Washing Cars Mexican Style
I ran across a clever idea
that is being done in Mexico City. This company, Auto Lav owned
by Juan Carlos Blanco has contracts with major stores for the
rights to wash cars in their parking lots. In the past, there
had been a ragtag group of people washing cars in most parking
lots. They weren't organized and didn't answer to anyone and
certainly didn't present a professional look. Auto Lav on the
other hand has put their people in uniforms, supplied each with
a two-way radio. There is a cart for each 10-12 parking spaces.
In your typical Wal Mart lot there will be at least 10 carts
and a supervisor. The supervisor not only makes sure the people
do their job well, but assist in moving people around to help
someone complete a car if the customer returns too quickly.
 
He also built these carts that are professional
looking as well as functional. The base is a motorized wheelchair
frame with a custom "box" on it. In the front of the
cart is a 5 gallon water tank, a seat for the driver and on
the back is a cabinet for supplies.
There is a small 12v pump that puts out about
1 liter of water a minute. With a simple wand the car is wet
down then handwashed and rinsed. This solves the problem of
runoff water. Mexico doesn't have the EPA rules that we do,
but the stores don't want the excess runoff in the parking lots.
You can just have the outside washed and the inside vacuumed
or a quick detailing or a hand wax job.
The cost is $2 for a wash and vacuum, detailing
can add up to $5. Most of the people tip which adds to the operator's
income. Keep in mind that minuum wage in Mexico is about $5
per day.
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