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SELF SERVE SHOWS

Chicago
WHOS BOSS!
YOUR PARTNERS IN CRIME
HAVE TURNED INFORMANT ON THE

2014 ICA SHOW

TO BRING YOU REVIEWS OF THE


MOST WANTED INNOVATIONS ON
DISPLAY AND EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS!

ALSO INSIDE:

THE HISTORY OF SELF SERVE, PART II


RE-VISITING THE GATED POP CONCEPT
SCWA SHOW REPORT
...AND EVEN MORE DUMB CRIMINALS!

2 APRIL 2014

CONTENTS Carrs
Carrs Corner ......................................... 3
Letters to the Editor ............................. 6
From the ACF Library .......................... 6
Dont Mess With Texas
(SCWA Show Report) ...........................10
Guide to Choosing a Quality
Security Camera System.....................16
The History of Self Serve
Carwashing, Part II.............................24
Industry Dirt .......................................40
POP Goes the Carwash, Revisiting
the pay-one-price concept .................44
Innovations .........................................54
Tricks of the Trade .............................57
Hey, Hey, The Gangs All Here
(The Car Wash Show Report) ..............64
Darwin at the Carwash.......................86
Promotional Poster.............................89
LOL Carwash Pics ...............................90

VOL. 39, NO. 2, SPRING 2014

Publisher Jackson Vahaly


Editor Kate Carr
Design Katy Barret-Alley
Editor Emeritus Jarret J. Jakubowski
Editor Emeritus Joseph J. Campbell
Editor Posthumous Julia E. Campbell
Self Serve Carwash News is published 4
times per year and is independently owned by
Jackson Vahaly. Web address is www.sscwn.com.

Corner
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Man, it feels good to be back.


Incredibly, over-the-top,
sing-it-from-the-mountaintop good.
I hadnt realized it, but I didnt entirely feel like the
Editor of Self Serve Carwash News until I was on the
floor at Car Wash Show handing out business cards and
magazines and talking shop. The Northeast show was
terrific, but it just didnt feel real until I had a stack of
issues in front of me on a tabletop and was begging our
readers to Take two! Take three! Tell a friend!
It was clear from the response at our booth, hidden as
it was way back at the corner end of an aisle, that our readers felt the same way. Even those who assured me they had
their copies of the Winter issue back home were coming
over to lovingly pet the covers, smell the pages and revel in
all the nostalgia these newspaper-print tabloid-size papers had to offer.
(Well, I might have been the only one petting and smelling the paper
-- but, still. Those attendees were excited, too.)
But mostly what they wanted to say was, Thank you.
I dont write that here in order to pat myself on the back. No, I write that here because every thank
you we received, every hand shake, every grin of gratitude was really being offered to Joe and Julia
Campbell and JJ Jakubowski.
So, to Joe and JJ, and to Julia, too: Thank you. Your readers are the most grateful, appreciative,
faithful and devoted the carwash industry has to offer. Their loyalty is legendary, and I was absolutely floored (but not surprised) by their attention to myself and Jackson on the trade show floor
in Chicago.
Speaking of Chicago
Youll notice in our article about the convention that I have a few small quibbles with the show
this year. Perhaps you do, too. Or perhaps you think my commentary is entirely off the mark.
Perhaps you want to take a moment to plug all the wonderful efforts of our regional trade shows.
Perhaps you want to write a love letter to ICA CEO Eric Wulf. Whatever it is thats on your mind, I
want to ask you to please reach out. Make your voice heard. Write to us here and lets get it in print.
After all...
The industry that vents together, stays together.
Thats Bob Sacks standard line to invite reader comments following his articles and (as he puts it)
rants about the print media industry.
And the self serve carwash industry, more than ever, needs to come together. Needs to vent together. Needs to foster change and growth and innovation together.
I know were just building our relationship as editor and reader, and Ill never be half the man (or
even a quarter of the man) JJ was; mostly owing to my wrong anatomy. But I am here to tell you that
SSCWN is YOUR megaphone. It is YOUR soap box. SSCWN had its first issue 40 years ago when
Joe and Julia decided enough was enough, lets make ourselves HEARD. Well, 40 years later -- heres
your chance. I want to know how YOU feel about the changes at the ICA and in the industry.
After all: The industry that vents together, stays together.

All inquiries should be directed to:

Cheers,

SSCWN
110 Childs Ln., Franklin, TN 37067
jacksonv@sscwn.com

Kate

Copyright 2014.
2 Dollar Enterprises/SSCWN. All Rights Reserved

Your thoughts and comments can be e-mailed to Kate Carr at katec@sscwn.com.


