Win2020_SSCWN_web

My advice to you is to start
SPRAYING HEAVILY...

SPACE SAVERS!
VERSA DIRECT DRIVE SES
• 29” long x 24” wide x 68” high.
• Direct Drive connection.
• Configurable for 1-2 self service bays.
• Pre-wired, Pre plumbed and factory tested.
• Electrical isolation for maintenance.
• 3 or 5 horsepower, single or
three phase motors.
• Utilizes industry leading CAT, Arimitsu
and General pumps.
• Low water cut-off protection.
• Thermostatic weep system.
• Utilizes industry leading 506 Hydrominders
and Flo-Jet pumps.
• 27” long x 42” wide x 76” high.
• Direct Drive connection.
• Configurable for 1-6 self service bays.
• Pre-wired, Pre plumbed and factory tested.
• Electrical isolation for maintenance.
• 3 or 5 horsepower, single or
three phase motors.
• Utilizes industry leading CAT, Arimitsu
and General pumps.
• Low water cut-off protection.
• Thermostatic weep system.
• Utilizes industry leading 506 Hydrominders
and Flo-Jet pumps.
www.ginsan.com 800.968.8227
2 • WINTER 2020

WINTER 2020 • 3

CONTENTS
Selling Self Serve .....................................8
SS’s Biggest Fan Explains
Why He’s So Sold on SS
Arround the Wash
Going Plastic? ........................................ 14
Experts give inside to some of the
biggest credit card caonundrums
Self Serves in 2020 ................................ 18
Tricks of the Trade .............................. 24
Cwguy.com’s
‘Random Thoughts’ ............................. 33
Why would I use my cell phone
as an alarm clock?
Quick Tips ............................................... 36
Association Calendar & News ........ 38
Innovations .............................................. 47
Industry Dirt ........................................... 48
Extra! Extra! ............................................ 52
Fun & Games ......................................... 60
Fill in the Blank ..................................... 61
Cover Story .............................................. 63
Going the Distance
Darwin at the Carwash ...................... 75
VOL. 47, NO. 1, WINTER 2020
Note to Self
BY DEBRA GORGOS, EDITOR
Well, it’s a new year, a new decade and, in the
Chinese zodiac paradigm, the year of the rat.
And, while the word “rat” might not incite earnest
enthusiasm, we cannot immediately discount
the symbolism of the slink-tailed rodent, because
upon further investigation into my Eastern philosophical
resources, it appears as if the rat symbolizes
great fortune! So, those born in 1924, 1936,
1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, we salute
you. And, now that we know that we can dismiss
the predictions of famed soothsayer Nostradamus
who predicted economic turmoil in 2020.
But, what does he know? I am much more confident
in the predictions symbolized by Asian folklore…no,
make that fact-lore. Those born in other
years…. Well, you can dwell in the predictions of
that Debbie Downer Nostradamus or you can
turn to famed psychic Judy Hevenly. According
to Hevenly (what? You don’t think that’s her real
last name?) the economy will be fine and dandy.
“A US recession is not imminent despite a
warning sign from the bond market, but possibly
just a slight slow down in the economy, overall
a good year,” she predicts. I could tell you more,
but she charges $75 for 15 minutes and I need to
hang onto every penny incase she is wrong.
In other news, Self Serve Car Wash News has
now been around for five decades. Starting in the
1970s, that’s a pretty impressive tenure. I was also
born in the 70s and constantly impressed with my
own longevity. Together, we will both hopefully
continue to grow and age. I have the pleasure of
having a library of issues here at the ready. I have
gone through every single one — cover to cover
Letters to the Editor
Hi Debra,
Just picked up the latest issue of SSCWN and found the article about
MY Car Wash! So very exciting! Thank you so much for taking an interest
in me and my car wash!! As always, it’s another GREAT issue and I look
forward to reading all the articles. You really have a knack for mixing it up,
covering the timely topics, and keeping it interesting. CONGRATULATIONS
ON YOUR 2 YEARS ANNIVERSARY WITH SSCWN! :)
Wishing a Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Kimberly Berg CITRUS HEIGHTS CAR WASH
— loving the fact that it is made of flippable pages.
I have yet to read a book or magazine on a tablet
or reader—in fact, I don’t even know if that’s
what they are called. This magazine has outlasted
many publications, including Self Magazine which
debuted around the same time. It’s really remarkable.
And, speaking of historical greatness, this issue
contains a contribution from former editor JJ
Jakubowski. I’m not going to lie, when JJ contacts
me, I get nervous. Nervous I am shaming the shoes
I have been betrothed to wear. But, thankfully,
that has not happened. He instead reached out
around the holidays with an article to share. Written
with finesse and JJ-esque language, the article
is a welcome addition to this issue. Thank you, JJ!
As for 2020 some of my goals are to tour self
serve car washes, à la JJ’s On the Road again
coverage. I also want to cover security issues as
well as what the heck is happening with minimum
wage increases, and governmental regulations
and taxes that are affecting car wash owners.
And, also, how self serves have integrated
new and unique features.
Also, may I please take a moment to give a big
“hurrah” for the unscientific, but still reliable findings
of a poll on the self serve thread of carwashforum.com?
The poll asked if 2019 was a successful
year (financially speaking) and, praise the car wash
gods, a majority of the votes were “Yes”.
So, onward and upward and best of luck, and
don’t give any heed to that Nostradamus, he
also predicted that in 2020 humans would be
living on the moon.
Until next time,
Debra
[patting myself on the
back while talking into a
pretend microphone]
Kimberly, the pleasure
is all mine. Your car wash
is impeccably run, and
you deserve the coverage.
I would like to thank
you for your support
and kind words.
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
4 • WINTER 2020
Thought you might find this interesting.
A Mfg. Name from the past.
This is from my first SS wash that I bought in
1978 and mounted on a stainless holding tank
used to supply both soap and rinse water to a
hydro spray and 3 self serv bays and a 6’ wide
equipment room.
Like working in a submarine, I guess. The whole
place ran on [2] John Bean pumps with 20 hp
each. I could change the piston cups like an Indy
pit stop [worker]. And when they failed, well let’s
say there was a ton of water blowing out.
The wash was built in 1964 or thereabouts.
The washed has expanded and changed over
the years, but this tank is still used today.
I have received SSCWN for years …
Tim Littman
Hello, Tim,
and thank you
for your continued
readership! I do
find it interesting
and we love getting
pictures from back
in the day. Feel
free to send
more pictures.

Your carwash insurance experience can be hassle free. You don't have to spend hours
comparing coverage options. You don't have to stumble through confusing paperwork.
You can get a specialized insurance policy custom fit for your carwash business with
Western Carwash Insurance Program (WCIP).
Coverage Options:
• Carwash Building & Equipment
• Commercial Liability
• Commercial Auto
• Umbrella
• Garagekeepers Legal Liability
• Persona I Property
• Employee Dishonesty
• Employment Practices Liability
• Business Income
• Equipment Breakdown
• Money & Securities
• Workers' Compensation
• Cyber Liability & Network Security
• Surety Bonds and much more!
Brandi Evans
Account Manager-Lead
email: Brandi.Evans@alliant.com
http://wwwwesterncarwash.com
CA DOI Lie. #OC36861
WINTER 2020 • 5

®
DUAL VACUUM
ARCH SYSTEM!
Coleman Hanna Car Wash Systems cost effective New Stainless Steel Dual Vacuum
Arch System is one of our most popular designs. Car wash operators delight in the easy
installation, low operations cost,and low maintenance design. Customers enjoy the easy
access to the vacuum claw and functional design bringing the vacuum hoses directly to
their vehicles door. From new construction to adding additional profit centers this system
is what car wash operators are looking for.
Operator’s Choice for over 50 Years!
5842 W 34th St • Houston, TX 77092
1.800.999.9878 • 713.683.9878
www.colemanhanna.com
Find us on Facebook:
/ColemanHannaCarwash
6 • WINTER 2020

WINTER 2020 • 7

PART 1
$ELLING $ELF $ERVE
SS’s Biggest Fan Explains Why He’s So “Sold” on SS
and Begins To Explore Ways To Create New Fans Again!
By Jarret J. Jakubowski
First off, I
confess that this
article — my intrusion
— into
this issue is definitely
“personal”.
I was motivated
(in part) by recent
comments
made to me about
my own automobile. I’ll explain that
deeper into this piece. But apart from
that little “reveal”, I’ll start with some
bemusing Q & A. Namely —
Question: What do Self Serve
CarWashing, dearly departed comedian
Rodney Dangerfield and Aretha
Franklin all have in common?
Answer: As was spelled out by
the Queen of Soul — “R-E-S-P-E-C-T
... or lack thereof.
Allow me to explain.
When I retired from the helm of
SSCWN in 2011 I left too many loose
ends dangling. But, ahh, the siren call of
a monthly Social Security check was too
irresistable. Among the topics I really
had wanted to get into (in a personal
way) was my vehicular romances and
their entwinement with SS.
Hey, I love my cars. From my
first ‘57 Chevy, then a fast ’66 fastback
Mustang back in the day to my CTS
today — I get emotionally attached to
my wheels. Directly related to such a
“love affair” is the reason I so relished
my having been Publisher/Editor of
the SSCWN for almost 30 years. I
always was and always will be SS
CarWashing’s biggest fan. I always
wash my cars at a SS wand wash. Well,
okay, okay, apart from a rare DIY power
8 • WINTER 2020
wash in my driveway (mea culpa). And
when I take my vehicles into a dealer for
repair or maintenance, I emphatically
instruct the staff to NOT to provide the
complimentary mechanical wash they
give customers. Thank you, but I prefer
to wash my car myself at a SS. I would
assume that all astute automobile afficianados
would feel pretty much the
same. Not so.
Before my retirement got in the
way, I had wanted to do an amusing
little article on how some automobile
elitists were soooo shocked to see super
pricey, elitist cars being washed
at “those cheap quarter carwashes”.
There’s a website called “JalopNik”
where all matter of car related topics
are discussed. A couple articles really
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
Well, in a word — NOTHING ...
not a darn thing! That’s despite
the “shock” of two automotive
eltists expressed at seeing a
$2+ million Bugatti Veyron and
then a Porche Carrera next to
a BMW M3 — all washing at
“cheap quarter carwashes”!
The SSCWN sees those 3
customers as guys smart
enough to get more (a lot
more!) than what they paid
for. And that is - absolutely
safe and thorough cleaning
of their pricey cars in a way
that is, incidentally, quite
inexpensive too.
snagged my attention ... and attitude.
The first one was headlined:
“Cheap Bugatti Owner Takes
Veyron to Coin-Op Car Wash”
The blogger was shocked to see
the owner of a Bugatti Veyron “feeding
quarters - QUARTERS!” into a SS coin
box in Southern California so he could
wash his $2,000,000+ status symbol.
He referred to the Veyron as “the pinnacle
of automotive engineering!” To
make his point (or unwittingly undercut
it) he said tires on this Bugatti are supposed
to be replaced every 2,500 miles
in France at a cost of $10,000 per tire
— yes, a whopping $40,000 for a set of
tires! Oh by the way, this oh so cool car
(Continued On A Following Page)

Witness the greatest knockout in carwash history
PUT THE
WINNER
IN YOUR CORNER
With SuperSat, you
get concentrated
powder that truly
packs a punch.
by removing water from the solution, transportation costs drop,
letting you add water on-site. this fan favorite performs again
and again, even when the pressure is high.
blendco.com
1.800.446.2091
SuperSat Boxing 9.5x13.indd 1
WINTER 2/4/2019 10:55:40 2020 • AM9

$ELLING $ELF $ERVE
(Continued from Previous Page)
has 10 radiators, and “routine” maintenance/service
runs about $19,000!
The blurb was tagged with a gratutitously
snarky comment about how the
owner after driving out of the bay was
“probably heading to the nearest ‘Dollar
Store’ to buy Ramen Noodles.” The
writer’s point was that the Bugatti’s
owner was a dumb dolt and “cheap
skate” for using a SS.
Then my trolling took me to yet
another photo (see previous page) and
more commentary. This autophile elitist
was also “shocked” and wrote:
“When I saw this Carerra S and M3 side-byside
at a coin-op carwash, I just had to go
the middle of the street to take a picture!”
Wow — deja vu all over again!
It amazed me to see examples of
guys who really should know better get
it so very wrong. Just because someone
buys SS wash services with half a handful
of quarters, that does NOT make
‘em “cheap skates”! Fact is, someone
with enough smarts to acquire enough
wealth to purchase a multi-million dollar
car — is, more likely than not, smart
enough to know how to best clean and
maintain it.
And that, my friends, brings me
back to the main point of this article.
Namely, self serve carwash owner/operators
have something of an “embarrassment
of riches” when it comes to
their product and services. There are
a number of distinct advantages to not
“just’ take pride in but special selling
points worthy of marketing and more
aggressively “selling” to the public.
Shortly before I passed the SSCWN
torch in 2011, there was a stimulating
exchange in the “LETTERS” section
that dovetails perfectly into this topic.
The back ‘n forth was headlined —
“So What Makes
Self Serve So Special?!!”
I’m relatively new to the self serve
carwash business. When I tell people
that I own and operate a SS, I explain
Jay Leno says his love affair with cars began with
his first “real job” — power and hand washing
very valuable vehicles at a
Mercedes Benz dealership.
(Any resemblence to a self
serve wand wash here is
purely intentional ...
and legit.)
Professional carwashing is “complicated” by its segments’ diverse overlap ... sometimes right
within one operation/location. The questions become — can you aggressively sell/market SS
without “selling out” the other modes of pro carwashing?!!
Can you (should you) even attempt to “thread that needle”?
Lets begin to look for answers.
to them that there are a number of advantages
and benefits when they use a
professional SS wash. I emphasize how
my type of carwash is so much more
environmentally friendly than washing
in the driveway. They’re impressed and
surprised and say, “hey, that’s cool!” But
I’d like to take it a step further.
I want to provide customers and
potential customers with a simple one
sheet summary — a mini brochure
— that outlines why self serve is the
best way to wash a car. Stressing the
environmental benefits is essenial. But
more importantly (for me), I need to differentiate
SS from my full serve tunnel
and exterior express competitors ... as
well as home washing. I want to promote
the benefits and advantages that
are unique to SS — what makes this
technique of washing special and better
than the rest from home to tunnel. Has
the SSCWN done such an article?
Bart Bouchein
Savoy Carwash
St. Louis, Missouri
Thanks for posing such an “interesting”
question and challenge, Bart.
Exactly why and how is SS carwashing
better than other forms of carwashing be
they commercial or residential ... paying
particular attention to the environment?
This is “interesting” because that question
would have been much, much easier
to honestly resolve a couple decades ago.
Over those years, however, the profile
of the commercial carwash industry
changed ... a lot! “Back in the day” the
great majority of self serves were wand
only operations. But by the 90’s, SS began
to energetically diversify and broaden
its market appeal by adding in-bay automatics
— mostly touchless/no friction
units. And that trend led to many SS
operators getting into exterior tunnels.
Plus, many full serve/conveyor operators
diversified their operations with SS bays
— adding them to a site, and buying or
building other SS locations.
So carwash owners “evolved” into
an era that was no longer a clear “us
versus them” dynamic. Nowadays there
are far fewer SS wand wash “purist”
operations. Consequently, most operators
are reluctant to slam one segment
of their vested interests while promoting
another. Regardless, for many years I
was guilty of slipping in editorial comments
and “zingers” that had been overtly
pro professional SS/wand washing. I
believed I was compelled to acknowledge
the fact that SS truly does have unique
“selling points” and notable advantages
over all the other forms of commercial
carwashing. In a nutshell and for several
decades, I had proudly held this
Truth to be Self Evident:
Self Serve wand washing is the most safe,
most thorough, most eco-friendly and most
economical way to clean a car ... bar none!
There, I said it — yet again!
Before any diplomatic qualifying or
mitigating of that aggressive assertion,
lets honestly consider the following:
SAFE - Other commercial wash facilities
obviously have the advantage when it
comes to “convenience”. Nothing could
be easier than just sitting back and having
your car washed for you. But when it
comes to potential problems with “surface
disturbances” (hazing, swirl marks,
scratches, etcetera) and possible physical
damage beyond painted surfaces (molding,
mirrors, etcetera) — your customers
need not worry if they use the services
properly in a SS wand bay. Their cars
will get as clean as they want and as safely
as is possible. Yes, “automated” washes
(both touch free and friction) have gotten
better and safer over the years. BUT
in this context of weighing potential for
damage and surface disturbances — SS
wand washing can, quite frankly, be
considered THE best and safest. C’mon
— it really is self evident.
(Continued On A Following Page)
10 • WINTER 2020

The Next Evolution in Car Wash Lighting:
LEDLINE-X
Bay / Tunnel Light
Create lines of light
making a “runway”
within your bays and
tunnels. No more
cables running between
lights. Only seamless,
bright light.
Call Now for Special Introductory Pricing
Introducing LEDLINE-X. A light that is made to fit your
application at a price point comparable to the static,
fixed size fixtures of the past. No more cables between
lights. No more dark spots.
A light made for car washes. Water-tight, chemical
and UV resistant silicon housing designed to
withstand the rigors of car wash environments.
Unmatched versatility. Innovative mounting system
enables easy use in bays, tunnels, chemical arches,
vacuum arches, and building wraps.
Vac Arch Light
Delight your customers
by adding light along
the entire length of a
vac arch to maximize
light distribution inside
of cars. Fixtures
designed to fit your
arch. Why light 8ft of
your 14ft arch? Light all
14ft and let your
customers see the
difference.
Chemical Arch Light
Seamless, gapless
passageway of colorful
light for a truly
immersive effective.
Make a continuous
archway of light to
showcase chemicals.
800-598-3772
sales@milehighledsystems.com
WINTER 2020 • 11

$ELLING $ELF $ERVE
(Continued from Previous Page)
THOROUGH - Another great advantage
found in a SS wand bay (versus other professional
carwashes) is the total control
it provides. Not only can the customer
precisely focus on especially dirty (or
delicate) areas, he can make the decision
to “luxuriate” with (or minimize) his use of
functions such as PreSoak, Foam Brush,
and Triple Foam Wax/Protectants.
ECO FRIENDLY - Hands on SS wand
washing is also the hands down winner
when it comes to the environment. ICA
studies have verified that other commercial
washes can use 4 times as much
water to clean a car. And home washing
can use several times more than a tunnel!
And, of course, home washing and
parking charity events not only waste a
lot of water, that effluent also makes it
way to our lakes and rivers through the
storm sewer and imperils aquatic life.
TIME - Another thing about home
washing worth mentioning — it not “only”
wastes water and harms the environment,
washing in the driveway wastes time too.
It only requires about 10 minutes or so
to wash in a SS bay. But when you add
it all up (hauling hoses, buckets, soaps,
etcetera and then putting it all away), it
can easily take 4 times as long to wash
in a driveway. Before home washers assume
they’re saving money washing in the
driveway, they need to ask, “how much is
30-40 more minutes of my time worth?!!”
ECONOMICAL - I must acknowledge the
reality of competitive carwash pricing
within the context of the Exterior Express
phenomenon which took off like a rocket
about a dozen years ago. Those EE’s offer
a fast, convenient basic wash for about
$5 or even less. And that low level of price
certainly used to be the exclusive domain
of the SS wand bays. The thing is, that
“below market” price is tantamount to a
Exterior Express’
$5 (or less) “come
on” street sign
prices and Free
Vacs have lured
a swath of the
price prioritized
public away from
self serve wand
washing. But, as
we shall see, there
are ways for SS to
“skin that (cost)
cat”, as well as
tactics to offset
the “convenience”
factor of EE.
The author’s 12 year
old Caddy has aged
as well as his lovely
wife, Colleen. JJ
insists that is in no
small part because
of his devoted use
of self serve/coinop
washes — for his
ol’ CTS, not
his wife.
“teaser”, because the majority of EE customers
feel they need to choose a level of
wash that costs on average $2 more than
that touted street sign price.
Note: the following comments are an update.
Originally, this “Letters” column referred to
keeping my 12 year old Chrysler Concorde
mint via SS washing. But that car was
totalled in a bad accident in 2010 — “forcing”
me to buy the CTS. But apart from the
two testimonials being separated in time,
they are exactly same-o same-o!
Personally, I see the bottom line
every time I proudly walk towards my
own car. I drive a 2008 CTS that looks
virtually showroom new. In fact, this
Fall my son-in-laws’ parents came from
out of state to visit us for the first time.
When they walked into our home (thru
the garage) they had a double-take reaction
and said “WOW, you have a brand
new Cadillac!” When I said, “Uh, no.
It’s actually almost 12 years old.” They
did another “WOW!”
Admittedly, that awed reaction is
due in part to the CTS body style not having
changed all that much since it was
revamped way back in 2008. Regardless,
dark cars in general and red paint in
particular (as is mine) are markedly more
susceptible to surface disturbances. So I
know my exclusive and regular use of SS
wand bays definitely has played a big part
in its ageless-ness. I only wax it once a
year. But judging by how well it has held
up (even with Michigan’s salty roads in
winter), I bet I could get another 10 good
looking years outta this vehicle!
Around And Around
And so we go-around/come-around to
why and how this article began — expressing
our shock that any knowledgeable car
lovcr would be shocked to see very expensive
cars being washed at coin-op carwashes. It
seems that the SS may be remiss in driving
home — MARKETING! — the special, totally
legit selling points of its own segment of the
professional carwash industry.
Yes, carwashing’s competitive climate
has changed. (Don’t get me started on alleged
man-made Climate-Climate Change.
Hmmm, well, unless you’re marketing SS to
environmentalists ... and we will definitely get
into that in Part 2 of this article.) But I hope
that owner/operators would strive to educate
the public — enabling everyone to really appreciate
all the values and value to be found
at a professional self serve carwash.
Speaking of “what goes-around/comes
around”. Nowadays, one might get a sense
that SS is once again the “lowly step-sister”
to tunnel/exterior washes. But prior to the
turn of the century and for several decades,
Self Serve was verified by ICA surveys to be
“America’s Most Popular CarWash” — exactly
as the SSCWN’s original masthead slogan
so proclaimed! In that light, consider this
analogy:
In the 80’s CD’s were first sold to the
public and audiophiles as THE technical
plateau of recorded music. Then - sonuvva gun
- decades later, we realized that “old fashion”,
analog vinyl platters were, are and probably
will long be the truest, “cleanest” — THE best!
Sooo, in a way, SS is to CarWashing what
Vinyl LP’s are to CD’s ... IMHO.
And, oh yeah, I do get it. The industry
is “complicated” in its overlapping diversity
of vested interests. However, there are ways
for SS to vigorously assert itself and “thread
that needle” without pricking fellow professional
carwashers too, too badly. And so,
in the sequel to this article, I would like to
produce what Bart Bouchein had requested
some years ago ... and more:
• Templates for a mini-brochure
that could be used as a hand out, direct
mail, on a website, or whatever.
• A variety of marketing tips.
• And a slew of graphics that can be
personalized for ads and POS signage.
BTW and in closing — did you notice
the slogan on my baseball cap? Some of ya’ll
(for more reasons than one) will take issue
with that. Is it tongue in cheek? Sure. But its
puckish point of wanting to “Make SS Great
Again” ain’t all for laughs. Stay tuned.
10-4.
12 • WINTER 2020

