Last 6 months business

[soapy]

Industry experts say 30,000 people per express tunnel. Around 125 cars per day per million dollars spent to break even. I doubt any are making a true profit since they all had inheritance cash and have no mortgage. Not many self service bays in town so I have my niche. The express tunnels here are 2.5 million plus to build.

 

[slash007]

After a nice Sunday, forecast said clear weather all week. Yesterday it rained half the day, today it's sprinkling and tomorrow supposed to be flurries all day.

 

[Jerry]

SE Pennsylvania. tremendous amount of bad weather over the last 4 months. Worst stretch in 15 years at least.
Our self serve is up 10% year over year, our Exterior tunnel on the same site is up more than that. Car counts are higher, as is revenue.

Unlimited car washing takes bad weather out of play. I can't scream it enough about how much unlimited has changed the car washing game.

 

[br549ms]

Soapy, I think you are a little off with the 125 / day for each MM invested. That's 312.5 cars per day for the 2.5 MM average to build in your area. Assuming a low average of $10.00 per wash, that amounts to $1,140,625.00 per year to break even. I think they need to get a grip on their expenses if that is the case. A more realistic number may be 125 per day to break even per 2.5 MM invested. Depending on labor costs.

 

[soapy]

The 125 number was given to me by a industry appraiser who does numerous washes every year. That was about 6 years ago. I also have asked others who operate express tunnels and been told 100 to 112 per million. Your $10 average may be a little high also. Either way we have to small of pie for that many express washes in this town. 2 of the tunnels here still have the $3 wash package as a base price.

 

[soonermajic]

In NE Tx same deal. Worst weather in the 5 years I've been in this business. Record rains falls in October & Novermber BOTH!! SS bays are a little up, but IBA is down for sure.

Another thing that has hurt, as some have pointed out, it seems like 2 weekends per month there is bad weather. If you wipe out 50% of your weekends....arghhh

 

[sparkey]

I am up a little this year in central Ohio. I was a little leary since I removed all my trash cans this year. I actually think it helped my business since I don't have non-paying customers blocking my bays anymore.

 

[DiamondWash]

OMG I'm going over our numbers for all of 2018 I keep saying "there's got to be something wrong with these numbers there isn't enough of them". But we have been busy since the 1st of 2019.

 

[slash007]

So far rained 2 out of 5 days here, so 40% lol.

 

[chaz]

My year was up slightly (but overall down after factoring in higher expenses). The weather certainly wasn’t my friend in 2018. 2018 was my first year with vacs at $2 for 6 minutes (was $1 for 4 minutes) so that helped with revenue. Customers don’t want to wash in rain....but don’t mind vacuuming when it’s rainy.

 

[Randy]

We have no complaints, We've had the best 6 months ever.

 

[MidAtlanticCarwasher]

The three car washes I'm the general manager of have had an unlimited wash club for five years. 2018 was the worst year of this ongoing era thanks to the last six months. I know Baltimore set a record for precipitation. Without the unlimited wash club, I don't know how we'd be in business. It is really weather insurance.

Before the unlimited wash club, our worst year was 2008. Rain was the biggest economic factor that hurt us then.

 

[soonermajic]

No end in sight, for Midwest US

 

[MEP001]

No end in sight, for Midwest US

When did you move to Iowa?

 

[washallday]

Good thing I raised my pricing just before 2018 winter. That helped to make up the loss in income throughout the year of 2018.

 

[DiamondWash]

Been closed for damn near a month due to cold weather and going into Feb isn't looking good neither for Grimes Iowa.

 

[Randy]

Been closed for damn near a month due to cold weather and going into Feb isn't looking good neither for Grimes Iowa.

I just looked at the weather for Grimes Iowa, 4 deg. I think I'd sell out and move to somewhere warmer. It's 39 deg. here this morning clear as a bell, should be an outstanding wash weekend.

 

[Speedi]

I'm in the Pacific NW & 2018 was the best year I've ever had in 36 years....Trump? Global Warming? Management?

 

[Car_Wash_Guy]

Trump making car washing great again.

 

[2Biz]

The weather in January has been crap so far in the Ohio Valley, no better than all of 2018...If it isn't snowing, its freezing cold. If it warms up, its raining and people are getting free washes! Kinda hard to shine in the CW business when Mother Nature is riding her broom!