APRIL 2014

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APRIL 2014

CLASSIC ARTICLES FROM THE ACF LIBRARY

LETTERS
Reader Input & Feedback

Dear Kate,

Im sure its hard to get every story in an article. My family has been in the SS car washing
industry for over 40 years. I have 5 locations
in the Kansas City Mo metro and 2 in Topeka Kansas. We have two in-bay Automatics
and several hand bays at each location. At 6
of our locations we are still using the RACO
automatic that was designed by Ray Alburty
46 years ago. RACO Car Washes Systems was
located in Joplin Mo for many years. RACO
under new ownership started Spot-Not Car
Washes in 1979. In 1998 RACO and Spot-Not
were sold again. I very much enjoyed being
apart of the Spot-Not brand. Things change
and life moves on. In 2012 we rebranded to
OTTO Car Washes.
I believe RACO was the first equipment
supplier to put SS with an in-bay automatic on
the same lot. Below are photos of my Fathers
first 2 car washes in 1972.
Thanks again for the article,

Mark S White
President, WhiteWash, Inc.
Washing Cars Since 1972

Reader Input
& Feedback
All communications should be directed to:
SSCWN |110 Childs Ln. / Franklin, TN 37067
615-594-0263 |katec@sscwn.com

6 APRIL 2014

Things I Learned Trying


to Get Rich

All That Glitters Is Not Gold


By Jeffrey S. North
Editors Note: This article was originally published
in 2001 as part of the Auto Care Forums Library
section. Please visit www.autocareforum.net/library
for more classic articles!
In 1994, after spending 10 years in the restaurant business, I decided to try my hand at a new
venture. I had been looking through the newspapers for opportunities when I came across a carwash/laundromat going up for auction.
I did my homework, went to the auction and
became the proud owner of a 4+1 carwash and
a 3,000-square-foot laundromat. I paid $205,000
and got financing from the SBA at a wonderful
fixed rate of seven percent. I was going to get rich
the easy way. In addition to the purchase of the
business, I was able to secure (steal) four 1,000 inground propane tanks from the propane company
that owned them because they did not file any
UCCs. Boy were they ever pissed off.
I probably would not have done that, but when
I called them for propane prices (before I bought
the wash) they told me they owned the tanks and
they would charge me whatever they felt was in
their best interest. That did not sit well with me
and I did what I had to do to insure low fuel costs.
Well, to get on with the story, I think that I was
so happy to get out of the restaurant business that
I somehow never considered the fact that it was
December (I live in New Hampshire and it is well
below freezing by that time of the year) and that
the foreclosed wash had been shut down for three
months.
I just went walking in the day after closing,
turned on the pumps and couldnt figure out why
nothing was working. I think back to that now and
it is really quite funny. But -- let me tell you -- it
was not at the time. I had gone into this completely undercapitalized. I only had $5,000 in my bank
account and that was borrowed. I simply could
not afford to bring someone in to fix all of the
problems with the wash, and there were a lot of
problems.
The first thing that I had to fix was the main
water line coming into the carwash. It had been
run in a troth above the laundromat and carwash
and had frozen and split. After that, I thawed all
of the bays and the automatic. Of course the next
day they were all frozen again because I had no
idea of what I was doing and I had no idea of how
to set up the weep system. I learned the hard way
that water and metal and skin in freezing temperatures do not mix well. After I finally figured
out how everything worked and had everything
completely thawed, I opened for business.
Thing were really going quite well until a couple of days later when I noticed that all of my bays
were flooded with a semi-frozen mush. I mean,
how was I supposed to know that just because the

