Dont be like this guy!

[ANGERMGT]

I manage 2 different car washes for almost 4 years now. I like to go to others to check things out. I came across this wash about 5 miles away from one of my washes and could not believe the condition it was in.

https://youtu.be/dvQdMYFY_LQ

 

[slash007]

I've seen way worse. To be fair, you should see my wash after a busy hour. Clean as a whistle to start, and sometimes after less than an hour it looks like a tornado when through. Doesn't excuse the maintenance issues though.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I manage 2 different car washes for almost 4 years now. I like to go to others to check things out. I came across this wash about 5 miles away from one of my washes and could not believe the condition it was in.

https://youtu.be/dvQdMYFY_LQ

You should buy this one.

 

[loewem]

I wonder how much washes like this one detract from the industry as a whole. That wash is a nice setup with good equipment. Sad that it isn't being taken care of. Kind of like how my daughter takes care of her car.

 

[Scrub Free]

Looks like a good spot to pick up before it hits the market for sale. I would do a wash and quick lube there.

 

[BBE]

I'd love to know the story behind this wash. I thought on one of the vac canopies I saw "PDQ..." but I can't be sure, but there was certainly the "laserwash" superhero icon they use up on the side of the building on the exit end of the automatics which leads me to believe it definitely is affiliated with pdq, or a distributor for pdq owned it or something along those lines. And then one of the autos is a G5, but then the other is a washworld

Also if you were going to have two touchless machines next to each other, there would have to be a really good reason for them not to be the same machine, for things like spare parts etc... Or at the very least the same manufacturer.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Definitely something fishy there.

 

[DiamondWash]

I've seen way worse. To be fair, you should see my wash after a busy hour. Clean as a whistle to start, and sometimes after less than an hour it looks like a tornado when through. Doesn't excuse the maintenance issues though.

I heard that.

 

[cwguy.com]

I saw "PDQ..." but I can't be sure, but there was certainly the "laserwash" superhero icon they use up on the side of the building on the exit end of the automatics which leads me to believe it definitely is affiliated with pdq, or a distributor for pdq owned it or something along those lines.

That is Laserman! LOL

 

[Scrub Free]

I kinda want that laserman hanging in my garage next to my 80's Simoniz sign!

 

[robert roman]

If you go back over the video, you will find at 2:30 the contact information for the equipment supplier emblazoned on the coin box.

This is what the site looked like new.

http://www.carwashexperts.com/sites_detail_pdq.php

So, why does the wash look like it does?

Most likely insufficient gross sales and the owner lost interest.

Why are sales insufficient?

The property’s site location characteristics suck.

Take it from an expert.

 

[robert roman]

“I wonder how much washes like this one detract from the industry as a whole.”

What detracts is building a carwash where there is not sufficient public need.

The cause of this is lack of stewardship.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I've seen way worse. To be fair, you should see my wash after a busy hour. Clean as a whistle to start, and sometimes after less than an hour it looks like a tornado when through. Doesn't excuse the maintenance issues though.

How many would like to be judged by their worst day?

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

Dang man that could be a very nice site, nice equipment just neglected and dirty. It wouldn't take but a couple days to bring that place up to par. A good pressure washer and acid and get everything working correctly & chunking chemical. I would try to buy that before someone else does if it's just 5 miles down the road it may hurt you if it was managed right and in a good location. I would be working on that right now and be scared someone's gonna beat me to it.

 

[slash007]

I should have taken a video of one of my washes this morning. Didn't stop by yesterday as it started raining mid day. Whole place looked like hell this morning. Tires, mud, bales of hay, dirty laundry, you name it. All over the place. Sometimes you can't even take half a day off.

 

[Waxman]

you guys are nuts. this wash doesn't look that bad. you're making all types of assumptions, so here's a few more: the wash was busy and not cleaned up in a few days. big deal. debris in the corner of the automatic bay? i get that from a busy afternoon! i cleaned up on tuesday and found jumper cables in the automatic bay on wednesday.

customers want the changer working, the functions all working, and the chemicals nice and rich.

you guys need to be more realistic.

 

[cwguy.com]

I agree with slash007 and waxman.... but looking at the location you could assume he has a deal with the c-store (Phillips 66) and gets no self-serve business? So he hates his high maintenance Fragramatics vacs.... this is why they do not work? JK

The real embarrassing issue is: I see an Express Key system. This can not be excused! DON'T BE LIKE THIS GUY!
It is a joke.... I assume Express Keys may be great for someone somewhere?

One Charter employee filled ever garbage can at my place.... plus there are 2 people cleaning this place up. My place would have looked a lot worse in a video.... But more vacs would have worked! LOL

 

[loewem]

“I wonder how much washes like this one detract from the industry as a whole.”

What detracts is building a carwash where there is not sufficient public need.

The cause of this is lack of stewardship.

“What detracts is building a carwash where there is not sufficient public need.

The cause of this is lack of stewardship".

Not sure I'm following some of the most recent responses. Robert, a lack of stewardship on the part of the owner, the industry, the "experts", all of the above?

I don't disagree that too may washes and/or washes built in areas that don't have the need is bad for the industry, but I still wonder how MUCH washes like this detract from the industry. I don't consider myself an expert, but I'm certain that washes that are not maintained properly detract from the industry. My wash is located between two other washes. One is a dump and the other is as nice a wash as I have ever seen. All three washes are in an area where demand is sufficient, but the dump is struggling and the owner of the nice wash is trying to sell it. Neither is properly maintained and I hear about it from customers on at least a monthly basis. The conversation usually goes something like this: customer "do you own the wash up the street"? me "no". Customer "well that place sucks, paid $5 for no soap, no pressure......". me "sorry that happened to you, here is $5 in tokens, let me know what you think". Maybe I gave a free wash to a one-time customer or maybe I captured a new customer. Hopefully got a new customer. My point is that the customer could have easily assumed that all self service car washes suck and not bothered to try my wash. It doesn't matter if one customer believes that self serve car washes suck or one million customers believe it. Poorly maintained washes detract from the industry. I just WONDER how much.

As for some other posts I've read, I have a very hard time believing that 99% of the operators on this forum would ever allow their wash(es) to deteriorate like the one in the video. It seems to me that everyone takes too much pride in their washes and helping each other to allow that to happen. I'll bet that the 99% that I'm talking about had the urge to jump through the screen to start cleaning up and fixing things.

 

[cwguy.com]

I believe everyone should check out the location.... the area is probably not built up to much. It is behind a gas station. It seems like a poor location.

But I just think the garbage influx could happen to anyone at any moment. Plus this place is surrounded by trees. Which I believe was the real problem with all the bays?

I do think there is neglect from poor sales or out of town support. It is behind a gas station and it appears (on google) that a truck with a trailer is stocking the vendor at the time of the picture.

It is for sale at 1.5 million: http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/19949765/5360-Wadsworth-Bypass-Arvada-CO/
Above link states: "Washes also sold thru adjoining gas station." Which was my previous assumption on poor self serve sales.

 

[loewem]

I get the trash issue. Happens to me regularly.

$1.5 Million! It gets better and better. It makes even less sense that the place is such a mess when it is on the market for $1.5 Million.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/5...6760814c042873a!8m2!3d39.794041!4d-105.077491.

Not a great location in the scheme of the area, but that area is happening. Costco, Lowes, Home Depot, dining, surrounded by residential. Somebody could make that work, but not for $1.5 million. At least not if that somebody is me.