Maintenance for Self Serve

[pmi9b]

Id love to hear some thoughts and experiences from the pros out there about what type of maintenance/attendance would be required for a self serve "spray and vac" with four stalls? How much time per week? What type of "tasks"? Etc.
Thinking of things like.

1. Refilling the change machines and emptying the sprayers, vacuum and vending.
2. Picking up trash, emptying trash bins
3. Refilling soap etc.

What else?

Whats a typical/good schedule for a week? E.g. "Twice a week youll need to refill your change machines"etc.

Thanks!

 

[MEP001]

Depends. If you want it to be successful, you need to check on it at least once a day. Check everything every day. Filling the changer depends on the size of the changer, I have to fill mine five times a week. Keep it clean, clean, clean.

 

[eckert16]

Depends on the location. If in a poorer area where your site becomes the local free trash dropoff service, it could be a full time position to keep it clean.

 

[Roz]

Id love to hear some thoughts and experiences from the pros out there about what type of maintenance/attendance would be required for a self serve "spray and vac" with four stalls? How much time per week? What type of "tasks"? Etc.
Thinking of things like.

1. Refilling the change machines and emptying the sprayers, vacuum and vending.
2. Picking up trash, emptying trash bins
3. Refilling soap etc.

What else?

Whats a typical/good schedule for a week? E.g. "Twice a week youll need to refill your change machines"etc.

Thanks!

It depends on various factors mentioned below.
I know owners who load their change machines with enough money to keep a week but that comes with the risk if you get a break in. You can reduce that risk by changing tokens only.

Vacuums can usually be emptied once a week, and vending usually does not amount to much (BUT depends on your customer demographics)

Trash, thats daily often multiple times in the day. If you are not there pay someone for 1-2 hours a day to help keep place clean. They will never do as good a job as an owner.

Soap, you can use 15 gal containers and that should be good for at least a month.

Cameras all over the property as well as cameras & water leak alarms everywhere inside the equipment room can be HUGE help so you can see things from your phone. You need to check the equipment each time you are at the wash and try to stop possible issues in advance.

With a trash helper who can be observant enough to call you if they see anything odd (like unexplained water on the floor) you can get the visits down to once a week. That being said I am at the wash more often so customers see and know me - goes a long way toward building goodwill and revenue.

 

[washnshine]

All of the above posters are 100% correct. There are times you will be there when your efforts will be immediately tangible - like cleaning a dirty bay, fixing a leak, replacing a brush or emptying trash. There is also time that you will be there that does not seem to be significant, but greeting customers, explaining options, offering advice, helping and elderly person with some physical task that might be a problem for them. These tasks pay huge dividends to your customer loyalty and the perception of your business. You have to have some “customer time” at your wash - even if it isn’t a ton of time and even though it is a “self serve” wash.

 

[Greg_T]

As many replies have noted, it will depend greatly upon your location, customer base etc.

Just to give an idea from our wash, we are in a dirty, muddy farming area. I go every morning to make sure things are working OK, clean up mud and rubbish, clean out vac filters etc. Typically takes me about 30 minutes each morning. Every afternoon one of our staff attend to clean up, typically they take 30 mintues to 1 hour.

 

[AZcarwashman]

Id love to hear some thoughts and experiences from the pros out there about what type of maintenance/attendance would be required for a self serve "spray and vac" with four stalls? How much time per week? What type of "tasks"? Etc.
Thinking of things like.

1. Refilling the change machines and emptying the sprayers, vacuum and vending.
2. Picking up trash, emptying trash bins
3. Refilling soap etc.

What else?

Whats a typical/good schedule for a week? E.g. "Twice a week youll need to refill your change machines"etc.

Thanks!

You don’t need to show up but once a week to collect all your tax free money. of course I’m being sarcastic. A successful car wash takes constant oversight and maintenance. My motto is, there’s always something. That is there’s always something breaking, getting trashed, vandalized, bays trashed 20 minutes after you leave, something that need updating or replaced. To run a successful self service wash, especially when you start adding multiple locations is work. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great business, I wouldn’t choose to do anything else, but if you want it to be really successful, it’s something you’re pretty much married to that takes constant maintenance. 30 minutes a.m. and 30 in the p.m. is not reality unless it’s a quiet site that’s not busy and doesn’t earn. If that’s the fact, don’t buy it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[dbcknghm]

Adding learning curve/improvements and operational efficiency to the above will add time to all of the above estimates ..... my guess .... take what everyone says n double it then hope you are close ..... ya - from experience ....