Increase Revenue
When a customer purchases
tokens, you have made a sale
Added Security
Put your mind at ease with
tokens. Minimize staff
supervision and deter theft
Unique Alloys
Hoffman Mint offers different
alloys & sizes to best suit your
car wash needs
Reduce Cost
Tokens help reduce operating
cost and are a lower-cost
payment option
Marketing Options
Set your business apart and
help build your brand with
custom tokens
Flexibility
Whether for a promotion or
price fluctuation, simply adjust
the value of your tokens
VISIT US AT THE CAR WASH SHOW BOOTH 2917
WHY TOKENS?
Whether using our stock tokens
or custom tokens,
the benefits are endless.
Learn more at
www.hoffmanmint.com
Hoffman Mint
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
sales@hoffmanmint.com
WINTER 2020 • 13

Around the Wash
Going Plastic?
Experts give insight to some of the
biggest credit card conundrums
As we embark on a new decade, there are not Jetson-like
flying cars, pet orbitties, or even glass orbs
that transport people to and fro, but there has been
a significant shift in the way goods and services are
purchased. Cash is not carried by all and it seems as
if cashless payments are becoming the norm. Credit
cards are nothing new, in fact the first official credit
card was used in the 1950s (although historians
argue they have been around since 9000 B.C.). But
cashless transactions have evolved even further
thanks to chip readers, applePay, digital currencies,
and app-based payment transactions. Car washes
have evolved as well — from digitized loyalty programs
to remote monitoring, etc. and self serves are
now offering dryers to LED lighting. Such improvements
are not just “wow” factors, but expected by
customers, especially millennials who are unfamiliar
with the 20th century self serve model. A visit
to a self serve includes user-friendly, safe and convenient
equipment and these days, thanks to credit
card machines, customers are not carrying cash.
And, since everything from vending machines, to
even farmer’s markets are accepting credit cards,
not all self serves are on board. The reasons vary,
between not wanting to install the equipment, to
keeping things the way they’ve always been. However,
the reasons self serves decided to accept credit
cards include: An increase in sales, to customer
appreciation and the ability to tracking data and
transactions.
As for customer demand, credit cards are no longer
just for the middle- to upper-class demographics.
You don’t even need to have “good credit” to carry
a credit card anymore. According to data released
April 26, 2018, by the American Banking Association,
there were 364 million open credit card accounts
in the United States as of the end of 2017.
According to a 2019 CNBC report, fewer and
fewer adults are using printed or minted U.S. currency
at all. “About 3 in 10 Americans said they
make no purchases with cash in a typical week,
up from a quarter in 2015, according to the Pew
Research Center. Modernization is As we enter a
new decade, and technology.”
Amy Olson of WashCard Systems, which is a longtime
hardware, software, and marketing solutions
provider based out of Minnesota, “The car wash industry
has seen its fair share of change over the last
10 years and credit card acceptance has been one of
them. Operators who have credit card acceptance
see a rise in their income because there are more
payment options available for their customers.”
Olson said they have over 600 customers with
over 1,000 locations as car wash customers, with
BRIGHT BAY. HAPPY CUSTOMER.
Waterproof LED Lighting | Available at Kleen-Rite
800-285-6780 | www.ggled.net | sales@ggled.net
14 • WINTER 2020
SSCWN2019.indd 1
4/15/19 9:05 AM

about half of them being self serve customers,
all of which have credit card acceptance and
loyalty options for their wash.
If a car wash is looking to join the trend, Olson
offers up the top five things to consider if you’re
on the fence about credit card acceptance.
1. What about the fees? While credit card
fees are involved, the ability for customers
to use credit cards outweighs those costs.
Having more payment options available also
brings in more customers and allows them to
spend more than what they normally would.
With credit cards, customers are not limited
to the change in their pocket.
2. Reliability: Credit cards also give some accountability
to the customer. Every once in
a while, hardware can fail. When that happens,
customers want their money back.
With cash or coins, it’s hard to prove a customer
was even at the wash spending money
unless you have newer hardware that
gives you those capabilities.
3. Trackability: With a credit card, you are
able to see when the customer was at the
wash, how much they spent, and you are
able to credit them back, or even start a
new wash for them remotely in another bay.
4. Less Labor: Unattended car washes can
be tough to manage. Beyond ensuring it’s
clean, there are chemicals stocked, equipment
is working properly, there’s the tiring
task of collecting, drying, rolling, and bringing
in coins to the bank. A task no self serve
operator has ever said is fun. With credit
cards, this task becomes less of a hassle.
There will always be those few customers
who “like” using coins, but most customers
will eventually switch over to credit card
use when it becomes available.
5. Tricky technology? Hardware costs are
also a concern for operators. Adding credit
card readers can be expensive. And with
changing technology, many operators are
concerned about chip readers or tap and
pay. However, with the way technology is
moving, this concern may be a thing of the
past for operators. Mobile apps are becoming
more and more popular for operators
who have not yet added card readers to their
bays. With mobile app options also growing,
it’s important to consider the features of the
app, how long the company has been in the
industry, how often updates are made, etc.
As technology and the credit card industry
change, operators should stay up to date
with what updates there are and how it affects
their business.
ONE SELF SERVE OPERATOR
SHARES HIS STORY
Ryan Davis is the owner of Wild Water Car Wash
and Pet Wash in Ames, Iowa. The wash offers two
Laserwash automatics, seven self serve bays, one
large vehicle bay, two self serve pet washes, and
eight vacuums. Wild Water has been around for 44
years.
“Originally we started accepting credit cards for
our automatics in 1998. Credit cards in the self serve
bays and vacuums came around in 2008.”
Davis’s advice for others thinking about accepting
credit cards is, “Do it.”
“You’re just wasting money until you do. Originally,
when we started installing the credit cards in the bay,
we had people waiting for those bays that had credit
card acceptance.”
Davis said security and his customers’ trust are
some of his biggest concerns. “Security is a huge importance
to me. Our customers expect our very best
every time. If they are going to spend their money with
me, they are putting their trust in me not only to produce
a clean car, but to keep their information safe.”
Aligning with a company that is not only PCI Compliant,
but one that is PCI validated as well, is extremely
important, suggests Davis. “Your customers
won’t care whether you are PCI compliant or validated,
unless something happens. But it makes me
sleep better at night knowing I am protected as best I
can be. Security is nothing to be cheap on.
Davis added that they also offer mobile pay and
they are looking forward to releasing their own app
in the upcoming months.
-5 horsepower industrial strength motor
-3 phase, 12 amp motor -super quiet
-Heated air without heater filament
-30% more powerful -maintenance free
-Mounts inside bay, in the attic, or on the roof
-Nozzle with mechanical on/off safety trigger
WINTER 2020 • 15

16 • WINTER 2020

WINTER 2020 • 17

Self
Serves
in
2020
What’s trending? What’s changing?
Expert Steve Gaudreau weighs in.
Steve Gaudreau knows a thing or two about
car washing. To put it plainly, he has served as a
national consultant to the industry for over 30
years. He was the first-ever president of Car Wash
College and has also authored two best-selling industry-related
books. Currently, Gaudreau serves
as president of Brink Results, LLC. — a training
and consulting firm serving the car wash industry
that provides online video training, on site management
training and organizational consulting.
As for the self serve car wash industry, Gaudreau
has weathered many years of car wash trends and
paradigm shifts. What he has recently noticed are
changes that have to do with speeding up services
and managing customers’ needs and expectations.
The following are the top six implementations he
says to look for more and more.
#
1 Adding on Express
Exteriors
Many self serve operators are converting a self
serve bay into a shorter express exterior tunnel.
Anywhere from 30’ to 50’ bays are now exterior
washes and sometimes, considering the location
and geographical elements, the blowers are located
outside of the bay. This caters to a self serve
operator being able to use an already established
structure. Express exteriors are nothing new. Benny
Alford of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pioneered
automated “modern day express car washing,” according
to a Baton Rouge Business Report. “After
visiting Germany in the ’90s, the Alfords [including
Benny and his sons Justin and Jason] brought
home the idea of free self-service vacuums and
wanted to use gas pumps as pay stations. They approached
a company about making an unattended
machine, which they discovered already existed,
and added their own gate idea to keep cars in order
for custom washes.” Today, exteriors are more
commonplace and ideal for the on-the-go and
penny-pinching customer. Also, self serves and the
express exterior are mildly similar in that both
do not require multiple onsite employees, which
brings us to #2…
18 • WINTER 2020

A LEADING MANUFACTURER OF CONTROLS,
INCLUDING DIGITAL TIMERS FOR THE CAR WASH INDUSTRY.
CONTACT YOUR
DISTRIBUTOR
TODAY!
WWW.DIXMOR.COM
1-888-234-9667 FOR A DISTRIBUTOR IN YOUR AREA.
WINTER 2020 • 19

KLEENRITE.COM • 800.233.3873
UNIVERSAL BRUSH
XL FEATHER TIP
TRIPLE SURFACE
BRUSH WITH SIDES
• 8” head
• Triple surface
$18.23 FO1808G
CPS3005
G&G
• Fits in a 5 gallon bucket
• Uses foamy brush handle F0204A
32 FT. LED
LIGHT PACKAGE
CRYPTOPAY
CREDIT CARD ACCEPTORS, COORDINATORS,
SWIPERS & BOXES
INCLUDES FOUR 8 FT. TUBE LIGHTS
LIGHTS TOTAL 32 FEET
$374.99 CPS3000 Coordinator
$399.99 CPS3005 Swiper
$6.50 CPS3010 CAT5 Cable
$53.50 CPS3025 Stainless Steel Box
$120.00 CPS3025-V Side Mount Box with LED7 Cutout
HIGH PRESSURE WEEP GUN
& HOSE ASSEMBLY KIT
KIT INCLUDES:
• (1) GUK600W Weep Gun with Blue Trigger
• (1) HA156WBL1414 Blue Single Wirebraid Hose 3/8” MPE
• (1) 22002 GinSan Blue Nozzle Protector 1/4”
• (1) 2506 Spraying Systems Stainless Steel Spray Nozzle 1/8”
• (1) SW-504A Fluid Controls Brass Ball Bearing Swivel 3/8” F x M
• (1) 291G18MF Blue Rubber Flex Wand 1/4” M x 1/8” F, 18”
$76.63 KRK2080
Get 32 feet of bright LED lighting at your car wash
or detail center!
$1,289.99 GGBAY32 32ft Self-Serve/In-Bay Lighting Package
$949.00 GGBAY48SS-AC Driverless 32ft Self-Serve Bay Lighting Package
NEW!
THE
PROSPECTOR
VACUUM CLEAN OUT CANISTER
GUNS
• 10.5 GPM
• 4000 PSI
• 300°F
• 3/8” INLET/1/4” OUTLET
$39.95 VACP
OUR
MOST
POPULAR
GUN
$20.50 GUK600NW NON-WEEP
$20.50 GUK600W WEEP
• Never throw money in the trash again!
• Features 162 less than dime-sized
holes to allow dirt and debris through
while keeping coins and valuables out
of the trash.
• Fits JE Adams vacuums without
cutting notch for hose inlet hole
• 18.75” Dia. x 7.25” H
TOWELS BY
DOCTOR JOE
Now available exclusively from KLEEN-RITE
BODY TOWELS
WINDOW TOWELS
DETAIL TOWELS
COURTESY TOWELS
VENDING TOWELS
ULTRA-85
Microfiber Towels
• 16” x 27”
• 12 Per Case
• Bleach resistant
• 400 GSM
• Heavyweight
• Plush
$23.75 DJMF8500-BK Black
$23.75 DJMF8500-CHAR Charcoal
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!!!
ALL NEW!!!
• Streamlined check out
• Improved site speed
• Improved mobile shopping
experience - easily
place an order on the go!
• Easily redeem your
Rewards points
Club
SHOP. EARN. SAVE.
Join the Kleen-Rite Rewards Club now!
KLEENRITE.COM
800.233.3873
20 • WINTER 2020

Self Serves in 2020
Flat Fee Self Serve
Success
#
2 Onsite Attendants
It used to be that most self serve washes
were not staffed throughout the day, but now,
many washes have at least one employee on hand.
Of course, with this, the car wash owner must train
and monitor the individual, especially if there is
an automatic wash on site. The plus side? It has
been reported that some washes have seen their
revenues double after adding on an attendant. This
might be because such car washes are perceived as
safe, reliable and user-friendly.
#
3 Multi-bay Washes
There really aren’t too many self-serve-only
washes. Any new washes being built will have
various types of bays. Along with self serves, there
are also some sort of automatic washes included
which allow a wash business to serve multiple customers
at once.
#
4 More Touchless
Equipment
Back in the day, friction-based car washes were
more prevalent. Today, more customers seem to
know what the word “touchless” means and the
word is used more and more in signage and advertisements.
Friction washes are still selling, and
ideally, a car wash will offer both: A friction and
touchless wash to attract different customers.
#
5 Free Vacuums
Some self serves are now offering up free vacuums
to compete with the free vacs offered at express
exterior washes. This offering brings in more
volume which makes a car wash look popular. It is
considered that some customers will choose any
type of wash if a free vacuuming is included so
self serves are jumping on the bandwagon. Also,
If one is looking for self serve inspiration, look no further than Jack Anthony III. Anthony
currently serves as CEO of 7 Flags Car Wash, a California-based chain which includes
three full-service car wash and detail centers, seven self serve carwashes, two express exterior
washes with free vacuums, and one express oil change facility. His father, Jack Jr., founded 7
Flags back in the 1960s, and he, along with his wife Margaret, are responsible for bringing the
first self serve car wash to Northern California.
Having had successful self serve operations for years and years, in the mid-90s Jack Anthony
III decided to change things up and offer a flat free self serve deal. Wash as Long as You Want
was a concept he heard about from another friend in the industry. “He had excellent results. So,
I thought, ‘Let’s give it a try.’” How did others in the industry react? They said he was crazy. But,
customers on the other hand thought it was brilliant.
It works like this: Customers get anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to use the self serve bay (a
car will “trip” a loop detector so that multiple cars cannot be washed in the allotted timeframe)
and they can also use that time to use the vacuums as well. This way they have enough time to
comfortably wash their cars as well as vacuum. The flat fee varies, and If the allotted time is not
enough (it rarely is not enough time) they can add more money.
Anthony said it has been extremely successful and their self serves continue to be a contributing
part of their overall revenue.
And, although such a concept is still not the norm, the idea of not rushing a customer has
its merits. And, if you want to get all new-agey, feeling rushed has been known to cause anxiety
(allegedly). According to mindtools.com, Cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman
coined the term “hurry sickness” after noticing that many of their patients suffered from a “harrying
sense of time urgency.” So, flat fee self serves are good for your health. The website adds,
“Hurry sickness increases your body’s output of the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause
long-term health problems, such as depression. It can affect your personal relationships, too.”
F-R-E-E is always an attention grabber. Some car
washes will also offer “free” vacs that are given
with the purchase of a wash, or if they are part of
a flat fee purchase for a site visit. Which brings us
to number 6…..
#
6 Unlimited time
for a flat fee
As mentioned in #5, some self serves have found
success in offering some sort of unlimited or even
free service. This is not seen a lot in the self serve
industry, and some might think the idea sounds
crazy. However, Jack Anthony of 7 Flags Car Wash
has found success in offering a flat fee (see sidebar).
In not trying to beat the clock, customers can
find comfort in having an unlimited amount of time
to wash their vehicle, or figure out the settings, or
stop to chat on the phone, or… you get the idea.
The plus side is that it will bring in more customers.
The downside is people can hog the bays. However,
with vacuums also being part of the deal, a bay or
vacuum would ideally be empty.
#
7 More Marketing
More and more self serve and in-bay automatics
are offering monthly plans with unlimited
wash clubs. This is something that is done via signage
or through social media. And, with the prominence
of cell phones, apps and QR codes a visit is
that much easier. Memberships and monthly deals
are also being promoted at attended sites (see #2)
where an employee can offer the customer the
deal in person and/or help a customer figure out a
promotion via a terminal or pay station.
WINTER 2020 • 21

Carwash
Boom Assembly
MODEL 203
Zierco’s Original Swivel and
Boom Assembly, with
New Rebuildable
Cartridge
• Feather light rotating action
• Twin compression springs are
tension-adjustable for a variety
of hose and gun weights
• Swivel rotates 360˚ - 12 ft.
diameter
MODEL 203 FEATURES
• Temperatures to 280˚ max.,
pressure to 2000 psi
• Longer hose life as spring
prevents kinks
• Ruggedly built, satisfaction
guaranteed
• Proven performance with over 50 years
service in the field (Since 1962)
OPTIONAL
107C CARTRIDGE
FOR COMPLETE
INFORMATION
CALL
414-764-6630
FAX: (414) 764-9763
www.ziercowaterboy.com
107C Cartridge Features:
• Field Repairable
• 100% 304 Stainless Steel Internal
Materials Eliminate Failure Due to
Corrosion
• Double O-Ring Design Uses Any
Type of Grease
7355 S. 1st. Street
Oak Creek, WI 53154
sales@zierden.com
TM
VISA and Master Card accepted
DISTRIBUTOR INQUIRIES INVITED
QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE 1937
22 • WINTER 2020

Carwash
Boom
Assemblies
Zierco’s Easy Service Swivel and
Boom Systems with
MODEL 204 and 206 FEATURES
• Twin compression springs are tension-adjustable
for a variety of hose and gun weights
• Swivel rotates 360˚ - 12 ft. diameter
• Temperatures to 280˚ max., pressure to 2000 psi
• Longer hose life as spring prevents kinks
• Ruggedly built, satisfaction guaranteed
• Optional stainless steel components
• Proven performance with over 50 years service in
the field (Since 1962)
Boom Systems with Full 360 Degree roTATIoN
Booms are Available with 3 Different Mountings
MODEL 204
ENHANCE YOUR SELF SERVING
CONVENIENCE
STYLE B
Flat Plate
Mounts directly
to the ceiling or
beam.
Easy to Use -"Feather Light" rotating action
STYLE C
Swivel Base
Mounts directly to
the ceiling.
MODEL 206
OFFSET Overhead Carwash Boom
Allows for TWO Center Boom Installation
STYLE D
Wall Bracket
Mounts to wall and
is adjustable so
boom swings
to wall when
not in use.
Ideal for foaming brushes.
FOR COMPLETE
INFORMATION
CALL
(414)-764-6630
www.ziercowaterboy.com
CONVERSION KIT
204B
To Convert Model 203
to a 204 Assembly
Remove boom body
from hinge plate
EASY 3 STEP PROCEDURE
TO CHANGE SEALS.
NO TOOLS REQUIRED.
Rotate hinge plate
counter clockwise to
remove seal elbow
Replace O-Rings
7355 S. 1st Street
Oak Creek, WI 53154
Fax: (414) 764-9763
sales@zierden.com
QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE 1937
TM
DISTRIBUTOR
INQUIRIES
INVITED
VISA and Master Card
accepted
WINTER 2020 • 23

