Mobile wash and wax business.

tuscarora dave

tuscarora dave

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I didn't want to further highjack MaxWax's swirl removal thread with my talk of restructuring things, possibly eliminating paint corrections from my services list all together. The last reply was this.

ALLN1WASH said:
You know Dave, I actually did the same thing this year. Thursday-Saturday are strictly reserved for washes and washes&waxes with an occasional interior detail here and there. Monday-Wednesday are reserved for boats, and the occasional paint correction.

Yesterday alone I was able to (wash, vac, & wipe down) 13 vehicles at 40-50 dollars a pop. This is definately what rolls in my market...
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I am thinking 1 ton Econoline or better yet Freightliner Sprinter, large water supply, pressure washer, of course my giant stainless steel coin op vacuum, a "five" of some good spray wax and some tire and interior protectants.

Who here has thoughts on this? Negative or positive let's hear them.
 
I can't comment on the equipment you are considering but I agree that the real money is in wash-n-wax business. The fact if the matter is that an overwhelming majority of car owners want a nice clean car at an affordable price ($50) and don't care at all about paint corrections. Also with this economy it's even more true than ever before. A great spray wax at affordable price point is Meg's synthetic express spray wax. It's one of the most underrated products in this business. For high volume jobs it's perfect. A very little goes a long way. Can be used as a drying agent too so you can dry and wax in one step.
 
Thanks for the reply John. these are the kind of replies I was hoping to see in this thread.
 
This is a topic that I am surprised does not get more attention.

A good amount of money can be made without ever touching paint corrections (not to say one shouldnt have the ability or knowledge to perform one)

I think it is a good idea, particularly if your area has a good market for it. Medical parks, attorney offices, parking garages. This is going to be for people that are looking for a budget "detail" anyways.

Detailing forums have really had an impact on what most guys think they need or want to do in order to make money cleaning cars. Forums are flooded with incredibly impressive paint corrections on top dollar cars. The truth is, clients who want and are willing to pay for these services are very difficult to acquire. However, clients who can easily fit a wash and wax in their budget or much easier to find. Wash/wax clients are almost always happy with these results and are not concerned at all with swirls, etc.

If you are good at marketing wash/wax jobs, this set up can be a great money maker, assuming you will have set prices and not an hourly rate.

My 2 cents...
 
True, sorta, kinda, well maybe for you...Well I thinking was washing cars sux... Like really scrubbing tires and wheels and wells, roofs, all the bending over vacuuming... Before I ran my shop I did do the dirty work and simply washing is a pita and I would prefer paint corrections and 1-2 steppers over that anytime... I hear and have felt the pain in the faculties after a day of washing cars!
 
LuxuryMobile said:
This is a topic that I am surprised does not get more attention.

A good amount of money can be made without ever touching paint corrections (not to say one shouldnt have the ability or knowledge to perform one)
:iagree:

I think it is a good idea, particularly if your area has a good market for it. Medical parks, attorney offices, parking garages. This is going to be for people that are looking for a budget "detail" anyways.
:whs:

This is the exact situation that I am in. Bottom-line, in my area, there are far more people/clients only wanting a clean interior and "shinny" paint then there are people actually willing to pay for a full paint correction. Im actually fortunate in my situation being that i literally live in between two of the areas larger hospitals. on top of that there are several business parks here as well. and literally all it takes is one job in either of these places and you'll be booked every day...

on top of that Dave, Its much easier work and the all the risk that come with detailing are cut drastically. i also found that running my business like this, I am saving big bucks on supplies. Im not replacing pads regularly, nor is it necessary for me to keep up with all types of sand paper, compounds and polishes. Best of all, with running these type of services, I can literally take a buddy and train him in a weeks time...

all-n-all, if your market will support these services, you should definitely consider doing it, IMO.
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Oh, I am definitely considering it. In fact I have been looking at vans on a regular basis. I also intend on marketing some of my mechanical skills as well so I have been looking into the right tool box for in that van once I do decide which one I will buy. The water tank is easy because there are tons of them for sale used and the new ones are not that big of an expense either. In my area there are no water recovery requirements that I am yet aware of and probably 98% of the market are after cheap and quick. The market that I currently cater to are somewhere in the middle of cheap and quick and high end.

It's not that the work is too hard, it's that the work is too long and when people bail out at the last minute and they often do, I lose the entire day's pay not to mention the time I took planning the days work. Doing washes/waxes at least if someone bailed there would likely still be money to earn that day. There's just too many reasons to do this over corrections.

The nice thing is that I am already great at doing corrections and it is an option from time to time.

Well thanks for your input guys. TD
 
You know Dave, now that you mentioned mechanic skills, you actually made me think of a guy in my area who also offers oil changes. And that's all he does, wash/wax/interior details/oil changes.... AND HES ROLLING....
 
hmmm.... Laitly I have been getting a lot of people asking to partner up/ work with me. I turn them down, it's something I will do later but this sounds like a pretty good idea... bring along a guy and do a ton of wash/wax
 
ALLN1WASH said:
You know Dave, now that you mentioned mechanic skills, you actually made me think of a guy in my area who also offers oil changes. And that's all he does, wash/wax/interior details/oil changes.... AND HES ROLLING....
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Yeah and with the high cost of heating there are more and more folks buying the drain oil burners for their commercial facilities such as salvage yards and auto repair establishments and it's getting easier and easier to get rid of the waste oil from doing oil changes. I've put some thought into that as well.
 
To tell you the truth waxes bring me the most money in the long run. I dropped my prices to $50 for a wash and wax and people have been getting them often.

