Give customers the quality wash they deserve

by Marco Marinelli

Let’s face it; we have all seen better times in this business we love. Washing a car has become a luxury for some as opposed to a weekly visit to their local car wash. We now have a smaller clientele than ever before and those customers are washing less and less.

What are we doing to keep the customers we have? What are we doing to attract new and loyal customers?

Unfortunately, the trend has been to do the complete opposite of what should be happening. In tougher times car wash owners frequently begin to look for ways to cut corners and this usually starts with the lifeblood of the business, chemicals.

Instead of short changing your customers why not give them what they want? A show! A customer will not always tell you if they are happy or not with the performance of your car wash chemicals. If they are not they simply go else where, if they are happy you can bet they will be back time after time.

So what can we do to keep them coming back time after time?

Quality Counts

If you are happy with your current chemical supplier and the performance of their products, there should really be no reason to change that. Most owners begin shopping for “cheaper” soap in order to cut costs. The old saying “you get what you pay for” couldn’t hold anymore truth when it comes to car wash chemical quality. You don’t have to necessarily go with a big brand name chemical company either. If you wish to make a change, find a company that has been in the market for a respectable amount of time with a good reputation and a fair and reasonable price.

What ever your choice may be, follow the company guidelines concerning dilution ratios. I always like to give the customer more. Do not short change your customer, trust me, they know when you’re pinching pennies. All too often I have seen owner/operators dilute a self-serve tire cleaner down to nothing because of the cost of the product. By doing so the application loses all of its intended capabilities. I have heard such comments as “Well nobody uses it anyway.” I wonder why that is? Because it does not work!

I started in the self-serve business in 1987 as a complete novice. My chemical supplier informed me that all the customers are looking for is a show, they want to see pretty colors, they want to smell pleasant scents and they want foam. Sound familiar? It’s all about perception I was told and to some extent that’s all true. As a car guy I soon realized I wasn’t getting a clean car at all, all show and no go. I did my research and settled on a quality chemical supplier that could give me the best of both worlds, a clean car with the show. My tire cleaner was a vibrant green with a spearmint scent and dirt actually rolled off the tire and rim … how’s that for perception?

Typically I would increase my metering tip sizes by one or two sizes from the manufacturer’s recommendations. My customers now saw results that worked. A presoak that cut dirt, a high foaming high pressure detergent, a foam brush that looks like shaving cream and a foaming clear coat that customers can see going on the car. All of this costs mere pennies per minute to achieve and your customers will love you for it. Find what works for you and stick with it. I am as guilty as others in trying new and “better” products. Your regular customers know when you have switched a product and will more than likely let you know about it.

Touchless Cleaning

If you have an in-bay automatic at your location all the above applies and then some, especially in touch-free applications. Don’t assume that you can not get a reasonably clean car without friction. Is it harder? Sure it is but it can be done. Consult your chemical supplier for recommended cleaning combinations and solutions.

Just as climates vary across the country so does the dirt and grime you are trying to remove. Test different combinations at your wash, most washes offer a double pass of presoaks; does a low and high pH configuration work best at your wash? Do you see better results with just a high pH application? These things have to be determined by you and the feedback from your customers. What works in Toledo may not work in Tampa.

Don’t always blame the chemical when you are not getting the desired results. There are several critical factors involved in touchless cleaning. First is the water quality, hard water greatly lessens your chemicals cleaning abilities. Second of course is chemistry. Third is time, are you allowing a dwell time before the high pressure rinse to let the chemical soak? Fourth is temperature, are you heating your presoaks? And lastly is impingement or friction, in the case of a touchless wash friction is generated from your high pressure rinse. Is your pump operating at the optimum pressure? Are your spray nozzles in good shape and free of obstructions? Is the spray arm maintaining the proper distance from the vehicle? These are all points that have to be addressed in order to achieve the cleanest car possible.

If your wash is equipped with a tri-color application put on a show with it! Don’t dilute the product so much that it looks washed out. The kids love the vibrant colors and yummy scents they smell.

Lastly on the touchless wash use a good quality clear coat and or total vehicle protectant. If you have dryers this will make a world of difference.

Trim Overhead, Not Quality

What I have learned over time is if the customer is not satisfied with your operation they rarely ever tell you about it, they just go to the next car wash down the street. If a customer complains about something at your wash you should be thankful they have taken the time to point out a problem or an issue with your wash. I know some people complain just to complain but I always treated a complaint with genuine sincerity and always took appropriate actions when necessary.

There are numerous ways to trim overhead at your wash without sacrificing the quality of the wash itself. Buying in larger quantities usually results in a lower cost per gallon price. Some companies offer free shipping on full pallet orders as well. If you have room, try to keep at least a five gallon back up of each product you use on hand. We all know if something goes wrong it always happens on a Friday or weekend. The cost of getting something in an emergency, if you can at all, can be very painful. Do the same thing with spare parts; keep those that you most frequently replace in stock. Sure, if a vacuum motor burns up on Saturday it can wait until Monday to replace it but in the meantime that vacuum will sit idle not generating a one quarter.

Shop for your parts! In this day and age the best way to do your shopping is on the Internet. Look for deals and do price comparisons. Sign up for e-mail alerts for the latest and greatest deals and sales. If you see something you buy on a regular basis buy it when it’s on sale, you don’t have to wait until you need it.

If possible, try fixing the small things yourself and keep a strict preventive maintenance schedule to keep everything in working order. This will keep surprises to a minimum and hopefully keep the calls to a service tech down as well. Plus, your customers will appreciate the fact that you keep your equipment in tip top shape. Nothing is more frustrating to a customer than getting all settled in at a vac island, doors all swung wide open and the floor mats pulled from the car, only to find a piece of duck tape covering the slot their quarters should go.

Stand Out

In summary, you need to stand out in these leaner times. What will bring people back to your wash again and again? The answers are simple. Keep a well maintained clean facility. If you are constantly picking up trash left behind by your customers that’s a good thing! Look around your wash, are your bay and menu signs old or out dated? New signs are a fairly inexpensive way to spruce up your place. Ask your supplier for help, they may have a signage program that helps promote your wash as well as their chemical line.

Keep everything in good working order as much as possible. Not everyone can keep an attendant on site from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you cannot, go by the wash at least twice a day to empty the trash and make sure all is working properly. Have a sign clearly posted near the changers or on the door with a contact number in case a customer has a problem. A call back from the owner or manager in a timely fashion can mean the difference between keeping a customer and losing them forever.

Most importantly, do not short change your customers when it comes to your car wash chemicals. Give them what they want and need. When you start pinching pennies, I promise you, you will lose customers.

I recently had a great conversation with a gentleman who has been in the industry since the ’60s. When I questioned him about the state or the car wash industry he simply said, “It’s going to come down to the last man standing.”

Will this be you? If you are in for the long hall just remember, the show must go on!

Marco Marinelli is national sales manager at JBS Industries. For more information visit www.jbsindustries.com.