TRICKS OF THE
Presenting some of the best discussions from the Self Serve, IBA and General Discussions sections of CarwashForum.com. To view more
posts discussing some interesting and common problems, as well as some of the best and brightest solutions, visit CarwashForum.com
(Note: Some posts feature minor edits for readability.)
Boom, there it isn’t!
Does anyone have a suggestion on how to stop customers from leaving the bay hose hanging
right across their vehicles and driving off snagging the hose and pulling it down from the boom?
... I need some way to ensure that the customer pulls the hose out of the way. WENDY’S WASH
I’m assuming you have a 360° center mount
boom. The problem is that it’s not swinging back
to the wall. Shim the mounting points so that the
side you want the boom to swing to is lowest. With
a little trial and error, you can get it to come to rest
about anywhere you want it. I use washers with a
chunk cut out so I can just slip them in or out without
having to take the bolt all of the way out. You
might want to have some longer bolts on hand as
well. They could be changed out one at a time so
you’re not wrestling an awkward boom on top of a
ladder. I.B.WASHINCARS
I “home” the booms so they swing to the opposite
end of the bay from where the wand holder is. The
weight of the hose will pull the boom tight to the
wall. If the boom swings itself to where the meter
and hanger are, the boom will always be 45° or
more away from the wall instead of 90° from where
the vehicles enter. MEP001
Do as mentioned above. It might also be a good
idea to put a J hook on the wall that you want
the boom to swing to. Some customers will take
the time to place hose in the J hook to keep it
against the wall even closer than just having the
boom swing correctly. Place the J hook several
feet away from the wand holder, so the hose
has to stay against the wall when in place. SOAPY
Hard to fathom... but a percentage of customers
unwittingly force the hose on to the J hook that is
meant for one of the center Z-booms. Of course,
“Home the
booms”
“WD-40”
“Shim
the mounting
points”
they just created a problem for the next customer.
Simultaneous use by 2 people of both the main
center boom & center-mounted brush (no foam) is
another irritation ... especially when the final result
is hose entanglement. MJWALSH
All is right again. Sprayed WD-40 at center of
boom and installed half inch washers on the side
where the wand holder is. Now all six bay hoses
swing right to the side where the wand holder is.
WENDY’S WASH
Lower fees, please!
In our ongoing commitment to reduce expenses, can anyone
recommend how to reduce credit card fees. Seventy (70) percent
of our sales is from credit cards? LB60605
Besides partnering with the right processor
to get the best rates, incorporating options
to raise your average ticket would be
next. The fixed costs get diluted the higher
the ticket. If like most, you should notice
that there are flat transaction fees, meaning
no matter how large the purchase, you pay
a flat fee to process. The higher the sale, the
more diluted these flat fees become therefore
reducing the percentage impact on
that transaction. Things like fleet accounts,
memberships, etc... can help raise your average
ticket. At least this has been what we
have seen… JLANMAN
I had GREAT success using a website
called Cardfellow.com. I’m not connected
with them in any way...except as a
happy user.
Cardfellow solicits bids from various
merchant account providers. If you use one
of their “bids” (for your business), the merchant
provider.... not you as the merchant....
pays Cardfellow a small percentage.
The provider they found for me has
been outstanding. CF also provides an auditing
function. Once or twice a year...I
ask them to make sure I’m paying the best
price. They also make sure that the merchant
services provider is charging you
only what was quoted. RUDY
If you are close to Kentucky, you need to
talk to Merchants Pact. They are located in
Louisville. ...Also monitor monthly statements
for fees that have been added that
you shouldn’t be paying for. DAKOTA HOSKINS
“Reduce
percentage
impact”
“Use a
monitoring
service”
SSCWN EDITOR CHIMES IN:
According to the creditcard.com Glossary of
Terms, an interchange fee, which is also called
a discount rate or swipe fee, “is the sum paid
by merchants to the credit card
processor as a fee for accepting
credit cards. The amount of the rate
will vary depending on the type of
transaction, but averages about 2
percent of the purchase amount. The
interchange fee is typically higher for
online purchases than for in-person
purchases, because in the latter,
the card is physically present and
available for inspection.”
24 • WINTER 2020

HUR-98-62023
Increase Wash Time
& Bay Revenue
Give Your Customers A Spot Free Combination They’ll Love!
Super Flo - R.O.
SPOT FREE RINSE SYSTEM
With our
Super Flo-R.O.System
you can expect
Reliable and Efficient
spot free production
that wastes less water and
Saves You Money!
Plus, your customers will love
your final rinse.
Hard water or soft,
we’ve got you covered
Super Flo-R.O.-N
RO System, No Water Softener Required
FOR SITES WITH WATER HARDNESS LESS THAN 4 GRAINS.
Ṡuper Flo-R.O.-C
RO System with Water Conditioner
FOR SITES WITH WATER HARDNESS UP TO 50 GRAINS.
Super Flo-R.O.
RO System, Water Softener Required
Shown — Wall Unit,
Optional Stand Available
The energy efficient
self serve drying solution
that is simple to use. Your
customers will love having the
ability to dry their car, which
means more time in your bay.
Amazing!
FOR THE ULTIMATE IN CAR APPEARANCE
USE PURIFIED SPOT FREE RINSE WATER AT LOW PRESSURE
SAVE TIME - SAVE EFFORT - NO DRYING!
1. WASH & RINSE CAR NORMALLY WITH HIGH
PRESSURE SPRAY
2. SELECT “SPOT FREE RINSE”
3. RINSE CAR FROM TOP DOWN WITH LOW
PRESSURE SPOT FREE RINSE
• Easier To Use
Than A Towel
• Fast • Touchless
• Spot-Free
Both Systems Come With Bay Signage To Promote Your Items.
Turn Your Wash Into A Reliable Revenue Producing Business. Call Us Today.
OVER
INDUSTRIAL GRADE
Flexible • Profitable • Dependable
(800) 421-5119
225 Crown Blvd., Timberlake, NC 27583
PO Box 488 | Roxboro, NC 27573
www.cpcarwash.com | sales@cpcarwash.com
WINTER 2020 • 25

TRICKS OF THE
Making cents…
“Charge what
you want”
I have read numerous threads about pricing and since you guys have been such a great
help, I wanted to kick around an idea. So, there are two other car washes in town. None of
which have a better location than me. The biggest competitor in town is $1.00 for 4:00. I have matched
that, but it seems way too long of time for $1.00 the other one in town is $1.25 for 4:00. I was thinking about
going .50 to start and .45 seconds per quarter. Do you guys think I will still compete at being .50 to start even
being a full 1 minute less per dollar?
“Try 50 cents”
“Attract
customers first”
…My biggest issue is that my car wash has been closed for 3 years so I am trying to get the word out that it has opened. I might drop to 50
cents just to get the word out that I’m open and to gain traffic and then raise it to at least match the other wash in town later on. FASTLANECARWASH
If you’re the best in town, you can charge appropriately
for it. 50¢ to start might be a good grand
re-opening price, but you’ll be the one getting the
worst customers that make the biggest messes if
you plan to run it that way. I’m $1.50 for 3 minutes
- my nearest competition was $1.00 for 2:40,
he raised his price to match mine, the other day his
worker said his customers are now saying they prefer
my wash, but they go back to his because mine
is too busy to get in. MEP001
I’d rather wash fewer cars and make more money
doing it. This is almost 2020.... $1 for four minutes.
May as well get a job with eves and weekends off
and no worries.... likely make more $. Please don’t
tell me you are also offering free vacs?!
My s/s is $3 for 4 min. Vac $2 for 6 min. Auto $8,
$10, $12, and $14. CHAZ
It’s a hard call whether or not to raise your prices.
On January 1st the minimum wage in Washington
state is going up to $13.50 an hour. Most
of the car washes have or are raising their prices.
I’m planning on going to $2.75 for 4 minutes in
the S/S bays, of that $2.75, 28 cents is Washington
state sales tax that we have to pay. At $2.75 I’ll be
one of the least expensive car washes, most are in
the $3.00 - $3.50 range. RANDY
Car washing is discretionary. Charge as much as
you can get away with. No one is being robbed.
They can go to the competition if they think you’re
charging too much. I.B.WASHINCARS
I’m down here in Texas and if you read on carwashforum.com,
we are cheaper than most members
on here. I think your real issue is that it sounds
like you just reopened this wash and you want to
get the word out and business back. I was in the
same position with my first wash 4 years ago and I
actually started at .25 to start and that gave you 1
min & 30 secs.... BUT I didn’t stay there long. I was
basically living at the wash on the weekends meeting
and greeting EVERYONE as I raised the prices
and I didn’t really hear many complaints because
we have great soaps, pressure, everything is always
working or fixed immediately and so forth. In summary,
I would lower your price and have a re-grand
opening with balloons, feather flags, etc. etc. then
work your way up as much as you can. RFREEMAN
I have customers who say I’m overpriced at
$3.50 for 5 mins but we are now 1 of 2 self serve
left in our area, we get a lot of vehicles that cannot
go through a tunnel or auto so I control that
aspect of the market. But the monthly membership
trend has been nipping at me as well but
that’s a whole other thread. DIAMONDWASH
In my opinion, if you want to get the word out do
the same thing tunnels do and offer FREE washes
for a week or two. Get people in the door to see how
good you are and let them see what a great operation
you have and what the regular price will be - same or
slightly more than competition - but for better stuff.
I did this once by simply pulling the coin boxes and
vaults and making stickers that said insert quarter -
retrieve below. Got people used to the system/price.
Kept stuff going by timers. EARL WEISS
I’m about $1/1 minute. $3 start. 2/1 ss/iba. Fully
staffed, used car lot, detail shop on site. Free towel
dry station. CC acceptance, air shammies in bays,
mat brusher, vending galore, 4 vacs, air machine for
tires. Be all you can be to the customer and charge
whatever the market will bear. It’s not a moral issue,
it’s business. WAXMAN
High pressure problems…
I have a self serve bay and the high pressure functions are not
working, but all of the low pressure functions are working. …In
the equipment room inside the control panels (probably not the
correct term) there is a button I can push that turns on the motor
that drives the high pressure pump and when I push that button
the motor comes on and drives the pump.
My two other bays work fine so the issue is localized to this bay.
I am not an electrician, but it is weird to me that all three high
pressure functions (rinse, wax, soap) would quit at the same time,
unless there is a fuse someplace that I am unaware of.
HITCHPALOTIVE
Check power from the rotary switch. It should
have two layers of outputs, one for each individual
function’s solenoid, the other just for power to the
motor. MEP001
Could also be the thermal overload - that would
be one of those “little fuses someplace that you
don’t know about.” Press the little blue reset button,
see if that solves it. It would be attached to
the motor starter, which is that “button I can push
that turns on the motor that drives the high-pressure
pump.” PAULLOVESJAMIE
Once when I replaced a rotary switch, I forgot to
remove the metal jumper from the old switch and
put it on the new switch. The result of that was
the same - no high pressure. SEQUOIA
MEP001 was correct, the “motor” wire to the rotary
switch had corroded and there wasn’t a connection
anymore. Thank you for all of the help,
probably save me several frustrating hours this
evening. HITCHPALOTIVE
Owning and knowing how to use a good voltmeter
is a carwash owner’s best friend. I don’t know
how anyone can get by without one. You could
have quickly discovered you weren’t getting power
to the motor starter coil...Then worked back to
the terminal strip and then the bay rotary.... Glad
you found the problem! 2BIZ
26 • WINTER 2020

HOT VENDING ITEMS
FROM THE UNDISPUTED
LEADER IN CAR CARE.
1
2
4 1
CLEANING SPONGE
SPONGE PACK 100 PER CASE
AR30800
2
3
ORIGINAL PROTECTANT
SPONGE PACK 100 PER CASE
PUMP SPRAY (24) 4 OZ. CANS
VS10800
AR13040
3
4
TIRE FOAM
4 OZ. CAN 12 PER CASE
AR40040
NEW! WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADES
BEAM ALL-In-ONE
5 COUNT • HOOK + V-CLIP • A, B & M ADAPTERS
ARM COVERAGE: HOOK 9X3, HOOK 9X4, SIDE PIN,
BAYONET, PINCH TAB, TLPB, TLPB NARROW,
SIDE LOCK, & SIDE LOCK NARROW
HYBRID
5 COUNT • PRE-MOUNTED ADAPTER: U
ARM COVERAGE: HOOK 9X3, HOOK 9X4
CONVENTIONAL
5 COUNT •HOOK + V-CLIP
ARM COVERAGE: HOOK 9X3, HOOK 9X4,
SIDE PIN, BAYONET
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!!!
ALL NEW!!!
• Streamlined check out
• Improved site speed
• Improved mobile shopping
experience - easily
place an order on the go!
• Easily redeem your
Rewards points
Club
SHOP. EARN. SAVE.
Join the Kleen-Rite Rewards Club now!
KLEENRITE.COM
800.233.3873
WINTER 2020 • 27

TRICKS OF THE
Hot water,
does it matter?
“Automatic
switch”
A customer discussed with me his concern about our SS using non-heated water for high
pressure rinses because he said it freezes on his car by the time he goes to dry it. Temps
were around 10 degrees F at that time. We have four high pressure functions (soap, wax,
clear coat, and rinse) and only the HP rinse is non-heated. I told him no chemical is injected
so it doesn’t need heat, but really that’s just the way my place was when I bought it. I don’t
think I need heated water for the wax or clear coat, but I never changed it. It got me thinking
though, would it be wise to switch to heated water for all HP functions during cold temps
(maybe 20 degrees or colder F)? I don’t think it would make much difference and this has
been the only customer to ask me about it. ACBRUNO
“Throttle back
the valves”
I have my HP rinse setup to automatically switch
to hot water at 30 degrees. Customers do notice
and appreciate it as the temps get colder. They notice
it the most when they go to another wash and
the rinse is cold.
Does it increase costs? YES! Does it wash better?
NO! Does it increase customer satisfaction? ABSO-
LUTELY! ERIC H
I see no need for a hot rinse at my location; my
competitors can’t keep up as it is, and I don’t like to
see grown men cry........ WAXMAN
Assuming your setup has cold water solenoids
that bypass the hot water tank on rinse, you could
throttle back the ball valves in the winter to warm
up the rinse, but not have it be full-on hot. Either
that or put doors on the bays and heat them, seems
like closing a valve would be easier. MEP001
I tend to be a little careful about reacting to customers
who want some specific feature, after I look
into it a little bit it almost never appears to be a
profitable change, just an entitled customer who
wants something. I checked the video after the last
person told me they paid for this wash and were
entitled to hot water (5 years ago), and they were
cleaning snow off their car, not washing.
Yes, I know ice is an issue when it gets really cold,
but do a quick spreadsheet - how many cars at what
ambient temp? How much to heat the water? How
many lost customers if you don’t, etc?
Speaking just for my wash, I believe hot water
rinse is a money loser, not a money maker.
I’ll also admit that I do use warm water on rare
occasions - like those rare 10-degree sunny Saturdays
with dry salty roads. But that’s MY decision
for specific reasons, not a reaction to one customer’s
demand. PAULLOVESJAMIE
I have hot and cold-water lines T’d into the tanks.
That way I can open and close them to increase
temps as needed. He is correct that at 10 degrees
he may end up with a block of ice if he uses cold
water. EARL WEISS
In some climates where the temperature of the
surfaces on the vehicle can be way below zero Fahrenheit
... I would think that hot could even crack
the glass???
On the flip side ... it is true that even with our
tempered water (lukewarm) (on soap only) sometimes
a customer will seek us out pointing out ice
formed as they were spraying initially. That customer’s
“lack of understanding” tends to be a rare
exception as most will just spend a bit more until
the surfaces gradually warm up albeit with more
spraying.
Summertime ... a motorcycle guy “stays in bay
not washing” to let engine cool down. Same guy in
winter “stays in bay not washing” with his vehicle
saying it needs to warm up????? MJWALSH
I operate tunnels and have washed plenty of cars
in below zero weather. I do not know how hot water
is by the time it hits the vehicles, but glass does not
crack although prior cracks will “grow”. It is the same
when cold water hits hot glass on a summer day.
As far as the motorcycle goes, the hot engine
getting hit with cold water should not be an issue
otherwise it would happen to a hot engine when it
rains. Depending on the age and technology some
(like my ‘95) may still have manual chokes and will
run better after warming up a couple of minutes.
EARL WEISS
28 • WINTER 2020

WINTER 2020 • 29

TRICKS OF THE
Voltage variables
I have an odd question for you guys. I have 3 phase service and currently getting 211
volts to all my equipment and electrical panels from the street. I did amp draws on all
my motors and there is little high amperage and there’s no telling how many years it has
been like this. All my motors are rated at 230 volts not 208 - my power company says they
came out this morning and checked their stuff and said it’s correct and there is no room
for them to adjust it to 230 volts. Is this correct? I just want to make sure there not too lazy
to change the transformer at the street or jerking me around. TDLCONCEPTSLLC
“amp
tests”
“24+ volts”
“Wild
leg 3 phase”
Usually from what I see, if a motor is rated for
let’s say 230v that would typically mean the max
voltage. 208-volt systems will work no problem
with motors with 230v rating. once you step up
into the 240v range then you will probably have
to consider other options such as buck boost transformer
or something of that nature. CHEVYGUY09
I’ve had the opposite issue when doing new construction.
We would install Belanger automatic
equipment which called for 208 voltage but sometimes
the city didn’t want to pay to put up a third
transformer. Your power may be different, here
there’s either two transformers on the pole giving
120/120/277 and 240V 3 phase or three transformers
giving 120/120/120 and 208V 3 phase. It took a
lot of arguing to get 208 in and we were successful
every time but one, where we ended up installing
a transformer the size of a washing machine in the
room. MEP001
I just looked up at our pole & it has 3 transformers
& a wild leg thingy with its 240VAC 3 phase. I
tend to measure over 240VAC & the amp draw is
consistently the same on each of the 3 wires to all
my 3 phase motors. I was told that Delta Wild Leg
is very common across the country even though
if you have a lot of 120VAC internal whatever in
the facility ... balancing the total individual circuit
breakers complicates the main panel a bit. Our local
utility based on experience tends to leave a monitoring
device interfacing with the outdoor meter
for at least a day ... if there is any suspicion whatsoever
of a problem with their distribution. MJWALSH
How are you checking voltage? Each leg to
ground? Or across two phases? My guess is you have
the wild leg three phase like I have. Checking each
leg to ground you have 120v,208v,120v. Checking
across any two legs gives you 240v. The cycle timing
of the 208v leg is such you get 240v when checking
either of the 120v legs with the 208v leg. You have
to Google search “Wild Leg 3 Phase” to see what I
am talking about.
I have 3 phases that comes from the street transformer
and splits off at the mast to (2) separate meters
and then to (2) separate panels. One panel is
3 phase 240v and the other panel is single phase
30 • WINTER 2020
240v all fed from the 3 wires coming from the
street transformer.
The system was developed years ago to supply
businesses with 3 phase, single phase, and also a
high voltage leg to run 208v lighting circuits. You
ever take apart the old mercury vapor light fixtures
and notice there was a 208v tap on the transformer?
Hardly anyone uses the 208v leg by itself anymore,
but this type of 3 phase still works for setups
like a carwash. 2BIZ
My power is delivered by our city. They own
the utility and supply 208 to most businesses. One
thing to look at is any small transformer within your
wash that supplies power to solenoids, coin techs
etc. Most transformers are setup to convert 240 to
24 volt but if supplied with 208 you get around 22
volts and that will cause problems. Be sure you have
24+ volts out of your transformers. SOAPY
Unless your motors are fully loaded (carwash
motors are typically not fully loaded) 208 will work
fine. You get less horsepower, but the pumps don’t
know the difference because they will turn the
same rpm. The motors will use a little less power
with lower voltage. WASH4ME
Pretty much right, except that you won’t get
less horsepower... The amperage would increase by
the same proportion that the voltage is decreased.
Example: [(240-208)/240 = 7.5% less voltage. So,
amperage would be 7.5% higher. This doesn’t make
any problem until the amperage exceeds the nameplate
rating. Then you start getting into the service
factor. If you exceed the service factor (typically
10%) then you will start to overheat the motor and
cause early failures. I would check the current at
each of these motors and see if the amp draw is less
than the nameplate. If it is, drink a beer. If it is much
more... drink several more beers. JGINTHER
Running 208v on a 230v motor is fine usually but
you get a higher amp draw. It’s also a good idea to
do an amp test annually. If you notice it creeping up
it’s a sign the motor is going (doesn’t mean it will
die immediately but is toward end of life). MC3033
The horsepower of the motor is lowered when
voltage is lowered. Since the car wash pumps rarely
use the full horsepower of the motor it becomes
irrelevant. For example, if a 5 hp motor would put
out 5 hp at 240 V and if you were to try to get the 5
hp out of it at 200 V it would overheat from higher
amps and decrease its service life. If you study the
charts in the pump information, it will tell you at
a particular pressure and RPM what horsepower is
required. If it were me and the motors are replaced,
I would replace them with a 208-230-volt motors
because they are rated to run the full hp at 208
volts. I am not saying you need to replace the motors…
just if one burns up replace it with a 208-
230-volt motor. WASH4ME
3-phase motors are usually rated to run +/- 10%
voltage. Running a 230v motor on 208V is within
that 10%, so no harm will come to the motor, and
you don’t need to limit the horsepower use to prevent
overheating.
It shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve only seen issues
with VFD systems that needed a more accurate
voltage, and with 240 to 24-volt transformers running
208 and having an extremely long wire run.
Voltage drop was too much, and even that was
fixed by doubling up the power and motor starter
wires with spares. MEP001
SSCWN EDITOR CHIMES IN:
A scientist by the name of Alessandro
Volta (1745-1827) of Milan, Italy,
invented the electric battery which
at the time was named a voltaic pile.
According to Battery University (yes,
there is such a thing), “Volta discovered
in 1800 that certain fluids would
generate a continuous flow of electrical
power when used as a conductor.
This discovery led to the invention
of the first voltaic cell, more
commonly known as battery.
Volta learned further that
the voltage would increase
when voltaic cells were
stacked on top of
each other.”

