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Future-Proof Your Car Wash Investment With Technological Advancements

Published: 03-13-24 Category: Technology

Specializes in providing actionable insights into the commercial real estate space for investors, brokers, lessors, and lessees. He covers quarterly market data reports, investment strategies, how-to guides, and top-down perspectives on market movements.

A car is seen being washed in a car wash.

Over the past decade, millions of Americans have put away their water hoses and buckets, opting for the convenience provided by today's drive-through car washes.

Both new and seasoned commercial real estate (CRE) investors are considering one or more high-traffic automatic car washes. While a few may be inspired by celebrity owners (Shaquille O'Neal owns around 150 car washes!), most investors are considering a car wash because of projected growth and scalability.

Like any other retail business, car washes require regular updates to continue to draw more consumers, even if it has minimal competition. Today's technology offers investors several options for enhancing their car wash services for peak profitability.

This article introduces the role of technology in today's modern car wash industry. You'll learn how newer products and services can improve your wash system's overall performance, contribute to profitability, and encourage return business.

Technology is also changing the needs of some car owners, especially those who invest in luxury vehicles. Manufacturers have introduced newer methods of preserving these vehicles' finishes.

We'll start by looking at the automated cleaning systems within today's drive-through, also known as “tunnel” car washes.

Technology for Cleaner, Shinier Vehicles

While coin-operated, DIY car washes are still available; many vehicle owners avoid them as they have the potential to damage a car or truck's finish. This may happen if the water pressure is too high, brush attachments are dirty, or the detergents dispensed are too harsh.

Research and technology have enabled owners of drive-through car washes to offer services that are designed to protect a vehicle's finish.

Currently, two types of vehicle cleaning methods, soft touch, and touch-free, power the majority of modern tunnel car washes.

Soft touch car wash systems have replaced potentially damaging brushes with cloth ribbons.

Touch-free car wash systems use pre-soaking solutions and specialized detergents, delivered by high-pressure, strategically placed water jets.

While soft-touch systems were dominant in the past, industry data has found that most tunnel car washes installed in recent years have installed touch-free water jet systems. Consumer demand for protecting newer vehicle finishes is driving this transition.

Owners of some luxury and vintage vehicles have gone a step further, opting for an after-market ceramic coating. These are usually applied by professional detailers to luxury and vintage vehicles, and require specialized cleaning methods.

While vehicles with ceramic coatings are still relatively uncommon, future technology may enable you to cater to these high net worth owners by offering them a custom wash service that incorporates milder detergents and lower water pressure.

Since touch-free systems are becoming more popular, their manufacturers are researching and implementing some of the newest technology to improve their overall performance. Here are details of these enhancements.

Touch-Free Goes High-Tech

For the majority of America's drivers, newer technology has improved the results of a touch-free car wash in several ways, including:

Dual spray arms that fast-track cars through the car wash process, increasing customer satisfaction and sales.
Multiple wash chemicals are applied in one spray pass instead of several.
Robotic features that detect vehicle size and adjust spray height for better results.
Improvements in sprayer design and efficiency that save water.

One of the most exciting new technologies is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to offer truly customized experiences. These include customized wash preferences, and light shows that transform a wash into an event.

Another development: Precise laser scans for your customers' vehicles that can identify maintenance needs. It's the ultimate car care service package: high-tech washing plus a health check for each vehicle.

Technology also enables car wash investors to provide faster, simpler methods for customers to pay for services. Here's how these can increase your return on investment (ROI) in a variety of ways.

Collect Payments and More in Seconds

If your planned car wash doesn't have a dedicated staff member to greet each customer, an automated pay station will probably be required.

Ideally, your Point Of Sale (POS) pay system will offer your customers the following options:

Single-wash and monthly subscription payment options.
Fast processing of payments with debit or credit cards.
On-screen prompts that encourage customers to upgrade their wash experience. These can be for wax applications, wheel cleaning and similar treatments.

The newest pay station technology has made it easier for customers to buy monthly or even annual subscriptions to your car wash. These are a genuine win-win, as it helps keep cars moving through the wash tunnel quickly while your passive income increases.

There's another payment option for consumers: mobile apps. These can't be overlooked, especially when we consider how often we manage our daily tasks with these apps.

Dirty Car? There's an App for That

Considering how many of us use our phones for everyday shopping and advance purchases, offering a downloadable phone app to your customers is a logical next step.

Since visiting a car wash can be similar to ordering a take-out meal in advance, you can personalize your business' phone app by adding the following consumer functionalities:

Details of preferred payment methods;
Advance ordering and payment for a future visit to your car wash;
Purchase of monthly passes/subscriptions;
Functionality that enables users to join a loyalty or “frequent wash” program; and
Booking of detailing appointments in advance.

A personalized phone app can help your management staff as well by:

Tracking daily and weekly sales figures;
Offering push notifications to app users;
Collecting email addresses for future marketing campaigns; and
Gather intel regarding preferred payment sources.

Currently, several software developers offer iPhone and Android apps specifically for drive-through car wash customers.

Enhancing your car wash system performance, offering fast pay methods, and creating your own phone app can help you gain and retain a competitive edge.

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