Car wash - ripping us off?

[kremmen]

You have to increase prices if your staffs workload increases, to pay more staff or same staff more, otherwise you have no staff and no business.

[phoon]

Originally Posted by kremmen

You have to increase prices if your staffs workload increases, to pay more staff or same staff more, otherwise you have no staff and no business.

What staff?, you drive into the bay and wash the car yourself, most of them have one young 16 yo kid who just wanders up and down the bays incase someboby requires assistance, they dont build more bays, so hence, dont need anymore staff there. As far as getting them to wash your car, if they need to put on more staff because of increase in sales, then costs are absorbed and its taken up in overhead recovery, ie the more throughput, the larger the recovery of $. Its like having a machine in a factory sit idle, it costs you money when the machine is not operating. When you have all machines operating at once non stop, the recovery on your expenses are huge, relate that to all bays in car wash working and earning money, the 16 yo wages become a small % of costs, no bays working, no income, the 16 yo wages become a big % of cost.

[Chris]

I hear what everyone is saying, and about the $$$$ i dont care that much as i dont wash it often enough, but i have experienced times when i am right into the rinse cycle (i.e no line changing) and you all of a sudden for no reason at all get a little splash of soap.

If you were rinsing your roof at the time, you now have to rinse your car again.

Im all for a company making money, but this is shifty stuff. Im taking the bucket and sponge next time - last time i did it the carwash owner had a crack, i'll persist with it this time.

[fiery]

Originally Posted by phoon

What staff?, you drive into the bay and wash the car yourself, most of them have one young 16 yo kid who just wanders up and down the bays incase someboby requires assistance,

They don't even have that (the attendant) when it is after hours remember.

Maybe the extra staff relates to filling up the little containers that then squirt the product through the lines?? (insert sarcasm here).

I agree there is no extra staff and certainly no extra wash bays to handle the extra people wanting (needing) their cars washed.

[Bobman]

I agree with what everyone is saying on here about Car Washes. Another issue I had while using the "smelling gun spray" - for strawberry, wild cherry or new car smell at Car Lovers or one of those places was that half way through spraying it would stop and then resume slowly and I probably only got about 10 seconds of a decent spray out of the 40 second time limit.

The Car Wash on Bell Street, Preston (near Bell corner Maccas) was one of the better one's that I had been to, the vacuum seemed to last forever on just $1, compared to others I had been to.

I'd rather invest in a rainwater tank though.

[SVR73]

Interesting. While I won't take the XR to these places anymore, my fathers company cars go to the Pro wash near me where you get strong but wax safe shampoo, warm water, 1100 psi pressure and don't need the scratchy brush because the high pressure shampoo does the job anyway

This place has pricing of 3 minutes 30 seconds for every $2 bucks and 1.45 for $1 dollar
Remember that you don't have to use all the options, just high pressure soap and rinse is all that's needed mostly and if you have single stage paint, don't use the pre soak as it will fade your paint in no time

At any time that the price changes, I'll be looking elsewhere
At home we have a rainwater tank and pump so we can use that for our own cars whenever we want

[rick'o]

Well, I had the rear (factory fitted) spoiler on my Audi A3 Turbo RIPPED OFF by the BP in Hampton last week....nearly $2700 damage!

It was bolted on, like everything German is built like it was meant to see next century, but it was no match for the roller brush that ripped it from its mounts and then proceeded to scratch the tailgate and bumper.

Be warned: they really do bite!

R

[Redrum]

Car washes are not a good alternative. Most don't like people using sponges etc and those brushes are a disaster for your duco. There are delays with the changing of options on the hose and it usually takes 30 secs to clear the last lot out of the hose.

In relation to if this is a deliberate rort, I have a mate who owns one near Airport West. I will ask him.

[Silver Ghia]

Anyone who goes to a car wash is getting ripped off.

I refuse to go to any car wash. For two reasons, the principle of a politician telling me how I should wash my cars, and that car washes can gradually deteriorate the finish of the car.

I dont know what they use for detergent at car washes, whether it affects the polish or wax, also their recycled water can sometimes leave a sediment.I'm told that now you can't even use your own sponge (wheres the brush been?).

I like to use my own detergent which contains rust inhibitors and nice stuff that makes the car shine, I collect shower water thats used while its warming up first thing in the morning, then when the bucket is full (has a lid to stop nasty soap getting in), it goes into a large garbage bin for that purpose.

Then I can sponge with my set of special sponges (one for the top surfaces, one for the lower surfaces and one for the wheels), rinse and dry to my hearts content without anyone trying to hurry me up. In the back yard of course so I dont need to explain to any sticky beak that its not tap water. :

I'm sure the car wash people got in with Bracks :to get more business. A pressure spray with my special nozzle only uses a fraction of water that is used for each person to shower only once.

[kremmen]

Originally Posted by phoon

What staff?, you drive into the bay and wash the car yourself, most of them have one young 16 yo kid who just wanders up and down the bays incase someboby requires assistance, they dont build more bays, so hence, dont need anymore staff there. As far as getting them to wash your car, if they need to put on more staff because of increase in sales, then costs are absorbed and its taken up in overhead recovery, ie the more throughput, the larger the recovery of $. Its like having a machine in a factory sit idle, it costs you money when the machine is not operating. When you have all machines operating at once non stop, the recovery on your expenses are huge, relate that to all bays in car wash working and earning money, the 16 yo wages become a small % of costs, no bays working, no income, the 16 yo wages become a big % of cost.

Sorry the carwashes near me are all manned ones, where a couple of people wash your car for $15.

P.S. Machines don't quit when theyre not paid enough, leaving you down on throughput.

[DOC]

Originally Posted by Chris

I hear what everyone is saying, and about the $$$$ i dont care that much as i dont wash it often enough, but i have experienced times when i am right into the rinse cycle (i.e no line changing) and you all of a sudden for no reason at all get a little splash of soap.
If you were rinsing your roof at the time, you now have to rinse your car again.
Im all for a company making money, but this is shifty stuff. Im taking the bucket and sponge next time - last time i did it the carwash owner had a crack, i'll persist with it this time.

Chris, the answer is very simple as to why this happens. It was designed by a man. Just when they think it's over, there always has to be one final delayed squirt.

[JETME]

iv gota 5500ltr 2 slimline tanks on the side of my house with a pump, its fantastic!.....i wash the car 1-2 a week...plus use the water to do the gardening....it pays off itself realy.

[XR8Master]

Originally Posted by phoon

its not about the few cents or few dollars, its about the profiteering that goes on with some businesses. These car washes would have seen an enormous increase in through traffic when water restrictions came in, which relates directly to profits, to then almost double the price to do the same job without increased costs to themselves, is profiteering plain and simple. I simply found an honest car wash that didnt increase prices.

Ok, lets just say that they are profiteering, what is the problem with that ?

The car wash has a price for there services, you have the choice to use there services or not to, no one is pointing a gun to your head telling you to drive though the car wash

Business work on a system called supply and demand, as the demand goes up, so does the price, when the demand goes down then the price will follow so your either going to have to get over it, or hope for the day that no one goes to the carwash because I doubt the government is ever going to regulate the carwash industry, we are past that primitive stage of history.