Prep or no prep on Express Tunnel

[carnut2]

We have been open a year and have tried a few different styles of washing. First let me say we are in a suburb where about 50 percent of our clients drive trucks or large SUV's with running boards and many folks out here are on gravel drives or live on the lake.

We used to just push the button and let en rip on all 4 wash packages. Summer was a problem with heavy bug on windshield so we added a bug goo prep. Then we added a tire and wheel prep step for the attendant on the upper two packages. Now we have abandoned both of these in favor of the high pressure wash prep.

The question is really, on the 5 and 7 dollar wash, we'd still like to push the button and let em go and save the prep for the upper washes. Otherwise we feel we will dilute the interest in paying for the upper wash. However, we are weighing this out against protecting the cloth. And what about electricity /water bills going up from using the prep gun?

 

[Earl Weiss]

There is no single answer. Bill C has a high end wash and is a firm neliever in prep. I will let him expound further. I envison myself as the Walmart wash and do not believe in prep.

I now see some EES trying to be all things to all people, but have yet to encounter what you describe. I think customer perception may be an issue "Hey why do they brush or blast that guys car but not mine?"

The EEs trying to be all things advertise a low cost $3.00 "Light wash" and actualy do not activate some wraps or side wheels for this (not sure if they are really saving much on this part) and also do not activate some HP and Blower / heated blower action.

I know my wash with HP units can seem to run 20 cents a car more in electricity and water, so I know this is a cost factor savings.

If it were me, assuming it's neccessary I would do 2 things.
1. As some sort of manula switch where the loader can decide to put some extra HP on a car thru an arch on as ad needed basis. (I do have this option.)
2. For the higher end wash packages have equipment that you can program to come on for extra cleaning / razzle dazzle.

Bill C will disagree, but I will let him adress those issues.

Bottom line IMNSHO is to taylor your operation to market conditions which will vary from place to place.

 

[buda]

Carnut:

If you are offering your exterior wash for $5.00 you are selling value not perfection.

If you want to eliminate hand preping you need to install a high pressure blast arch at the front of the wash package that will take are of heavy dirt concentrations initially.

Then later put in HIGH VOLUME SIDE BLASTERS powered by a 20HP recirculation pump. These are two vertical manifolds with brass "shovel jet nozzles" that direct a high volume of water at the wheels and sides of the vehicle that will knock off most of the other dirt.

The SONNY'S Omni is a good choice for the high pressure blaster at the front and if you contact me I can get you in touch with where you can get the high volume blaster.

Those two items will take care of your need to prep, save spraying some de-bug type chemical on the front ends during the summer months.

bud Abraham

 

[Chiefs]

Thanks Earl,

I am a firm believer that you have to deliver the hgihest possible quality to every customer every time rgardless of the wash packahe they receive. We charge $10 for everyone and everyone gets the works. Our only optional item is Rain-X. Off this base price we sell five wash books for $35. The sales of these represent 27% of our annual revenue. We also ofer a 30 day Club Card for $60 or Two months for $100. That's it.
We average $8.00 plus per vehicle and wash 85-90,000 per year.

But if you're into washing cars for $3 and $5 and are looking to wash 150,000 cars, then you can try not prepping. Of course your utility costs and chemical costs are goping to be a lot higher than mine and customer satisfaction will have to take somewhat of a back seat. It all depends on you the operator as to what level of service is acceptable to both you and your customers.

Now onto prepping. I understand that most exterior express ops have a 3-4 package wash format, but most of that normally involves on-line extra services. That's fine, but there are two things I believe you should do. First is prep for whatever you need to prep for - bugs, mud, snow and ice. Secondly this prepping cannot simply consist of a guy with a pressure washer. It will not get the areas clean that the cloth misses.

We operate a 150' hybrid system. This consists of pre-soak, foamer, and 50 gallons of 600 psi water (reclaim) through 58, 0 degree nozzles on 9 oscilating spray bars. This will not get the hard to reach/recessed areas clean. It is for this reason that we employ soap troughs on both sides at the entrance and have the attendants use hogs hair brushes to get into all the nooks and crannies on the front and rear of every vehicle we wash (also between the top of the hood and windshiled wiper blades).

I guess I'm just a little too much of a perfectionist to see any vehicle leave with a film in those recessed areas. I mean if you only prep those higher end packages or have extra equipment that is programmed for those higher packages, why not take this line of thinking to its logical extreme and make your air dryers optional too. You could advertise them as your wet wash, dry, dryer, and dryest washes (assuming of course you have three sets of air dryers).

 

[Chiefs]

Bud,

No high pressure arch - ours or anyone else's in this industry can get all the nooks and crannies that the cloth misses 100% clean. As I stated even our arch with 58, O degree nozzles on 9 oscilating and pivoting spray bars cannot remove the film. The best that can done in any hybrid system is to remove all dirt, sand, salt, cinders, mud, etc. to prepare the vehicle for the polishing benefits of the cloth. Even with the high pressure hitting those recessed areas of the vehicle, the film remains behind and the vehicle comes out with those areas that the cloth cannot claan still looking dirty.

As far as additional side blasters are concerned, the sides of the vehicle are not difficult to clean rockers and wraps take care of those areas just fine - that's why we do not prep those areas. The problems areas of vehicles are all the same - front, rears, and the windshield area between the hood and and winshield wiper. The only way to get these areas completely clean is with soap, a hogs hair brush, and labor.

What I want to know, is how, as an express wash operator, you deal with snow and ice if you don't prep? Heavy mud? Baked on bird crap? Tree sap? Do you just tell people what do you expect for $5.00?

You are quite correct when you say, "If you are offering your exterior wash for $5.00 you are selling value not perfection." In addition to the cleaning problems facing express exteriors that son't prep, how, if you do not inspect vehicles for problems do you handle the huge number of damage claims one faces? Do you simply tell people you are not responsible for anything? I mean while video cameras are great, when cars are coming in and are so dirty that you cannot tell what color they are, even the best video camera cannot see through the salt and grime.

A sign I saw said it best, "The value of low price is forgotten long after bitterness of poor quality."