wash had been closed down for so long that the


pits would be frozen a foot thick above the water outlets?! I cant possibly even begin to explain
what a nightmare that was. I was out in those pits
day after day, in below 0-degree weather, with a
sump pump and a pick ax. Id suck out as much
water as I could -- and let me tell you slushy water does not suck up well -- and then chop a hole
through the ice about a foot in diameter.
Every time Id hit the ice it was like frozen shotgun pellets hitting me it the face. I couldnt wear
goggles because they would be covered in ice after the first couple of hits to the ice. At any rate, I
was able to chop a hole in the ice just big enough
so that I could get through that days customers.
The next day the hole would be frozen over and
I would go at it again. And, if all thatl seems bad,
it didnt get any better. Remember those propane
tanks that I stole?
Well, the company that I ended up contracting
with for propane gave me a great price, then filled
up all of the tanks but only turned one of them
on. So of course, on the coldest night of the year,
(the temperature dropped to -45 degrees Fahrenheit) I ran out of propane. The entire wash froze
up again -- except this time so did everything in
the equipment room. I had fittings broken everywhere. All of the pumps and holding tanks were
frozen. The Hydrominers were frozen. On top of
that I was still dealing with frozen pits and floor
heat that couldnt keep up. I guess what goes
around comes around.
I was able to get the propane company to agree
to pay for all of the parts if I did all of the work. It
is truly amazing what one is able to get done when
under pressure. I had the wash up and running in
less than three days and had learned how to fix
every piece of equipment in the place. Thank God
the laundromat did not freeze. That winter I think
that I came about as close to a nervous breakdown
as I would ever want to come.
Do I look back on that first year with regret?
Absolutely not! I learned a lot. This year I will
be going into my seventh winter and rarely ever
have a freeze up. Business is good. I am now fully
attended and have a manager and seven employees. I have ripped out my old automatic and replaced it with a Laserwash 4000. I added a video
store and a tanning salon to my laundromat and
designed a cashless payment system that I have
brought to market.
The carwash business has been good to me and
I will be forever grateful for the lessons that I have
learned, and the education and opportunities that
I have gained while pursuing it.
Jeffrey S. North is CEO of E-Wash, LLC, and owner of a 4+1
carwash in Newport, NH, from 1994 to present.

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By Jackson Vahaly
The Southwest Car Wash Association enjoyed their largest attended
SCWA Expo and Convention to date
this past February in Arlington, TX, and featured more than 60,000 square feet of exhibitors, as
well as three busy days of education and networking events which highlighted industry innovations,
business solutions, and operational strategy.
SSCWN and Auto Care Forum were last minute
additions to the exhibiting roster when I decided
to travel down to Texas armed only with newspapers for swag as a way to prepare myself for the
Car Wash Show in Chicago this April. It was my
first time exhibiting at an industry convention; I
was there to get feedback on the paper, check in
with our advertisers, promote subscriptions, take
some pictures and most importantly, get some story leads for Kate. (Of course, having never been to
Dallas, I was excited for the chance to visit Jerrys
World -- or whatever it is theyre calling that new
stadium.)
As mentioned, the show featured record-breaking attendance -- but what really impressed me
was how gracious and accommodating Executive
Director Chuck Space and the rest of the SCWA
folks were throughout the event. I had a great time
and really appreciated and enjoyed working with
the entire staff.
SCWA President Clayton Clark, Houston, Texas, said the association will continue to build on
its successes and to raise the bar even higher for
future shows and events. As a member-driven organization, SCWA wants to be on the leading edge
of what is happening in the carwash industry and
to provide our members with the most relevant
information and resources available.
Clark was elected 2014-2015 SCWA President

8 APRIL 2014

SCWA Expo was largest to date.


during proceedings and joined
more than 1,400
carwash owners and
exhibitors attending the
SCWA 2014 Convention
& EXPO.
Outstanding speakers included
Jim Davidson, who motivated attendees with his
near death story and how he used his experience
to become stronger. He encouraged everyone to
use the challenges of business and life to inspire
success and drive within themselves. John Lai,
CEO of Mister Car Washes, provided a look into
the future of the carwash industry and how carwash owners can use the dynamics of change to be
more competitive.
The Annual Awards presentations honored:
The 2014 SELF-SERVE/AUTOMATIC CAR
WASH of the Year, Splish Splash Auto Bath, McKinney, Texas;
2014 CONVEYOR/EXTERIOR of the Year,
Racer Classic Car Wash & Lube, Lubbock,
Texas;
2014 CAR WASH MANAGER of the YEAR,
Damon Van Winkle, Arbor Car Wash & Lube,
Austin, Texas; and
2014 Excellence in Media Award, Jim Schutz,
Dallas Observer.
For those of our readers who were unable to attend the show, we have provided a transcript of
one of the most enlightening educational sessions;
the Self Serve Carwash Panel Discussion. Enjoy!

