Mini Tunnel Conversion

[cellardale@aol.com]

I bought a wash last year with 8 SS bays and 2 laser 4000 IBAs. I have taken one out and put in a new wash world razor. Love it!! Even with this upgrade, losing several customers due to long wait times on good days. Anyone recently converted an IBA bay to a unmanned tunnel. I have visited two here in the area next to c-stores and they seem to be well accepted. Any thoughts???

 

[robert roman]

“8 SS bays and 2 laser 4000….put in….razor (touch-less). Love it!!

If the problem is still “losing several customers due to long wait times on good days,” what do you love about it? Does it generate higher average ticket or require less maintenance, better quality, etc.?

Any thoughts – converting in-bay to unmanned tunnel

In the real world, an attended mini-tunnel (40’ to 60’) can normally reach between 60 and 75 percent of the system’s rated capacity. Unattended, expect about 40 percent.

“Well accepted” comes from faster process, “hand-finished” qualities (friction washing and value-added online extras) and, next to c-stores, liberal discount on price of gas with carwash purchase at pumps.

If you don’t have this, then location problem is the same as starting up a new stand-alone carwash with the exception you already have an established customer base to work with.

So, first consideration besides market potential is cannibalization of existing customer base. In most cases, installing mini-tunnel at self-serve site results in a very high cross-over rate.

Mini-tunnel also isn’t cheap. Depending on 3 or 5-touch system, online profit centers and level of technology, you can expect between $200K and $300K, installed and this excludes any building modifications.

Of course, with such a large facility to work with, you may not need a mini-tunnel to generate higher average ticket or to stop losing customers due to long waiting times on good days.

Operators looking to solve an existing location problem that involves something like contemplating mini-tunnel conversion (major capital investment) usually prepare a concept or feasibility study (benefit cost analysis) to support their decision making.

Hope this helps.

 

[Greg Pack]

I think you could get some good input from Tim Jones in Nashville, he's done a couple of conversions. I went through one of his that was 40', and it did a surprisingly good job. Give Marc Wilson at SECWA a call, he'll point you in the right direction. Marc is executive secretary at SECWA, and also owns a tunnel that he converted from a 6/1 that is doing pretty well.

 

[captain cw]

If you're that busy then it might be a pretty good idea. I would though consider having it attended. The general public struggles with loading unassisted and remembering to put it in neutral... If you do one more car per hour then the attendant is paid for and your wash will also be cleaner and problems can be addressed immediately. Just my 2 cents...

 

[pgrzes]

The happiest 16 mos. of my 10 year carwash ownership have been the last 16 mos. I pulled out a 45' express tunnel and installed a Washworld High Velocity. I am washing more cars then ever, I dont worry about help not showing up and customer complaint are almost nill!! Yes I do have days where I see people leave, but I notice MOST of them know to come back at better times. I have only 8 days this year wit 0 cars washed, I dont have to decide if I should open or not and my stress level is down big time. For me this change has been great, I know most go the other direction, but I am happy with the changes, if growth continues as it presently I would consider taking one of my 7 self serve bays out for a 2nd auto to pickup the busy days.

 

[JGinther]

The happiest 16 mos. of my 10 year carwash ownership have been the last 16 mos. I pulled out a 45' express tunnel and installed a Washworld High Velocity. I am washing more cars then ever, I dont worry about help not showing up and customer complaint are almost nill!! Yes I do have days where I see people leave, but I notice MOST of them know to come back at better times. I have only 8 days this year wit 0 cars washed, I dont have to decide if I should open or not and my stress level is down big time. For me this change has been great, I know most go the other direction, but I am happy with the changes, if growth continues as it presently I would consider taking one of my 7 self serve bays out for a 2nd auto to pickup the busy days.

So why didn't you just install the first auto in a self serve bay and keep the tunnel? Couldn't you do about 3 times what the auto can do in the same period and put out a cleaner car with friction vs. touchless?

 

[pgrzes]

I have 3 express tunnels and 1 full serve tunnel all within 2.5 miles and only 1 auto approx 3.5 miles away. My facility only averaged about 14k cars per year for over 45 years, last year was first year with auto finished in February did 11.5k cars, so far this year 9k cars. The balance is much better, customers love the convenience, feedback is nothing but positive and with the increased traffic bays and vacuums are up, only thing down is stress level. yes on the "BUSY" days I could do more cars, but now I do cars just about "EVERY" day. If I was doing 35k or more CPY I would not have made this switch, but with a 14k CPY average the facility did not warrant a manned conveyor wash. I have some freedom now, I can golf on a sunny day and enjoy some weekend with the family.