Express Wash

I recently vacated owning car washes. I manufacture equipment and sell chemicals, but in all other respects, I am now Mr. Customer.
As an owner for 25 years, washing my car very routinely was the norm for me.
My vehicle was always impeccably clean. I did not have to find time to wash it, as I gave the keys to my employees and they did it. As Mr. Customer today , I find that I don't really need to wash my car often. I am either too busy, or it just isn't dirty enough - unless winter is here. But I don't find myself wanting to go to a car wash (?). In other words, I've become the infrequent customer - one of those customers I had for many years tried to convince to come to my car wash. So, I ask myself what is would take for me to go to car wash ?? I don't really need a wash, don't feel like going to wash and spending 20 minutes or so there, don't really feel like spending $12, $8 or even $5 - though I feel $5 bucks is worth the trip, but what would it really take for Mr. infrequent customer (me) to take the time to go to a car wash ??
If I could go to a car wash and spend 5 minutes are less and for it to be priced low enough then this could convince that I would "could always" take the time to go, also I would not want to go if my car would not be reasonably clean - since this, in my view, would have been a waste of my time.
Then I thought that if a car wash had six automatic bays with cloth, so the car would be assured to be clean, at a reasonable price and I could always be assured in quick in and out washing and a low price - all the time, then perhaps this would be the ticket. This is what the rental car companies have. They wash cars fast with a drive thru cloth wash and the cars are reasonably clean - no film anywhere as some touchless washes. The wheels are not clean, but are clean wheels really that important to the "majority of customers" if the car is clean and is priced right. Perhaps a six bay wash with the type of quick wash operations (six automatics) like the rental car companies ? People have busy schedules today, don't want to spend alot of money and really don't want to looking at menus at car washes with a large assortment of "extra" items they really don't need.
I guess I'm sounding a little like Andy Rooney.

Anyone have similar thoughts ?

6 autos is kind of a stretch.

I believe someone tried the concept in Destin, FL about 5 years ago. They chose to install 3 in bay automatics with free vac instead of a tunnel with free vacs. I don't know how it worked; maybe Mr. Branch knows more.

YOu invest that much money in that many inbay automatics and you will never return your investment. In fact, I have talked with many investors who have been talked into putting in 3 inbay automatics and are not making it. They do not even wash 2,000 cars a month which is about maximum what you can expect from a roll over.

Nothing beats an good conveyor tunnel for speed; quality; and reasonable price.

Bud Abraham

This reminds me of a guy who build a 2 SS/2 auto wash. He was convinced he'd have enough business to keep the two autos busy all day. He rarely did more with both autos in a day than one could have handled easily, and there was often a line waiting for the SS.

The location in Destin is 3 friction IBAs and 3 ss bays with creditcards, a drive thru coffee shop and free vacs. The entire parking lots was done in brickpavers. The site was finished well. I think they spent $2.5 million. I don't know if they are making money but they are always the busiest wash in the area, even busier than a conveyor down the road.

According to the surveys, getting wheels clean during the car wash process is important to customers.

Isn’t a car wash that produces a nice clean car with an incomplete cleaning of wheels the same as sending someone to a job interview in a new suit with scuffed up shoes or wrinkled shirt?

Today, people are generally more discerning regarding the quality they receive for dollars spent. When I go to a car wash, I will gladly pay extra for wax or tire shine but I expect to get clean wheels without having to pay an extra fee.

As for multiple in-bays, I remember an old article in PC&D, I believe, that profiled a six-bay touch-less in Minnesota or Wisconsin. The feature photo showed a single facility with mechanical room in the center with three Lasers on each side. It must have been winter because each bay had a line of about six or seven cars long.

Arguably, the long lines of paying customers are to make an impression on potential investors; Wow, look how busy this sucker is! The counter argument is how long customers must wait. With six cars stacked and one in the bay, it would take about 30 minutes for the last person in line just to get into the wash bay.

However, I don’t agree with Buda that you can’t make ROI with multiple in-bays. You can get a good ROI with any type of car wash as long as you get enough door swings.

Of course, one usually doesn’t go into a gun fight armed only with a knife.

Consider someone I know that built a state-of-the-art dual in-bay. The building and grounds are handsome. The wash has touch-screens, high-speed gantries with wheel brushes and high-pressure cleaning, tire shiner, free-standing dryers, multiple product vending machine and free use vacuums (canister type). The wash is attended and maintained mostly by the owners. The wash averages $10 a car, the benchmark is roughly $7.50.

Would the site perform as well if it were equipped with tough-less in-bay automatic that you usually find at a gas station or self-service wash? I believe this is highly doubtful.

Would the site perform as well equipped with a conveyor system instead of in-bay? Perhaps but the decision was made to do otherwise based on the owner’s opportunity cost at that time.

I have a customer that has 4 wesumats on one site, wash does ok.

Also have a customer that had 4 Laser 4000's and a touch free tunnel. Wash did very well. Now it is 2 new Laserwashes and still a touch free tunnel.and still does well.

I've seen the site Robert is talking about in Wisconsin with 6 touchless IBAs.
I agree with Crown, if you have over 7 words in your menu, it's not being
completely read.

Other than that, it's hard to make a rule about what's the best format for a site.

Furthermore, markets change and what could be the busiest wash in town for 3 to 5 years will all of a sudden change due to market changes.

I have a wash just 500 yards away from my one location that built 3 IBA's from the start. IMO the only one benefiting from the extra bays are the customers not having to wait. Just as Bud stated, you can only wash so many vehicles thru an IBA per hour. The only time the wash is REALLY busy is on the "perfect" winter day. Snowed on Mon 1 inch or less, then clear and sunny ABOVE 35 degrees for at least 5-7 days in a row. This may equal 20 to 25 "awesome" washing days for the entire year. Basically dead in the summer and fall. Not much if any return. Even if you can pay off the debt in 10-15 years, you then have to consider buying new equipment for all 3 bays and start the whole debt process over on year 16 or 17. This wash may have 10k to 15k in drive by traffic, most if not all transient. Low income in surrounding rooftops with about 15k to 20k in population in a 3 mile radius. I can see the wash going up for sale right around the 12th to 14th year right before the need for all the new equipment.