Transcript: Self Serve


Carwash Panel Discussion
MODERATORS:
Phil Tutt: Ive got three carwashes with a contract
on one hopefully Im getting down to two where
I hope to stay for a long time. Ive got 21 self serve
bays and 3 roll-overs.
Troy Kunkel: Ive got 5 SS carwashes and Im
buying a 6th. Ive got 4 automatics, 3 touchless
and 1 soft-touch and Im in Ft. Worth.
Lamar Skarda: Im from El Paso, and Ive got 6
self serves and Ive been in business a long time
30 years or so. Its been a great living for me. I
know theres been a lot of changeover in the business and some say self serve is a dying business,
and it may be tougher than its been in the past,
but its still a good business and I would hope we
keep this session up as to what were doing and
lets talk about what were doing that successful.
SPEAKER: When you look at my local competitor and youd wonder why anybody would go in
and wash their car in these bays. I think its a detriment to our business because it drives more people towards our competition the express model.
Keep your bays clean. Keep your carwash clean.
Youll be surprised how much it will increase your
business. Ive got one competitor - he doesnt like
me very much, but half his menu signs are gone
I remodeled one of my carwashes in 2,000, he
built his in 2,000 hes washed his walls one time
{continued }

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10 APRIL 2014

SCWA Report
SCWA hopes to build off the
momentum they created with
record-breaking attendance
and exhibitor floor space at
their 2014 Expo.

in the 13 years. (Audience member jokes: Is he


here? ) Hes had 2 trash cans that have been in
there for a month now, so he doesnt fix anything
either. If anything breaks, it needs to be fixed that
day. Im getting old, Im getting to the point where

you this it paid for the pit digger in one year. If


youre doing the concrete work youre spending a
couple grand.

if I dont feel like fixing it Ill just stick a trash can


in there and come back and fix it in the morning.
Thats one of the luxuries of owning a carwash.

it clogs up with mud so if theres some water back


in there I just take a sump pump and put it into
my sewer.

SPEAKER: We had somebody in a previous meeting saying somebody stole their grates Ive gone
to fiberglass grates. They dont disappear anymore.
In Houston theres a wholesale place where you
can buy them direct so you dont have to pay
freight. ut thats getting to me more and more a
problem, the drug guys come in the worst that
happened ever happened to us was the $5 crack
cocaine so they would go cash the grate in for $5.
Another idea is that Im seeing more and more
hand carwashes pick up maybe if youve got a
slow carwash maybe convert a couple of bays to
a hand wash. This guys got 2 lanes and the cars
stacked out into the street. So if youre in a more
affluent area its an idea you can consider. But
like I said earlier, every carwash has got a different personality just like my kids. Ive got 2 kids
and theyre both totally opposite from each other. Ones conservative and ones a liberal (laughs)
where it came from I dont know because I sure
didnt teach it to him.
SPEAKER: Another thing, how many people are
paying a couple of grand to come have your pits
sucked? Buy a pit digger. And then build it like
a truck ramp that slides down. Ive had so much
rain here so its full of mud. In the state of Texas
you can let the mud dry and the TCEQ requires
is that it wont go through a paint strainer. Ill tell

You have a drain on there somewhere, right?


SPEAKER: Actually, Ive got a drain in there but

What do you do with the mud?


SPEAKER: You can put it in your dumpster. Ive
got a connection with a guy in waste management
and they come drop off a dumpster and I load it
up and its gone. The guy just sits there Ive got
a tractor and I just put it in there and they haul it
off because they need the dirt. Theres guys thatll
buy it. You can haul it 50 miles. Wet. Now on my
pit digger theres a top on it so Ill seal it Ive
got a board over the top. Youre going to get some
leakage but hopefully you wont get caught. You
know most of the police dont know what the laws
are. Im not trying to do anything illegal but some
waters going to slosh out but on this particular
machine You can also buy a pit sucker theres
a new product (I cant tell you the name).

My citys telling me they wont even let me


dig it out of the pit.
SPEAKER: Well, the problem with the TCEQ
regulations is the city can override it with their
deals youve got to have a haulers permit, too.

Youve also got to show a copy of where


you dumped it.
SPEAKER: Youve got to have a manifest. That
would negate that. At one of my carwashes Im
300 ft. from the city of Houston and thats going
to change the way I do things. Before you do this,

