Mud grids - a solution?

[JustClean]

Hi all,
today I arrived at my car wash and it looked like a bomb shell. Apart from the bins (that I all emptied last night) that were now overflowing with 3 plastic bags next to them all my bays were covered in mud and tracks were throughout the yard towards the exit. I got an idea and was wondering if someone had done it and what you guys think about it:

If I ever built another wash instead of making concrete bays I could build a big pit and put grids all over it. So all the mud would either fall straight into the pit or if a car drove over it it would get squeezed in. That should result in far less cleaning time. What do you think about it?

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I think women with heels would not like that.
Probably have all the metal grates stolen.
No underground heat.
People calling all the time because they dropped something into your pits.

 

[MEP001]

I have to agree, I see nothing but problems with doing that.

Is this a regular problem?

 

[Reds]

And how would you clean your pit out? There is a good idea in the library for a mud catching pit that you can clean out with a tractor.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I also think shoveling mud on te floor to the side somewhere where it can dry and then you can dispose of it is more efficient that putting it in the pits and having to clean it out of there. Althoug the desing of aving a ramped pit that you could simplydrive a bobcat into is the bees knees.

 

[JustClean]

I have to agree, I see nothing but problems with doing that.

Is this a regular problem?

No, not that bad. Just thought I ask. Maybe not worth investigating. However, a friend of mine has just told me he has seen one and their bays always look clean.

 

[MEP001]

I'd like to see that. Ask him to send you pictures.

 

[JustClean]

I'd like to see that. Ask him to send you pictures.

I just sent him an email. I am also curious.

 

[Jeff_L]

I think it would make the average customer feel uneasy about falling in. With them not feeling safe they'll either shorten their wash cycle and/or not come back because of it. Cleaning up mud is just a part of our business. I'd rather be doing that than looking at a dry bay.

 

[chaz]

Maybe you just need to charge more. It's still early for me, but I recently went from $2 to $3 for four minutes. Average activation is up 75 cents, and seems like I am cleaning up less mess. Of the few comments on the change, my favorite, from the lady who said I am not paying $3 for a wash, down the street is only $1. I told her to go to that wash. Based on the mess she left in front of the vac before she did not even use my vac, she's the type customer I do not want.

 

[captain cw]

Maybe you just need to charge more. It's still early for me, but I recently went from $2 to $3 for four minutes. Average activation is up 75 cents, and seems like I am cleaning up less mess. Of the few comments on the change, my favorite, from the lady who said I am not paying $3 for a wash, down the street is only $1. I told her to go to that wash. Based on the mess she left in front of the vac before she did not even use my vac, she's the type customer I do not want.

I agree. I attached a picture of a friends site, where he did a mud bay.


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