WINTER 2020 • 31

Now unattended car washes
can offer unlimited wash programs.
In bay Tunnel I Touch Free & Soft Touch
• Quick and simple equipment set up
• System will work with any inbay
equipment on the market
Maximum Throughput
• Washes and dries 40 cars per hour with
separate bays in one tunnel
• Applies chemical and washes five sides of
vehicle at one time
• Real-time data on customer and
equipment usage
• View detailed reports to understand
customer needs and patterns
Unattended Operation
• Specifically designed without a conveyor
system, allowing for unattended operation
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Convenient Customer App
• Easy download with no employees required
to sell program on site
• Guaranteed secure payments with no hassle
of coins or tokens
Versatility & Reliability
• Smart technology able to wash small and
large vehicles, even duallys
• Minimal moving parts decreases downtime
and increases longevity
DA!!il!!i □ a 5i5C:a a5h.org I B□□.B92.3537
32 • WINTER 2020

Cwguy.com’s
‘Random Thoughts’
Why would I use
my cell phone
as an
alarm clock?
By Eric Wilson
Over time things change. Why have a dedicated
old alarm clock when you have Alexa or your cell
phone to wake you up every day? Sure, old-school
people get into a routine with a dedicated alarm
clock and a dedicated alarm clock seems better in
a lot of ways. The clock is always there and really
integrated into everyday life, but only if you were
brought up that way. Society evolves over time, so
why not use your phone as your alarm clock?
How does this process of replacing basic items
in everyday life affect you? I received the Yellowpages
two days ago. For people that do not know
what the Yellowpages are…. It is an alphabetical
listing of business names along with their contact
information. Businesses also advertise in the book
and, at one time, if you wanted to stay in business
it was a necessity. Now, I throw the book in
the garbage can while never touching it. The Yellowpages
have been replaced by a far better list,
which is updated almost to the minute. But, like
the Yellowpages, with the Internet you have to
spend money to advertise, maintain the website
and manage social media correctly.
The topic I would like to discuss in this issue is
search engines— but mainly the map application
and how customers use their phone or car navigation
systems to find your company.
There are many changes with new car technology.
I remember when navigation systems in your
car was an add-on, requiring you to buy a new
disk whenever you wanted updated information/
maps. Now, many cars have a built-in navigation
system that connects and draws information directly
from your phone. My wife’s car included an
Android or iPhone integrated navigated system. It
works much better than my built-in voice command
on my car and both are constantly updated.
It is better for everyone.
So how is this important to you and your
business? What is important with your customers?
How do customers find you? Let’s start
with going over the most common three types of
phones:
1) Flip phones (you know who you are)
2) Androids
3) iPhones
According to a 9to5mac.com Q1 2019 report,
Android has 60% of the North American market
share with 40% going to Apple. Android dominates
more globally, but that is not really our concern,
but could probably be a trend?
Eric Wilson is a self-serve car wash owner who also blogs online on the popular and very funny website, cwguy.com.
WINTER 2020 • 33

WE WANT
YOUR
STORIES!
Do you have a funny
story from the bay?
Cwguy.com’s ‘Random Thoughts’
Why would I use my cell phone as an alarm clock?
Apple used to use Google maps, which as a business
owner you should prefer. Apple decided to
change and uses openstreetmap.com along with
Yelp. Therefore, you need to make sure your information
is available to customers on both Android
and Apple phone platforms.
Google is pretty easy if you have a Gmail account.
Just find or create a location and enter in
your information. Then I recommend adding pictures
and adding your website. I would get a website
even with minimum information on it. This
helps customers search and get information directly
from their maps app and also when you ask
Google a question.
Apple devices are equally as easily if you have
an Apple ID. Find the location, enter the information
and you can enter multiple social media links.
Really, the only difference to business owners is
you have to “verify” your business and you have to
manage your business through Yelp. I have no issue
with Yelp and honesty reviews are always great,
but I just feel quicker responses from a community
rather than going through a company would
be preferred as a business owner. Either way you
should enter your information in Yelp also.
Maybe an inspiring
tale from the wash?
Try something
new that worked well?
“You won’t believe what this
Darwin did at my wash…”
“The best decision I ever made
for my business was…”
“On rainy days, I like to…”
Here’s some additional information about Google
maps: I am a Google Local Guide, so I am
allowed to add, edit and fact check Google Map
entries. This is actually better than the Better
Business Bureau, Yelp, etc. Google entries are fact
checked by Local Guides or users and Google does
not use the extortion method other companies use
to remove or add reviews. This is unfortunately a
method a lot of business know about from phone
calls or letters.
Another reason to enter your information is
for mobile browsing. These additions are important
with Google Chrome (preinstall on Android
phones) which has 65% of mobile browsing. When
Safari (preinstall on iPhones) has 16%. Also, Google
Assistant and Apple Siri are important optimizations.
(Both Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari
can be installed on Android or Apple devices.)
So how did both map applications do? Which
one scored better? Well it honestly does not matter
as you should support both Android and Apple
platforms. But you can tell by the list if they say
the business is “Closing Soon” or “Closed” it is not
a “Self Service Car Wash.” I like how the Android
mapping application did find my closest self service
washes and including expresses and full services
like a fine cross promotion? But let’s also all
be honest: We would all hope Apple could do the
same. But I was looking for a small subsection. Another
factor is the large amount of expresses and
full services around me!
Reach out to Editor Debra Gorgos
debgorgos@gmail.com to share
your story with our readers.
34 • WINTER 2020

Everything you need to Succeed
From the most trusted name in Self Serve Equipment
BOOMS,
WANDS,
BRUSHES
IQ SELF WASH
PUMPING
SYSTEM
BAY
SIGNAGE
BAY
ACCESSORIES
VACUUM
SYSTEMS
HIGH
SECURITY
METERS
VIDEO
SECURITY
SYSTEMS
D&S Carwash Equipment
www.dscarwash.com 800.844.3442
WINTER 2020 • 35

QUICK TIPS
MARKETING TIP
Other customers
are out there...
A major benefit of being a self serve owner is that you can usually accommodate
larger and recreation vehicles in your bays. Large trucks, RVs, boats, jet skis, snowmobiles,
and motorcycles are not in-bay automatic or conveyor customers and are ideally
washed inside of a self serve bay.
Knowing this, if you can take in these kinds of vehicles, market the heck out of it!
Put up signs, post on social media, scream it from your rooftops, well, maybe not that.
But getting the message out there is your first challenge when it comes to this side
of the self serve business. Don’t be afraid to dive in though. These things can bring in
big tickets for you.
Also, don’t forget to market your services to business owners who use trucks, and
some of the other aforementioned larger modes of transportation. There are many
vehicles in the fleet world that can’t be washed in an automatic or tunnel wash. Think
about some of the businesses you see driving around your wash. From landscapers, to
box trucks, delivery vehicles, and more, there is a plethora of vehicles out there that
are business based, and need to be able to wash their vehicle, and be able to receive
automated monthly statements instead of individual receipts for every transaction
they do at the wash. This alone brings in big, consistent bucks for you and your wash.
This tip was provided by WashCard Systems.
EQUIPMENT TIP
Protecting your
Perimeter
Cameras that are mounted on the wash structure and looking out at outlying
areas need to be the large type in the traditional outdoor housings. This is for
several reasons. First, since the lighting tends to be dimmer the farther you get
away from the bays, the lens surface area needs to be larger so that the camera
can gather more light. Secondly, the large camera housings are more visible and
tend to be a deterrent to criminals. Color cameras are fine for looking toward
well-lit areas such as vacuum islands, but when pointing the camera toward
darker areas, or when using the camera to pick up license tags, a day/night version
that will switch to a black and white picture is really valuable since it
can see better under dim lighting conditions. Infrared cameras are also a good
choice, especially if it has very bright infrared LEDs to throw the lighting out to
dimly lit areas at night. Pay attention to the distance the specs say that the infrareds
can reach at night. It is a good idea to half this figure to see if the camera
will still give you enough light at the distance you need to see. The distance spec
the camera manufacturer lists, is under ideal conditions on a moonless night. A
bright night or your own perimeter lighting can effectively halve the lighting
distance you will get from an infrared camera.
This tip was writing by Allen Spears, a car wash owner and the chief engineer of Car-
WashCameras.com.
PROPERTY TIP
Sound the Alarm!
The following is a Fire Protection checklist from OSHA (the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration)
FIRE PROTECTION
• Is your local fire department familiar with your facility,
its location and specific hazards?
• If you have a fire alarm system, is it certified as
required and tested annually?
• If you have interior standpipes and valves, are they
inspected regularly?
• If you have outside private fire hydrants, are they
flushed at least once a year and on a routine
preventive maintenance schedule?
• Are fire doors and shutters in good operating
condition?
• Are fire doors and shutters unobstructed and
protected against obstructions, including their
counterweights?
• Are fire door and shutter fusible links in place?
• Are automatic sprinkler system water control valves, air
and water pressure checked periodically as required?
• Is the maintenance of automatic sprinkler systems
assigned to responsible persons or to a sprinkler
contractor?
• Are sprinkler heads protected by metal guards if
exposed to potential physical damage?
• Is proper clearance maintained below sprinkler
heads?
• Are portable fire extinguishers provided in adequate
number and type and mounted in readily accessible
locations?
• Are extinguishers free from obstructions or blockage?
• Are all extinguishers serviced, maintained and tagged
at intervals not to exceed one year?
• Are fire extinguishers recharged regularly with the
noted on the inspection tag?
• “Are fire extinguishers selected and provided for the
types of materials in the areas where they are to be
used?
• Class A - Ordinary combustible material fires.
• Class B - Flammable liquid, gas or grease fires.
• Class C - Energized-electrical equipment fires. “
• Are appropriate fire extinguishers mounted within
75 feet (22.86 meters) of outside areas containing
flammable liquids and within 10 feet (3.048 meters) of
any inside storage area for such materials?
• Are all extinguishers fully charged and in their
designated places?
• Are employees periodically instructed in the use of fire
extinguishers and fire protection procedures?
36 • WINTER 2020

THE PUMP
WITH 9 LIVES
10 TH
JUST GOT ITS
CAT PUMP
OWNERS,
Have you experienced
pitting, Grooving,
or wash out in your
pump head?
Vilco Supply company, has
solved the wash out problem
for 30 years with a unique
boring and stainless steel
sleeve process.
NOW AVAILABLE!
Wash Out Repair/Vilbore System
on these Cat Pump manifolds.
3535, 3545, 3560, 3841, 6767, 3507, 2521, 2510, 1010, 1050, 7CP
SAVE BIG!
On these select models
With Our Combo Bore,
All 9 Ports Sleeved For
ONLY $159.95
An Excellent & Economical Alternative
with the Durability of Stainless Steel
VILBORE SYSTEM AVAILABLE ON ALL:
310, 340, 350, 5CP2120, 5CP2150, 530 Manifolds
Vilco Supply offers maintenance and
pump repair on most Cat pump models
“GIVING YOUR
CAT PUMP
IT’S 10 TH LIFE
& MORE!”
• Bore all 3 Hi-Pressure Ports –
Sleeve with Stainless Steel $74.95
• Bore all 6 Valve Seats –
Sleeve with Stainless Steel $99.95
FOR MORE INFORMATION 888 -255-4181
VILCOSUPPLY@FRONTIERNET.NET | VILCOSUPPLY.COM
WINTER 2020 • 37

2020
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
APR
THE CAR
WASH SHOW
6-8
Henry B. González
Convention Center
San Antonio, Texas
www.carwash.org
HCA’S 37TH
ANNUAL
PRODUCT SHOW
Prairie Meadows Racetrack,
Casino and Convention Center
Des Moines, Iowa
www.heartlandcarwash.org
SECWA
ROAD SHOW
MGM Grand Casino & Hotel
Detroit, Michigan
https://secwa.org
CAR WASH
EXCELLENCE
SUMMIT
Hotel Bennett
Charleston, South Carolina
www.carwash.org
2020 AMERICAN
CAR WASH EXPO
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia
https://secwa.org
APR
28-29
MAY
19-20
JUN
8-10
SEP
14-16
OCT
5-7
38 • WINTER 2020
NORTHEAST
REGIONAL
CARWASH
CONVENTION
Atlantic City Convention Center
Atlantic City, New Jersey
www.nrccshow.com
Association News
International Carwash Association ® (ICA)
Keynote Speaker Announced
for Car Wash Show
Ben Nemtin has been named the keynote
speaker for the 2020 Car Wash Show, taking place
in San Antonio from April 6-8. The ICA made the
announcement in early January, stating, “Ben Nemtin
is on a mission to achieve the unthinkable. From
playing basketball with President Obama to dashing
down a soccer field, from raising over $400,000 for
charity to placing a record-breaking $250,000 bet on
roulette—Ben’s bucket list quest has inspired millions
to strive for greatness.”
The ICA stated that Nemtin is a #1 New York
Times bestselling author thanks to his book, What Do
You Want To Do Before You Die? He is also the star of
the MTV show The Buried Life and the co-founder of
The Buried Life movement. He has appeared on The
Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, FOX,
ABC, CBS, NBC News, and more. Oprah Winfrey
called Ben’s life work “truly inspiring.”
Ben weaves the compelling story of how The
Buried Life grew from 100 impossible dreams scribbled
on a piece of paper into a global movement of
millions and skillfully connects his story to the fabric
of our daily lives, states the ICA.
Ben’s message of radical possibility combined
with his ‘5 Steps to Make the Impossible Possible’
leaves audiences not only inspired but also equipped
to tackle the seemingly insurmountable. Ben’s system
of achieving any impossible goal demystifies
daunting tasks and turns “dreams” into “projects” by
creating a digestible pathway to success. Mediocre is
crowded. Raise your bar and surprise yourself.
Past 10 Keynote Speakers
In case anyone was wondering, the past ten
Car Wash Shows (called the Car Care World Expo)
have hosted impressive keynote speakers (My personal
favorite was Magic Johnson. He got up into
the crowd, was humorous and engaging).
2019: Author and leading expert on happiness and
success, Shawn Achor,
2018: NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long
2017: Tom Ridge, first Secretary of Homeland Security,
former governor
2016: Navy SEAL Rear Admiral Scott Moore
2015: NCAA basketball coach Rick Pitino
2014: Daymond John and Robert Herjavec from
ABC’s hit series, Shark Tank.
2013: NBA star Magic Johnson
2012: NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka
2011: NFL quarterback Joe Theismann
Registration now Open
In other ICA news, registration is now open for
The Car Wash Show 2020, the largest U.S. gathering
of car wash owners, managers and decision makers.
From April 6-8, more than 8,000 attendees will
gather in San Antonio, Texas, to discover new products
and technologies, enhance business strategies,
and connect with a range of car care experts—including
car washers, fast lube professionals, detailers,
and more—from around the world.
“The Car Wash Show is the place where the
entire industry gathers to grow business strategies,
collaborate with peers, and share creative tactics
to create memorable experiences for customers,”
said Kim Vinciguerra, Vice President of Events at
International Carwash Association. “With all-new
programming, hundreds of exhibitors showcasing a
full-range of car care needs, and endless networking,
The Car Wash Show 2020 is the best opportunity
industry professionals have all year to gain knowledge
and discover resources to build the best car
wash businesses in the world.”
With brand new education sessions, The Car
Wash Show 2020 will provide industry veterans and
first-time attendees with actionable skills and strategies
needed to stay competitive. The 2020 Show
will feature two options for passes that will allow
attendees to customize their experience to fit their
needs and gain fresh perspectives from professional
speakers, fellow operators, and suppliers.
With the Basic Pass, attendees will get first-hand
product knowledge in 20-minute Quick Hits and
product demonstrations in the Partner Solution Sessions.
Attendees will also have the
opportunity to talk shop with colleagues during
Peer Sessions. And of course, they have access to the
trade show floor for all three days.
With the Premium Pass, attendees will be able to
attend everything included in the Basic Pass as well as
exclusive access to the Premium Education Program.
Here, they will deep dive into one of five areas:
1. Technology
2. Business Strategy
3. Marketing
4. Talent Management
5. Fast Lube.
Each area features an impact session followed by
focused courses to mix and match.
With the Premium Pass, attendees will also gain
industry insights and inspiration at the State of the
Industry and Keynote Address.
The Show will also provide many opportunities
for attendees to network with peers in the car wash,
fast lube, and detailing arenas. During the Opening
Night Party, Booth Crawls, and other engaging
events, all attendees will have a platform to renew
and develop relationships with peers to build a global
network and address any challenges they are facing.
The 180,000-square-foot trade show floor will
grant attendees access to more than 400 exhibition
companies showcasing the latest technology
and products to help streamline business, increase
efficiency, and improve the bottom line. Attendees
will find exhibits in categories spanning the car care
industry, from solutions, product updates and live
updates, and one-on-one discussions that will help
them take business to the next level.
For those who want to further enhance their
show experience, attendees can also register for one
of the preconference seminars on Sunday, April 5.
Attendees can choose from a full-day course in Management
Fundamentals, the New Investor Seminar,
or the Certified Detailer Exam from the International
Detailing Association (IDA).
The Car Wash Show 2020 is presented by International
Carwash Association (ICA), the
Automotive Oil Change Association (AOCA),
and the Western Carwash Association (WCA). For
more information and to register visit: www.carwashshow.com.

Light Up Your Business & Reach The Street
Equip your wash to succeed with Belanger's Kondor ® touchless in-bay automatics. Available in
one-arm or two-arm designs, the Kondor features innovations that go way beyond superior cleaning. Features
such as illuminated color-changing arms and triple foam 'wings', not only give customers' confidence when
loading their vehicles, but also deliver a truly unique car wash experience that your customers will instantly
notice and appreciate every time they visit your wash.
Then take that lightshow from 'one end to the other' by adding illuminated, color-changing Drylite
Dryers. Maximizing your site marketing and attract customers like a beacon, 24/7. Now that's something your
competition can't touch!
Make your wash a destination choice with the Kondor.
PART OF
C>F>W$
VEHICLE WASH
SOLUTIONS
acompany
belangerinc.com I 248-349-7010
DRIVE I CLEAN
WINTER 2020 • 39

Do Your Self-Serve
a Favor...
Reload your Bay and be the
NEW Express Tunnel in Town
Eight Powerful Solutions. All in One Place.
Join Sonny’s
OneWash
and Save
With your OneWash TM membership, you’ll have
unlimited access to the industry’s only complete
suite of car wash business solutions with benefits.
visit our website for details
Learn more at:
www.sonnysdirect.com/onewash
40 • WINTER 2020

What You Need to Know.
What’s Your Site’s
Potential?
Call us today and Sonny’s will run a
demographic report, traffic survey, and
create a site-specific pro forma with
a 5-year revenue projection for your
proposed site conversion.
Will it Work?
Next our CAD Design team will lay out the
proposed site conversion to determine feasibility
and site requirements for maximum throughput.
What will it Cost?
Last, we can conduct a comprehensive non-biased
car wash equipment audit with recommended
actions and a quote to elevate wash performance
and consistency.
Find out at:
www.sonnysdirect.com/onewash
or call 800-327-8723
Sonny’s
43-XTB
Xtreme Hybrid Tunnel System
Wash, Wax, Seal, Tire Shine, & Dry
Cars
To50 Up Per Hour!
WINTER 2020 • 41