Not only that but the customers come back frequently. If I book at least 4 wash and waxes for a day that is an easy $200 for the day.

Most of these customers eventually get full details and now and then decide to get a full correction.
 
I cant imagine putting myself in a position where my whole days income goes down the drain if one person bales out. It's all about volume/quality at low cost. Ask McDonald's how that's worked out. For every person that wants a $25 steak, theres 50 who just want a hamburg and fries for $5. For those who say that Wash-n-wax isn't detailing...Swallow your pride and open your eyes.
 
It makes sense. Having regular clients will be the key. Washing and waxing at least 20 cars in 4 days per week is low but profitable enough. If you have the right market, getting 20 persons who is willing to pay $50 a week for a wash and wax can be achieved. The thing in the service industry is that if you are doing a satisfactory job, your clients will refer you to their acquaintances. In future, you may not be able to handle them all that you will have to hire employees. Limit the paint corrections on once or twice a week (Fridays and/or Saturdays) for extra income and keeping your passion in polishing and paint correction alive. Of course, you have regular clients who go to you for full detailing and you have to allot a day for them.

Does anyone talk to companies to sell your service to its employees and give them something back like discount or commission? Or have as clients companies that prefer to source out the cleaning of their vehicles rather than hiring employees to do it?
 
Haha, I haven't been on Autogeek for a while but jumped back on to pose this exact question.

Situation with me is: slow business, customers don't care about anything more than a shiney clean car. Bills are mounting & not getting cheaper. My biggest cost is the workshop rent...it isn't fully kitted out but got everything I need. I can easily fit it in my garages at home or sell off the stuff I don't want (dirty old compressor & various racks). Removing the workshop rent means that income from 4 or 5 cars can stay in my pocket.

Been considering for a while now just undertaking the basic jobs like wash/wax, interior cleans & jobs that require just a few chemicals, water & basic supplies. That way I can deck out my car with as little equipment as necessary & enough cleaners + a few spares for the day. Running costs wouldn't be that much & I can always do multiple cars in the one location (office block etc.). Can still do the bigger jobs out of my own garage as well. Weather will affect me but I can always do jobs at home on the bad weather days.

Just can't justify spending $800/month on having a big metal shed which I used about half of.
 
tuscarora dave said:
In my area there are no water recovery requirements that I am yet aware of
TD
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The recovery requirements are actually there, (Clean Water Act, among other Federal/State Laws), maybe not fully enforced in all states' locales yet, but that day is soon coming....And the fines are steep...including closing down businesses that are not in compliance. This applies to brick&mortar locations, as well as mobile car washes.

Just something for everyone to keep in mind (enforcement/compliance) that looms heavily over the future of car washing, be it businesses or personal-point-of-use.

Check into getting your NPDES permit. Good Luck with this venture! :)

Bob
 
In you guys definition of wash n wax, does wash n wax include claying the car or is it strictly wash n wax? Or is claying an added charge/option on a as needed basis? Asking because I love detailing but really don't have time for paint correction but washnwax sounds like a good idea for a lil extra income.
 
I'm sure there would be different charges depending on what the customer wants.
 
95% of my business is wash, interoir and wax/sealant. From setup to breaking down it takes me about ~5 hours and I charge $100-150. So my hourly profit isn't to bad and I can do 2 cars in one day if I want. I for sure push for customers to go with the wax/sealant then anything else. And after I get my Mytee II soon I can push full carpet extractions :) = more $
 
FUNX725 said:
The recovery requirements are actually there, (Clean Water Act, among other Federal/State Laws), maybe not fully enforced in all states' locales yet, but that day is soon coming....And the fines are steep...including closing down businesses that are not in compliance. This applies to brick&mortar locations, as well as mobile car washes.

Just something for everyone to keep in mind (enforcement/compliance) that looms heavily over the future of car washing, be it businesses or personal-point-of-use.

Check into getting your NPDES permit. Good Luck with this venture! :)

Bob
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Bob, thanks for the reply. You always reply with very pertinent and accurate information. I really do appreciate your replies on this forum and always read them carefully. I have searched Dep's sites for information pertaining to detailers and for some reason haven't seen this before. Whatever I do, I surely want to operate in compliance with the laws. Thanks again.

DJ Richard said:
In you guys definition of wash n wax, does wash n wax include claying the car or is it strictly wash n wax? Or is claying an added charge/option on a as needed basis? Asking because I love detailing but really don't have time for paint correction but washnwax sounds like a good idea for a lil extra income.
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There would be a package with claying included for sure but there would also be a super basic package that doesn't include it. I would like to think that most all the wash and wax jobs that I did would include this important step but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
 
I'm surpised to hear these responses. Cause I find that close to nobody just wants a wash & wax here. It's to the point where I'm considering taking that service off my list next year.

Most of my customer get my Silver Package which is a one step polish & wax with a full interior. I rarely do just a wash & wax. For me, I'd rather be doing full details all day than just tons of wash & wax jobs.

I agree that most people could care less about a full correction. But, I do find that most people want BETTER results. I typically do anywhere from 2-3 Silvers, with a Gold in there which includs a 2 step, engine, and sealant a day. That consumes prolly 90% of my business.

I think your business can be whatever you want it to be. It's simply how you sell yourself. I don't direct people to my wash & wax service ever. If they call or stop in, and want a wash & wax...I upsell them fairly quick. Cause for me...a wash & wax is literally that. No clay, no tire shine, no windows, no vac....just wash then wax. That service alone I ask for $79-$89. I know it's pricey....but, it's not my bread and butter so I can charge that.

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