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Mercedes-Benz brought its Mobile Service Truck to Bahrain for the first time and proved to be the purr-fect hosts in more ways than one by averting a CAT-astrophe.
The truck has the capability of carrying out diagnostic observations, such as functional and visual checks, as well as providing customers with a detailed report of a vehicle’s condition.
Part of an International Service Roadshow, originating in Germany, the truck was initially displayed at the Mercedes-Benz stand at the Bahrain International Circuit during the Formula 1 weekend, with its door signed by drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
It was then taken to Seef Mall, where it was fully-functional for five days and more than 225 cars received a special check-up.
However, its crew had one major issue to solve after one customer arrived worried abou the tone of his engine. After a careful operation involving raising the car on hydraulics, the crew managed to safely extract a ginger kitten trapped underneath a cover next to the hot exhaust.
Imran Ali, the marketing manager of Al Haddad Motors, the German marque’s dealer in Bahrain, was hugely relieved at the tiny animal’s safe extraction. He said: “It was crazy because it was so unexpected! We’re all animal lovers here so we had to do something.”
The car, carrying Saudi registration, was parked in the mall’s car park and shoppers passing by heard the miserable moggy’s wailing crying but couldn’t find it.
“Luckily, we were so close and the owner immediately brought the car over to us. Our team carefully opened the cover where the noise was coming from and extracted the kitten. We’ve no idea how it got in there considering it was trapped and couldn’t get out, but we’re just relieved it appeared to be completely unharmed.
“What’s even better news is that one of the onlookers took the kitten home and she is caring for it, so the poor thing has gone from having one dark, dangerous home to a big, loving one!”
The roadshow itself was a rousing success, with almost a constant trail of Mercedes owners having their vehicles checked, whereby a team of technicians ran both manual and digital diagnostics.
It was also accompanied by other facilities such as lounge tents, a waiting area and a car display. Particularly popular was a virtual reality car simulator, whereby the user was projected into a Mercedes car undertaking a variety of manoeuvrability tests while the seat moved with the twists and turns of the car.
The event had a family atmosphere too, with free popcorn provided for children and a stage where families could dance and enjoy music while they waited for their vehicle’s turn on the jacks.
Imran explained: “We’ve had an amazing response, beyond anything we could have expected. We had people lining up who couldn’t wait to have their beloved cars seen to, not just from Bahrain but Saudi, UAE and Kuwait too.
“Our technicians and marketing people networked very well, and our goal is to create a permanent mobile service station in Bahrain. This was just a test, but it’s been so successful we have to pursue it. A majority of the visitors have already booked into our service centre to have maintenance work carried out after problems were discovered.”