42 • WINTER 2020

Association News
New England Carwash Association (NECA)
You Make It Happen award
given to Dave Ellard
On November 12th, the NECA presented
its, “You Make It Happen” award to Dave Ellard
of Triple Play Car Wash in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
This award recognizes exceptional service
to NECA and the New England industry, a press
release stated. The honoree did not know he was
receiving the award, therefore information was secretly
gathered from family, colleagues and friends
before the presentation.
According to the NECA website: Dave grew
up in Dorchester and started out at St. Peter’s
School, but as can be expected for a really bright
Boston area kid, moved on to Boston Latin. When
we asked his brother if he was involved in sports,
he described his brother as more of an Eagle Scout,
Junior Achievement kind of kid. He earned his undergraduate
degree at Stonehill College, an MBA
at the University of Southern NH, and has never
stopped learning. While earning his MBA, he
worked in the accounting department of a small
company, Boston Insulated Wire and Cable. He
moved on to Stop and Shop where he held different
accounting, finance and managerial positions.
Then, he moved further up the corporate ladder,
transitioning from accounting to the C-suite, at
Boston Scientific and eventually EMC.
According to the NECA:
After retiring early from EMC, Dave started
looking for his next career, which lucky for us,
turned out to be in the car wash industry. He was
researching getting into the business when he ran
into Terrance Elder. Dave and Terrance knew each
other through mutual friends, and Dave knew that
Triple Play was already permitted and ready to be
built. He asked Terrance if he was looking for a
partner, and through a process of meetings, Terrance
concluded that Dave would be a strong asset
and good partner. They became co-owners and Triple
Play Car Wash opened in 2008.
Although new to the industry, he learned
quickly and was soon noticed by NECA. After just
one year as an Operator Director, he was invited to
serve as Treasurer and to move up the leadership
ranks, eventually serving as President from 2015
through 2016. We all know Dave as a passionate,
driven individual who, when he gets involved,
gives 100%. He can see the big picture, envision
the future and chart a path to get there. This was
apparent from the moment he joined the NECA
leadership team.
During his Presidency, with his vision and
business skills, NECA chartered a new strategic
course. His facilitation skills enabled us to move
forward with the plan more effectively than ever.
In everything he has done, he has provided the focus
and leadership necessary to get things done.
Even as a past president, he is always present and
willing to assist.
Dave’s enthusiasm for the industry and learning
all he can has not lagged, even while on vacation.
While visiting his son who was studying in
Amsterdam, his son’s roommate wanted to know
why they kept washing the rental car.
Dave loves his brown liquors and fitness routine,
but his personal passion is cars and racing.
Last, but not least, he is the proud dad of three
grown children, 2 daughters and a son.
Australian Car Wash
Association (ACWA)
We are thinking of you, Australia
We here at Self Serve Car Wash News are
thinking of our friends in Australia with the recent
devastating bushfires. There has not been an
official statement from the ACWA, or the ICA
and it is unclear if any car washes have been affected.
However, water restrictions have played
a significant role in car wash operations. Back
in November, the ACWA released a statement
indicating that things were generally going well
for the car washes and had benefited from the
hotter-than-usual and rainier-than-usual weather.
“It is difficult to ever describe a Victorian
weather event as extraordinary,” wrote ACWA
Business Manager Doug Cross. “Still, last Thursday’s
40-degree scorcher really was one out of
the box…even for Melbourne! As the city baked
through its equal-hottest November day this
century, fierce winds swept across the State, uprooting
trees and creating dust storms throughout
Melbourne suburbs. Then, just minutes
later, light rain, thunderstorms and a 20-degree
temperature drop. But what may have been uncomfortable
for the city’s residents, produced an
absolute boon for car wash sites with many operators
are still reporting queues and record wash
numbers a week later.”
Cross went on to thank the 40 or so members
who attended the ACWA State meeting in
November. President Neil Fox outlined ACWA’s
involvement in some of the key issues and opportunities
confronting the car wash industry around
the country including the water crisis facing the
industry in NSW and Queensland. “Neil outlined
the work ACWA has been undertaking in
both States to ensure car washing continues under
water restriction conditions. He highlighted
that despite Sydney Water announcing Level 2
Restrictions from 10 December, car washing will
continue,” Cross stated.
“The new restrictions state you can wash
your car, truck, van, using a bucket and sponge
or at a commercial car wash,” said Neil. He went
on to say, “this commendation and recognition of
commercial car washing is carried across Sydney
Water’s communications and website and will
encourage consumers to use our services.”
Level 2 Water Restrictions were enforced in
Sydney in December as the area faced its harshest
water restrictions in more than a decade.
Last June, and for the first time since the
Millennium Drought in 2003, Sydney was
placed on Level 1 Restrictions, stated the
ACWA. However, rainfall in catchment areas
since June has been minimal, forcing the NSW
State Government to announce the introduction
of Level 2 Restrictions.
Restrictions had impacted all car wash operators
in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains and
The Illawarra.
Car Wash Operators
of New Jersey
(CWONJ)
Scholarship applications due April 3
CWONJ Scholarship Chairman Dan Saidel
posted they are now seeking applicants for 2020
scholarships.
Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to
CWONJ-member employees in 2020. “It is important
to note that this award can be used for a
two- or four-year education, be it full or part time.
Applicants will be evaluated based on their high
school standing, leadership capabilities, community
involvement, strength of character, personal
achievement, plan of study and future goals. The
scholarship will be awarded to individuals who,
through their work in the community and at your
business, have demonstrated excellence and a genuine
desire to expand their knowledge.”
To be eligible an applicant must:
• Be an employee or direct family member
of an employee of any CWONJ member
• Have been an employee, full or part
time, for at least 1 year
• Have graduated high school or have the
equivalent
• Be enrolled or plan to enroll at an
accredited two- or four-year college or
university, and
• Not be an owner, or direct family member
of an owner of a carwash facility, manufacturer
or retail supplier to the carwash
industry.
WINTER 2020 • 43

888 920 2646
ETOWAH VALLEY EQUIPMENT
23
PRICES START AT $2695
OLD FAITHFUL
· Guaranteed Vend —
Drop Sensors Never Cheats The Customer
· Interior Lighting For Product Viewing
4 4
1/ 2 ”
· Stainless Steel
· Front Loading
We Offer
MEI
· 14 Vend Items
· Optional CoinCo Or MEI Bill Acceptor Available
· Dual Locking System
· Only 23 5/8” W X 44 1/2” T X 13” D
WE ARE THE BILL ACCEPTOR EXPERTS !
Etowah Valley is the largest stocking retailer of
acceptors in the Car Wash Industry !
2 Year Warranty, Expert Technical Support
and Repair Service should the need arise.
MEI
Bill Acceptors
Coin Mechs
We stock all models
for quick
immediate delivery
PARTS
Bill Boxes
Bezels
Harnesses
CoinCo
Bill Acceptors
Coin Mechs
Always in STOCK
NEW! MDB to Pulse Device
If you are not buying from us you are paying too much !
44 • WINTER 2020

888 920 2646
CUSTOM BUILT EQUIPMENT
Pump Stands
Meter Boxes
Custom Made
NATIONWIDE INSTALLER NETWORK
How Does
Etowah Valley
Sell Quality Equipment
at such low prices?
We have invested heavily in state of the art
manufacturing equipment to insure the highest quality
equipment available anywhere. We manufacture
everything in house in order to maintain our quality
standards. Our sales volume allows us to purchase
raw materials at tremendous savings. We then
pass these savings along to our customers.
Join our Team!
Looking for
qualified installers
in select areas of
the US, Canada
and Mexico. Also
have openings at
the factory.
www.etowahmfg.com
Etowah Valley Equipment
47 Etowah Center Dr
Etowah, NC 28729
sales@etowahmfg.com
888 920 2646
WINTER 2020 • 45

CLEAN CARS
START
WITH YOU
Car owners rely on you to keep their cars like new during all of life’s moments, from
the everyday to the extraordinary. You count on us for the education, networking, and
technology to create memorable customer experiences. Learn how the latest innovations
empower your customers to find more joy, wherever their clean cars take them.
LEARN MORE AT WWW.CARWASH.ORG/SHOW
SINCE 1987
46 • WINTER 2020

INNOVATIONS
INTRODUCING NEW AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS AND
SERVICES FOR SELF SERVE CAR WASHES
Edge-lit LED panel from LSI
LSI Industries has launched an enhanced version of its edge-lit LED panel.
The new luminaire features an innovative upgrade that enhances its versatility
across numerous indoor applications.
“Our enhanced, edge-lit LED panels fill a void in the marketplace,” said Mike
Prachar, Chief Marketing Officer of LSI Industries. “They give customers significant
flexibility to customize, and optimize the use of light in different areas
throughout their facilities.”
Customers can select up to three different options for both color temperature
and wattage, giving them a total of nine different light settings from a single fixture.
This gives facility managers, and others responsible for the property, significant
flexibility to customize and enhance employee workspaces, increase safety
and conserve energy.
LSI’s enhanced LED product produces light from the sides, not the back. This
makes them extremely thin and lightweight, which allows them to be mounted
in a variety of applications. Panels are easy to install and available in multiple
sizes, including 1x4, 2x2 and 2x4 feet.
Ceramic innovation
from Sonny’s
Sonny’s Chemistry by Diamond Shine introduces the next level of premium
chemistry with CERAMIC X3, a 3-step ceramic-infused process applied
after surface contaminants have been removed in the wash, prime and rinse
steps. The layering process provides superior hydrophobic water repellency and
self-cleaning properties that turns the car’s exterior into a virtually impermeable
surface with strong chemical bonds and a longer-lasting shine. Kati Pierce, Senior
Vice President of Sonny’s commented, “We’re excited to expand our chemistry
product offering with the addition of Ceramic X3. It’s a product line extension
that offers our customers a higher per ticket premium wash option and offers
more protection per vehicle.”
CERAMIC X3 is easily incorporated into the FUSION® process online application
to create a premium wash package.The car receives the standard Fusion
Bath, Fusion Prime and Fusion Rinse. CERAMIC X3 is then applied using
an additional applicator in the Fusion Seal, Fusion Wax and an added Drying
stage. In the final step, Fusion Rain Repel is applied to the glass surfaces.
Bonding at a molecular level, CERAMIC X3 forms a durable shield that is
resistant to dirt, bugs, bird droppings, contaminants and water. The water encapsulates
dirt and rolls off in larger size beads creating a long-lasting, self-cleaning
effect that is visibly noticeable to customers.
New website unveiled
by Kleen-Rite
Columbia, PA-based Kleen-Rite Corp. announced the launch of its improved
e-commerce website in December 2019.
The property, kleen-ritecorp.com, includes new and redesigned features
to optimize the user experience, save time shopping, and place orders
quickly. Web pages will load faster than before on all devices.
“Our customers want shopping to be quick and easy,” stated Kleen-Rite
vice president Keith Lutz. “The new site will have industry leading speed
and be easier than ever to use. Whether you’re at your desk or on your
phone, we want the customer experience to be exceptional.”
Customers can now log in to their accounts on phones using a thumbprint
or facial recognition. Once logged in, it’s easy to create a “favorites” list
of products, and move some or all products into the shopping cart with a
click of a button once ready to buy.
Adding personal information, order notes, and PO #s into the shopping
cart is easier than before for a
streamlined checkout process. The
improved “order summary” section
comprehensively breaks down
costs before buying.
Be sure to sign up for the new
Kleen-Rite Rewards Club to earn
rewards points on every purchase,
and redeem points for Kleen
Kash discounts and free
shipping offers.
Alkaline cleaner and polish
from CSI
Cleaning Systems, Inc. (CSI) introduces two new and improved products
that have been reformulated to provide customers with an opportunity to
remove those tenacious soils and ensure an exceptionally clean, drier and
shiny car.
New & Improved #1905 LiftOff® is a non-caustic alkaline cleaner for a
wide range of applications including wheel cleaning and presoak applications.
It was reformulated with increased alkalinity and a specialty additive
that targets brake dust and rust for increased soil penetration and removal.
This product is safe to clean all types of wheels and vehicle surfaces. The
key benefits include:
● Highest level of sodium metasilicate in any
concentrated liquid product on the market.
● Improved product performance for more than tire
and wheel cleaning.
● Great non-caustic presoak.
The new and improved UF314 Polish Cherry White is an ultra-concentrated
high foaming polish that was completely reformulated as a low pH
product with higher foam volume and better protective properties. The
newly formulated UF314 produces rich foam and appealing cherry scent. It
is best used in low-pressure polish applications in car washes. The outcome
also reduces cost per car, while removing foam with less water, and providing
a drier car.
According to Dave Krause, President and CEO of CSI, “both products
went through a protocol of testing requirements compliant with ISO 9000
standards. We are very pleased that the outcome of each reformulation provides
our customers with improved product performance while reducing
cost per car and using less water.”
WINTER 2020 • 47

INDUSTRY DIRT
HAPPENINGS IN & AROUND
SELF SERVE CARWASHING
Honoring Billy Lee Reynolds
We here at Self Serve Car Wash News were saddened
to hear of the passing of Billy Lee Reynolds,
founder of Carolina Pride Carwash, Inc. The Reynolds
family has been an amazing friend to the magazine
and the car washing industry in general. Our thoughts
are with his son, Dale, and his beloved family. The following
press release was sent out by the family.
Billy Reynolds passed away peacefully at the
Hock Family Pavilion in Durham, North Carolina,
on December 1, 2019. After a battle with cancer
and heart disease over the last twelve years,
he maintained a positive attitude. He was born in
Hollywood, Virginia, and moved to Person County
when he was a young boy. He grew up in Roxboro
and remained there his entire life. He was a very
hard worker with an entrepreneurial spirit. Billy
began his first business as Reynolds Refrigeration
Service. He also developed and started many other
businesses including Carolina Pride Carwash, Inc.
His car wash business has existed for over 53 years
and is still operated by his son Dale Reynolds.
Billy greatly loved his family and friends. He loved
many close friends and enjoyed telling stories and
jokes. He encouraged people to push themselves to
do their best and to pursue their dreams. He never
met a stranger and enjoyed meeting people wherever
he went. Many people experienced his generosity
and big heart. He will be greatly missed.
Billy is survived by the love of his life and Wife
for 63 years Kay Lee Perkins Reynolds, daughter
Sherry Reynolds, son Dale Reynolds and his wife
Lorraine. Grandsons Harrison Tyler Reynolds, and
Lee Thomas Reynolds.
Memorial donations to the charity of one’s choice
or to My Life Matters (mylifematters.club) and/or
Patrick Henry Family Services (patrickhenry.org)
Billy Lee Reynolds
12/19/1935 – 12/1/2019
D&S promotes Kenneth
Underhill, adds two new
distributors
On January 10, D&S Carwash Equipment of
High Ridge, Missouri, announced the promotion
of Kenneth Underhill to the newly formed
position of Director of Marketing. In this new
position Underhill will be responsible for all
marketing functionsfor the company, including
strategic planning, advertising, promotions,
trade shows, market research and public relations.
In addition, he will oversee all on-line and digital media marketing,
encompassing website, email and social media. Underhill will continue
to have significant input in product development.
Underhill joined D&S in 2017 as Marketing and Communications
Manager and was instrumental in enhancing the firm’s on-line presence
and new business development processes. Spanning a forty-year
career in business, Underhill has held numerous positions in marketing
and sales across a wide spectrum of industries.
The company also announced the addition of two new firms to
its nationwide network of factory authorized distributors. Central
Service Inc. of Bend, Oregon, and Air & Lube Systems Inc. based
in Sacramento, California, with facilities in San Diego, Los Angeles
and Tulare, California, will provide sales, installation, maintenance
and service functions for much of the West Coast.
Central Service is a leader in the construction and service industry
for retail petroleum clients in the northwest United States. Air
& Lube Systems Inc.’s core business is sales, installation and service
of automotive maintenance equipment throughout California. Their
clients include auto dealers, truck and auto fleet firms and government
agencies.
D&S Western Regional Manager, Brian Merz stated in a press release,
“We’re very pleased to partner with two reputable firms with
excellent track records serving two of our core market industries,
c-stores and auto dealers. In addition, we have gained a much stronger
position in terms of geographic coverage in the western US.”
Sonny’s Acquires SLAM
Sonny’s The Car Wash Factory has announced the acquisition of SLAM, a highly
specialized full-service marketing agency with deep roots in the car wash industry.
According to a press release, SLAM’s services include branding, web design, digital
and traditional advertising, social media services, content creation, sales training,
marketing consulting, business listing and localization search, and unlimited campaign
management.
Mike Berlin, Vice President of SLAM stated in the press release, “In 2001, when
our parent company BCLIP Production was just getting started, Sonny’s was the first
customer to give us a real project. 18 years later, we have a few more projects under
us and a lot more knowledge. We’re looking forward to being a part of Sonny’s and
continuing to help operators succeed.”
Car washes such as Zips, Sparkling Image, Eager Beaver, Benny’s Car Wash, Delta
Sonic, and Mike’s Car Wash have all trusted Mike and Bubba Berlin for sales, marketing,
and training services.
Paul Fazio, CEO of Sonny’s commented, “SLAM is a partner we have known for
years and what excites me most is the reputation Mike and Bubba Berlin have established,
which is largely attributed to their agency delivering results.”
“For a wash to win today, operators need to think and deliver across the entire
spectrum of marketing from branding to web design to digital marketing,” said Kati
Pierce, Senior Vice President at Sonny’s. “To provide a solution to our customers,
SLAM is a natural fit given their persistent delivery of meaningful, ROI driven marketing
and training programs.”
LSI Industries announces
executive promotions
LSI Industries, a manufacturer of LED technologies, announced on January 16 that
the following executives have been promoted, effective immediately:
Mike Prachar has been named Chief Marketing Officer. He will be responsible for
LSI’s commercial marketing, product management, technical design services, and
communications and public relations functions. He will report to Jim Clark, President
and CEO of LSI Industries.
Brian Vincent has been named Chief Support Officer. Vincent will be responsible
for sourcing, purchasing, quality and facilities, and he will be managing a portion of
LSI’s Customer Service organization.
48 • WINTER 2020

Know Your Pump!
• Stainless Steel Valves & Valve Cages Protect
Against High Temperatures
• Will Not Melt
• Will Not Wash Out
• Standard on 5, 7 and 11 Series Pumps
5 Series
Since 1923
3 Series
Belt & Direct Drive Pumps
Self Serve, Single Gun & Dual Gun Prep
521
4 GPM, up to 1800 PSI
517
5 GPM, up to 1500 PSI
510
8 GPM, up to 1000 PSI
Pump Only
Pump with
5 HP Motor
Upgrade Now!
• Pump only or pump set (as pictured)
• Available for same day shipping
• SS insert models available
Select Arimitsu Pumps to be installed on
your new pump stands & equipment or
when refurbishing your existing ones.
313 L Set Up
to 4 GPM 0 -
1500 PSI
516 L Set Up
to 5 GPM 0 -
2300 PSI
508 L Set Up
to 10 GPM 0 -
1200 PSI
QUIET
SIMPLE
QUALITY
PROVEN
View "Resources" at arimitsupumps.com for helpful video tutorials.
arimitsupumps.com l 763.205.8341 l greg@arimitsupumps.com
700 McKinley St NW, Anoka, MN 55303
WINTER 2020 • 49

www.manniwashsystems.com
1-800-552-4492
1131 Greensburg Road • Lower Burrell, PA 15068 • Phone 724.337.8255 • Fax 724.337.8554
THE HI TECH CAR WASH SYSTEM
IS BACK AND STRONGER THAN EVER!
Touch Free
In-Bay Automatic
The WORLD’S finest self service automatic continues to set the
standards for CLEAN CARS and HIGH PRODUCTION.
While our competitors claim their equipment is high tech
because of its good looks and aesthetics that does not mean it
will make you successful in the car wash business.
This business is all about clean cars and happy customers. It is
not about having the prettiest equipment.
All Turbo Wash
units come with
the Rear Blaster!
High volume car washes that can deliver clean, shiny cars need
to be a “WORK HORSE”, and that is what the TURBO WASH is
often called. In fact, there are more units of the TURBO WASH
basic design that are 10, 20 even 30 years old that are still out
there washing cars. What other manufacturer can make that
statement?
Top Reasons to buy a
TURBO WASH
Clean cars! Better than any other touch free
Available to fit in existing bays easily
Simplicity of operation
Extensive use of Stainless Steel
Highest quality components throughout
High production – you wash more cars
Will STILL be running when you make your
last payment
UL approved electrical throughout
50 • WINTER 2020

The Total Self-Service Package
1200-1500 psi • 3 hp • 3 phase Available up to 8 Bays.
SIX BAY WASH MODULE·UL Listed
Includes: Soap • Wax • Rinse • Pre-Soak • Foaming Tire Cleaner and Foaming Brush
Standard Features
• Stainless Steel Frame Construction
• Stainless Steel Holding Tanks
• Stainless Steel 360 o Boom
• Stainless Steel 180 o Brush Boom
• Stainless Steel Coin Box (vault ready)
• Coin Box Heaters
• Electronic Coin Acceptors
• Digital Readout Timers
• Motor Starters with Overload Protectors
• Low Pressure Air Pumps
• Trigger Gun and Hose Assembly
• Hogs Hair Foaming Brush
• Automatic High Pressure Weep
• Roof Trough Manifold
• All High Pressure and Low Pressure
Hoses and fittings
• 100 KVA Transformer Per Bay
• Stainless Steel Pre-Soak Pump
• Sign Package
• Wire from Coin Box to Panel
• U.L. Listed Control Panel
Call us for our Special Pricing on Upgrading your Present Equipment
Check us out on the Web: www.manniwashsystems.com
Manni’s Wash Module
Manni's 1131 GREENSBURG ROAD • LOWER BURRELL, PA 15068
WASH SYSTEMS 724-337-8255 800-552-4492 Fax: 724-337-8554
WINTER 2020 • 51

