According to literature, car wash customers want convenience, value along with a good price. This means having a convenient location, fast service, easy to get in and out, no long waiting lines, extended hours of operation and multiple services at one location. Moreover, the three most consistently requested additional services at a car wash are gasoline, express detail and oil change.
Most of the car-care facilities that I have owned or operated have been in the 35,000 to 80,000 cpy range. The express detail programs associated with the lower volume sites averaged about $10,000 per month and $20,000 to $25,000 per month for the higher volume sites. The vast majority of this revenue was generated from express wax and interior super clean. With a labor/revenue of about 25% and about $2.50 per car in materials, the profit margin for express detail far surpassed that of the car wash operation.