if youre in the city limits, you need to check with


the city to see if its okay. You dont want to do
something wrong and get caught and end up with
a big fine.
SPEAKER: Signage. I dont think you can have
too much signage even though 90% of the people
in the United States cant read. (laughs) I put a
new, big sign up and saw a 10% increase in my revenue. Another deal Ive gone to that I dont know
if Id recommend it or not is to vending machines.
The reason I did this was to go to all-dollar tokens
and get rid of my drop-shelf vendors. It allows you
to have a lot more selections. If you go to the cage
and all every time Ive had a Coke machine out
there theyve destroyed it or knocked it over. You
know, I hate vending products personally (laughs),
but youve got to have them theyre a necessary
evil. Every one of my vacuums is either a carpet
cleaner or have fragrance/vac. I dont do any clean
vacs because Ive just found that over time itll pay
off over time. The most profitable thing at your
carwash is that little machine because once youve
paid that $3 5K on that little machine all youve
got is electrical costs because youre going to have
very low maintenance on it other than cleaning
the bags and cleaning it out. Thats it.
SPEAKER: And then the other thing is I have 4
changers and a credit card machine at every one of
my carwashes. Id have 5 bill changers if I could.
At 2 of my washes I do a combination of tokens
and quarters because I have the restaurants coming down and getting quarters on the weekends. It
also cuts down on vandalism. At one carwash Im
100% changers and at another Im probably going
to go to 100% tokens so its a combination of quarters and tokens and no ones ever said a word to
me about it and if they did Id say to use the tokens
first and then take their quarters home. You can
give out tokens but make sure you can still take
quarters in your bays. If you take tokens youre
going to have to upgrade your coin mix.
SPEAKER: On all my bays Ive gone to the PVC,
vinyl siding. It sure makes it easier to clean. I had
one carwash with tile walls Id never do that
again. I hope theres no tile salesmen in here. You
can put it over the tile wall or over the brick wall
and you can buy the wall cleaner and spray it on
and wash it off and it sure makes it a lot easier. Ive
had them about 4 years and the only downfall Ive
found with them is they stick holes in it, but you
can go to the hardware store and buy Bondo and
mix it up, fill it in and sand it off. They dont pay
that much attention it anyway theyre paying at{continued }
APRIL 2014

11

SCWA Report
Round table discussions at the
SCWA Expo were lively networking
and business building events.

minutes in the 3 truck bays and from 3 and a half


minutes to 6 minutes in the car bays. Its been real
successful for us and were going to start cranking
the time limits down now that everybodys happy
with the dollar bill acceptor and the digital readout. I asked before and nobody was just taking
bills, everybodys still taking coins.

tention to their car but it sure helps brighten up


your bays.

Do you do the same thing on your


vacuums?

How do you get it to stick glue it on?

SPEAKER: Not yet, but Im going to. Right now,


were still taking coins on the vacuums.

SPEAKER: I put my on with concrete screws but


if I had to do it over I would stick the little plastic tabs (anchors) in there because the concrete
screws are more expensive and start to come loose,
especially on the ends.

How about vending products?


SPEAKER: We vend out of our office we have
a full time attendant. But our plan is to go strictly
to bills and put the same type of mechanism on
the vacuums.

Have you done anything with the FRP, the


fiberglass board?
SPEAKER: PVCs plastic, Ive used the FRP
boards (get them at any big box home improvement store) and its easy to put up with the plastic
anchors I dont know if it cleans as easy as the
PVC, but theres some carwash vendors that sell
good cleaner and about every 3 6 months or so
you can clean it up and it does brighten up a bay
especially at night. I was afraid that some of those
products were going to yellow-out from the sun
and I thought I was going to have to buy something with UV protection in it, but Ive had it up
for years and that hasnt been a problem. If anybody ever damages one of them its easy to repair
- its about $40 for a 4 X 8 sheet and you can replace the plastic screws - knock the heads off them
and pull them out use that one for a template and
put it up in the same place. You can order them
in a big roll so you dont have any seams in it but
everybody Ive talked to said those are way more
trouble than theyre worth just too hard to handle. The PVC might be easier to maintain and look
a little bit more professional but if its a nice clean
appearance, I dont think your customers going to
care if its PVC or FRP. You dont butt the pieces up next to each other because of the heat and
cold, they do expand and contract, so you leave it a
little bit loose when you put them together. Then
you drill the hole for the fastener a good enough
size so the product can move a little like that and
you can eliminate the problem of the buckling
that youll see. A fellow in El Paso has painted his
walls and its working well. I know a lot of people
in the past have used Epoxy paint and a lot of different things, one guys lasted about 5 years, but
again, youve got to have a good base when you
first put it on and thats the problem. A lot times

12 APRIL 2014

Is there a reason you decided not to accept


quarters even though you dont have a
changer?
SPEAKER: Well, we have changers but its just so
we dont have to fool with quarters.

SCWA President Clayton Clark is handed the gavel during the 2014 festivities.
youre putting it on an old wall and youve first got
to get it clean enough so the paint will stick.
SPEAKER: Going back to the fiberglass grates I
never have tried those, but I just got a welder and
some hinges and Ive hinged all my grates. That
doesnt mean somebody cant steal them, but it
certainly makes it more difficult.

