Competitive In-Bay Automatics by Cheryl Paine

After spending a year and a half researching all the in-bay automatics available on the market, one fact stands out: all in-bay automatics are not created equal. Having the right equipment will obviously have a direct impact on how competitive a wash will be, in addition to a major effect on overall income potential.

Having previously owned and operated a tunnel wash in Michigan and having many associates in the business, my partner and I now see many advantages to owning self-service bays along with in-bay automatics (IBAs).

We considered several important factors while researching IBA equipment to purchase:

Quality equipment that was reasonably priced. This went beyond just the purchase price of the equipment and included researching the cost of utilities and ongoing maintenance. All are very important to maximize business revenue.
Factory support, quality service, and readily available parts that are locally stocked.
Equipment that is energy efficient — not only less costly to operate, but also considered ‘green.’ This includes the ability to use fewer chemicals with maximum results.
Choice of service. We decided on equipment that offers either friction or touch-free washes, or a combination of both. We were replacing a touch-free automatic, and felt it was important to cater to our customers’ wash preferences.
On-site owner programmability. Knowing that we could make changes to the wash options for the packages offered was important to us. Not all equipment manufacturers offer the same level of programmability; some are restrictive, require additional purchases, or limit wash options and/or changes.
Speed. We felt it was essential to be able to offer the option of a quality wash and dry in three minutes or less.

Our IBA has the ability to do a true friction wash, a friction wash with high-pressure assist, and a 100-percent touch-free wash. The high-pressure assist allows the equipment to clean the hard-to-reach areas while removing all the surface dirt before the actual wash process begins. This gives greater perceived value to your high-end wash packages, allowing for additional income and numerous happy repeat customers. Our touch-free wash actually exceeds our customer’s expectations.

Over time friction washes have gone from using polypropylene bristles, to cloth, to various types of foam material. After experiencing vehicle damage at the tunnel wash we owned previously, and still hearing on a regular basis about vehicle damage at other similar establishments, we truly think a foam friction/touch-free configuration IBA is essential.

A true combination machine should allow an owner to offer at least one quality wash package that will wash and dry in three minutes or less. One of our concerns was that if we provided a quality wash and dry in three minutes (which is achieved in just four passes), customers might not purchase the higher-end packages. With proper signage and additional options offered, this possible negative effect on higher-end wash-package sales has definitely not been an issue.

With ongoing changes in the car wash industry, the debate about friction versus touch-free will continue. We replaced our previous touch-free wash with an IBA that allows us to offer the customer wash choices: friction, touch-free, or a combination of both. We found it somewhat baffling that to date we have sold many more friction washes (at least 5 to 1) than the touch-free package our customers were accustomed to. Some of this could be attributed to educating customers about the new equipment and the wash quality.

Over time, the higher-end wash combination of friction with high-pressure assist has been preferred by a large percentage of our regular customers. It also turned out that we had many loyal customers who actually preferred friction but nevertheless used our old touch-free-only wash due to the positive reputation the business had and because of the convenience of our location. Our friction customers regularly comment on how much they like the foam material we have in our IBA — it actually buffs the cars during the wash process, producing a superior shine on the cars’ finish.

We have numerous regular customers who have used an express exterior tunnel built very close to our location. Even though we compete somewhat with this multi-million-dollar operation, many of our regulars maintain that that our IBA does a superior wash for less money. The comfort of knowing there is virtually no chance of their vehicle being damaged is also a big plus. We provide a good quality spot-free rinse on even the three-minute wash. In addition, many senior citizens in the area who have wheelchair lifts, etc. attached to their vehicles appreciate the 100-percent touch-free wash.

Being able to adjust, on-site, every aspect of the wash packages — from brush speeds, to chemical usage, and dry time — has been extremely beneficial. For example, by touching a couple buttons we can add additional bug scrubs during love-bug season, and advertise the seasonal service. These options add additional revenue to your wash packages if and when needed. In addition, energy bills, since our install, have gone down instead of up which is a positive development.

Whether doing a rebuild or developing a new wash from the ground up, in today’s economy less overhead is best. Compared to tunnel operations, a self-service/IBA facility needs less land, a smaller building, and less equipment, which usually equals considerably less overhead. Knowing the wash can run efficiently even when there are no employees on site not only helps lower day-to-day operating expenses but also lessens the owner’s stress level. Another big advantage — perhaps the sweetest — is the ability to make money while sleeping. Our current wash is open 24/7.

After spending a year and a half researching IBA equipment, including attendance at two Car Care World Expos, we would highly recommended anyone looking to purchase equipment to do as much research as possible. We had our new IBA installed in April 2008 and are extremely pleased with the equipment choice we made. It was important to us that the company we purchased from markets its equipment successfully in over 50 countries and all parts are stocked locally for sales in the United States and Canada.

In summary, there are pros and cons with every wash format in the industry. A lot depends on how much owners want to invest, what their earning expectations are, and how tightly they want to be married to the business. With more complex — and expensive — tunnel operations, business can be very profitable when times are good. When times turn bad, though, the large overhead not only adds to the owners’ stress, but can also be impossible to maintain.

The IBA operator will usually have a larger capture rate of traffic when offering both friction and touch-free wash options. Many of our now-former touch-free customers are obviously happier with the improved quality wash we now offer — something our old equipment couldn’t provide. Additionally, the friction wash is attracting new customers who appreciate the wash options, along with the additional buffing feature. Cultivating satisfied repeat customers is a major goal in any car wash business — and makes for a happy owner as well.

Cheryl Paine and Donald Eckert own and operate Alternative Car Wash, Inc. located in Hudson, FL. Cheryl has been in the car wash business for over 10 years and can be reached via email at: altmktg@tampabay.rr.com.