Converting Full Service to Express Exterior?

[detailz]

Hello Everyone,

some history for you​

I have been operating my business for 6 years now,first as a full service hand carwash then switched to full service automatic with the Belanger Enduro 60 with Hanna Commander Touchless arch.I have been running it this way for two years now but the hardest part of my day now is staffing people to handle the full service end of it( vacuuming,windows etc) The way my building is i will still have to have my staff load and finish the car.


I would love to just change to a full -service EXTERIOR only carwash and focus more on our 3 detailing bays that currently generate great revenue.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has had experience in this before ?...if so,what are your thoughts>?


i just want to make more money and have less stress on busy days with all the interior that need cleaning cloggin up the line.we currently charge $18.95 for exterior only and $29.95 for in and out.


thanks to all the carwash gurus that reply in advance...this site is such a great service.


cheers,

Ron

 

[Chiefs]

Let's start with a few questions.

1. $18.95 for exterior only? What do you get for $18.95?
2. Where are you located?
3. What is your traffic count?
4. How many and what type of competition do you have? How close are they to you.
5. How long of a conveyor do you have.
6. Where is your Hanna Commander arch in relation to your cloth equipment? Before or after the cloth?
7. Do you have room for additional air dryers so that you can eliminate manual towel drying? If yes, is there room on the lot when customers exit to be able to pull off to the side and finish drying their own vehicle (B.Y.O.T= Bring Your Own Towel>
8. Are you going to put in self-serve vacuums? Where will the be used? Prior to or after the car is washed?

Answer these for me and I'll have a slightly better pitcure of you situationand be better able to address your situation and goals.

 

[detailz]

ANSWERS:
1 manual prep,door jambs and towel dry.
( we are located in a 3 acre lot with two toucless auto charging($18 for top package) ten self-serve bays,eight vacuums and an oil change)

2.Located in Surrey ,BC, Canada

3.We average 100 full service carwashes on busy days but the whole site will process over 1000..very busy around here on sunny days but we lose a lot of customers simply cause it takes sooo long.Wwe are located on a corner that has flows of 45,000 cars on one road and 19,000 on the other.

4.We are the only full-service friction tunnel in the city...a few budget hand carwashes and another gas station touchless 4 blocks away.
5. Tunnel is 70ft in total with a 55ft conveyor.(plan to exend the tunnel 15ft to add equip..meeting installer tommorow for quotes)
6. touchless arch is before the cloth.
7.Currently have 8 dryers withg only three activated simply cause i need a guy checking for spots anyway so i have him drying aswel...suprisingly the three work very good.Have never heard of B.Y.O.T and not sure if our customers will go for it paying what they just paid us.
8.Don't plan on installing vacuums..there are eight in the front of the property although i do have some room to put some at the exit end..only a couple though.I'm wondering if we get out of the in and out packages we offer it will fill up my three detailing bays with a min charge of $49.95 ..hire a secretay to answer phones,takes appointments etc becasue our phone is alwyas ringing off the hook.


we are all in this game to make money so i was thinking of offering 3-4 exterior packages(tires shine,poly wax,rain-x etc) called the Bronze,Silver,Gold,Platinum and keep our detailing bays busy since we have a very good name for our detailing quality....i just don't want to lose alot of customers and hurt the biz by changing to ext only...the reason i think we could work as ext only is the simple fact that nobody can touch the quality of our washes coming out of that tunnel.100 % clean and shiny with a personal touch( Definately not a touchless!)..we are like the Starbucks of carwashes out here.

Thanks for you time and input on this and to those who take the time to help with this dilema,

Cheers,
Ron
www.detailzautospa.com

 

[Chiefs]

With that kind of traffic count, a 70' tunnel is simply not enough for all of the equipment you need to be able to wash 1000 cars a day even if they were all exterior. This kind of location would be better off with either a single 150' tunnel which would be capable of washing 100-140 cars an hour or even two 80'-100' tunnels side by side capable of 160 an hour between them. If you go exterior only and can actually wash volume then your gross will not need to be nearly as high. I believe that part of the reason why your current prices are so high is due to you present inability to wash significant hourly and daily wash volumes. A 70' conveyor is as wholly inadequate for your needs, especially given your climate, traffic and lack of serious competition.

