Car Washes - Yes or No?

[Craiglxviii]

The guys here do 8 cars at a time and have an interior valeting bay as well, costs vary from £7-15 vehicle dependent, after the wash they have 2 guys drying them off before you leave, usually queued out of the door

For sure, throughput has a quality all of its own as Napoleon really outta shoulda said.

Anyway, rough n dirty.

£10/ car
10 mins/ car
2 guys/ booth
2 guys drying off
8 cars in parallel
6 hours/ day of unbroken business.
£10/ hr/ man assumed.
£100/ day in rent assumed.

2 x 8 = 16 guys in booths, plus 2 guys drying off = 18.
18 heads = £180/hr OH.

Assume £0.50/ car in fluids.

£10.00 - £0.50 = £9.50/ car.

£9.50 x 8 = £76 per cycle, x 6 = £456/hr, x 6 = £2736/ day.

£180/hr x 9 hours of open for business = £1620 total OH.

£2736 - 1620 - 100 = £1016/ day gross margin.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Pretty much the math I used Craig, the closest to me also does valets so some workers distracted to that too, they have to buy the chemicals, power washer spares and repairs etc etc...can’t be done IMO

I was going to say, "doesn't stack up with or without tax to me" but the numbers DO if enough cars come through, see post above................

Any abandoned petrol stations around your way?

 

[rorywquin]

Our local (that I used yesterday) charges £7 for a wash, say ten minutes with 2 men each for half the time each. 40 man-minutes say. Their setup allows for maximum 3 cars to be worked on in parallel.

A business gross income of between £10-30/hr is going to struggle to cover costs let alone anything else, I'd say.

I read somewhere that a lot of these hand washes use forced labour!

 

[Craiglxviii]

I read somewhere that a lot of these hand washes use forced labour!

Yeh, no. My FPO says that about me too.

 

[JBell]

For sure, throughput has a quality all of its own as Napoleon really outta shoulda said.

Anyway, rough n dirty.

£10/ car
10 mins/ car
2 guys/ booth
2 guys drying off
8 cars in parallel
6 hours/ day of unbroken business.
£10/ hr/ man assumed.
£100/ day in rent assumed.

2 x 8 = 16 guys in booths, plus 2 guys drying off = 18.
18 heads = £180/hr OH.

Assume £0.50/ car in fluids.

£10.00 - £0.50 = £9.50/ car.

£9.50 x 8 = £76 per cycle, x 6 = £456/hr, x 6 = £2736/ day.

£180/hr x 9 hours of open for business = £1620 total OH.

£2736 - 1620 - 100 = £1016/ day gross margin.

They have 1 person per car washing

 

[keefysher]

Keith, don't you mean a topless carwash?

Why would I put my roadster through a carwash with the roof down?

Did you mean those trashy car washes with the girls in just hot pants you see across the good ol US of A? I have vague recollections of some of the guys I've worked with frequenting those when the sugar shack was closed

I said a bunk up

 

[Bubble]

I think that I will use the two bucket method myself for the E350

The Santa Fe can use the automated car wash though

 

[Frontstep]

I used a very good car wash run by a Turkish bloke who seems to be running an immigration detention centre.

All customers were "good customers" and "good friends" and he ran the place well.

£6 gets a wash/wax wheels, windows inside and out and was done well.

Time spent 8 minutes, its a bit like going through the monkey enclosure at a safari park.

Of course at the end you get a brothels toilet air freshener.

 

[rorywquin]

Of course at the end you get a brothels toilet air freshener.

How do you know what they smell like ??

 

[Frontstep]

I got a job as a brothels toilet cleaner it pays cash and the staff discount is good.

I gave it up when they went gender fluid.

 

[keefysher]

I got a job as a brothels toilet cleaner it pays cash and the staff discount is good.

I gave it up when they went gender fluid.

Are you Derek or Clive?

 

[John Laidlaw]

Are you Derek or Clive?

Malibu de bum bum....

 

[Frontstep]

Never got to work the clients, the boss said I didn't look good in tights, the cow.

 

[vtaylor78]

There's an "American" car wash in Northampton, with contactless wash and dry, and hand wash prior to that (two buckets, etc).
I use them regularly, but always try to get there first thing in the morning, often being the first car in, as then I know the wash mitts weren't on the ground as yet ...

Used to cost £5 back in 2011, now it's gone up to £7

But then, my car is thirteen years old

Whereabouts is that GLK ?

 

[ZZZZ]

Whereabouts is that GLK ?

Just behind St James BP forecourt - click the link in above message

They no longer do the early bird £1 off, nor the loyalty card (10th wash free), but still ...

 

[vtaylor78]

Just behind St James BP forecourt - click the link in above message

They no longer do the early bird £1 off, nor the loyalty card (10th wash free), but still ...

Are yes I know the one, it’s been there some years now.

 

[ZZZZ]

Are yes I know the one, it’s been there some years now.

Yes, used to be under different management, I suspect.
The change wasn't for the better ...

 

[Chrishazle]

Our Tesco one is a franchise, so a lot is dependant on the franchise holder. The holder at Tenterden is great, I happily let him/his crew wash both of my cars. However, I a while ago used the same franchise, different franchiseee, at Tescos Park Farm Ashford - where we do our routine main shop. Never again. Charged me more than Tenterden and did a far worse job on the S204 (thankfully not on the 968 cab!)

 

[SmartAmg]

My local Tesco, hand car wash (St Helens) smashed up a Bentley Continental earlier this year, nearly killing a chap, loading his shopping in his boot, it was closed down immediately, when I enquired what happened, i was told one of the car wash guys wasn't used to an automatic, me being cynical and probably right, thinks more likely he was showing off, with it being a Bentley, and lost it!
It's since reopened with different people.

 

[EmilysDad]

My local Tesco, hand car wash (St Helens) smashed up a Bentley Continental earlier this year, nearly killing a chap, loading his shopping in his boot, it was closed down immediately, when I enquired what happened, i was told one of the car wash guys wasn't used to an automatic, me being cynical and probably right, thinks more likely he was showing off, with it being a Bentley, and lost it!
It's since reopened with different people.

Same auto excuse here in Manchester a few years ago .... https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...sswomans-80k-bentley-wrecked-cheetham-5289436