movement toward a specific
idea or business model that
will have a significant impact
on helping car wash operators
grow their businesses. The
winner is Green Carwashing.
(See page 9).
category:
Monthly Wash Club as part of their marketing
plan, charging a monthly fee for unlimited car
washes. These offers are a win-win for car wash
owners and consumers as well.
com) is a good example of this concept.
Owner Marcus Schoenenberg says utilizing
his unlimited monthly Wash Pass System has
been a major contributor in creating stability
during the economic downturn and serves
as a constant revenue source not affected by
weather. Monthly packages offered range from
$19.99 to $59.99, depending on the services
included.
Another example is the "99-Cents-a-Day
Club" offered by the Annapolis Auto Spa in
Maryland. By paying one fixed price per month,
members can get a wash anytime, rain or shine.
Contact Bob Heid for more information at
Rheidj@aol.com.
The Landmark Car Wash in Elgin, Illinois,
(www.landmarkcarwash.com) offers a 6-month
or 12-month wash pass that entitles customers
to unlimited full-service washes on a single
vehicle, 10% discounts on a la carte car wash
services and special "on-line" wash packages.
It's been proven that Wash Clubs build
customer relations and also boost the bottom
line.
interesting novelty with a 3D appearance that
is assembled like a model airplane. "Growing
up I was always fascinated with airplanes. One
day as I was driving by LAX, I saw an airliner
pass over my car, and I had a vision to create
an airplane air freshener," says designer Adolfo
Guzman. "I now have a patent for the airplane
air freshener kit." Customers enjoy the novelty
of Guzman's fun 3D air freshener as it bobs
from the rear view mirror and appears to bank
like a plane does as the car makes turns.
in-bay, self-service, automatic motorcycle
wash (patent pending). Most motorcycle
owners spend hours washing their bikes by
hand. Entrepreneur Mark Harrell was talking
with friend Paul Teutul Sr., of Orange County
Choppers and the cable TV series American
Chopper, about the chore of keeping bikes
clean. Harrell, inspired after bantering about
a car wash for motorcycles, went back to his
shop and began designing a prototype of what
has become the country's first automated,
touch-free wash designed specifically for
motorcycles. What once took hours can now be
accomplished in five minutes.
System offers superior water quality down to
0.02 microns. It easily converts wastewater
into clear, odor-free wash and pre-rinse water,
producing up to 3,600 gallons a day with
minimal maintenance. This new technology
can produce clean water that can be mixed with
the reject water from the RO spot free system.
The new source water is clean enough to make
spot free permeate when supplied to standard
reverse osmosis membranes.
The good news about this new concept is
saving more water in capturing the RO reject.
This means lower fresh water demand, fewer
gallons purchased from municipal suppliers,
and lower sewer charges.
New Prague, Minnesota
payment system that allows car wash operators
to operate monthly or annual car wash
programs. Customers can get a car wash as
often as they want for one fixed price per
month or per year. The XpresWash technology
uses a vehicle specific RFID tag, so no cash or
credit card is needed. The system also supports
prepaid plans, club plans, and fleet accounts.
Washes implementing XpresWash have reported
higher wash counts and per-car revenue and
also increased cash flow, because payments are
collected up front. A central server maintained
by XpresSystems provides all billing, logging,
and administrative functions.