It is all about the wheels

by Stuart Levy

There was a time when the perception of a clean car was centered on how the vehicles white wall tires looked. For the customer, if the white walls were clean then the vehicle was clean. For some reason this is all the customer saw when they examined their car after it was washed. There could be dirt or road film residue on the body but that is not what stood out. It’s the wheels stupid.

Asking A Lot

Of course this has now all changed. Today, it is all about the wheels. How they sparkle after being washed. The customer looks to see if all brake dust residue has been removed. They want to make sure that nothing is left in all of the nooks and crannies of the wheel. Some wheels like BMW or Mercedes can be very difficult to clean because of these cervices. I now find that VW and Audi wheels are particularly difficult.

We are asking a lot from wheel cleaners to be sprayed onto the wheel, break up the wheels dirt, be thoroughly rinsed and have the wheels come out sparkling bright and clean.

In addition to this we must do it safely. Some products that contain either hydrofluoric acid or ammonium bi-fluoride may damage a wheel by turning it a chalky white. Special after market wheels are particularly susceptible to these types of products because of the soft alloy covering the wheel.

Watch for Damage

If the wheel is extremely hot when it enters the wash and not cooled down before the cleaning product is applied the wheel may be badly damaged. Even water can cause a wheel to blush or turn white. As an exercise, go to a wheel store and read the caution copy that is clearly written on the outside of the wheel box. Or, ask the salesperson to explain to you what can cause a wheel to be damaged in your wash. It’s hard to put up a disclaimer on your “not responsible” for sign. Cleaning wheels is part of the wash cycle. However, if you charge extra for wheel cleaning and the vehicle’s owner wants to purchase the service, it may be a good idea to advise your attendant to watch out for certain types of wheels and warn the owner that if the wheels are damaged the car wash is not responsible. Of course this can be tricky and even though the warning is issued you may have difficulty proving you are not responsible in small claims court.

Damage

If you should accidentally damage a wheel and you want to do the right thing and take care of it for your customer, there are products available on the market that may be able to bring the wheel back to life. If you offer reconditioning services it may be possible to buff the wheel out and to restore the surface shine. You can also ask a nearby outlet that specializes in detailing if they have any suggestions. How you handle this development could make the difference between a costly nuisance insurance claim or bad word of mouth circulating in your community about what happened at your car wash. Today with the way we communicate through the Internet, it would not take long for this type of information to be posted on a local Internet bulletin board for all to read. No business needs bad publicity.

Methods

There are many different ways to go about cleaning wheels. A wheel cleaner may be hand applied at the entrance to the wash and then high-pressured off. In my opinion, this is labor intensive and a costly use of product since there is no control over how much product is being applied.

I prefer a double online application with the application consisting of an alkaline cleaning product that serves as both a tire and wheel cleaner with a high-pressure rinse following the second application. A good tire and wheel cleaner, when applied on line and then high pressured off, will break down any leftover brake dust or dirt that the first application did not get to. This is a particularly efficient cleaning method in exterior express car washes. Again, stay away from products that contain either hydrofluoric acid or ammonium bi-fluoride, especially if you are marketing or promoting the use of environmentally safe or “Green” products to your customers. Another problem to consider is the effect these products have on your conveyor. Because they are so aggressive they can destroy your conveyor chain or guide rails causing unnecessary and very costly premature replacement. In addition you will find that the concrete floor area around the application becomes corroded and eaten away as well.

Use of Product

Use of products that contain these harmful components would not only negate your entire promotion but could be harmful to your employees as well. There is now good low pH or acidic products available on the market that would be considered environmentally safe. Ask your chemical supplier if they offer such products. As for employee safety, as always, you are responsible for alerting your employees to the various hazards of working with industrial strength cleaning solutions. Please advise them to treat these products with the respect they deserve.

Brushes

Many car washes today do not use tire brushes. I disagree. First of all there are many vehicles with raised white wall letters that need to be cleaned. Secondly, a good white wall brush is going to help clean wheels by getting into the nooks and crannies mentioned earlier. The customer is paying to have their vehicle thoroughly cleaned. In my opinion, not having a tire brush detracts from the cleaning experience. Tire brushes really aren’t that expensive when added to the entire cost of the equipment package. Also, since a low-pressure water rinse is required, this rinse can also do double duty by helping to clean the wheel as well. Do your customer a favor. Give them everything they deserve. Repeat business will pay for it.

Proper Application

It’s not rocket science, but proper application and proper rinsing are the key ingredients to getting clean, shiny wheels. Older car washes may have the biggest problem achieving this goal if they don’t have any type of down line high pressure rinsing. This forces the application to be conducted at the entrance to the wash.

Like an elegant dress on a beautiful woman, the first thing people notice about today’s automobile is its’ wheels. Everyone wants to make their vehicle stand out in a crowd and mirror like wheels are sure to give the owner the ultimate satisfaction and recognition by having their wheels noticed. The question “Where do you get your car cleaned” may really mean, “How do you keep your wheels looking so good?” The answer just might be the name and address of your car wash. It has always been said that the best form of advertising comes from a satisfied customer. Can you really ask for better advertising than your customer’s word of mouth? If you can, let me know.

Stuart Levy is president of Clean Car Consulting. The company represents a variety of OEM car wash manufacturer’s products as well as providing car wash consulting services. For more information visit the CCC Web site at www.cleancarconsulting.com.