parts specific to the vehicle being worked on.

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Hardly anyone is driving these days. This might be saving you money at the pumps, but while your vehicle is getting a rest, now is a good time to make sure it stays running smoothly.

For service tech Jason Joves, doing work at customers' homes has an added bonus for the people whose cars he's working on.

"It de-mystifies a lot of car repair for them. The car doesn't just disappear down a workshop tunnel and then magically reappear hours later, with the customer still wondering 'What did you actually fix on my car?'" said Joves as he worked on Kinji Nicole Hithe-Baker's car just steps outside her front door. The Repair Smith mechanic was doing a tune-up and replacing the brakes on all four wheels.

They don't work on classics or exotics, but can do most repairs on most modern cars. In rare cases, they do have to take it in to a central shop for more elaborate work. But most jobs can be done while you go about the rest of your life, with your car never going anywhere.