EXTRA!
EXTRA!
Presenting the news stories featuring
self serve car washes
7 Flags Car Wash is adding on two locations
Jack Anthony Industries, which currently operates
13 full serve, self serve and oil change, locations
throughout California, is adding on two
more 7 Flags Car Wash locations. According to
Jason Anthony, whose grandfather, John Anthony,
founded the car wash chain, “We are building two
more washes: one in Fairfield and one in Vallejo.
We hope to have them built in the next 20
months.”
Jason has been president of the family business
for eight years after previously playing on the Canadian
Golf Tour. One of the greatest parts of his
job is hearing stories about how his grandfather
influenced the car washing industry.
“Grandfather was the ultimate entrepreneur,”
Anthony said, noting how his grandfather shifted
the family’s fortunes from the grocer business,
the Tennessee Market in Vallejo, over to the car
wash business, according to the Daily Republic.
Eleven of the car washes are in Solano County:
two self-service in Vallejo; a self-service in Benicia;
two self-serve, a full-service and an express
exterior-only station in Vacaville; and the 7 Flags
in Fairfield. The company also operates a car wash
in Martinez and one in Citrus Heights.
The story states that Jason’s younger brother,
Kyle, is also involved in the business, as is his
mother, Cathleen, who serves as chief financial
officer. His uncle Mark, who is getting ready to
retire, has been on the maintenance side of the
business. His grandmother was still involved until
she was 90, when she finally retired about three
years ago.
Jason added that their general manager has
been with the company for 31 years and the firm
has had a number of managers who have been
with the company 10 or more years.
“We treat our employees like they are part of
the family, and we treat our customers like family,”
Anthony said in the story.
Michigan self serve
gets an update
The Soapy Bucket Car Wash in Howell, Michigan
is getting a makeover, according to The Livingston
Daily. The story said the owners, “have
embraced technology and upgraded their car
wash to accommodate more customers.” The
car wash just offered self serve bays before the
remodeling which took over a year. The re-opening
of the wash took place in January.
Co-owners Russ and Monique Springborn, of
Howell, said the biggest changes are technological
in nature, according to the story.
“One bay is fully-automated,” owner Russ
Springborn said. “You can program it on how it
washes your car and it has a new dryer system.
When you pull in, you don’t need an attendant.
This does all of that automated. There’s no tipping
required.”
The four self serve bays have been upgraded
with more offerings, including triple foam cleaner
and spot free rinse. The wash now also accepts
credit cards.
Springborn said a new app is another way he
and his wife are embracing technology.
New car wash water usage tax has one owner scratching his head
State Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, called
a House and Senate City, County and Local Affairs
committee meeting in early January after a
car wash owner called him about “the new tax on
water usage in car washes,” the Arkansas Democrat
Gazette reported.
Legislative changes approved earlier this year regarding
the taxation of some types of car washes
now have lawmakers questioning the decision.
“The changes were tucked into a state law with
other tax provisions, including some that drew
more attention -- sales and use taxes collected by
out-of-state online sellers from in-state purchasers
and cuts in the state’s top corporate income tax
rate,” the story said.
“There is a situation where some of these car
wash owners had other businesses such as a [public
laundry] or a convenience store hooked up
with the same meter,” Stubblefield said.
“In my opinion, there is no way to accurately
determine or estimate the water usage in these car
washes when you have that type of situation, other
than putting in a separate meter.”
Wade Dunn, who owns the Eastside convenience
store, laundry, deli and car wash in Glenwood,
Arkansas, and the Charleston Superstop gas
station and convenience store in Charleston, said
there was some confusion about it because it was
tied to the internet sales tax.
Act 822 changed the taxation of car washes
as “a tax fairness issue for some members of the
[Legislature’s tax overhaul] task force,” noted Paul
Gehring, an assistant revenue commissioner for
the state, in the story. “You had a certain type of
car wash that wasn’t subject to the sales tax and
another was,” he said.
Gehring said Act 822 imposed monthly water
usage fees on tunnel and automatic car washes, but
not self-service bays.
Dunn said on November 21 he heard from the
state Department of Finance and Administration
that recommended he have one water meter for
the automatic car wash, and a separate meter for
the rest of his business.
But Dunn said that isn’t really viable.
“Inside the car wash, you have a water softener,
[and] in that water softener, they are sending water
over here to the manual bay and sending water
over here to the automatic bay. You also have a
reverse osmosis system that is sending water over
here to the automatic bay and sending water over
to the manual bay, so it is not simply putting a
water meter on one pipe, a $200 water meter on a
pipe,” Dunn said in the story.
Dunn said he hasn’t paid the fees, but would
gladly do so, if someone would tell him what to
pay.
Finance department officials estimated that the
state would collect about $1.5 million a year in
water usage fees from car wash tunnels and automatic
car washes, Gehring said in the story.
Gehring added that car wash operators have
submitted about 86 reports for one month of water
usage and about $49,000 was collected from
the fee in November.
Stubblefield said he plans to propose legislation
changing the taxation of car washes in the 2021
regular legislative session.
52 • WINTER 2020

ERIE’S ALL AROUNDER ®
The Brush That Cleans & Protects All Around
Specially Constructed using the Highest Quality Hogs Hair and other Fill Materials
all around the brush head. Wood Handle is included.
All Around Customer Coverage
The filaments, totally covering the head, absorb more washing solution than
ordinary brushes and cleans the car thoroughly from every angle on the head.
All Around Surface Protection
Because gentle Hogs Hair or Nylon covers every inch of the brush, there
can be NO DENTS, NO DINGS and NO BUMPING NOISES on the car.
All Around Time and Money Saver
Every inch of the brush holds solution. Saved time, together with
returning customers, is money in the bank.
All Around Customer Pleaser
Customer-designed brush brings customers back because it is
clearly the answer to the problem of a gentle yet thorough cleaning.
“We use them in prepping at our car wash, and nothing yet has worked as well as the All Arounder®”
Steve Leydig, Diamond Shine Car Wash, Inc.
A NECESSITY for Conveyors, Rollovers, Self Serves,
Detailing Shops, Touchless & Prep Work
WINTER 2020 • 53

EXTRA! EXTRA!
This is a dream
come true, says new
self serve owner
A car wash owned by Christina and Jeremy
VanDergrift opened at the end of the year.
Tioga Car Wash includes four-bays including
two self serves. Being a car wash owner
has been a dream come true for Christina
ever since she met a car wash owner from
Corning, New York, during a road trip back
in 2015.
“I traveled 2,000 miles looking at the back
of Jeremy’s head thinking, ‘I have got to
build a car wash,’” she told the Wellsboro
Gazette.
When they returned from their road trip,
she approached Jim Stager, the owner of the
lot across from Mountain Valley Realty. He
declined to sell it, “but in my gut I felt like
it would happen someday,” she said in the
story.
She then started buying books about designing,
building and operating a car wash.
Three years went by and in March 2018, her
gut urged her to pick up the phone and call
Stager again. This time, he said yes.
The road-tripping friend from Corning
was also helpful, providing information on
what products to install and planning the
business, the story said.
The wash has two self serve bays including
a dryer and the other two are automatics.
The exterior self-serve bay can accommodate
larger vehicles, trailers, motorhomes,
even boats.
OSHA inspections on the rise
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational
Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) fiscal
year (FY) 2019 final statistics show a significant
increase in the number of inspections and a
record amount of compliance assistance to further
the mission of ensuring that employers provide
workplaces free of hazards.
According to an official statement, OSHA’s
enforcement activities reflect the Department’s
continued focus on worker safety. Federal OSHA
conducted 33,401 inspections—more inspections
than the previous three years –addressing violations
related to trenching, falls, chemical exposure,
silica and other hazards.
In FY19, OSHA provided a record 1,392,611
workers with training on safety and health requirements
through the Agency’s various education
programs, including the OSHA Training
Institute Education Centers, Outreach Training
Program and Susan Harwood Training Grant Program.
OSHA’s compliance assistance programs
have helped small businesses address safety and
Penalty levels go up due to inflation
Below are the maximum penalty amounts, with
the annual adjustment for inflation, that may be
assessed after Jan. 15, 2020.
Type of Violation
Serious
Penalty
$13,494 per violation
Other-Than-Serious Posting Requirements
Failure to Abate
$13,494 per day
beyond the abatement date
Willful or Repeated
$134,937 per violation
health hazards in their workplaces. In FY19, OS-
HA’s no-cost On-Site Consultation Program identified
137,885 workplace hazards and protected
3.2 million workers from potential harm.
“OSHA’s efforts – rulemaking, enforcement,
compliance assistance and training – are tools to
accomplish our mission of safety and health for
every worker,” Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health
Loren Sweatt said in a statement. “I am proud of
the diligent, hard work of all OSHA personnel
who contributed to a memorable year of protecting
our nation’s workers.”
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act
of 1970, employers are responsible for providing
safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.
OSHA’s role is to help ensure these conditions for
America’s working men and women by setting
and enforcing standards, and providing training,
education and assistance. For more information,
visit www.osha.gov.
State Plan States
States that operate their own Occupational
Safety and Health Plans are required to adopt
maximum penalty levels that are at least as effective
as Federal OSHA’s.
OSHA also has compliance assistance specialists
in most of their 85 Area Offices across the nation
who provide robust outreach and education
programs for employers and workers.
International Car Wash Group continues to grow and grow and grow….
Major car wash buying juggernaut, The International
Car Wash Group (ICWG), continues to
expand with the recent acquisition of Baird Brothers
Express Car Wash, The Wash Factory, Your Express
and TLC Xpress Carwash.
In Waco, Texas, Baird Brothers Express Car Wash
has four locations. The Wash Factory includes
seven locations including five in the Dallas-Fort
Worth, Texas metro area and two in the suburbs
of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Your Express brings
four sites also in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
These 15 sites will be a tremendous addition to
the current seven Texas sites already in operation
under ICWG’s Car Wash USA Express brand, a
press release states. ICWG also has several greenfield
sites under construction and development
in the Texas market. According to Jeff Maize,
ICWG’s Senior Vice President, Acquisitions, “We
were looking to significantly grow our presence in
the Texas market and are fortunate to have struck
deals to acquire these three important operators
to give us a larger base for continued growth and
expansion in both Texas and Oklahoma.”
Baird Brothers Express Car Wash has been a
family owned business for 10+ years and their
customer service and quality wash facilities in the
Waco market made for an attractive addition to
the ICWG portfolio. “ICWG’s professionalism and
attention to details in this deal gave us confidence
that our car washes and employees would be in
good hands,” stated Bill Baird, President of Baird
Brothers Express Car Wash.
Your Express’s four sites and the Wash Factory’s
five give ICWG the opportunity to establish a significant
presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.
Brad Mann, President of The Wash Factory, has
joined the ICWG team and will help lead the continued
expansion in this region.
The Wash Factory’s two sites in Norman and
Edmond, Oklahoma are the first ICWG locations
in the state.
As for the east coast, all TLC Xpress sites will be
rebranded as Car Wash USA Express, one of the
largest express car wash businesses in the South
and growing rapidly.
“North Carolina has been on the radar for quite
some time. We are very excited to bring these seven
car wash sites into the ICWG family,” said Jeff
Maize in a press release. “The owners, a mother
and son team, have built a very strong brand and
we are proud that they have selected ICWG to
keep their legacy alive.”
“I have known ICWG for some time and always
liked the way they do business. If how they put our
deal together is any indication of what lies ahead, we
know our customers are in great hands. ICWG was
flexible, fast and fair,” said Thomas Deering of TLC.
Headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, ICWG,
collectively cleans more than 40 million cars a year.
It operates over 900 locations in 14 countries across
the United States, Europe and Australia. The Company
was founded in Germany in 1965 under the
IMO brand, the name still used at its non-US locations.
ICWG entered the US market in 2015 and
operates under the Car Wash USA Express, Goo-
Goo Express, and Supersonic Car Wash brands.
54 • WINTER 2020

WINTER 2020 • 55

EXTRA! EXTRA!
DOL sends out New Wage and Hour opinion letters
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced
three new opinion letters that address
compliance issues related to the Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical
Leave Act (FMLA), according to a press release.
An opinion letter is an official, written opinion
by the department’s Wage and Hour Division
(WHD) on how a particular law applies in specific
circumstances presented by the person or entity
that requested the letter.
The opinion letters issued today are:
• FLSA2020-1: Addressing calculating overtime
pay for a non-discretionary lump sum bonus
paid at the end of a multi-week training period.
• FMLA2020-1-A: Addressing whether a combined
general health district must count the
employees of the county in which the health
district is located for the purpose of determining
FMLA eligibility for its employees.
• FLSA2020-2: Addressing whether per-project
payments satisfy the salary basis test for exemption.
The public can search for existing opinion letters
by keyword, year, topic and a variety of other filters
on the department’s website found at https://
www.dol.gov. The department also encourages
the public to submit requests for opinion letters
to WHD to obtain an opinion or to determine
whether existing guidance already addresses their
questions. The division exercises its discretion in
determining whether and how it will respond to
each request.
These are the 51st, 52nd and 53rd opinion letters
issued by WHD since January 20, 2017 states
the press release.
WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance
with labor standards to protect and enhance
the welfare of the nation’s workforce. WHD
enforces Federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping
and child labor requirements of the
FLSA. WHD also enforces the Migrant and Seasonal
Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee
Polygraph Protection Act, the FMLA, wage
garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit
Protection Act, and a number of employment
standards and worker protections as provided in
several immigration related statutes. Additionally,
WHD administers and enforces the prevailing
wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the
Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable
to federal contracts for construction and for the
provision of goods and services.
Final rule makes it easier
to offer ‘perks’ to workers
In other DOL news, the agency announced a final
rule that will allow employers to more easily
offer perks and benefits to their employees.
The rule released in December 2019 marks the
first significant update to the regulations governing
regular rate requirements under the Fair Labor
Standards Act (FLSA) in over 50 years. Those
requirements define what forms of payment employers
include and exclude in the FLSA’s “time
and one-half” calculation when determining overtime
rates.
The previous regulatory landscape left employers
uncertain about the role that perks and benefits
play when calculating the regular rate of pay,
states the DOL. The new rule clarifies which perks
and benefits must be included in the regular rate
of pay, as well as which perks and benefits an employer
may provide without including them in the
regular rate of pay.
“This final rule encourages employers to invest
in the American workforce, to the benefit of their
employees,” U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia
said in the press release. “In a robust economy
with a million more open jobs than job seekers, we
must allow employers to offer perks and benefits
that will attract talent for open jobs and compensate
employees for their hard work. This rule is an
important step in that direction.”
“The regular rate final rule provides clarity that
allows employers to provide more benefits to their
employees without unknown overtime consequences
or litigation,” said Cheryl M. Stanton, Administrator
for the Department’s Wage and Hour
Division. “Allowing employers to offer more perks
at work provides a positive path forward for employers
and employees alike.”
Specifically, the final rule clarifies that employers
may offer the following perks and benefits to
employees without risk of additional overtime
liability:
• The cost of providing certain parking benefits,
wellness programs, onsite specialist treatment,
gym access and fitness classes, employee discounts
on retail goods and services, certain tuition
benefits (whether paid to an employee, an
education provider, or a student-loan program),
and adoption assistance;
• Payments for unused paid leave, including paid
sick leave or paid time off;
• Payments of certain penalties required under
state and local scheduling laws;
• Reimbursed expenses including cellphone
plans, credentialing exam fees, organization
membership dues, and travel, even if not incurred
“solely” for the employer’s benefit; and
clarifies that reimbursements that do not exceed
the maximum travel reimbursement under
the Federal Travel Regulation System or the
optional IRS substantiation amounts for travel
expenses are per se “reasonable payments”;
• Certain sign-on bonuses and certain longevity
bonuses;
• The cost of office coffee and snacks to employees
as gifts;
• Discretionary bonuses, by clarifying that the label
given a bonus does not determine whether
it is discretionary and providing additional examples
and;
• Contributions to benefit plans for accident,
unemployment, legal services, or other events
that could cause future financial hardship or
expense.
The final rule also includes additional clarification
about other forms of compensation, including
payment for meal periods and “call back” pay. It
can be viewed here and will take effect 30 days
after its publication in the Federal Register.
More information about the final rule, including
FAQs and a Fact Sheet, is available on the DOL
website.
Grace for Vets awards 350,525
free washes to veterans
The non-profit organization Grace for Vets
helped give away 350,525 free washes to veterans
on November 11, 2019, in honor of Veterans Day.
Over 1,651 car wash and detail shops throughout
the United States, Canada, New Zealand and
Australia participated. In total, over 2,690,031
million free washes have been handed out since
the program’s inception in 2009.
National Small
Business Week starts
May 3
For more than 50 years, the President of the
United States has issued a proclamation announcing
National Small Business Week, which
recognizes the critical contributions of America’s
entrepreneurs and small business owners.
This year, the week will take place from May 3
- May 9, 2020.
According to the Small Business Association
(SBA), As part of National Small Business Week,
the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the
opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding
entrepreneurs, small business owners, and
others from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Every
day, they’re working to grow small businesses,
create 21st century jobs, drive innovation,
and increase America’s global competitiveness.
More than half of Americans either own or work
for a small business, and they create about two
out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.
56 • WINTER 2020

15% OFF
ORDERS
PLACED BY
SEPT 15, 2019
WINTER 2020 • 57

EXTRA! EXTRA!
SBA modifies method
for calculating
annual revenues for
small businesses
The U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA) published in the Federal Register a final
rule to modify its method for calculating annual
revenues used to prescribe size standards
for small businesses. The final rule became effective
January 6, 2020.
The SBA changed its regulations on the
calculation of annual revenues from a threeyear
averaging period to a five-year averaging
period, outside of the SBA Business Loan and
Disaster Loan Programs, according to an official
statement. The change in the averaging
period for calculating annual average revenues
from three years to five years may result
in firms regaining or retaining their small
business status. To assist small businesses with
this change, the SBA is providing a two-year
transition period while firms subject to the
change may choose either a three-year averaging
period or a five-year averaging period.
This final rule implements the Small Business
Runway Extension Act of 2018, Public
Law No.115-324, which changed the requirements
for proposed size standards prescribed
by an agency without separate statutory authority
to issue size standards. The intent of
the law was to allow small business government
contractors more time to prepare for the
transition to the full and open market after
they exceed the size standard.
While the law changed the averaging period
for calculating annual revenues of businesses
in services industries from three years to five
years, the law did not address the averaging
period for calculating the size of other businesses.
To promote consistency, the SBA is
adopting a five-year averaging period for all of
the SBA’s and other agencies’ revenue-based
size standards, regardless of whether the industry
is for services.
As noted above, this change will not apply
to the SBA Business Loan and Disaster
Loan Programs. The SBA will seek comment,
through a separate rulemaking, on the appropriate
averaging period for the SBA Business
Loan and Disaster Loan Programs.
NBC announces new show featuring
old school car wash owner
Details are still emerging, but it seems as if
NBC’s new streaming service will feature a show
about a car wash owner. An announcement from
NBCUniversal included the names of six scripted
shows coming to the new Netflix-like on-demand
streaming platform. One of those shows is called
Clean Slate. Famed television captain of industry
Norman Lear, is one of the producers. Lear, famous
for producing cutting edge shows such as All in the
Family, The Jeffersons, and Maude, is known for
taking on heavy subjects with humor and applause.
The announcement included the following description
of the show, which is set to debut this spring:
Clean Slate
Old-school car wash owner Henry (George Wallace) is
thrilled that his estranged child is returning to Alabama
after 17 years. However, Henry has a lot of soul searching
to do when the child he thought was a son returns as the
determined, proud, trans woman Desiree (Laverne Cox).
Writer/executive producers: Dan Ewen, Laverne Cox,
George Wallace
Executive producers: Norman Lear, Brent Miller
Producer: Paul Hilepo
Studio: Sony Pictures Television
Small Business Person of the Year Award
Nominees from each of the 50 states, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands
and Guam will compete for the title of the National
Small Business Person of the Year, SBA’s signature
award. Nominees must demonstrate success
in business as well as contributions to their local
communities. Previous award winners include Superstition
Meadery, Landmark Pest Management,
Maui Brewing Company, Equator Coffee & Teas,
Pacifica, and Missouri Star Quilt Company.
Who is eligible to be nominated for this
award?
Nominees for this award must meet both of the
following eligibility requirements. Consult your
nearest SBA district office if you have questions.
1) Any legal resident of the United States or its
Territories who owns and operates or who bears
principal responsibility for operating a small business
for a minimum of three years prior to being
nominated may be nominated. Partners who
jointly own and operate a small business may be
nominated as a “team” so long as the number of individuals
in the team nomination does not exceed
four (4); and 2) Individuals who have received at
least one type of SBA assistance such as, but not
limited to, an SBA loan, SCORE counseling, Small
Business Development Center (SBDC) assistance,
Veteran’s Business Outreach Center (VBOC) assistance,
Women’s Business Center (WBC) assistance,
government contracting assistance, disaster
assistance, Emerging Leaders Initiative, or Boots to
Business training.
What is the evaluation/selection criteria?
In evaluating the nomination packages, the
judges will look at the following criteria:
1. Staying power - a substantiated history as an
established business; including but not limited
to expansion, exporting, addition of territories,
or growth in square footage occupied.
2. Growth in number of employees -
Increases over the three years must be in
excess of growth in Gross Domestic Product
as determined by the Bureau of Economic
Analysis (www.bea.gov).
3. Increase in sales, net profit, and net worth
for the three prior calendar years, that is,
2016, 2017 and 2018.
4. Response to adversity - examples of
problems faced in the nominee’s business and
the methods used to solve them.
5. Contributions to community-oriented
projects - evidence of the use of his/
her personal time and resources towards
community-oriented projects.
To learn more about Small Business Week, or to
submit a nomination, visit sba.gov.
Considering a new car wash theme?
And, finally, in news that doesn’t exactly have
to do with traditional car washing, but is still interesting
and so darn cute, maybe you all would
appreciate it (also, this could be used as small
talk at a party, when people ask you, “So, tell me
something fascinating about something that isn’t
quite related to your job, but is slightly connected,
but not really.”) And, that brings us to this tidbit:
Marine biologists have discovered that the green
sea turtle regularly cleans itself in a self serve shell
cleaning station. According to The Garden Island,
the “Hawaiian green sea turtle goes on a regular
basis to a “turtle cleaning station” just like we may
go to a car wash! These turtle cleaning stations are
just magical to watch as often there will be two
to eight large sea turtles just laying motionless in
the water column with their flippers outstretched.
This odd looking sea turtle behavior signals the local
reef fish that they want to be cleaned.”
58 • WINTER 2020

INCREASE LOYALTY & REVENUE WITH
SMART UNATTENDED SOLUTIONS
Designed for the automatic and self-serve markets, Hamilton’s diverse range of loyalty
programs, pay stations, and bay timers can help differentiate your car wash and bring a
truly unique value proposition to your customers.
CUSTOM MOBILE APP
Styled and named after your car wash brand, users can:
Join a Monthly Wash Club | Buy & Gift Washes | Claim Deals & Discounts
Earn Loyalty Rewards | Pay for Self-Serve Bay Time | Receive a complimentary Birthday Wash
EXPRESSPASS RFID SYSTEM
Improve throughput, loyalty, and cashflow by offering a Monthly Wash Club program. Using RFID
technology, a unique windshield tag on the customers vehicle is read before vending their chosen
package. Our flexible system includes custom greetings, multiple pass types, and automated billing.
CUSTOM ECOMMERCE WEBSITE
Customized to your brand, our new Ecommerce site lets customers sign up for RFID plans, update
credit card information, purchase gift cards, check gift card balances, add new balance, and buy
Single Washes & Wash Bundles.
HOSTED SOLUTIONS
All Hamilton loyalty programs are managed through a single cloud-based system for ease of use.
Hosted Solutions also provides multi-site data reporting, a site status diagnostic tool, and Single
Use Codes for rapid customer service responses.
www.hamiltonmfg.com | sales@hamiltonmfg.com | 888-723-4858
WINTER 2020 • 59

