Rehab Pricing Questions

[SearcyCarWash]

I recently purchased an old carwash. 3 ss 1 automatic. Nothing was weatherized when it was shut down so the sellers agreed to fix everything on the SS side and Vacs. Since the automatic is not currently working, my questions are should I price ss and vac? Should I be a little cheaper than my competition? Match their prices?

New guns, hoses, pumps, etc. and facelift on the exterior of the building with new paint coming soon. The automatic will be down for a few more months but I figured I could at least open the ss and vacs to help offset the costs. I'm two miles away from a $2.5 million new car wash and 3 miles away from an established 4 ss and 2 automatic bay wash.

I know Marketing 101 says to never compete on price but it would be helpful to hear from someone who has done it rather than read it out of a book. Currently, I'm .25 cheaper than the competition. We have not opened yet.

 

[Waxman]

No No No; don't go low on pricing. Go high. I'm roughly $1 / per minute on my bays. I offer HP soap, WAX, Rinse plus tri foam, foamy brush, spot free rinse and blow dry.

$2 / 4 min on my vacs.

$1.25 for Little trees.

Figure out ways to differentiate yourself, then price becomes less critical to customer. I have free towel dry station, prep bucket free d.i.y. for auto wash, mat brusher, etc.

Have all the extras you can possibly afford and go out giving freebies for awhile while you are newly re-opened.

Then tell us your results.

This business can be quite challenging and you have to put alot of yourself into it to make it a success. Why give up profit? Don't price low thinking you'll make it up on volume. That never works out. Price high and make the whole experience worth the price! That's car washing.

 

[soapy]

If you are in Searcy Arkansas I would not want to compete with the established SS there. They are good operators from all I have seen. Going low on price sends the message that you are not worth what the competition is worth.

 

[SearcyCarWash]

The other operators are VERY good. I was given a deal I couldn't refuse. I hope that one day my operation will have the same degree of respect as the others.

 

[washnshine]

The other operators are VERY good. I was given a deal I couldn't refuse. I hope that one day my operation will have the same degree of respect as the others.

I think you posted also regarding chemicals. This is one of the big areas you can stand out with a ss. Get the best you can- make sure they:

1. Clean exceptionally well and foam up nicely
2. Shine/gloss and break and bead water well for the sealants
3. Smell good

4. Either vend or have wheel and tire cleaning and dressing products available in your bays.

4. Spot free rinse and air dryers allow customers to achieve the ultimate finish in a professional wash.

There are operators using high end sealants/waxes in their ss that are usually seen in automatic and tunnel applications. These chemicals usually can bring in somewhere between $3-$5 in a conveyorized wash. They would be the super sealers/carnauba waxes/total vehicle protectants.

It will cost you more if you elect to use these types of waxes and protectants, but that is one thing that can help to set you apart from the competing operators that you say are very good. Customers will see the difference.

 

[SearcyCarWash]

Thank you for your wisdom. I hope to one day be giving advice to some young green guy in the same situation I'm in today. Do you have any advice on what specific chemical brands to be looking for? I have a guy who is helping me get started and I'm sure he sells this but I like to do my homework.

 

[MEP001]

I like to see branding with chemicals, for example Coleman equipment and signage features Turtle Wax products which are both well recognized and good quality. I'm only using Simoniz trifoam conditioner but I advertise it as such.

IMO keeping the place clean and neat is every bit as important as giving the best possible product and charging appropriately for it. Ideally I like to spend about three hours around the wash, sometimes working on a project, sometimes tinkering, mostly just cleaning, and I make sure to walk around the lot and straighten hoses, pick up any bit of trash, etc. Customers notice and in time will react by being more careful not to drop trash on the ground, will re-hang the vac hoses the way you keep them, and will even thank you for your efforts (Always feels good). If you won't be able to do that, maybe find something for an employee to do that will help pay their salary. Many years ago I worked a vehicle inspection station for a couple years - the station barely paid my salary but the wash (which was already very busy) nearly doubled its income in that time.

 

[water guy]

Another Daycare

 

[washnshine]

Mep001 is right on the mark with keeping your place up. Successful washes are well maintained washes.

Thank you for your wisdom. I hope to one day be giving advice to some young green guy in the same situation I'm in today. Do you have any advice on what specific chemical brands to be looking for? I have a guy who is helping me get started and I'm sure he sells this but I like to do my homework.