We just welded a two foot tow chain on


ours so you can flip it over but you cant
(easily) take it you can anchor it to the
wall of the pit or to the metal frame at the
top. Fiberglass is more expensive and its
got to be able to bear the weight of a truck.
SPEAKER: Some people asked me about our
meter boxes that only takes bills, no quarters and
wanted to know how successful it was. Its been
very successful. We havent had any complaints
nothing but positive comments. So, what we did
do was jack the time up a little bit from what we
had been doing we were a dollar and a half on
the self service bays for 3 and a half minutes and
when we raised the price - cant say what it was
but its in dollar increments (laughs) we went to 5

So your bays dont take quarters even if you


have quarters? Right. So your attendant will
change the quarters to bill, right?
SPEAKER: Yes. We going to put in a bill changer
that changes 20s and 5s into 1s or whatever.

Has there been any vandalism or people


trying to break into the?
SPEAKER: Zero. No, I build my own meter boxes
out of steel plated galvanized and theyre going
to have to have a torch to get into it so Im not
worried about that. Another thing I want to mention is a popular bill acceptor we use thats popular
in the industry that you hear so much about start
failing in 3 weeks. In these truck bays water and
dirt goes everywhere when theyre washing the 18
wheelers. Well, 3 weeks after we installed the validator it failed. So, I called the factory and they said
since its flashing, that flash said you have to send
it in to them. But we sent it to a service company
in Houston and they said its one of those things.
We have 7 bays there and one out of 7 failed. After
the 2nd one failed after 4 weeks, I called the guy
because it was under warranty and asked him what
we were doing wrong. Why do we have 2 that are
failing already and he said the waters getting into
it and its corroded. I said, you mean they dont
work with water in a carwash application when
thats what they advertise and sell them for? How
do you fix them? He said, I take that little board
{continued }

APRIL 2014

13

Association Calendar of Events

CALENDAR

APRIL 27-28

MAY 21

SEPTEMBER 15-17

APRIL 29-30

JUNE 10

SEPTEMBER 24-25

JULY 20-22

OCTOBER 29-30

SECWA Road Show, Presented by


Southeastern Carwash Association,
RIchmond, VA, www.secwa.org

HCA Product Show, Presented by


Heartland Carwash Association, Altoona,
IA, www.heartlandcarwash.org.

MAY 5-7

MCA Show & Expo, Presented by


Midwest Carwash Association, Sterling
Heights, MI, www.midwestcarwash.com.

SCWA 2014 Wade Welch Memorial Golf


Classic
The La Cantera Resort Palmer Course
San Antonio, TX

Car Wash Operators of New Jersey Golf


Invitational, Suburban Country Club,
Union, NJ

SECWA Trade Show and Expo,


Presented by Southeastern Carwash
Association, Orlando, www.secwa.org.

Northeast Regional Carwash Convention,


Presented by CWONJ, New England,
New York, Connecticut, Mid-Atlantic,
Atlantic City, www.nrccshow.com.

Wash Different Workshop, Presented


by International Carwash Association,
Rosemont, IL, www.carwash.org.

Western Car Wash Show, Presented


by Western Carwash Association, Las
Vegas, www.wcwa.org.

SCWA Report
out (he spilled the beans he didnt know I could
do the same thing) and I take soap and water and
a toothbrush and clean the board and then I take
clear fingernail polish and I paint the whole thing
front and back and youll never have any more
trouble. And I did that because he said the next
one that comes in hes not going to be able to warranty. So I did all of mine why dont the manufacturers do that so we dont have to?

Does anybody have a web page?


SPEAKER: I did one about 8 years ago one
problem with carwash websites is they dont keep
it updated. You can use it for social media or reviews (good or bad). Its a good way to advertise
your business.

They can go to your website, buy a wash,


and email the code or whatever to someone
else that comes to your location? Yes. Do
you offer a discount or incentive to get
somebody to use your website?
SPEAKER: They can go on there and purchase
a package of washes they can buy 5 of the top
washes (automatics) and get a 6th one for free, or
they can just get bonus dollars instead so theres
different ways they can purchase it. Its kind of like
your sign out front after a while it gets stale so
you have to change the message. Try to advertise
different specials or if you add a new service or
equipment. We have also used Facebook, we did
a Person of the Week promotion where we had
people nominate someone local for a free wash
(Teacher of the Year at a local school, etc). But if
you start a program youve got to keep it up and
manage that program.
SPEAKER: We had a new operator asking about
automatics, brush or brushless, touchless or brushes.

Anybody want to share their successes or


had any success with having both?

