How cold is cold when not to open the wash?

[TEEBOX]

All, the weather forecast high today in the Detroit metro area is 12 degrees, however at this moment it's only 6 degrees. I have a automatic Wyndstar door at my exit that helps keep in the heat and radiant heaters in my tunnel. Staying open is not a problem. The quality of the wash suffers and my towel dryers will be in harms way with frost bite and hypothermia. I do have a conscience sand I wouldn't put my kid out there in this extreme cold condition to work. In last 9 plus years I haven't seen it this cold consistently. In the next couple of days the highs will be 1 and 5 degrees! This is a stand alone facility with an no other profit center. We just wash cars. Streets are still ice covered and the salt has no effect.

What are your thoughts about not opening?

 

[Earl Weiss]

We are inn Chicagom and EE so no issue with Towel Dryers.

Come Monday expected high is -12. I have instructed locations to open and see what happens. Freezing problems may depend on which way the wind blows and how hard. If there are freezing issues I have instructed them to close.

 

[Buzzie8]

Forecast calling for sub zero in Pittsburgh on Monday - Wed.

I think I'm closing both my locations for all three days.

IBA usually opened 24/7/365

I don't think it is worth the hassle to try and stay open.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Conveyor keeps freezing - Runs 20 feet outside door. - Staying closed.

 

[robert roman]

“…next couple of days the highs will be 1 and 5 degrees! This is a stand alone…we just wash cars. What are your thoughts about not opening?”

Total cost can be used to evaluate whether to stay open or not.

For example, average cost of providing service is function of sales, expenses and opportunity.

Tunnel washing 75,000 cars at $8.00 and making normal profits may have average cost of providing service of around $43.00 an hour.

So, the question becomes if the wash stays open for 12 hours what is likelihood it would generate income of at least $516.00.

 

[Kevin James]

All, the weather forecast high today in the Detroit metro area is 12 degrees, however at this moment it's only 6 degrees. I have a automatic Wyndstar door at my exit that helps keep in the heat and radiant heaters in my tunnel. Staying open is not a problem. The quality of the wash suffers and my towel dryers will be in harms way with frost bite and hypothermia. I do have a conscience sand I wouldn't put my kid out there in this extreme cold condition to work. In last 9 plus years I haven't seen it this cold consistently. In the next couple of days the highs will be 1 and 5 degrees! This is a stand alone facility with an no other profit center. We just wash cars. Streets are still ice covered and the salt has no effect.

What are your thoughts about not opening?

Teebox I have to applaud you and commend you on thinking about the welfare and wellbeing of your employees. It’s not very often that an employer or a car wash owner will put the welfare or the well being of there employees before profits or revenue during the extreme cold weather that we are currently experiencing.

 

[mmurra]

Customers will not be satisfied with the wash results in this type of weather. For years we had frozen door locks on customers who came through the wash at anywhere near -0- degrees. If you explained all the potential problems with washing in this weather, customers would not do it (wash). We are not doing a service to our customers by washing them when we know they would not wash if they knew what we know! Mark

 

[TEEBOX]

I wish $8.00! Detroit Area Volume way down. 60K with 5.90 average.

 

[Earl Weiss]

“…Total cost can be used to evaluate whether to stay open or not.

For example, average cost of providing service is function of sales, expenses and opportunity.

Tunnel washing 75,000 cars at $8.00 and making normal profits may have average cost of providing service of around $43.00 an hour.

So, the question becomes if the wash stays open for 12 hours what is likelihood it would generate income of at least $516.00.

Math and Theory are nice but ignores factors. Cost may exceed revenue during slow times, but attendant can use the slow time for clean up and fix up. There is also a benefit to having people know you are going to be open as opposed to thinking you are closed a lot.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Customers will not be satisfied with the wash results in this type of weather. For years we had frozen door locks on customers who came through the wash at anywhere near -0- degrees. If you explained all the potential problems with washing in this weather, customers would not do it (wash). We are not doing a service to our customers by washing them when we know they would not wash if they knew what we know! Mark

I guess I don't know what you know. Frozen lock problems? Don't recall the last time I put a key in a car door lock to open it.

High was about -10 today and managed to keep the 1 of 4 places open since that conveyor does not extend outside the building.

On sunny days with dirty cars and temps between 0 & 20 we have washed plenty of cars. Our biggest issue is if it the car has not had the interior warm up the windows freeze and the customer can't see to exit and we need to melt it. Other than that can't think of any issues.

 

[Jeff_L]

I was wondering why some contemplated closing - now I understand as the quality of wash could be in we question and the safety of the employees. If I had a conveyor/tunnel, I'd probably put a sign by the entrance explaining what will not be available that day (hand dry, etc), and maybe charge a lesser fee as a "Brrrr Special". There are still those who want to get the salt off their cars and clean their windshields.