FUN&
GAMES
WHAT’S
DIFFERENT?
Think these two pictures
taken at a self serve car
wash are the same?
Think again!
There are six differences.
Can you spot them all?
1. “Clearance” is missing
2. Stop and Go are flipped
3. Lines of blocks are missing
4. Lisence plate is different
5. Color green is now blue
6. Vending machine is lower
YOU CAN DANCE IF YOU WANT TO
Want to be a hit at your next party? Bring along a flipbook! The images below were taken
from a Twitter post by news reporter Evan Gorman of 14 News, Indiana.
In the video, which is now a GIF, a gentleman is seen washing his car with grace and
efficiency—think the When You’re a Jet number from West Side Story. If you want to see
the video, visit Twitter and go to Gorman’s account at @Evan14news. If you want to make a
flipbook, here are the steps:
1. Read the ad and/or article on the next page as it will soon be cut up.
2. Cut out each image.
3. Keep them in order as they appear.
4. Fasten together each of the images on the left side.
5. And, then, flip away!
60 • WINTER 2020

ALL THAT MY CAR WASH
WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS IS
_____________________
...Cleaner Customers wyatt
...A white road Xmas - so long as the white is road salt
...sunny skies Earl Weiss
...We closed early at 5 PM on the eve & all day yesterday
Christmas Day. That was somewhat of a gift of Christianity
... maybe not financially ... but oh ... the peace & quiet! No
alarms or phone notifications .... true happy go lucky state
of nirvana-moksha??? mjwalsh
...Fewer car wash criminals for all. soapy
...PEACE LOVE JOY Waxman
...No express tunnels nearby DiamondWash
FILL IN THE
BLANK
FILL IN THE BLANK: WHEN I DRIVE AWAY
FROM MY CAR WASH, I AM USUALLY
THINKING _______________________________
How long will I go before my automatic breaks down? Billbo
“...”nickels, nickels, nickels! There’s no better sound than the sound of plinking nickels ~!!!” ( I’ve been
watching ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ too much). Waxman
...How long it’ll be before the homeless rifle through the trash and vacs again. MEP001
...I am usually thinking What did I forget to do or check? kentadel
...Did I set the alarm? KleanRide
...What I’m going to have for breakfast. Because we go to the car wash before most people are up...
Randy
...I wonder what’s for dinner. OurTown
POLL YES OR NO:
Not good. - Chicago had the rainiest 6 months Jan -
June since the started keeping records and the Snow /
Salt wasn’t much either. Earl Weiss
I’m pleased with some disappointment. I set some
goals, specifically a car count and gross income, that
I just pulled out of mid air. Both goals were nice round
numbers that I simply hoped to reach. I did meet the
gross income goal but I will miss the car count goal by
about 200 cars. There are 2 days left in the year but
there is an ice storm coming in so I don’t expect to
wash another 200 over the next 2 days.
I am disappointed that I’ll miss the car count goal but it
is only an increase of 3.71% and the income increase
was 5.9%. If I had been more cerebral about setting the
goals I think I would have hoped for a 7% increase.
The weather here has been terrible since September.
If I set my goal at 7% I would have missed the mark
completely but looking back Idid set the mark too low.
By the way, I should add that I didn’t do anything
differently this past year, I kept the same pricing,
chemicals, etc. I didn’t do any marketing of any kind.
I simply kept the property clean, machinery working
properly, and producing clean cars. I put in ZERO
additional effort into achieving my goals which I hope to
change for 2020. Eric H
2019 WAS ...
Was 2019 a good year for your car wash,
financially speaking? (Overall profits)
Revenue went up a little despite some negative
one-time events. May is usually strong. I lost
all revenue for that month since there was 5” of
rainfall-- whereas average is about half an inch.
In Fall, I lost two weeks of usually strong income
due to “public safety” power shutoffs. My power
was shut off intentionally by the utility. I’m pleased
revenue was up despite losing about 6 weeks total
during good revenue periods.
In October, I added credit card acceptance, and
raised prices. My prediction for 2020 is a positive bump
in revenue. And net. I removed my dumpster in October.
At $250/mo for trash service, that reduces expenses
$3,000 annually. sequoia
Our revenue is slightly up. Explanation it seems could
be the effects of brand new competition with brand new
everything (including CC acceptance) from the previous
year possibly is starting to fade a bit. I agree about
the effects of the timing of weather ... extended deep
freezes &/or extended blizzards ... oh I’m sorry .... y’all in
milder climates possibly can’t relate.
I voted no because ... it still does not meet my
definition of success (net income) considering that I
might spend a lot more on payroll than many of you. Us
old fogies are a bit too fragile to try to go it alone quite
as much as we used to! mjwalsh
NO
28%
YES
72%
We had a good year. Overall profit was up a small
amount, which was very surprising as we are going
through a complete remodel of the exterior, interior, and
equipment, while also adding an addition to this wash.
kentadel
Despite enduring ‘’Sewer-Gate 2019” ( where I was
closed for a month while I tore into my sewer system for
repairs ), I had a good year financially. I raised all of my
pricing; self serve at $3 start / 3.0 min. Vacs $2 for
5 min. IBA $10, 12, 13, 15. ( 65% of customers are
buying top pkg ). Detail pricing is up 20%.
I sold a decent number of used cars, too; nothing the
big dealerships would get excited about, but decent for
a little 2/1 car wash in rural MA. Waxman
11% increase in sales. Louisiana Damoni88
Down 4.9%. Wet, wet spring. copperglobe
WINTER 2020 • 61

Systems
®
YOUR WAY!
Conveyor Options
Chain, Drive, Wheel Pushers, Frame
Entrance Arch Choices
Backlit or Stainless
Diverse Application Arches
Graphic, Versa, Pivot, Horizon
Variety of Soft Touch Wash
Stack-N-Scrub, Top Brush, Mitters
Multiple Dryer
Configurations
Assortment of Vacuums to
Finish Your Site
Operator’s Choice for over 50 Years!
5842 W 34th St • Houston, TX 77092
1.800.999.9878 • 713.683.9878
www.colemanhanna.com
Find us on Facebook:
/ColemanHannaCarwash
62 • WINTER 2020

My advice to you is to start
SPRAYING HEAVILY...
Going the
Distance
Learn from those who
have been in the self serve
industry for 20, 30, 40 and
50 years or more.
Whether you’re new to
owning or managing a self
serve car wash, or you’re years
deep, but looking for inspiration
to help secure longevity and
prosperity, look no further than
the following interviews with
those who have been in the
business for decades.
continued ...
WINTER 2020 • 63

64 • WINTER 2020

WINTER 2020 • 65

Mike Walsh King Koin | Bismarck, North Dakota
50
years
Q. What was the exact year you
entered the car washing industry?
My dad and his partner were their own general
contractors back in the summer of 1968. It was the
summer before my senior year in high school. My
dad’s business partner starting about 1960 at the
time and he really did not speak that great of English
(being a POW from Germany 15 years earlier).
One thing he was was an excellent bricklayer.
It was during the initial month or so of construction
that I was the mortar mixer mud person for
the 2 brick layer crew. [I helped build the car wash
with my dad’s partner (foreman of the project).
Q. Why did you enter the industry?
My folks were both getting closer to retirement
... I seemed to have an independent streak in me
when it came to settling into college-university life
back in ‘69- ‘70. My dad’s partner also was leaning
towards getting out of the laundry/car wash
biz and was focusing more and more on building
apartment houses, etc. I will be honest, I was pretty
pathetic when it came to electrical-mechanical
so there was definitely a transition.
Q. What were things like for your self
serve when you first started out (what
were your prices, etc.)?
Five minutes per quarter. Coin meter was the more
primitive style with the plastic AirPax & plastic
cams similar to the time accumulators on our original
Coin Op Laundromat Dryers. It was a lot more
physical back then with the required clean up, etc.
Less than 600 PSI pumps and no deicer system, etc.
The original bays were smartly designed with more
slope than most bays which helped. I remember an
all nighter with my dad getting the original Canadian
made (Bronco???) pumps that had grease zerks
on them, etc. to work for what we know was going
to an extremely busy following day.
Q. How have things changed since then?
Mucho lotta changes. Cat 430s ... still much lower
pressure than our 1500 psi Cat 310s that came
in 1987. In 1979 I was my own general and hired
a bricklayer to complete and totally enclose our
third bay into a Truck-RV Bay which just had an
8-foot wall prior to 1979. What allowed us to do
that was I had to prove to the then city building
inspector that the block wall was filled with con-
crete which my dad’s partner did back in 1968.
In 1980 came our homemade translucent dividers
with canopy and deicer ... see kingkoin.com
website for pics. That made for 6 bays total albeit
tandem style. A two-stall dog wash was added
in 2009. A lady during one of the bible studies
I participated in said that had there been a dog
wash back in the day ... her first marriage probably
would not have ever broken up as most of their
arguments about who would wash the dog were
apparently more serious than some may think!
Q. What kinds of car wash/industry changes
or developments over the past 50 years
have impressed you the most?
The Dixmor LED 7s that fellow carwashforum.com
members and Self Serve Car Wash News steered me
towards. I was blessed with PLC-Touchscreen programming
help on our (very proud of height positioning)
dog wash tubs. The tubs started out as
a cardboard model that I showed my dakta (phd
touting) somewhat girlfriend during that admittedly
fragile development time. She was not interested
in the least bit ... not sure if that is why she kind of
sorta steered away from yours truly from then on!?
Keep coming!
Subscribe online at www.sscwn.com
or mail a check with this order form:
Domestic/USA
O 1 Year (4 issues) $29.95
Canada
O 1 Year (4 issues) $39.95
Foreign
O 1 Year (4 issues) $49.85
100 O 2 Years (8 issues) $49.95
O 2 Years (8 issues) $69.95
O 2 Years (8 issues) $89.95
O 3 Years (12 issues) $69.95 O 3 Years (12 issues) $99.95 O 3 Years (12 issues) $119.95
95
Subscription information (Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required):
First name:*_________________ Last name:* ________________________________________
75
Business name: _________________________________________________________________
Address:*_______________________________________________________________________
City:*_________________________ State:* ______ Zip* ____________ Country ___________
25
Email*:_________________________________________________________________________
5
0
Payment information:
Send order form and check to:
110 Childs Ln., Franklin, TN 37067
Call toll free at 888-881-5861
or email us at sscwn@pfsmag.com.
66 • WINTER 2020
Astromatic Softgloss 3-375x4-875 ad PRINT 011818

Kent A Adelson Central Car Wash | Central City, Nebraska
30
years
Q. Name of car wash(es)
and location(s)?
To answer your questions, I will talk about my first
wash, Central Car Wash, in Central City, Nebraska.
Q. When did you start out?
1989, December.
Q. Why did you enter the industry?
I grew up in a small town, Polk, Nebraska, with a
population of 350. A block down our street a family
friend built a self service car wash, consisting of
2 inside bays and 1 outside bay. (Incidentally, this
same wash closed its doors a couple weeks ago. It
had never been updated in any way). My mother
still lives a block away.
This was when I was probably around 12 years old,
or mid-1970s. I remember seeing cars lined up on
Saturday mornings, and seeing people from nearby
towns in those lines. This was a very big deal
back then! Everyone, including my family, used
the wash regularly!
When I was in my twenties, I noticed that Central
City, which was 12 miles away, with then a population
of 2,600, only had one car wash, with an
old brush in-bay automatic, and one self-service
bay. I thought the town could use another. After
some creative financials, which involved short
term shareholders, I purchased a prime lot, drew
up plans, and had it built! Windtrax was the company
for all equipment.
Q. What were things like for your self
serve when you first started out (what
were your prices, etc.)?
We were very busy right from the start in the self
service bays. I am pretty sure we priced it at 4
quarters for 5 minutes. Not charging enough as I
look back. We had tire cleaner, engine cleaner, presoak,
soap, foam brush, rinse, wax, and spot free. It
was a nice system, and I am still using the same self
service pump stands today.
Q. How have things
changed since then?
I saw a bit of a decline in use on the self service
side in the early 2000s. I am happy to say that
started turning back around after 5 or 6 years and
has steadily grown back. I am as busy now as I
have ever been at this wash. We added Rapid Dry
and updated meter boxes in the bays, and added
automated product vending. In 2010 we updated
to Etowah Valley meter boxes and elected to
charge $2 for 4 minutes.
Q. What kinds of car wash/industry changes
over the past 30 years have impressed
you the most?
I think the variety and ease of how we accept payment
and our customers payment options have
impressed me the most. Self service was quarters-only
forever. Now we accept bills, credit cards,
Apple and Samsung pay, etc.
We also can personalize the wash for our customers,
recognizing and tailoring wash packages to
their needs. The ability to offer fleet accounts and
loyalty discounts are also nice changes.
Remote monitoring is great!
Q. What kinds of changes have
disappointed you the most?
The changes that have disappointed me the most
are......
The industry technology and target shift to the
tunnel market, while leaving little focus on the improvement
of equipment for car washes in towns,
suburbs or communities that fall below the population
and traffic numbers required for the tunnel
market.
The car wash investment groups that are over
building into too competitive areas.
The difficulty in finding good and reliable employees.
Q. What does the future hold
for you and your car wash(es)?
We are renovating our wash in Central City. This
will include adding an additional automatic bay,
new building roof, exterior and interior walls, doors,
all new lighting, reconditioned meter boxes, bay
equipment, and adding a new vacuum area. Also
new in bay equipment we have designed and built.
Q. What do you think a self serve car wash
will look like in another 30 years?
Debra, as you know, there are still many areas
where a person can own or manage a very profitable
car wash, washing a high volume of vehicles
per hour, with few or no employees. This includes
the self service wash. In areas like mine there will
always be a need for a car wash. Gravel roads, mud,
snow, ice and bugs are all a part of rural America
and will be in the future.
If I had to make a crazy guess about a self service
wash in 30 years I would envision a customer in a
bay using a wand that was applying a very small
volume of water, or maybe even something other
than water, to clean their vehicle.
WINTER 2020 • 67

Frank Scott Gray
Soapy’s Auto Washes | Idaho Falls, Idaho
Q. What year did you start out?
I built my first wash in 1994, one auto bay with a
second auto bay prebuilt, but fitted with self serves
until the business grew into a 2nd automatic. I
owned the land and used it for collateral and borrowed
400K to build the wash.
In 1995 I purchased a wash that had been closed
due to retirement. Three self serve bays. 110K for
the land and building and did a completely new
equipment upgrade.
In 1998 I built my third wash which was had
three self serve bays and one auto bay that later added
a second auto bay 600K to build with only one
auto. Land was 75K for 1 acre.
In 2003 I built my fourth wash. Two auto bays
and four self serve bays. Land price of 200K and
800K in building and equipment. The first wash I
built was sold in 2005 for the land value.
Q. Why did you enter the industry?
I was in the family tire business and my brothers
and I had taken over in the 1980s. We had a
buyer come to us with a good offer and we continued
to work for the new owner. We sold in 1993.
I soon found out I would not be happy working
for someone else. I always hated the large inventory
and accounts receivable we had to carry in this
25
years
business and the self serve car wash business was a
good answer for me since it had neither.
Q. What were things like for your self
serve when you first started out (what
were your prices, etc.)?
My self serve prices started at $1.25 and $3,
$4, $5, and $6 dollars for automatics. I now am
at $3 for self serve bays and $5, $8, $10, and $12
for auto washes. I was the first car wash in the
market that combined self serves with automatic
bays. I always bought large properties of around 1
acre located on corners. I always planned that the
property would always be in high demand if I ever
needed to sell them. All locations except the last
one were within a 1/4 mile of a McDonald’s.
Q. How have things changed since then?
The biggest changes I have seen are the rise of
the express wash and the expense to build. I cannot
see how you can build a good self serve/auto
wash for under $1.5 to $2 million now. Express
washes average 5 million now to build according
to the latest surveys. In eight years, I have seen seven
express washes come into a market with 60,000
people. One has already closed its door, but the pie
is too small for all of them to last. I have seen a
big upswing in self serve bay usage while my auto
bays have seen a decrease of about 25%. There are
a lot of things that can’t be washed in a tunnel.
If you live in area with lots of outdoor activities
more things like side by sides, ATVs and motorcycles,
you can keep your self serve bays busy. Credit
cards are a huge plus for the self serve bays. My
sales are typically double that of a cash sale.
We have always offered free drying towels, and
now offer a free vacuum with automatic washes.
We have also added extra dryers in the auto bays.
Q. What does the future hold for you
and your car wash(es)?
My son was in the Navy until two years ago and
now is in the process of taking over the carwashes
from me. He grew up in them and I guess he
liked them enough to make it a full career. He was
trained as a combat flight engineer, so the car wash
equipment is pretty easy for him now.
MORE CUSTOMERS.
MORE REVENUE.
LESS EFFORT.
ANY WASH
No matter your equipment,
we work with just about any
equipment on the market.
ANY PAYMENT
Payments are made easily
through credit or loyalty
cards, and mobile.
ANY LOCATION
With one location or
hundreds, tie all your data
together to make managing
your wash a breeze.
651-439-5740 | washcard.com
68 • WINTER 2020

Auto Sentry ® CPT
Differentiate your self-serve site. Upgrade to an
EMV-ready central payment terminal solution.
Auto Sentry ® Central Payment Terminal (CPT)
■ The Auto Sentry CPT provides convenient EMV credit card transactions at your self-service wash location.
Customers pay at the CPT with EMV and tap credit cards, Apple Pay and other mobile wallets as well as bills
and coin. Customers will receive a 5 digit code on their receipt that can be used in any bay or vacuum using
our keypad and bar-code scanner. The CPT offers your customers a secure payment solution.
Innovative Control Systems ®
Defining the World of Car Wash Technology
icscarwashsystems.com I 800.642.9396
WINTER 2020 • 69

Randy Nix Eagle Car Wash | Seattle-Tacoma, Washington area
28
years
Q. When and where did your self serve wash open?
We opened in June of 1982 in the Seattle-Tacoma area.
Q. How has your car wash changed since then?
Since 1982 we have added, foam brush, presoak – tire cleaner, new coin boxes, multi-coin coin acceptors,
Dixmor timers, a Hamilton bill changer, vacuums, security alarm system, a video/camera system, and
LED lighting.
20
years
Earl Weiss
Pres. | Speedy Car Wash Co.,
Niles Car Wash Co., Fast Car Wash Co.
and c/o of Uptown Service Station, Inc.
Q. How has your self
serve car wash changed
over the past 20 years?
The advent of affordable credit card processing
equipment with count up has allowed for
customers to more easily spend more money.
Q. How has pricing changed?
There was only one increase and that was from
a $2 to $2.50 start as well as a $3 start for super
bays, and that was a few years ago. I have a
first-rate competitor with better exposure and
access about a mile and a half from me and I
do not care to be pricier than that competition.
Credit card/count up pricing is a benefit.
Q. What has been the best
innovation/advancement?
For me it was the addition of credit cards
and bill acceptors in the bays, and credit card
acceptors on some vacuums. Handheld inbay
blowers/dryers seem to be an added source
of usage.
Q. What has been the biggest
“problem” for self serves over
the past 20 years?
I don’t know that the issues have changed at all.
Still the same with attempted theft/vandalism,
thankfully not a lot, and people who could be
a little more thoughtful about the extent of
the mess they leave behind.
Q. Are you surprised you have
been doing this for 2 decades?
No
Q. How has pricing changed?
When we opened in 1982 our price point was .50 for 5 minutes in the bays and .50 for 4 minutes on the
vacuums. Today we are at $2.75 for 4 minutes in the bays and $1.50 for 3.5 minutes on the vacuums.
Q. What has been the best innovation/advancement?
It’s hard to put a finger on the best innovation/advancement. They’ve all been good. I’d have to say better
chemical, better and more reliable equipment, payment systems.
Q. What has been the biggest “problem” for self serves over the past 38 years?
Crime! Theft, vandalism, illegal dumping and the homeless. We have the police on speed dial.
Q. Are you surprised you have been doing this for 38 years?
I’d have to say I’m very surprised. Back in 1982 I would have never thought that I’d still be in the car
wash business. Even though I complain about the car wash business it’s been pretty good to us. I’m 69
years old, someday I’d like to retire but the car wash business gets into your blood and it’d hard to let go.
In our area land values are so high that it’s almost impossible to sell a car wash as a car wash. Most that
have been sold are torn down and the property is used for something else, retail, apartments or condos.
Q. And, what do you think is the secret to your longevity (car wash ownership-wise)?
A strong relationship with my partner/wife, I could have not been in the car wash business without her
support. Also, having trusted employees. We take very good care of our employees paying them more
than the Washington state minimum wage of $13.50 an hour. We have a very low turnover rate.
Craig Sooter Sooters Car Wash | Halstead, Kansas
Q. When and where did your self serve wash open?
Sooters Car Wash Inc. opened in 1965 in Halstead, Kansas, population 1,800. I am the son of George
Sooter the creator of Sooters Car Wash. I took over the wash in 1989.
Q. How has your car wash changed since it first started in 1965?
When it opened in 1965, it was a two-bay operation. A large truck bay was opened in 1970.
Q. How has pricing changed?
The wash was 25¢ for 5 minutes in 1965. Today, $2.25 for 3:30.
50
years
Q. What has been the best innovation/advancement?
Over the years, pumps have gone
through a great improvement. Since 1989 we have been using Cat Pumps. Prior to that, 6 styles of pumps
had their try. Our credit card readers have helped our income and have added convenience for customers.
Q. What has been the biggest “problem” for self serves over the past 55 years?
Great question. Americans for the most part have become lazy. The drive-thrus have pulled our market
down. I don’t like to bash them because…they have their place. However, it is not the same wash. I myself
use them for lite duty, fast cleaning. Our area is rural-country life, much more demanding. Getting a
quality wash costs time, many skimp on this for speed.
Q. Are you surprised you have been doing this for 21 years?
When I took over my dad’s operation, I was going to set the world on fire! I admit, our community was different.
We had a sense of “Shop Local” pride as did the community. Today, our town has faced our local hospital
closing, which has had a big impact on all merchants. Luckily, my livelihood does not depend on my wash.
Q. And, what do you think is the secret to your longevity (car wash ownership-wise)?
Community commitment, family commitment. My kids growing up, HATED CHORES at the wash. They
did learn about running a business in small town America. My wife is the backbone along with a good friend
who loves taking care of the car wash. If it were not for those two, I would be closed.
70 • WINTER 2020