14 APRIL 2014

SPEAKER: Ive got two brush and one touchless


and I took my touchless and moved it to another
bay and it goes about 7 to 1 with the soft-touch
versus the touchless. They all complained when I
took the touchless out, but the people doing the
complaining now are all doing the soft-touch.
Youve got a certain percentage of the people who
want the touchless because theyre afraid its going to scratch their car, but the engineering on the
soft-touch has come so far (they dont have the
weed-wackers anymore) that the only complaint
Ive had was from a guy that ran into my pay station and said my soft-touch damaged his car. But
I had him on video. It will take off an antenna or
a mirror once in a while, but thats the only drawback to soft-touch. One of the good things, if you
will, about the express business which has obviously taken some of our business is that theyve
trained customers that if youre going to get a
clean car, you need to touch it with something
and when you go through an express carwash its
not going be a touchless carwash. So people are
much more used to having something touch their
car now. Twenty years ago it was all touchless, but
soft-touch is the way to go unless maybe youre in
a high dollar demographic where the trend is more
like 50 percent prefer the touch-free. Its good to
have both options and capture the whole market.
If you do friction wash be sure to put a camera in
there, so if you get blamed for something you can
check the video (you need to get both sides of the
car going in and coming out). A key to touchless
is the chemicals you use. Make sure your soaps
correct and youve got to have soft water. I put
in 2 soft-cloth machines last year and took out
a touch-free and my experience has been a little
bit of a learning curve for the customers, but its
about 60% soft-cloth and 40% touch-free and no
damage to the over 20,000 cars washed so far. Ive
damaged more with touch-free than I have with

soft-cloth.

Has anybody retrofitted their carwashes


with these LED lights? Do you feel like they
really saved you money?
SPEAKER: Well before I had them I had fluorescents and I turned them off about 1am and my
attorney advised me against that so right now its
probably saving me about 25% because Im running them 24 hours a day.

Is it brighter?
SPEAKER: I put about half the LED lights up and
it a little brighter. Id do it all over again if I had to.
Ive switched mine and were out in the country
and one of the things Ive noticed is there are no
bugs flying around and attacking because theres
no heat generated.

Some of them have replacement wall


packs and some of them have the strips
that look like a fluorescent bulb what did
you put up?
SPEAKER: One thing you might want to consider is the astronomical time clocks where the
time they cut on and off changes every day based
on the seasons so you dont have to reset any
time clocks. I turn off around half my lights off
at 11pm and leave some on all night. Putting in
a new ones simple to do but going back and retro-fitting a carwash is pretty easy, too. Now with
the LEDs they will start to lose lumens over
time, so if you put them up its not the end of
working on lights forever.
For more information on the 2014 Convention &
EXPO visit www.swcarwash.org.
The SCWA 2015 Convention & EXPO will be
February 22-24, in Arlington.

Works
for
Vacuums
Too

APRIL 2014

15

GUIDE
To Choosing
A Quality
Security Camera System
Learn Whats Important And What They Dont Tell You
By Allen Spears
The quality of Security Camera Systems has improved markedly in the past few years, and even
the Police are astounded at how much better the
video footage is these days. What a difference a
few years make, because it wasnt that long ago
that the Police werent interested in looking at
your video evidence because of the poor quality.
Things have changed radically because now the
Police arent interested at all if you dont have video of the incident.
Those old clunky camera systems were also hard
to operate, the quality of the video was poor, and
getting video clips off those machines was not the
easiest task to accomplish. Luckily, most manufacturers have realized this and have worked to make
the systems better and more user friendly. While
the improvements have made the video markedly
better, it has also made it more difficult to tell an
inferior system from a good one.
Case in point: Recently a carwash owner bought
a security camera system from one of the Big Box
Warehouse stores. When he compared the system
side-by-side with a more expensive system he inherited at a carwash he purchased last year, they
both looked awesome. However, after installing
the big box system at his brand new location, the
important differences started to appear quickly.
First, he noticed that the new system had very
thin cables that caused dark lines to appear onscreen, traveling from bottom to top at a slow
pace. Apparently the cheaper cables were picking
up interference from lighting ballasts and motors.
Moving the cables farther away from the lights
only slightly improved the problem.
The next problem showed up a few days later when he began to consult the Manual on how
to connect the system to the Internet so that he
could monitor the cameras from his home, phone
and iPad. To say that the manual was lacking in
revealing exactly how to accomplish this, is an un-

