There are a number of national brand car washing chemicals to consider besides Turtle Wax including Blue Coral, Simoniz,
Armor All, etc.
When I owned a wash, I made the switch from a regional mixer to Turtle Wax. Was it worth it? Paying the higher price was hard but the increase in average revenue and customer satisfaction made for a very good ROI.
Just look at how much money carwash owners have made with total body products like Rain-X (Blue Coral brand owned by Ecolab) and Double Bond (Simoniz USA).
I’m not inferring that regional mixers don’t make very fine products, many of them do.
However, when you go to an auto parts or discount store, you will not find these brands or their products lining the shelves nor do you find TV advertisements for them. Instead, you find national brands that many consumers are keenly aware of.
Years ago, I participated in the roll-out of Blue Coral’s Exterior Supreme program.
The system included cart with air compressor, product storage tanks and atomizer to apply spray wax, Rain-X and tire shine. Product was wiped off with slightly dampened towels. The service took about 7 or 8 minutes working in teams of two people. Back then, the OEM suggested a retail price of $9.95. We charged $19.95 and sold it like hot cakes.
Was it the national brand and performance of the products that made the difference or was it the convenience of the service? I can’t answer this because we were too busy counting money to bother with any analysis.
I believe many carwash owners are too often seduced into the mindset of low cost per car at any cost which causes them to forgo the opportunity to create high margin profit centers.
Co-branding a store has many potential benefits, not to mention professionally prepared
marketing materials that national brands provide.