The Car Wash Industry Is Changing—Quietly but Permanently At first glance, the car wash industry can appear stable and slow-moving. Vehicles still need to be cleaned, customers still value convenience, and core operating principles remain familiar. Beneath the surface, however, car wash operations in the United States are evolving rapidly. Shifts in labor availability, customer…
Read MoreFor more than 50 years, AVW has been the trusted name behind some of the most reliable, operator‑friendly equipment in the car wash industry. This year, they’ve done it again, introducing a major upgrade to the classic over/under conveyor system that so many operators depend on. Whether you’re running an older tunnel that’s ready for…
Read MoreRevenue Is Only Part of the ROI Story When evaluating car wash ownership, revenue figures often dominate the conversation. High car counts and strong gross sales can look impressive, but they do not automatically translate into healthy returns. True return on investment (ROI) is determined by how efficiently a car wash converts revenue into predictable,…
Read MoreDowntime Is More Than a Mechanical Problem Downtime is one of the most expensive—and frustrating—issues car wash owners face. When equipment goes down, revenue stops, customers leave, memberships are questioned, and staff morale suffers. What makes downtime particularly damaging is that its true cost is often underestimated. Lost washes, refunds, churn, and reputational impact rarely…
Read MoreMost Car Wash Frustrations Share the Same Root Causes Car wash ownership can be highly rewarding—but it is rarely frictionless. Even well-located, well-equipped sites can become sources of daily stress when small operational issues compound into recurring problems. What makes these challenges particularly frustrating is that they often feel unique, even though they are remarkably…
Read MoreFranchising is often marketed as a turnkey path for starting a business, offering ready-made systems, recognizable branding, comprehensive training, and ongoing franchisor support. For many industries, this “business in a box” approach reduces risk—franchisees follow a proven formula, tapping into existing products, supply chains, marketing, and collective buying power. But is that always true when…
Read MoreIn business—and especially in the car wash industry—we’re constantly faced with decisions. What equipment to invest in? What technology to embrace? What customer experience to prioritize? Each choice comes with its own positives and challenges. There’s a philosophy—sometimes summed up as “it’s 50/50”—that helps frame these decisions in a healthier, more realistic way. Understanding the…
Read MoreWhen I first got into the car wash business over 20 years ago, $3 car washes were a new phenomenon. I remember seeing friends proudly post their low prices on their buildings. But before too long, something interesting happened—the community stopped calling those businesses by their actual names. Instead, they became known simply as “the…
Read MoreCarwash Fundamentals After some recent reflection on business and car washing, I decided I needed to focus more on the fundamentals in our business this year; request in – service out. It sounds very simplistic but why make it harder than that? The difficult part lies in how we minimize the time between the request…
Read MoreYou might not want to admit it, but summer is over! Just drive by any school in the morning and the traffic will tell you that. While you might not want to think about it, it is time to prepare your wash for winter. Too many times, we see sites wait until the first snow…
Read MoreGen 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. Gen 1:10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. And that’s it, that is all the land there is…
Read MoreWhile it’s been a slow crawl to get back in the swing of things for trade shows – we’re now full speed ahead! The Southwest show in June was a great opportunity to get back to seeing old friends and making new ones; now we’re gearing up for the ICA show this November! The 2020 show…
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