May 13, 2015 Ways to Save Money at the Self-Service Car Wash
Sometimes it might seem like washing your car at the self-service car wash is a better deal than going through the drive-through wash. But the truth is, the cost of washing your car in the self-service bay can really add up, once you go through all the settings on the dial…foam brush, tire cleaner, engine de-greaser, soap, multiple rinse cycles, wax and clear coat.
Fortunately, we have figured out a way to save quite a bit of money at the self-service car wash, and still get the convenience of washing your car at the car wash.
First step: Go to the car wash at a quiet time, when there won’t be a line of people waiting to use the cleaning bays. If you must go on a weekend, go early in the morning. Otherwise, weekdays tend to be less busy days to use the car wash.
Second step: Before you go, prepare a simple cleaning kit for yourself. You just need a good-sized plastic container with a lid. Fill it about halfway with water and a couple of squirts of regular dish soap. Gather some rags.
Third step: At the car wash, before you turn on the machine, give your car a good cleaning by hand, with your rags and soapy water. Focus on the particularly dirty areas. This will save you a lot of money, because the time-consuming (and therefore, money-consuming) part of washing your car tends to be scrubbing your car down with the foam brush and soap. You can also hit the tires with your soapy water and rags, to avoid having to use the tire cleaner provided by the car wash.
Final Steps: We only use 3 settings on the self-service car wash machine: high-pressure rinse, wax, and spot-free rinse. After you have washed your car down by hand, give it a good rinse with the high-pressure rinse setting. Finally, use the wax and spot-free rinse settings, and you are done! Depending upon where you live, and the size of your car, you should be able to get the entire job done for under $3!
You Can Do This!
by See Jane Drill, Copyright 2015, All Rights Reserved
Dish soap will clean the car BUT STRIP THE WAX
You are the kind of customer us Self serve car wash owners do not want as customers. You are just trying to cheat the system and we are just trying to make a living. The more people that bucket wash the less likely we are to be profitable and be able to stay open. Self Serve car washes are dying in our area, and this has a lot to do with people like you.
Do you bring your own eggs to a restaurant and ask them to cook them for you? If you cant afford to wash it the right way at our self serve washes do it at home and please stay away.
Dear George, you raise a really good point, which made us think…you are absolutely right! We will take the post down. Thank you for pointing this out, as we didn’t consider this before posting, but totally understand what you are saying. Regards, Leah & Karen
I think that the post has a good point. If you want to go at a time that is not busy and pretreat your car before going in to the bay-that should be okay. You are paying for the supplies, equipment rental and the use of the bay-not for entry. If they are being economical on the use of the supplies it allows quicker turnover of customers, bringing more people on your lot, it creates revenue during non-peak hours, by bringing more people onto your lot due to less of a line up you have more opportunity for up-selling or cross sales-snacks/air fresheners etc. To be honest your perspective is very short sighted business perspectives and also not good for the environment.
Bucket washers only use the high pressure cycles, these cycles are very low profit, like 20% not including wear and tear on the doors and heat lose. Bucket washers never buy and vending products they bring there own.
I did a study a few winters ago, the average bucket washer spent 42 minutes in a bay and spent $4. That is a 80 cent profit. This is while I watched car after car leave because there were lines. Bucket washers don’t care if there are lines or not they will still bucket wash. Best thing I ever did for my business was to put up signs stating NO BUCKET WASHING. Now all my good high profit customers can get in and spend money. My profits have gone up 40% since I added the signs, my good customers love them, and now It makes sense for me not to change the wash into a different type of business.
Brandon, everyone has there own opinion, I wouldn’t tell someone how to run there business unless they asked. Until you own a self serve wash you should keep your opinion to yourself.
Also not sure how you can say bad for the environment? All are water is recycled, and filtered for future use. The bucket washers of the world wash at home in there driveway during the summer and all that soap and grim goes straight to the sewer. That great for the environment. Think about that before you say something. Idiot