 

[JeffM]

Cold doesn't effect our operation as we are fully indoors. Last few days had lows of -35C, -38C, and today is currently -27C. A few complaints of frozen doors; we try to educate our customers on how to not end up with an ice cube on wheels. It's better to have your customer's know you will be there when they want, rather than wondering if you will be open during inconsistent weather conditions

 

[mjwalsh]

JeffM ... you make some valid points ... from past experience... if the cold snap lasts for a very extended period of time & there are too many customers driving away seeing a place closed ... it can effect the immediate business when the temperatures do get just bearable enough for various other types of car wash facilities to be open without too much extra risk to potential benefit etc.

Just to be helpful -38° C is -36.4° F based on a handy dandy conversion tool. Trust me, with wind at that temperature ... car washing is very dangerous unless in a very cozy & very high long term investment ($$$) indoor facility. Canada in some ways must have more resources to work with than the USA ... hmmm ... I wonder why.

Mike Walsh www.kingkoin.com

 

[JeffM]

Thanks, Mike. Just to be clear though, it is still very dangerous even with an indoor facility. Last week we had a F-150 with frozen brakes slowly crash into one of our bay doors. No damage to the truck, just 2 pannels which needed replacement. You can never be too careful.

 

[robert roman]

“Math and Theory are nice but ignores factors.”

What factors might that be? 2 + 2 doesn’t equal 4?

“Cost may exceed revenue during slow times, but attendant can use the slow time for clean up and fix up.”

Clean up is an incremental cost, my argument refers to total cost of providing service.

“There is also a benefit to having people know you are going to be open as opposed to thinking you are closed a lot.”

Since we are talking about open/close decision under duress not conditions like mostly cloudy or several hours of light rain what benefit on a 0 degree day do you believe would equal or exceed $516 as in the example?

 

[Washmee]

I was closed all day Monday, I will be closed all day today. The temps have been 0* to -15* with wind chills averaging -25*. It's just not worth the effort and risks to open during those extreme temps. There is no way I could provide a quality wash with these conditions. For the few customers who thought they needed to wash we are just saving them from making a bad decision.

 

[mjwalsh]

Thanks, Mike. Just to be clear though, it is still very dangerous even with an indoor facility. Last week we had a F-150 with frozen brakes slowly crash into one of our bay doors. No damage to the truck, just 2 pannels which needed replacement. You can never be too careful.

JeffM,

I can relate to the challenges of overhead door repair ... in really tough weather conditions. Just thank your lucky stars that it was not one of those "Monster Ford F-150s" because then it would have been even more of a concern. We keep spare panels on hand ... just in case. https://www.google.com/search?q=for...&espv=210&q=ford+f-150+monster+truck&tbm=isch

Hopefully, the party who had the F-150 took care of the expense of the repair & held accountable ... especially if it was a laughing & snickering bunch of immature who-evers.

Mike Walsh http://kingkoin.com/USA_Deficit_Reduction.html

 

[Earl Weiss]

>>>Math and Theory are nice but ignores factors.”

What factors might that be? 2 + 2 doesn’t equal 4<<<

Of course it does, but that's the wrong question. It's not 2+2 = $. It's 2 + 2 + A+B+C= 4XYZ

Fixed costs remain the same. Incremental costs change. There is the direct cost of putting a car thru the tunnel, plus incremental labor and incremental heat and light for being open. Then there is the incremental benefit of the employee doing clean up and fix up, and having people know you are open.

Open versus closed with one employee who can handle low volume and cleanup for the same wage does not make cleanup an incremental cost. If I hit an average revenue of $4.00 ($3.50 Base) then in answer to your question after 130 cars it's all gravy.

It's currently warmed up to -7. All 4 tunnels are open. As it stands right now I may not hiot the 130 cars.

From 10:00am to 11:00 am we washed 11 cars at one location.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Washing fairly steady or better at -0-. Supplemental heaters in place as needed. Hot water trickling on lift outs to keep them from freezing as needed. Using my T'd hot and cold water lines to mixing stations and brush feeds have basicaly turned off the cold. Some icicles hanging from some rinse arches.

Some vehicles coming in with lots of snow, leaving with lots less snow, but now it's pink.

 

[TEEBOX]

Washing fairly steady or better at -0-. Supplemental heaters in place as needed. Hot water trickling on lift outs to keep them from freezing as needed. Using my T'd hot and cold water lines to mixing stations and brush feeds have basicaly turned off the cold. Some icicles hanging from some rinse arches.

Some vehicles coming in with lots of snow, leaving with lots less snow, but now it's pink.

Earl,

What type of supplemental heaters are you using?