Halfords expands fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinters for Mobile Expert service

Halfords is expanding its Mobile Expert business with a new fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinters.

Up to 150 new vans will be purchased as the scheme, which has completed successful trials in Manchester, Surrey and the West Midlands, is rolled out across the UK.

The Mobile Expert technicians provide car maintenance services at customers’ homes or workplaces.

Mobile Expert director Karl Baker, said: “Drivers have always had to go to their local garage to get these jobs done. But people are leading increasingly busy lives, so now we’re taking our expertise directly to them.

“Whether their battery goes flat or windscreen wipers stop working, they need an interim service or a tyre change, or a paint chip needs repairing or a dash cam fitted, these and many other tasks can all be undertaken by one of our Mobile Expert technicians.”

Motorists in London are the latest to benefit from the retailer’s new service, which is now available to cover nearly a third of all UK households.

The new Sprinters will be delivered by dealer Intercounty Truck and Van, as the concept is introduced nationwide. Like those already in service, all will be 314 CDI H2 L2 models and fully kitted out as ‘workshops on wheels’, with diagnostic technology, tyre-changing equipment, powerful compressors, storage for batteries, and other tools and spares.

The latest vans are operating from a depot in Greenford, west London. Working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, each is expected to cover in the region of 500 miles a week. The performance of those vehicles which took part in the previous Mobile Expert trials was key to Halfords’ decision to entrust Mercedes-Benz once again, with this vital role in the development of its new venture.

“They have lived up fully to the Sprinter’s reputation for reliability and highly competitive running costs,” confirmed Baker. “Given the nature of our business, uptime is crucial. The Sprinter is not the cheapest vehicle ‘up front’, but we believe its capable of staying on the road longer than any other van model, and therefore represents the best value on the market.”