I have had success with various lines and do not use one exclusively right now. I do some mixing and matching at my locations. But to give you an idea of what I’be used:

CSI Lustra, Simoniz, Diamond Shine, JBS, Warsaw.

Just a starting point from my experience. Other people on the forum will have other suggestions that are every bit as good.

 

[soonermajic]

I think QukWay, is a good carwash chem supplier in Searcy. You need to find out what your competitors use, & use something else. Abernathy chems are outta Texarkana, but really expensive!
Pretty sure Warsaw is sold outta Eldorado, but can't remember that guys name.
Do NOT use the cheapest chems. Took me a while to realuze that. But, I have found 2 SS soaps, that are cheap, that I like: JBS "Fonic" (per Randy's advice on here) & KR Vanilla Creme works & smells great.
Also, some guys use a strong piwder for SS soap, mixed in 55 gal drum (Wash Master byAP Formulators is great, & sold by some guys in Hope (i think) & Red Devil by Parker is carri3d by a guy West of Ft.Smith (he's on here cap732000....)
All of these guys give GREAT advice!
Id also suggest buy a glass front vendor from Etowah Valley. Those work MUCH better than the SS at my wash anyways, but are far more expensive. If those other guys don't have that, you immediately set yourself apart in 1 area.
Coach B

 

[SearcyCarWash]

QuickWay has been a lifesaver throughout this whole process! Their repair guy is a little pricy but they cut a pretty good discount if you buy chemicals from them. They are operator focused. They teach you about your wash rather then just fix it and be done. They can do it the other way but I would rather learn how to do it with him.


Has anyone else heard of the quality of quickways chemicals? I'm just now starting to learn about chemicals since all the parts have almost all been replaced. I have been searching online and I can't seem to find any reviews about quickway chemicals in carwashes.

I have 3 single collum mechanical vending machines. I'm trying to maximize profits out of what I have available for now, then just reinvest back into the business. What do you guys suggest selling out of vending machines? I'm was thinking little trees black ice, armor all original, and armor all tire and trim.

 

[soonermajic]

1. AA sponge protectant
2. Little Tree Black ice
3. Microfiber towel or Little trees Vanillaroma or New Car

A glass front vendor is $2600, but will vend 15 items!

I used 2 products from QukWay: Berry Dry (wax that worked great) & a foam brush that worked great to.

 

[rph9168]

If you go the the brand name route do not confuse brand name with quality performance. Some brands are very good and produce excellent results while with others you get the brand name but not the great results. Always remember you are selling performance most of all to your customers, not the products you are using.

If you are not using a brand name it is useless to use the name of products not recognized by the public supplied by your distributor unless that distributor provides or pays for the signs. If not make up your own name for your product options so the performance is recognized as something your wash provides, not giving free advertising to your supplier.

 

[washnshine]

Thank you for your wisdom. I hope to one day be giving advice to some young green guy in the same situation I'm in today. Do you have any advice on what specific chemical brands to be looking for? I have a guy who is helping me get started and I'm sure he sells this but I like to do my homework.

No problem. I still get plenty of good and helpful advice here from these great forum members. You never stop learning!

 

[Randy]

You’ve got a lot of good advice here. Charge as much as the market will bear, don’t be cheap and don’t be afraid to raise your prices when it time. Use a good quality chemical, we buy our chemical from KR. Keep everything clean and in good working order, I had a guy stop by and told us that “this was one of the best car washes around because it’s always clean and everything works every time I come here”. Learn as much as you can about the systems at the car wash so you can make the repairs yourself and then you don’t have to call your overpriced distributor. Sure he’s going to give you a good deal on chemicals he going to make up for it on service work, there’s a huge mark up on chemicals. I had a customer in Oregon who made his own soap, he was a research chemist, he made some real a$$ kick’n car wash soap for $30 a drum, used it for years until he got smart and sold out. And lastly you’re going to learn very quickly that the majority of the public are bastards who think the car wash is transfer site for the dump or a place to come hangout and do there drug deals. Remember this, the Self-Serve car wash business is all about wiping the a$$ of the public a quarter at a time.

 

[mac]

Searchy here’s another thought. Follow the advice here, get the place rocking, then approach the other good operator and see if he wants to buy it.

 

[washnshine]

Or - depending on the other operators age, your age and how much you like this business, you may have the opportunity to buy him out several years down the road when you have all the experience running a great location.