My guess? Quick-service car maintenance is profitable because they can be efficient. They have a guy at Jiffy Lube "below deck" so the car doesn't need to be

My guess? Quick-service car maintenance is profitable because they can be efficient. They have a guy at Jiffy Lube "below deck" so the car doesn't need to be jacked, lifted, or crawled under to start draining the oil. The second you lose "home court" you lose any procedural efficiency your business has. I have enough trouble crawling under my car in my own driveway, I can't imagine having to work on a car in a corporate parking lot, surrounded by others. It's also messy, so I'd imagine it's pretty hard to do anything while making sure the cars parked half a foot away, are clean and untouched. Glass replacement at least is relatively self contained.