Velocity Vehicle Care Blog

With restrictions easing across the country and with life looking a bit more like our pre-COVID days, many in our industry are wondering what the future might hold for car wash operators.

With many car wash businesses moving toward online and mobile app payments, as well as continuing to utilise point-of-sale and customer management software, it is more important than ever to implement cybersecurity measures to not only secure your customer information but also your bottom lines.

It's a new year and a new decade, and the Professional car wash industry, as always, is facing new opportunities and challenges. Industry consolidation in the United States, where corporate organisations manage large chains of car wash facilities is on the horizon here. Those of us who are old enough can remember the days when most take away shops were independents; fish and chips, burger shops, cafés etc. Have a look around now and see how many independents are surviving in a sea of chain stores? If you think branding isn't important, why do McDonald’s, Nando’s, Flaky Jakes, Domino’s and others dominate this market now?  I think a large part of their popularity is due to their consistency. They may not be the gourmet choice, but the consumer pretty much knows what to expect and is happy with the value for the price they pay.

Summer is just around the corner and for many car wash operators, the summer season is their busiest season. The long hot days spur many to engage in more outdoor activities which means there are lots of dirty cars that need washing. However, for some car wash operators who are located in parts of the Northern Territory for example, the summer season signifies the beginning of the wet and quieter season.

Water is a precious resource, it is essential for life and until something better comes along, it is an essential requirement for professional car wash businesses. Many operators focus on the chemical cost per wash, but have you calculated your cost per wash for water? The more mileage you can get from every litre of water is not only saving the planet, it is saving your hip pocket.

How your employees and customers behave at your wash is a key indicator of your businesses attitude toward safety. Safety at your car wash must be your number one priority, and can be greatly improved by increasing both your employee’s and customers’ attentiveness. 

Increasing attentiveness doesn’t need to be a difficult task. Use the following list as a guide to help you begin adopting these practices at your wash today.

Every car wash owner knows that customer satisfaction is key to building a successful business. Vehicle damage and customer injuries are common risks that can happen at any moment, and if not handled well, can greatly impact customer satisfaction.

The prospect of marketing your car wash can be overwhelming, especially if you only have a small budget to play with. The good news is that marketing doesn’t have to cost thousands or even hundreds of dollars.

Keeping on top of the chemistry in a car wash is critical to ensure that you are delivering a consistent quality to your customers, but also that you are not wasting product or at risk of causing vehicle damage from over dosing. In a touch free wash this critically important, as you are relying on the performance of your soaps to deliver clean, shiny cars. The most common and simple titration to do is on your presoaks, as these are the highest use in volume and the most likely to affect your wash results.

This month we will show you how to do an Acid titration. The actual results will be dependent on the particular product you are using and you should talk to you chemical supplier to provide you with the test method and table for their products. We are often asked about using pH for testing chemical strength. While pH has a role to play in the car wash environment, it is not an accurate measure of the chemical strength. A titration will measure the amount of “free alkalinity” available to provide cleaning power, and is therefore a much more accurate test of strength and performance.

Keeping on top of the chemistry in a car wash is critical to ensure that you are delivering a consistent quality to your customers, but also that you are not wasting product or at risk of causing vehicle damage from over dosing. In a touch free wash this critically important, as you are relying on the performance of your soaps to deliver clean, shiny cars. The most common and simple titration to do is on your presoaks, as these are the highest use in volume and the most likely to affect your wash results.

This month we will show you how to do an alkaline titration. The actual results will be dependent on the particular product you are using and you should talk to you chemical supplier to provide you with the test method and table for their products. We are often asked about using pH for testing chemical strength. While pH has a role to play in the car wash environment, it is not an accurate measure of the chemical strength. A titration will measure the amount of “free alkalinity” available to provide cleaning power, and is therefore a much more accurate test of strength and performance.