What's new

What would you do?

Cool Wash

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
87
Reaction score
25
Points
18
Hello Experts,

I have a big decision to make and would love to have your thoughts on this issue. Here’s the situation:

I have 7 bay and 9 vaccuam SS wash. It is a very busy wash. I average monthly around $3000 per bay and $250 for each vacuum. I have an option to add a touch free automatic but I will lose 2 bays and 4 vacuums.
competition: 2 tunnels in 1 mile, couple of gas station brush/cloths. No touch free in 3 miles radius.
Traffic: 32,000. 4 lanes street (2 lanes each way) and a center lane to turn. 40 MPH.
Demographics: 16000 in 1 mile and 105000 in 3 miles.
Med HH income: 59k in 1 mile and 62k in 3 mile.

Does it make sense to invest in a touch free (and lose 2 bays and 4 vacuums) or keep as it is?

Thank you in advance for your comments.

Thanks
 

JMMUSTANG

car wash owner
Joined
Sep 1, 2007
Messages
1,288
Reaction score
197
Points
63
Location
at the car wash
I agree with Greg...BUT
With that volume there will most likely be another wash coming to your neighborhood.
If you put in an IBA you won’t lose all those customers, they’ll wait for another bay or become your IBA customer at a higher ticket average and still use your vacs.
Plus you’ll gain new customers.
If you don’t put in an IBA someone else will.
 

MC3033

Active member
Joined
Dec 3, 2017
Messages
207
Reaction score
85
Points
28
Location
Midwest
That is a tough one. Based on your SS numbers, demographics and traffic you can do pretty well with a touch free. That being said my biggest concern is that you would only have 1 unit!

personally I think I would opt for the lower stress and lower risk of keeping the current setup. No downtime or large investment. IMO the touch less customer is a bit closer to the tunnel customer then a SS customer is. The SS insulates better
 

Waxman

Super Moderator
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
5,848
Reaction score
1,341
Points
113
Location
Orange, MA
I guess it would depend on your age, the term of your loan, your personal goals and mechanical abilities and the capability / reliability of your staffing .
 

Cool Wash

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
87
Reaction score
25
Points
18
THANK YOU all for your comments and insights. I am leaning toward keeping current set up. However, I would still love to hear thoughts from others.
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,667
Reaction score
3,933
Points
113
Location
Texas
You can stand to make more from an auto bay, but given your current numbers I doubt it would be worth the headache. An IBA unit will be a lot more maintenance, a lot more upfront cost, and it's something you'll have to replace every so often. It would be much more profitable if you find a decent, reliable, used unit, but then you might turn your wash into a part-time job. I wouldn't do it, and I'm a 39-year experienced service tech. Mostly because I'm old and tired, and I wouldn't convert bays just to give someone else work. I can keep my 6-bay SS going forever by myself, but there's no way I'll be replacing an IBA gearbox or dryer motor when I'm 70, not the way my back is degenerating.

FWIW your costs will be much lower and therefore profits much higher if you go with a friction unit over a touch-free.
 

AnalyticWash

Active member
Joined
Feb 26, 2020
Messages
166
Reaction score
135
Points
43
Do you have the space to queue cars if you put in an IBA? How many cars could queue at any given time? Will it impede any SS bays?
 

Cool Wash

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
87
Reaction score
25
Points
18
Yes, I had an architect drawing and it gives 3 cars stacking only after losing 2 SS bays.
 

Roz

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 29, 2017
Messages
1,226
Reaction score
641
Points
113
Depends on your overall cost to install an IBA. The IBA (say a Razor) is about $120K, plus cost of dryers, then you might have electrical upgrade required, and construction to convert the 2 bays to an IBA plus a larger equipment room? See your total cost and then decide. IBA combined with your current SS volume could help you grow the biz to the next level. The work (maintenance) is not overwhelming. 3 car stacking is not much. See how the IBA stack might impact access to the SS bays.
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,667
Reaction score
3,933
Points
113
Location
Texas
IMO you won't achieve max throughput if you can't stack at least six cars. In theory it works, but in practice you'll have a lot of idle time. If people can't get in line, they'll leave and wash somewhere else.
 

Car_Wash_Guy

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 6, 2015
Messages
1,121
Reaction score
304
Points
83
Location
out west
The math would probably favor the conversion to the IBA.

However:
A SS only wash grossing 300K/year? I would get that site paid for and net 200K working a few hours a week. Life would be pretty sweet.
Exactly what I was thinking before I scrolled down to your comment.
 

Cool Wash

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
87
Reaction score
25
Points
18
Thank you all again for your great insights. I have decided to keep current setting. I wil continue to focus on up-kipping and all equipment running. I am also taking Greg’s advice seriously to pay off my mortgage early instead of investing on an IBA.
 

Carwashmafia

New member
Joined
Nov 26, 2019
Messages
21
Reaction score
24
Points
3
I have a very busy 9 bay car wash I converted 2 of the bays 1 to an automatic and one to a dogwash best decision I have ever made I would definitely convert 2 bays into an Automatic. Carwashing is like a pie the more slices you can offer customers the more revenue you can generate an automatic will bring customers you would not normally get with just self-serve my Automatic generates about 40% of my revenue.
 
Top