Self Serve Carwash News Fall '19

CONTENTS
Looking Back ...........................................6
JJ Checks In!
Cwguy.com’s ’ ........................................ 10
The Customer is always Wrong!
Association Calendar & News ........ 14
Quick Tips ............................................... 18
10 Questions ........................................... 21
One on One with Jerry Nix
Cold Hard Cash ..................................... 22
Are ice vending machines a good
addition for your self-serve wash?
Snap Shot ................................................. 28
Q&A with Kimberly Berg
Fun & Games ........................................ 32
Fill in the Blank ..................................... 34
Tricks of the Trade .............................. 37
Innovations .............................................. 50
Industry Dirt ........................................... 52
Extra! Extra! ............................................ 56
Cover Story .............................................. 58
Car Wash Royale
Darwin at the Carwash ...................... 71
VOL. 46, NO. 4, FALL 2019
Publisher Jackson Vahaly
Editor Debra Gorgos
Design Katy Barret-Alley
Editor Emeritus Jarret J. Jakubowski
Editor Posthumous Joseph J. Campbell
Editor Posthumous Julia E. Campbell
Self Serve Carwash News is published 4 times
per year and is independently owned by Jackson
Vahaly. Web address is www.sscwn.com.
All inquiries should be directed to:
Self Serve Car Wash News
110 Childs Ln., Franklin, TN 37067
jacksonv@sscwn.com
Copyright 2019. 2 Dollar Enterprises/SSCWN. All Rights Reserved
Note to Self
BY DEBRA GORGOS, EDITOR
Fall is now upon us which means mud, leaves,
post-hunting messes, tailgating and car owners
not looking to wash their vehicles in their driveways.
It also is the season of the Northeast Regional
Carwash Convention which, once again,
took place in Atlantic City this past September,
and I had a wonderful time meeting so many
self serve car wash owners, some of whom are
new to the industry. It was also nice to see Kevin
Detrick of Innovative Control Systems/Sparkle
Car Wash as the recipient of the Hall of Fame
Award, which is the NRCC’s highest honor. I
have known Kevin for over 10 years and he truly
deserves the honor.
Another great thing about Fall is that it is the
season of Halloween. I had a bit of fun with
the holiday in this issue, asking operators about
their scariest self serve car wash tasks, the creepiest
things they have found left behind in and
around the bays and I also found some old footage
of a zombie self serve car wash in Toronto.
I also wanted to use this opportunity to promote
a carwashforum.com post in which I.B.
Washincars of central Kentucky was hoping to
locate the owner of the keys in this picture:
Lost Keys, anyone?
I.B. Washincars’ post: We’ve had a
rash of break-in around here over
the last couple of months. The Nelson
County Sheriff’s Dept. has
made a couple of arrests. They had
a lot of stolen goods in their possession,
including some things from one
of my washes. They recovered this set
of keys in their loot, but as of yet haven’t
connected them to an owner. I have
directed them to Medeco to possibly match that tag
to someone, but they don’t have any owner yet. All
of my washes are within 20 miles of Makers Mark.
I have contacted several wash owners around me
and none are the owners. I know that they are most
likely useless to the owner now, since locks will have
been changed, but it would be nice to tie them to
another crime. Anyone here recognize them?
Speaking of crimes, this issue’s cover story is
timely, fascinating and maybe even polarizing. I
Letter to the Editor
Good Afternoon,
I am writing to you regarding an
article that was in your magazine
approximately 3 years ago. It was
regarding 1/3 of the water used
would stay on the vehicle and
would not go down the drain.
My sewer bill has gone up to
$2100 per month and my water
bill is $300 per month.
Any help with locating this
article would be helpful.
Regards,
Douglas Pete Carter
have my own stance on guns, but it goes without
saying that car wash owners are constantly experiencing,
or thwarting criminal activity (SEE
PAGE Darwins at the Carwash). There is also a
lot of cash being transported and I for one, understand
the need for some operators to be armed.
I used to work inside of a mall at a pretzel stand.
I used to have to close up the shop and bring
the money, in a bag, to the bank deposit drawer
inside the mall. Looking back, I realize how
much of a naïve and lucky gal I was. I am not
even sure there were high-tech security cameras
there at the time (it was 1996), but I was definitely
a moving target. Granted, it was not a lot
of cash, but I still had zero self-defense skills or
weaponry. I do not own a gun and there isn’t one
in our house, but I support well-trained, responsible
gun owners. I also understand how all of
you are pretty much out in the open. A criminal
can maybe see those of you (who accept cash)
emptying your machines. You out there, braving
possible criminial activity. I also admire all of you
willing to share your stories of why you carry.
And, before I sign off, I wanted to mention
that have now officially been at the helm of
this esteemed publication for two years.
I can remember the night in October
of 2017 when I was scrambling
to make sure my first official issue
lived up to the reputation
pre-established by JJ Jakubowski
and Joseph and Julia Campbell.
I was, honestly, being a bit too
impassioned and can even remember
showing up my son’s classroom
Halloween party looking like an actual
zombie. The legacy, the readers, the JJ wit! It
was and still is a tough pair of proverbial shoes
to fill. I hope you all enjoying each issue and I
hope you all know how grateful and I am to
work with the talents of Art Director Katy Barret-Alley
and Publisher Jackson Vahaly. Thank
you, everyone, for all of the support, the advertisements
and the readership.
Until next time,
Hello, Doug!
Debra
Yes, the article you are referring to was
published three years ago, but that was a reprint
of an article published by former editor JJ
Jakubowski. It originally appeared in the Fall 2001
issue of Self Serve Car Wash News. Also, to make
things even more confusing, it was a two-part
article, the first of which came from an SSCWN
article about 10 years prior, and the second part
was issued three years after that. Phew. I feel as
if I am back in chemistry class. Anyway, Doug,
the article is brilliant and ageless, and I can
understand your desire to see it once again. JJ
was kind enough to forward it to me. Enjoy!
Debra Gorgos
4 • FALL 2019