Biz Buzz: Pocatello man changes oil at customers’ homes

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BIZ BUZZ

POCATELLO

Local man opens mobile auto maintenance business

POCATELLO – James Wallace of Pocatello had spent a decade working in the oil fields and wanted to be home with his family.

After five years of research and a $50,000 investment, he and his wife, Kassie, opened a mobile auto maintenance business in December called Wally’s Lube N’ Go. The business operates out of a van and does oil changes and other light maintenance on vehicles in customers’ driveways. It will also replace windshield wipers and rotate your tires.

Wallace tells EastIdahoNews.com the idea behind it was to allow families with kids to maintain their vehicles without having to pack up everyone and wait around at an auto shop.

“I’ve had my oil changed, and there’s been times when it took a couple hours,” Wallace says. “If you go to Walmart, it’s even worse. You don’t want to load four or five kids in the car and wait around for that long.”

He currently serves customers in Pocatello, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls and surrounding communities and he says it’s really taken off.

“We’ve serviced more vehicles this month than we ever have,” says Wallace. “The convenience is out of this world. I can’t believe this hasn’t blown up sooner.”

Wallace says there are several businesses similar to his in the Boise area, but there’s nothing else like it in eastern Idaho. Getting laid off from his job in the oil field at the onset of COVID-19 was just the push he and his wife needed to get this started.

Wally’s Lube N’ Go services are priced a little below the average price of other auto maintenance shops and it’s available to individuals and businesses. Wallace says it takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on how much maintenance a customer’s vehicle requires.

“We usually book an hour (for each customer) just to make sure. I’ve had some (vehicles) where I’ve had to cut holes in the filter just to get them off,” he says.

One of the unique services the business offers is a fluid evacuator that’s designed to suction out oil through the dipstick tube on vehicles with a top-mounted filter.

Wallace says he enjoys being his own boss and is planning to eventually have more vans to service the Rigby, Rexburg areas and other areas farther north.

“We do eventually want to have a couple units in Idaho Falls and Blackfoot. We want to be able to service those (communities) daily. When that happens, there will be no surcharge (for traveling),” he says.

He also wants to target trucks and big rigs in the near future.

To learn more or book an appointment, call (208) 241-4683. You can also visit the Facebook page.

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