Making A Small Fleet Uber Ready

[macarose]

Hi folks. I'm Steven Lang. My life is used cars and used cars are my life. I own a dealership here in northwest Georgia and I have a customer who is looking at expanding his Uber/Lyft fleet to another 18 vehicles.

Optimally it would have been best to have all the inventory be low mileage Honda Civics, and base Toyota Corollas that come with base four cylinder automatics instead of the CVTs. However it looks like that based on the data that I have at the Long-Term Quality Index that Elantras and Fortes that have conventional automatics and non-GDI engines will offer the best bang for their buck. The powertrain warranty for the Hyundai/Kia models also played a role in this calculation.

I'm looking at dummy proofing their operation as well as possible. This is what I've come up with so far.

Oil changes first Saturday of each month (these units get anywhere from 3500 to 5000 miles a month). Tire rotation with every oil change.

Transmission fluid drain and fill every six months

Air filter replacement every third oil change.

Reconditioning of exterior and interior every three months

Brake fluid siphon once a year. Brake pads as needed.

Tire replacement at 4/32. I know that some folks go down to every 2/32 but for liability reasons I think this would be the better path.

I'm tossing around the idea of a transmission cooler for these units. I have a fellow who operates his own shop that specializes in Hondas, but he drives a Kia Soul on a daily basis. If there is a way to make them bulletproof I'm sure he'll be able to help make it so.


Any other suggestions or thoughts would be welcome. All the best!

 

[Triple_Se7en]

You should consult ownerships of taxi cab companies. They already know what makes sense in periodical maintenance work & fees

 

[Rolla07]

I think you are doing more than whats needed. But id agree with above. Check with a cab company

 

[CharlieJ]

You are way over thinking this, unless you are the one billing this uber business for all of the work, if so, go ahead. When I was working at an auto parts sore that delivered to commercial accounts, all we did was go by what the manufacturer recommended and anything else was as-needed.

 

[nascarnation]

In my experience, low oil is much more common for causing engine problems than old oil.
So if your Uber guy can train/incentivize/intimidate his drivers to "check oil at each gas fillup" it will likely pay dividends.
Also if the vehicles don't have tire pressure sensors, it would be good to monitor tire pressures at some regular interval.

 

[JustN89]

What kills Elantras and Fortes is negligence. The auto trans is proven and darn near bulletproof. The baser models are MPI, easy on fuel and cheap/easy to maintain. 5k mile OCIs, trans fluid changes every 60k, and a top tier fuel will be all that's needed for these vehicles to give you long, reliable service.

 

[Duffyjr]

Originally Posted by nascarnation
In my experience, low oil is much more common for causing engine problems than old oil.
So if your Uber guy can train/incentivize/intimidate his drivers to "check oil at each gas fillup" it will likely pay dividends.
Also if the vehicles don't have tire pressure sensors, it would be good to monitor tire pressures at some regular interval.

I would create some kind of maintenance schedule for the driver to keep things checked off, check oil, check tire pressure etc....

 

[ToadU]

Agree with above. Way over kill and way over thinking. One thing that stood out to me.....What made you pick replacing the air filter every 3 months? I've never seen an OEM Maint schedule or any Maint schedule spec this? Seems like a waste. Air filters are inspected with each service but replaced when needed with a maximum lifespan due to degradation of filter media. Almost no one replaces the filter due to degradation of media if they are using the vehicle as the filter doesn't get that old. In some cases maybe you can go 100k on an air filter. On some cases maybe only 3k. Depends what the car has "inhaled" and where it's being driven.

Brake fluid changes? Seriously?? Not on the OEM maint schedule. Tires...4/32? Can I buy the take offs? Really. Seriously. You are fairly close to me. Run Em to the bars.

Is this guy trying to make money or just have a big fleet??

 

[krismoriah72]

I would look into getting anything without direct injection and without CVT. Also im not a newer Honda Guru but i read alot about fuel dilution.


Look at brake pads with every tire rotation.

Add Cabin Air Filter to your list as well as Wiper Blades.

I wouldnt fool with a transmission cooler at all.

I would instead rather have a transmission with a drain plug.

I would rather have a timing chain car versus a timing belt car.

