Winter2021_SSCWN_web

TRICKS OF THE
We work hard for the money!
I am interested in buying a location that is about 17 years old but looks well maintained.
It has 4 SS and 2 IBA bays. Location is quite busy. How much time a week would you guys
think it would take for normal operations? I’m not expecting to include repairs/malfunctions/
emergencies. I’m just looking for ballpark ideas. 30-50 hours? 60-80 hours? WORKIN_IKE
That depends on you and the systems you put in
place and the overall maintained level the wash is
at. Some operators here spend the equivalent to a
F/T job plus OT here. They’re married to the operation
or they just love being there (I do enjoy hanging
around at my washes – it’s my hobby and many
times I just go to hang out).
I have relatively new equipment and it’s well maintained.
I have 4 guys that cover 9-5 every day. I tell
them to call me if something breaks. If I’m in town,
I’ll fix it. If I’m away I call in a tech.
With that said, I’d say I’m at my site as little as 0
hours (If I’m away) and as much as 35 hours (my
office is there). I’d say for a small operation and an
owner/operator 2-3 hours/day would be the average
for a nicely run place. CAR_WASH_GUY
Busy location means high traffic which means high
probability for trash. Excluding what you mentioned
going by daily to clean up and check everything
I would estimate 2 hours. If the customers
basically use the place as a dump well then could
be more. In 2 hours, I would think you would be
able to check vacs, check vending, wash down bays
and clean up and get out of there. Fundamentals of
a car wash.... make sure it’s clean and everything is
working properly. RFREEMAN
I have a very busy 6-bay SS and spend at least an
hour a day cleaning every evening, plus I have a guy
who comes in every afternoon and spends an hour.
Add to that four or five more hours a week here and
there cleaning out the vacs, cleaning walls, pulling
coins and restocking the changer, etc. You say you
aren’t expecting to include repairs, do you plan to
have a service company do them? Because you’ll
basically be working for them, especially with two
IBAs. Depends on the machine, but some need a lot
of preventive maintenance, and the bays can get really
nasty in warm months with algae growth. MEP001
I’m not saying that I don’t expect to do repairs. I’m
just saying I am not including that amount of time
as part of the routine. Because I know a repair or
maintenance can’t be estimated due to skill level, severity
of work required, frequency of repairs. I’m just
looking for a normal routine week. And yes, I plan on
doing my own maintenance and repairs. WORKIN_IKE
We have a 3-bay SS and 1 IBA. I would say plan on
devoting 20-25 hours a week to the car wash. Keep
in mind all of the after-hours phone calls, handling
of refunds, researching things you need to learn and
handling/depositing money. BERT79
I put in between 30 and 45 hours a week at my car
wash. My situation is a little different because we
have a standalone detail shop that is open six days
per week, and a used car lot attached to the wash
too. I have cut back on my hours in the last couple
of years to try and have more of a life as I get older.
When the economy got tough, I was working seven
days a week to try to make everything earn enough.
Once I install my new touch free, I’m hoping for
even a little bit more freedom and flexibility with
my hours. I have other business interests besides
this one which also take up some time during the
work week. WAXMAN
We have a car wash that has five self-serves and
two touch-free IBAS. Before 2016, we would put
in 3 hours a day Monday through Thursday. Fridays
were five-hour days. Saturdays were 5.5 hours. Sundays
were 6. What changed when 2016 arrived was
we started our membership program. We needed to
be attending regularly to sell memberships and do
membership odds and ends. WASH4LIFE
Basically, the more time you can be there the better.
Shoot for the busy times each day. Cameras help a
lot here. MAC
Too Cold to Handle
What is everyone’s policy on opening/closing due to
weather (i.e., rain/snow/ice)? JENNGAMBLE
Right now, we keep the self-serves open 24/7/365. Our
IBA is 15 years old with unreliable doors, so I close at
5 p.m. and re-open the bay at 8 a.m. when it’s below
freezing. Once I have my new equipment installed, the
IBA will be open 24/7/365 as well. WAXMAN
When it dips into single digits and below, we usually
close. Our IBA doors sometimes freeze in the open position
in those temps, and we have problems with our
SS weep not keeping up if there is any kind of wind
chill in addition to those temps. SRR5008
We’re a 24/7 car wash with touch-free IBAs, vacuums
and self-serve. If it’s below 20, we will close. WASH4LIFE
I have my IBAs set to shutdown automatically at -10F.
I have Airlift vinyl doors and floor heat. I do NOT have
any supplemental heat or heated rails etc. Self Serve
bays stay open 24/7. I’ve only shut down overnight a
handful of times when the temp was predicted to drop
to -30. I’ve had some of my best days when the temp
didn’t get over 15F! ERIC H
Ha ha, Southern wash here. No floor heat. We close the
autos when they predict a hard freeze. Not a big deal as
most cold spells are just a day or two and it’s slow then
anyway. I don’t see much business when it’s in the 30s.
Most people just wait a couple of days for it to warm
up, the average winter day high is around 50. GREG PACK
Below zero we close automatics at night. Open in as
bays always. SOAPY
In recent years we only close when it is blizzard/
non-travel conditions ... when my manpower (employees)
become less available then I tend to be closed
much more often ... We sometimes dread super sloppy
weather immediately followed by a horrific below 0° F
long lasting cold spell! MJWALSH
SSCWN EDITOR
CHIMES IN: Want to talk
about cold!? We all know it
gets beyond freezing in Alaska,
and all the way down to the
Northern half of the United
States. But did you know it was
once -2 degrees F in Florida?
According to data was sourced
from the Nautical Oceanic
and Atmospheric Association
in an expose by USA Today,
the below 0 weather took
place in Tallahassee, Florida
on February 13, 1899. In
Huntsville, Alabama, it was
-27 degrees F on January 30,
1966. In Corinth, Mississippi, it
was once -19 degrees F back
on January 30, 1966. And even
in Hawaii, it was once only 12
degrees F in the town of Hilo,
back on May 17, 1979.
WINTER 2021 • 25