It sounds like you have plenty of land, so why not extend the tunnel ( not just the conveyor ) and really do this tunnel the right way. Besides washing higher volumes, you'll be able to produce a far better vehicle with far less labor than you do currently. They'll be cleaner as well as rinsed and dried better.

By the way when I say bring your own towel, keep in mind that I have 9 dryers and a total of 125 HP in drying capacity. When the vehicle comes out, you could wipe of the little bit of water on the side view mirrors and the rear of the vehicle with a single wash cloth. This ability to get a 98% dry vehicle gives the customer the opportunity to simply pull out and leave if they don't want to get out and finish the job.

Please feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss this further.

Sincerely,

Bill Consolo
Chief's Auto Wash & Chief's Mfg. & Equipment Co.
1-800-433-7758
(216) 291-3200 (office)

 

[robert roman]

$1,900 a day is certainly not something to shake a stick at. However, with a traffic count of least 45,000 cars a day, you should be able to attract an annual average daily volume of about 270 vehicles which is the equivalent of at least a 540 to 675 car Saturday during the peak carwash season.

Even with a 55? conveyor, you should be able to produce at least 40 cars an hour or 320 cars a day. Since you said that ?busy? is 100 cars a day, I believe that you have a lot of issues to deal with that have absolutely nothing to do with carwash equipment.

Quite frankly, I believe that if you buy and install the new equipment you may actually make the situation worse in terms of the amount stress that you will have to deal with.

If you want to make more money and reduce your stress level, you may want to consider fixing the things that are causing you to operate at less than 33%of your current potential before you begin to tackle the equipment issue.

Bob Roman
www.carwashplan.com

 

[smokun]

Right Idea... Wrong Execution

Ron...

Sounds like you need to consider FLEX-SERVE as your operating platform. That allows you to process all the exterior washes that show up without delays caused by full-service needs. Maintain an easy-in easy-out with no traffic hassles. Upgrade your washing & drying to eliminate the need for hand-finishing.

Those customers who want hands-on care need to go to AFTERCARE, a separate profit center where services such as interior cleaning, express waxing, etc. are provided at an additional charge. Sounds like you have an area dedicated to detailing, so upgrade that workspace with high-performance production cells and recognize that ALL hands-on services are DETAILING SERVICES, not carwash services. If a previous full-service customer seeks an "In & Out", upgrade the sale to an EXTREME-CLEAN, and clean the interior windows & door jambs, air-purge & vacuum the carpeting, wipedown & lightly dress the dash, console, and top of door panels... and up-charge accordingly. If you're currently getting $18.95 Canadian for exteriors with hand-finishing... and interior cleaning for ten dollars more, you're a bit light on the hands-on charge. By upgrading to an EXTREME-CLEAN, it becomes a detail service done by "detailers" who are perceived as being much more meticulous. By air-purging & light dressing, you change the package and merit half-again as much money for the service, and can be quite fastidious. Be sure to implement all the labor-saving benefits of FLEX-SERVE and you'll increase throughput, enhance push-button sales, greatly speed up the entire process without compromise to quality, and immediately start growing your overall volume... and dramatically reducing your labor overhead. The key is in the execution.

I suggest that you upgrade some of your equipment to suit your needs and only prep when snow-packed vehicles force you to do so. The focus is on more automation, even if it means a slower conveyor speed for better washing contact. Chemicals are essential to quality, so avoid crimping.

You should be able to solve all the non-automated issues in AFTERCARE, and since you've got little competition, I suggest spoiling your clientele with high quality, speed, convenient service, and kindness! Instead of full-service, upgrade to TOTAL-SERVICE!