WINTER 2020 • 71

50
years
PAT HALL
Former owner of The Car Pool | Bardstown, Kentucky
Q. What were things like for your self
serve when you first started out (what
were your prices, etc.)
Back in 1969 (when my Dad’s first wash was
built), the price was 25¢ for five minutes and the
lone vacuum was a dime.
This wash was attached to the back of his Shell
gas station and was three pull-in, back-out bays.
One of them was an open bay for larger vehicles.
His second wash was built in 1973 (the one
that I became half owner of in 1985).
Q. How have things changed since then?
50 years ago, the choices in the bay were
1-OFF, 2-Water with some soap, 3-Water without
soap. We didn’t even have soft water. Now there
are as many as 11 selections on the dial and multiple
payment options.
Options on vacuums were very little as well.
We didn’t even have trigger guns back then.
If the customer wasn’t holding the gun when the
money was deposited, the wand would go flying if
the selector switch wasn’t in the “off” position. Oh,
how we laughed our butts off watching customers
chase those things, sometimes taking a shower and a
beating in the process. It’s definitely not funny now.
Bucket washing was a huge issue back then,
until foaming brushes arrived on the scene in the
late ‘70s.
Playing in the mud with lifted 4WD trucks was
the craze back then, with a truck easily holding
multiple wheelbarrow loads of mud. Those that
whine about someone washing an ATV, I look at
as big &$#@!*&^?>.
We seldom see outside bays anymore. They attract
more mess and less money. Just not worth it.
There are a lot more options with vending.
There’s not that much money in vending, but a
few items are kind of necessary.
Q. What are your prices now?
$2-4 minutes. I was prepared to raise it to $3-5
minutes but hadn’t yet. I strongly recommended
the new owner do it (Car wash had just been sold
at the time of interview). Maybe by print time
they will.
Offer
Convenience
Give your customers an option
that’s already in their wallet
Call today and provide your customers with
more payment options. CryptoPay is a
Cost Effective, Secure, and Simple Solution.
www.GetCryptopay.com
719-277-7400
72 • WINTER 2020
CryptoPayLaundromatAd_InPocket_SSCWN_FINAL.indd 1
1/9/18 6:02 PM

Q. What kinds of car wash/industry
changes over the past 25 years have
impressed you the most?
The growth of the IBA segment in the early ‘90s
was a game changer for me. They are a great fit for
the rural central Kentucky towns that I serve. It got
done to death when the economy was good, and
they were popping up everywhere. Many rookies
thought it was a gravy train and the carcasses of
their mistakes still decorate many small towns.
Q. What kinds of changes have disappointed
you the most?
Express washes...hands down. They have taken
a service that operators were getting a fair price
for and devalued it by selling it for nearly nothing
(mainly $3 guys), and giving away free stuff to boot
(vacuums, towels, mat cleaner). If the product is superior
(in many of their minds), why do they have
to use cutthroat pricing to sell it. From a customer
standpoint, free this, free that, reeks of desperation
and makes me wonder why their service can’t stand
on its own merits. They are popping up like Dollar
General stores and I think within the next five years,
there will be a lot of those giant scrubber tubes sitting
vacant, with only weeds occupying their lots.
Q. What do you think self serves will be
like in another 50 years?
That’s a tough one. I feel there will always be a
segment of the population that will want to wash
their own cars. How large it will be, who knows?
Will environmentalists jump in and come up
with some crazy regulations that make them less
appealing?
Possibly.
Protect your
team & comPly
with oSha!
removable Plug locks
removable Plug lock & Puck lock Kits
Puck locks & Disk locks
lockout/tagout locks & clamps
t-handles & t-handle locks
retro Fit Security Kits
All the Security You’ll Ever Need!
Ask About our full rAnge of locks And lAtches for
Amusement & vending equipment, gAs dispensers & self storAge.
800-422-2866
9168 Stellar Court
Corona, Ca 92883
www.laigrouP.Com
S aleS @laigrouP. C om
Ph: 951-277-5180
Fax: 951-277-5170
WINTER 2020 • 73

Pull money out of thin air
• Keep 100% of revenue
• Eliminates theft and collection
• Real-time on-line reporting
• Credit / debit – cashless transactions
• Wireless – no wires, no mess
• Free air check attracts more customers
• 25’ coil or wire braid hose
• Wall, pedestal or vault mount
• 1.25 HP high-output, continuous use
(HOCU) industrial compressor
• 16-guage stainless steel
2.25” x 20.25” x 14.25” cabinet
• Digital model – inflate or deflate
to desired pressure with easy-toread
electronic push buttons
• LED readout on digital models
• Free toll-free support
• Striking professional graphics are
a customer magnet
• Factory direct prices and support
Fragramatics Big Dog Air
with coin and ePort
Fragramatics Big Dog Air
Digital with coin only
Fragramatics CVA
Big Dog Air and Vac
• Fragramatics 1600 hr
Turbo Vac Motor
• Poly or aluminum dome
• Computer controlled timer
• UV protected graphics
• Filters – Four-bag system
uses high performance,
synthetic filtration media
with 15 sq. ft. filtration
area. Two easy-access
service doors on rear
• SmoothBor 1-1/2” x 15 ft.
crushable high-flex vinyl
vac hose with cuff and
polyethylene hand tool
• ¼” x 25’ Wire braid or coil
hose with in line gauge
• 1.25 HP ‘Big Dog’ high
output compressor
CALL FOR MORE
INFORMATION
Fragramatics Economy
and Turbo Vacs
Our new economy and
turbo vacuums are equipped
with computer controlled
timer, 4 bags, poly dome, and
a SmoothBor 1-1/2” x 15 ft.
crushable high-flex vinyl
vac hose with cuff and
polyethylene hand tool
These features combined
with our next-generation
electronics are unmatched
in the industry.
CALL FOR MORE
INFORMATION
FACTORY DIRECT PRICES AND
FACTORY DIRECT SERVICE
Building quality, value-added equipment for 39 years
3021 Midland Drive • Pine Bluff AR 71603 • 800-643-1574 • sales@fragramatics.com
Learn more at fragramatics.com
74 • WINTER 2020

DARWIN at
the
CARWASH
The investment in security cameras pays off for carwash operators (and the readers of SSCWN)
with these mostly frustrating, sometimes funny -- and always cautionary -- stories of Darwins Caught on
Camera. Images of these criminals and/or their vehicles were given to police and the press. Many have been
caught thanks to the prowess of security cameras.
If Hollywood execs are looking
for the next Columbo, then they
should not use this man as inspiration.
In Casper, Wyoming, a man was arrested for
suspicion of aggravated burglary, petty larceny,
possession of methamphetamine and possession
of burglar’s tools, according to the Casper Star
Tribune.
When questioned by police, Adam W. Barelle,
29, said was looking “for clues.”
According to police, Barelle was found inside
a Nissan of Casper dealership after breaking in
through the backdoor. An employee spotted him
trying to open a locked toolbox. After the employee
tried to apprehend Barelle, he ran to the
nearby Let ‘Er Buck car wash. There, in a swift
move of stealthy criminality, he changed his coat,
taking one that belonged to a car wash employee.
He was then spotted, first by a car wash employee
and later by the pursuing dealership worker while
he was he was rummaging through the car wash
employee’s Jeep-- first he takes the guy’s coat,
and now he is messing up his Jeep?
When the car wash employee questioned Barelle,
he was “looking for something he lost.”
An officer soon arrived and was able to apprehend
Barelle.
Surveillance footage from inside the car wash
showed Barelle entering the business wearing a
black leather jacket and then leaving wearing the
employee’s red coat, according to the story.
Barelle allegedly told police that he didn’t
break into the dealership, but was there “to look
for clues.” He refused to elaborate. Good luck with
that defense, Columb-no.
Only in Florida are golf carts also
the get-away car. A man was caught
on camera stealing a gas-powered
golf cart from a
Cape Coral, Florida, car wash over the holidays.
Now, I did a bit of research and it looks like
golf carts typically go as fast as 19.9 mph. So, it
is unclear if the man was seen driving off with
the golf cart (as it could not have been going
that fast). However, this did take place in Florida
where golf carts are as common as taxicabs
in New York CIty (well, before Ubers, that is) so
maybe no one noticed?
According to NBC 6, surveillance footage got
a clear picture of the thief,
They say couples who can survive
a life-threatening event together,
can survive anything.
If that’s the case, then this couple is set
for life. Two people had to be rescued
after a truck landed on top of their car
that was parked inside a self serve bay.
This all took place in early January.
According to a cbs story, the incident
took place at the Prestige Car Wash in
Taunton, Massachusetts. “Surveillance
video shows the 2019 GMC Sierra
speeding through the parking lot in
reverse, eventually crashing into a selfservice
bay and stopping on top of a
car. The crash left a Middleboro teenage
woman pinned in the back seat of a 2013
Ford Focus.A woman and her boyfriend
were in the red car. The woman was
taken to the hospital with a concussion,
but both are expected to be okay.”
WINTER 2020 • 75

Darwin
Now, unlike the second story,
this crash was no accident.
In the Lifetime-movie-worthy story of this
issue, last November, in Chesterfield,
Michigan, a minivan driver was caught
on camera hiding out across the street
of a car wash. Then, footage shows the
van purposely ramming into a car wash.
Why was the driver mad at the employee?
Because he was dating his ex-girlfriend.
Hey dude, she’s just not that into you.
A video shows the driver of the minivan
flooring it and aiming directly for the
worker.
“The driver,” according to a Carscoops,
“brakes before impact, but the minivan still
hits the man who falls onto the hood before
being thrown from the vehicle. The driver
quickly reverses and flees the scene.”
While this is normally where things would
end, the story states that the driver returns
to confront the man he just attacked. But,
this time, the victim is ready for battle.
Having grabbed a shovel, the victim is able
to thwart the driver before police arrived.
There is also a woman seen in the footage
hitting the scorned lover. No word if that is
the lady in this sad love triangle. However,
according to WXYZ, 25-year-old Roy
Kowalski was upset that his ex-girlfriend
started dating a co-worker at the car wash.
Prosecutor Eric Smith said the employee
is in the clear as he was defending himself,
but as for the attacker, Smith said, “It’s a
terrible idea to hit someone with your car
… [and] it’s even worse to come back.”
I don’t want to come across as
crass or insensitive, but I think the
real crime in this story is the fact that
the stolen van was priced at $2,795! In at Times
Herald story, it was reported that three people
of Port Huron, Michigan, have pleaded guilty to
charges of stealing this van:
Now, before we question the mental well-being
of three people who deemed this vehicle
“theftable” -- I should also note that they also set
the van on fire. It is unclear, though, if this picture
was taken before or after the van was set ablaze.
The Herald story reports that last Thanksgiving
a 63-year-old woman, a 22-year-old man and
a 19-year-old teenager, broke into the Michigan
Corvette & Classics AutoMaxx and stole the 2005
Dodge Caravan. The van was listed for $2795.
They then apparently drove the van to a
nearby car wash. Security cameras show all three
suspects inside a bay along with the van. It is unclear
why they went to the car wash. Maybe they
wanted it to look nice before torching it?
Police were able to identify and locate the
three suspects. It turns out two of them worked
for the AutoMaxx store owner when he ran his
Execuride Limousine and Acme Cab business.
Smoke if u got ‘em, even if time is
of the essence and you’re in the
middle of a robbery. Actually, don’t
smoke. Smoking is bad for you. In Sand Springs,
Oklahoma, two people were caught on camera
trying to break into a car wash over a three-hour
period. According to News on 6, surveillance
video given by the owner, shows two suspects
driving into a self serve car wash bay in a silver
Chevrolet truck. As one of the men gets out (and
lights a cigarette) another man uses bolt cutters
to try to break into the cash machine.
There were able to break open two padlocks,
but were unable to get the money out of the machine.
They left, but came back three hours later.
One must wonder what they did for those three
hours? They certainly didn’t go and get better
“break-in” tools, because all they came back with
was some sort of metal bar. Video shows the men
trying to use the bolt cutters again, but end up
putting it back in the truck. They then pull out
the large metal bar, which they use to successfully
pry the first lock off the machine, the story
states. The men then repeatedly try to break
open the second lock but are unsuccessful and
leave before Sand Springs police show up.
And, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner here,
folks! Cameras got a nice, clear view of the truck’s
license plate: GIJ-953. I did a Google deep drive
search trying to see if the license plate had to do
with G.I. Joe, but came up with nothing.
In a case where yelling is actually
a good thing, one mama bear
protected her kids from an unsuccessful
kidnapper, thanks to good set of pipes.
Last December, in Elkhart, Indiana, a man driving
a late 1990s model tan GMC Safari van tried
to kidnap two children while their mother was
washing her car at a car wash, WSBT reported.
The man tried to lull the kids with candy. Video
shows the man pulling up next to the mom’s
vehicle and holding out an arm. He drove away
when the mother yelled at him.
Looking a bit like the aforementioned
golf cart thief, police are looking
for this suspect accused of robbing a Jiffy
Stop in Barry, Illinois. According to the Belleville
News-Democrat, last fall, a masked man
dressed in all black entered the Jiffi Stop and
displayed a handgun. The man demanded money,
cigarettes and lottery tickets. The man was
also wearing gloves.
Upon investigation, police determined the
man had parked his car across the street from the
Jiffi Stop in a carwash bay, a news release stated.
Surveillance cameras captured images of the car
and of the man’s face.
76 • WINTER 2020

GREAT
NEW
FRESH SHAVE
VS57068 24 PACK
VS17068 72 PACK
VS17068O OVERLAY
MOROCCAN MINT TEA
VS50262 24 PACK
VS10262 72 PACK
VS10262O OVERLAY
RAINSHINE
VS50249 24 PACK
VS10249 72 PACK
VS10249O OVERLAY
CARIBBEAN COLADA
GOLDEN VANILA
NEW CAR SCENT
SUMMER LINEN
SUNSET BEACH
VS57177 24 PACK
VS17177 72 PACK
VS17177O OVERLAY
4 VENT LIQUID PACKS PER BOX
• concentrated fragrance oil in a
controllable vent clip.
• Compact design doesn’t block airflow.
• Up to 45 days of consistent fragrance.
• Available in 4 fragrances!
CARIBBEAN COLADA
GOLDEN VANILA
NEW CAR SCENT
SUMMER LINEN
VS52625
VS52625
VS52632
VS52632
VS52633
VS52633
VS52635
VS52635
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE!!!
ALL NEW!!!
• Streamlined check out
• Improved site speed
• Improved mobile shopping
experience - easily
place an order on the go!
• Easily redeem your
Rewards points
Club
SHOP. EARN. SAVE.
Join the Kleen-Rite Rewards Club now!
KLEENRITE.COM
800.233.3873
WINTER 2020 • 77

Would you stick around and wash
your car after a shooting? One customer
did because he has God on his
side, according to My San Antonio. A man in his
20s was taken to University Hospital in critical
condition after he was shot at the Pumphouse Car
Wash on January 15, according to the San Antonio
Police Department.
Shortly after 10 a.m. police received several
calls about a shooting in progress at the car wash.
When officers arrived, they found the man with
gunshot wounds standing next to his car.
The man had been shot once in the stomach, and
was alert enough to provide some information to police.
He told police that he didn’t know the shooter,
but saw that he drove off in a gray Ford Taurus.
Police said they are reviewing the wash’s surveillance
footage.
Crime scene tape cordoned off much of the car
wash, but some bays remained open. And, apparently,
a drive-by shooting didn’t stop John Cano
from washing his car. Speaking with a reported,
as he wiped his windshield with soap and water,
he said he has lived in the area for years and never
seen anything like the incident, but he also was
not worried.
“As long as you have God in your heart, that’s
it,” he said in the story.
Police in Laurel County, Kentucky,
are looking for three suspects who
robbed a car wash on American Greeting
Card Road. Now, I have been with this publication
for three years now, so if anyone knows me, they
must know the name of the road is going to catch
my attention. Now, with it being such a distinct
name, you would think that the American Greeting
Card Company was located in Laurel County.
But, NOPE. It’s in Cleveland, Ohio. Hallmark
Cards however started in Kansas City, Missouri,
but that is almost 700 miles away, and, also, that
would be a really bad marketing move. But, after
a good 25 minutes of Internet sleuthing, and an
almost phone call to the Laurel County historian,
it looks as if there used to be an American Greeting
Card factory located in Corbin, Kentucky, on
American Greeting Card Road. Sadly, the factory
has now closed. Now, getting back to the crime
story: It looks as if three people were caught on
camera at the Ultra Shine Car Wash in January. It
is unclear if they actually stole anything, but the
owner is offering a $250 reward for information.
I wonder if they get caught , will they send the
owner an apology card? Too soon?
UPDATE:
A fine was set for the man caught
illegally dumping concrete in car
wash bay last year.
The Fall 2019 issue of Self Serve Car Wash
News, covered the original story of how a
man in Kansas City, Missouri, was caught on
camera dumping concrete onto a bay floor
at the Soft Touch Car Wash. According to
KDAF-TV, car wash owner Dennis Nash, who
has owned South Touch for 16 years has
video showing the driver wash out the mixer
and then dump wet concrete mix, the rest of
UPDATE:
The second thug has been found
and arrested in Cape Coral, Florida, according
to nbc-2, after he, along with another
man, were spotted with a stolen vehicle at a
car wash. In the original story, posted in the
Winter 2019 issue of Self Serve Car Wash
News, a car thief and his accomplice left a
stolen SUV in a self-service car wash bay.
And, not only were they caught on camera,
the accomplice was caught after the two
of them took off into a nearby open field. A
lone officer who had spotted the stolen vehicle
in the bay had noticed the two men and
what was in the mixer, onto the floor of the
car wash bay.
After surveillance images of the truck and
mixer appeared on FOX4, a tipster called
the city’s 513-DUMP hotline with a license
plate number that led investigators to Melvin
Jordan.
According to a November 1 update by
FOX4, the man was ordered to pay $1,000.
However, Nash said he asked for Jordan to
help clean up the mess.
chased after them into the field and was able
to catch the accomplice on foot. The other
guy got away along with a credit card stolen
from the SUV. However, he has since been
found and arrested. Now, how was he caught
you might be asking? This man, who’s intelligence
can only be compared to that of a box
of rocks, used the stolen credit card to buy
items online, and had them shipped to his
own address.
Maybe police should ask the two men if
they know the guy who stole the golf cart?
(see earlier story).
78 • WINTER 2020

800.968.8227 ivs-vacuum.com
Single or Dual Arch
LED Lighting Standard
Flexibility
Connects to any IVS Vacuum or
Central Vac System
Durable
Constructed of Stainless Steel for
long lasting durability
Adjustable
Booms can swivel 180° or can be
fixed stationary
Free use or Pay
Operation Available
Custom Branding
Arch signage can be customized
with your own branding!
FREE
VACUUM
Dimensions:
Boom Arm 120” long
Base Pole 99” tall
WINTER 2020 • 79

HUR-98-62023
Increase Wash Time
& Bay Revenue
Give Your Customers A Spot Free Combination They’ll Love!
Super Flo - R.O.
SPOT FREE RINSE SYSTEM
With our
Super Flo-R.O.System
you can expect
Reliable and Efficient
spot free production
that wastes less water and
Saves You Money!
Plus, your customers will love
your final rinse.
Hard water or soft,
we’ve got you covered
Super Flo-R.O.-N
RO System, No Water Softener Required
FOR SITES WITH WATER HARDNESS LESS THAN 4 GRAINS.
Ṡuper Flo-R.O.-C
RO System with Water Conditioner
FOR SITES WITH WATER HARDNESS UP TO 50 GRAINS.
Super Flo-R.O.
RO System, Water Softener Required
Shown — Wall Unit,
Optional Stand Available
The energy efficient
self serve drying solution
that is simple to use. Your
customers will love having the
ability to dry their car, which
means more time in your bay.
Amazing!
FOR THE ULTIMATE IN CAR APPEARANCE
USE PURIFIED SPOT FREE RINSE WATER AT LOW PRESSURE
SAVE TIME - SAVE EFFORT - NO DRYING!
1. WASH & RINSE CAR NORMALLY WITH HIGH
PRESSURE SPRAY
2. SELECT “SPOT FREE RINSE”
3. RINSE CAR FROM TOP DOWN WITH LOW
PRESSURE SPOT FREE RINSE
• Easier To Use
Than A Towel
• Fast • Touchless
• Spot-Free
Both Systems Come With Bay Signage To Promote Your Items.
Turn Your Wash Into A Reliable Revenue Producing Business. Call Us Today.
OVER
INDUSTRIAL GRADE
Flexible • Profitable • Dependable
(800) 421-5119
225 Crown Blvd., Timberlake, NC 27583
PO Box 488 | Roxboro, NC 27573
www.cpcarwash.com | sales@cpcarwash.com