Flip all of my answers if you want to make more money in your shop.. Get direct injection, CVT and a timing belt car for more shop money.

 

[ToadU]

Buy used ones at auction. Run the crud out of them. Follow the OEM maint schedule. Use all bulk fluids and jobber filters. Done. Will last several hundred K miles. That's what real hacks do.

How does this guy make money w a fleet of UBER? My custies that drive for Uber hardly make $10-15 and that with the driving their own cars. Many are loosing money but don't realize it. Turning cash at best......How???

What is "recondition interior and exterior every 3 months". Maybe a car detail??

 

[spavel6]

Are new vehicle warranties void if you use the car in commercial service?

BTW around here all Uber/Lyft vehicles are Prius hybrids because a huge chunk of operating cost is fuel. So while initial ownership might be lower on a base corolla, it might be worth doing out the math for hybrid.

I'd cut out everything besides the oil and trans services at the standard intervals. The rest is unnecessary. These cars are meant to run and run and run.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted by macarose
Optimally it would have been best to have all the inventory be low mileage Honda Civics, and base Toyota Corollas that come with base four cylinder automatics instead of the CVTs. However it looks like that based on the data that I have at the Long-Term Quality Index that Elantras and Fortes that have conventional automatics and non-GDI engines will offer the best bang for their buck. The powertrain warranty for the Hyundai/Kia models also played a role in this calculation.

You might want to read up on the terms and conditions of that warranty before deciding on a car. Some automakers, including Kia, don't like their cars being used for ride-sharing, and may deny warranty coverage if they find out the car was used for that purpose. I recommend watching this video for more info: https://youtu.be/kPOXdMLxdW8

 

[macarose]

I did do that. The Hyundai/Kia 10 year / 100,000 mile powertrain warranty for new car owners can not be used for new car owners who use livery or rental. However this warranty is not transferable to subsequent owners of the vehicle.

The remainder warranty, including the 5 year 60,000 mile warranty, is transferable and there are no rental or livery stipulations.

 

[Chris142]

You should put air filter restriction gauges on the cars instead of throwing an air filter at them. I'm suprised that there is that much call for uber or lyft . certainly nothing like that here.

 

[ToadU]

Originally Posted by Chris142
You should put air filter restriction gauges on the cars instead of throwing an air filter at them. I'm suprised that there is that much call for uber or lyft . certainly nothing like that here.



Those things don't work. Pop cover. Hold filter to light. See light. It's good. Gentle!! shake or tap for any leaves or large debris. Reinstall.

See no light. Install new filter.

On small 4 banger you never get enough air flow to reliable trigger a restriction gauge. Those really are for diesels that sucks. Waste of time and money.

 

[NO2]

Follow Hyundai's severe duty schedule and you will be fine. You should inspect the brakes every time you do a tire rotation, they are likely to see a lot of wear in all city driving.

 

[D1dad]

A client of mine has a fleet of Lincolns and runs them to 300k and used Mobil conventional with a quart of Lucas. Not 1 engine failure. Whether you agree with Dino oil or Lucas the proof is on the odometer.

 

[nthach]

I'd follow Hyundai's recommendations for severe service or do OCIs at 3K, trans yearly with MaxLife and use a cheap but good brand of tires and brake pads. Hyundai seems to be the rental and Uber darling in the Bay Area, lots of TNC drivers with bad credit lease cars from Fair or Hertz and they are almost always Sonatas or Altimas. Lyft has been leasing Hyundais and VWs via their new Express Drive program.

Personally for me, I'd recommend the Prius for Uber - but there are two ticking time bombs on them, the main battery and brake actuators. Besides those, a Prius is almost as durable as a Panther-plaform Ford(Crown Vic/Grand Monkey/Town Car). Cabbies in SF drive the things into the ground with all the warning lights on. I almost think the Prius is the new Crown Vic or Taurus in a few ways.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

D1dad
Quart of Lucas What?

 

[D1dad]

He used Lucas syntheyic stabilizer and Mobil 5000 or whatever the conventional Mobil is. Had the distributor bring 55 gallon drums and changed oil every 7500k. These were car service Lincoln's so they spent as much time idling as they did short tripping or making a run to the airport. He sells these to a competitor when they hit 300k and were unbelievably nice all things considered.