DIY Carwash Business

I am in the beginning-ish stages of drawing up plans for a DIY carwash/ automatic touch free wash.

Was thinking two to four DIY bays and one Automatic touch free bay. Also would have vacuum stations, but set a bit away from the bays so they will not block them when cars are there. Lastly, not aware of anyone doing this but i want a separate single island that can dispense tire shine for an extra fee. I think this will set it apart. In addition to all that i want to maybe have an external bay for larger vehicles that dont fit in bays. This might draw extra business. Like a stand alone station kinda

I wanna cater to anyone but an eye on some more middle to upper-class clientele. i think if the business is classy enough the image would appeal more to that group? i can see this going both ways though. Not sure.

Also since we live in the rust belt maybe have just an underbody cleaning or wash setting? as a seperate or an add on thing

Anyhow, i need your guys's thoughts, experiences, criticism, hints, anything you can throw at me.

Location? What to do to make it stand out? (within reason here) Buy or build? layout thoughts?

Anything. Just lemme have it.

Im bad at typing out question like this so if this is incomplete or scattered please forgive me.

How do you plan on handling wastewater and the chemicals (soaps etc.). Hvae you researched EPA/local guidelines regarding this.

In reply to CarKid1989: The car wash I used to work at, Village Auto Wash, was not DIY bit it did have vacuum and tire shine, air freshness, and tire air stations around back...all coin operated. Other self wash ones I've gone to have separate islands with car detailing stiff you can buy a la carte...

There seems to be a lot of self car washes around where I'm at, might be hard to find fond a unique spot....maybe buy one put and revamp it? Find a business partner? Im low on ideas tonight, sorry...

I doubt the upper-middle class washes their own car at a DIY carwash.

We bring a detail guy in at work for our customers car-wash needs.

Shawn

I have never seen an upper class car wash, nor have I ever seen upper class folk in car washes. If they have money, they hire a detailer to come shine up their car at their own home, so they are not inconvenienced.

You mention bays, so it seems like this is a wand cleaner and not a drive through. I darn well have never seen someone in nice expensive clothes waving a wand around their car, getting slopped with soap and water.

I don't see the gain of having tire dressing at a seperate location. That's a bottle neck and will reduce useage and profit for you. Put it in the bay where they are far more likely to actually buy it and use it.

You say large, are you talking semi large, or just SUV large? I do see large bays for wand cleaning all the time around here. That's the size vehicle many folk drive, so the shops cater to them.

Lots of difficulties with water restrictions. From being ordered to close quite regularly due to droughts, to run off controls to recycling the water. As well various entertaining restrictions on how dirty a vehicle can be to what parts of the vehicle can legally be cleaned.

The most popular car washes I see are the drive through type, not the wand bays. Those that are co-joined to the gas pumps where you get a discount for filling up are the most active.

There are several with a crew of people to faux detail the car. They vacuum the interior, make it stink pretty, and wipe the car off at the end. Those shops seem to stay around.

Here are some companies:
Coin collection: http://www.hamiltonmfg.com/carwash.html
Water delivery: http://www.giantpumps.com/literature/vehicalewash.pdf
Touchless Systems: http://www.pdqinc.com/

High End Franchise: http://www.mrcleancarwash.com/Franchising.html
Requires $1 million in real cash and $3.5 million in net worth.
Lesser Franchise: http://www.superwash.com/developmnt/development.html

Location, location, location. It will all be about how many cars pass your property so you are looking for busy roads with easy in/out access.

One of your largest concerns will probably be recycling the water. Many areas will not allow a car wash without it. You don't mention budget, but this would require a large investment for the property, building and equipment. Before pursuing design, I would look at local regulations, competition, actual costs of construction, equipment etc. In other words, a business plan. I was involved in this type of business from the sales and service end and there is definitely potential there, but it is not as simple as throwing up a building and putting in some equipment.

I would love to have access under the car at the wash some days. Has anyone seen a DIY car wash where you can elevate the vehicle? Think of people who go mudding or rally cross. I could see a drive on ramp made similar to a quick oil change place, but open on one side of the pit for the washer to gain access

We actually have laws making it illegal to wash the muddy underside of a dirty vehicle. Greasy parts and underhood cleaning as well.

Many have cameras recording you as you wash your vehicle, in part to facilitate prosecution.

CarKid1989 wrote: Was thinking two to four DIY bays and one Automatic touch free bay.

