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Mudders

1

1carwash1

Member
Recently we began banning excessively muddy vehicles. I got tired of showing up at the wash to find one or more bays covered in mud and not being used. I figured that spending inordinate amounts of time cleaning up after a mudder was just not worth it.
I just don't need or want that kind of business.
 
that is a quandary at my wash. LOTS of mud, empty pits every 6 weeks, but they bring a lot of our business...
Not sure what to do about it...
 
banning mudders is not something i could see myself doing at my wash. i raised my startup price to make extra to cover the occasional clean up.
 
If I banned mudders I wouldn't have any winter time or rainy day business. I just keep raising my price and they keep coming in.
 
I do not allow vehicles with heavy mud to wash. If they got muddy driving down the road that is one thing but if you are out driving through a field thats their problem. I also work a full time job so I feel my time is worth more than the few quarters they are going to spend. I also find these people only wash when their vehicle is trashed and are not regular customers.
 
As much as we hate mudders, they spend cash!!!! Most spend lots of it. I tell my worker that the mudders are job security. I would rather clean up after a mudder then argue for 10 minutes with a bucket or weep washer any day. Most of the mudders we get after short conversations will do some cleanup after themselves. When we are there we will just ask nicely that when they come in please at least clear the walking areas of mud so that when their mother comes in to wash her bmw she doesnt get her floor mats dirty!!! They understand our side of the business!! Some are scum and we tell them not to come back!! Aint this business grande!!!
 
I agree with pgrzes. Sucks cleaning up after them, but they do spend the money. I too explain that when I'm not there that I'd appreciate they clean up the bay when they're done so it can be used by others. Usually they understand.
 
if i may draw an analogy: banning mudders from a self serve car wash is like banning the overweight from a buffet style restaurant. sorry, but it is true and you know it is.
 
Waxman said:
if i may draw an analogy: banning mudders from a self serve car wash is like banning the overweight from a buffet style restaurant. sorry, but it is true and you know it is.
Click to expand...

Perfect analogy. That would be as suicidal as saying you were gonna ban guns out here.
 
I guess it depends on your clientele. Were fortunate to be located in an urban area with few mudders. Additionally, we also request that all trash be removed from pickup beds before washing. I'm just not interested in running a free-for-all car wash.
 
I get so many mudders at my wash I have tools and equipment with special names to deal with it like my "sludge sled" which is a fancy name for a sled I converted with a 4 wheel dolly bolted on the bottom of it. As I'am writing this there is a muddy vehicle in my middle bay and his total is up to $14.50
 
I haven't had a lot of trouble with mudders except for two, one was a pair with one spraying and the other using the brush to knock the mud out of the wheel wells (Did it every day for two weeks until I finally caught them), the other was a guy who used one SS bay to get most of the mud off the outside, drove around to the auto and let the undercarriage wash some mud off, then pulled around again and used another SS bay to finish. He literally shut down the entire wash, even the covered vac bays because of the mud that fell off as he drove around.
 
DiamondWash said:
I get so many mudders at my wash I have tools and equipment with special names to deal with it like my "sludge sled" which is a fancy name for a sled I converted with a 4 wheel dolly bolted on the bottom of it. As I'am writing this there is a muddy vehicle in my middle bay and his total is up to $14.50
Click to expand...

I was just going to mention this. They almost always hit my limit ($14.75) and usually run more. I personally rather have one sale of $20 than 4-5+ smaller sales.

We live in the desert surrounded by millions of acres of BLM and National Forest.. Mud is a fact of life here. Between mudders, people with recreational stuff ( ATV's, UTV's, quads, dirt bikes, etc), and people that live on acreage with long dirt driveways, peoples vehicles get dirty.
 
Yeah, most of my mudders are big spenders and do an ok job of washing the mud down. I've even got one regular, that pulls his vehicle out of the bay and then wishes down the bay.

Now the concrete guys, that's a problem. I've got one guy in a back pickup I'm trying to catch. He uses the foamy brush as a broom, before he even activates bay....then gravel and concrete also over bay. Yesterday was very busy...I was gone for 90 minutes and yep, he had come and gone.
 
chaz said:
Yeah, most of my mudders are big spenders and do an ok job of washing the mud down. I've even got one regular, that pulls his vehicle out of the bay and then wishes down the bay.

Now the concrete guys, that's a problem. I've got one guy in a back pickup I'm trying to catch. He uses the foamy brush as a broom, before he even activates bay....then gravel and concrete also over bay. Yesterday was very busy...I was gone for 90 minutes and yep, he had come and gone.
Click to expand...

i find myself annoyed at the contractors ( only a few i think) and the tree guys. i think i am getting old and cranky.
 
I have a local paint contractor that keeps cleaning out their painting buckets and leaving tons of dry latex paint chips everywhere.
 
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