Skip the useless touch free ones and get the touch ones. Our local car wash has one "soft touch" bay with a line around the block and two unused touchless bays. They are about as useful as having a pack of yorkies try and piss the dirt off your car, buSt not nearly as entertaining

Trans_Maro wrote: I doubt the upper-middle class washes their own car at a DIY carwash.

This.

Upper-middle-class folks either get it detailed, just run it through the touch free, or they don't bother at all. If a guy with a nice car is washing it himself, he's doing it at home with a bunch of expensive mailorder products.

My father had a side business of 2-3 self serve washes. I can give you some insight, but I am jammed up right at this minute.

DIY carwash:

Just saying!...

This is one of my customers that offers all the "things" you will need for a car wash. Maybe it will help to start making a list and add up total costs.

http://www.dultmeier.com/

They even offer advice on how to start a car wash here.

http://www.dultmeier.com/literature/startacarwash.asp

my neighbor has a 10 yr old enclosed 3 bay + 1 outside (for larger vehicles) wand type car wash for sale for $400K last I heard. the place always seems busy but really booms in winter for the salt removal crowd. there's a no mud policy but that don't stop the goobers from cloggin' up the stall drains. I imagine waste water issues would be a pita although he hasn't shared the details or why he actually wants to sell. I figured the equipment is getting to rebuild time and/ or waste water restrictions have gotten tighter. I would't touch it if I did have the money.

A distant cousin of mine has a all hand wash and wax/ detail shop in an old dealership building centrally located in town... now they are a boomin'. Besides regular walk-ins they do most of their biz from independent car lots and even dealership used car depts. He started from a small hole-in-the wall shop in the country and built the biz up by reputation. They ain't livin' too bad these days.

Plenty of places exactly like that down here in Florida, even have air freshener dispensers.

so less diy bays and more automatic bays is one thing i hear over and over. good input.

no idea about waste water regs around here but will look into it

Best location bet: apartment complex country. Those people don't really have a choice.

Water recycling is a big thing and the EPA can nail your azz for being a point source polluter if GRM type people start blasting grimy junkyard engines. You probably can't avoid that kind of thing so you'd need an oil separator to keep them off your back.

The automatic bays have been known to do damage to antennas etc and if they break can be expensive to fix. Not insurmountable but definitely worth checking into.

Wally wrote: They are about as useful as having a pack of yorkies try and piss the dirt off your car, buSt not nearly as entertaining

that should be in the mag :)

When I lived in Northern VA, there were plenty of automatic car washes that seemed to do quite well. As others have said, rich folks don't get dirty, so it has to be the type where you drop the car off and it goes through. Windows for viewing your sweet Hummer while it gets washed are a must.

The best automated wash I saw had the car go in one side, with windows all around. Then it came back the other way on a conveyor belt where 6-8 people swarmed it and washed windows, dried and vacuumed the interior. Pretty slick, and they filled the place charging $25-$30 per wash. Capital required would be more, but you're better off than charging $3.25 for a few minutes with a soap wand. My main concern with the DIY route would be vandalism.

+1 on apartment land. I worked at a wash in gainesville (automated, but cars were vaccumed, prepped & dried by employees.) We rolled 200+ cars a day in the summer.

speedblind wrote: When I lived in Northern VA, there were plenty of automatic car washes that seemed to do quite well. As others have said, rich folks don't get dirty, so it has to be the type where you drop the car off and it goes through. Windows for viewing your sweet Hummer while it gets washed are a must. The best automated wash I saw had the car go in one side, with windows all around. Then it came back the other way on a conveyor belt where 6-8 people swarmed it and washed windows, dried and vacuumed the interior. Pretty slick, and they filled the place charging $25-$30 per wash. Capital required would be more, but you're better off than charging $3.25 for a few minutes with a soap wand. My main concern with the DIY route would be vandalism.

That's also a few hundred a day in labor....assuming no one hurts themselves or a car doesn't jump a roller and end up in the retention pond. Employees = huge headache, overhead, liability, etc. If I was thinking 6-8 employees, I wouldn't be thinking "carwash."

Just my $.02

I will add another one to close to apartments. I live in an apartment so I don't have a choice but to go to one of those DIY washes and there aren't any close to me.

There's pretty constant turnover of carwash employees, too. Not to mention all you need is one thief to rip off a few customers and you'll be years repairing the reputation damage.