16 APRIL 2014

derstatement. The manual, which was in broken


English, did not have complete details on how to
setup the system to make it internet accessible.
Then he found that there was no phone number
to be found for help in dealing with the issue, only
an email address. To make a long story short, after
a week of trying to get assistance from the reseller
to complete the process correctly, it became clear
that they didnt know squat about the system he
bought. In the end, he had to hire an IT expert at
several hundred dollars, to come out and complete
the process.
The last straw for this wash owner came a couple of months later when he was trying to transfer
some video footage of a robbery event off onto a
memory stick to give to the Police. Once again,
the Pigeon English instructions in the manual did
not result in success. The sparse directions missed
some steps on how to mark the beginning and end
of clips and also how to transfer them onto the
memory stick. After hours of trial and error, it became clear that this was not going to happen, and
the Police, tired of waiting, promptly confiscated
the entire DVR.
In contrast, the existing system at his other carwash came from an American manufacturer that
provided quality components, a longer warranty, a
better Manual and great tech support that provided immediate assistance for any task.
Lesson learned: Shopping for price alone can be
a mistake. While quality may not be visible at first
glance, it shows up quickly when you try to perform normal tasks.

What other problems are


lurking that the Resellers
dont want you to know?

One way to look past the slick graphics and


smoke & mirrors hype that some resellers try to
fool you with, is to take a closer look at the actual specifications of each component of the system
being offered. This is where they try to pull the

wool over your eyes. Many times its what they


dont tell you that makes all the difference.
For example, many of the High Definition, or
Megapixel IP camera systems being offered, promote the high resolution of the cameras and the
beautiful pictures they show you. What they dont
want you to know though, is that many of the recorders simply cant handle more than 3-4 frames
per second recording speed at high resolutions.
Even the better systems may only be able to reach
7-8 frames per second recording.
Real time recording is at 30 frames per second
no matter the resolution. Half that rate, or 15
frames per second is a good number because the
resulting recording will still look like it is real time.
Below that however, the recording starts becoming choppy and people and vehicles start to disappear in and out of the picture all of a sudden. If
the system they are offering you wont record at
least 15 frames per second at the highest resolution, find one that will.
Its not unusual for a reseller to hide the true
recording speed of their recorder. Ask them to tell
you what it is. If they tell you it will record all
channels at real time speeds, be sure and ask what
resolution that rating is for. Many times youll find
out that the system will only record small size
resolutions at real time speeds. If they are vague
about the issue or refuse to give you a straight answer, move on to another supplier. Dont be fooled
by the first numbers they throw out at you. Dig
deeper to find out what they may be hiding.

Cameras: What do you need


for each area of your wash?
Equipment Rooms

For general views of the equipment room almost any type of camera will work here. However,
if you turn the lights out when you leave, then a
Day/Night Infrared camera that displays a color
image under good lighting, then switches to black
{continued }

APRIL 2014

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Guide To Choosing A Quality Security Camera System


ic Range. This feature works by toning
down bright lights or glare from the sun,
and amplifies low lighting at night as well.
This feature is very good at moderating any
glare that may blank out most of the picture in a regular camera.

Perimeter areas or
Outlying Views

A 960H picture size graphic (scaled down to fit here).


& white with Infrared illumination to see in the
dark, is a good choice. If the equipment room is
always well-lit and you dont want anyone to see
the camera, then a disguised PIR (Passive Infrared)
motion detector style camera with a pinhole lens
is a common choice. Pinhole lenses still give good
clear views, but because of the small surface area
of the lens and decreased ability to gather light, the
rooms lighting needs to be bright and constant.

Changer/Vending Areas

Since mounting locations around this area tend


to be lower in order to get a good facial picture of
people, a vandal-proof dome is a wise choice. Cameras mounted lower that are supported on a stalk
type of mount can be hit with a stick to turn the
camera away from the area, or covered with a cap
or rag so that the thieves can work unmonitored.
These types of domes are extremely rugged and
have no exposed wires that can be cut, and also
have security screws that make it difficult to steal
or disable the camera. One thing to note about
dome cameras with infrared lights though, is that
they are limited on how far they can provide Infrared Lighting at night. If the subject area is within 20 feet or so, they will be able to adequately
light the area. If you are trying to look farther than
that with an Infrared Dome, they simply wont be
able to do it. Dome cameras have a limit to how
much light can be emitted inside the dome without causing a halo effect in the picture. A bullet
style camera has no such limitation, but must be
mounted higher to avoid someone trying to hit it
to turn it to the side.

for an IP68 rating in the specs of a camera, and a


Fan & Heater is a great option as well, because the
camera will be able to dry out any condensation
very quickly, should it occur.

Automatic Bays or Tunnels

This is the most extreme environment for any


camera, so get one that is specially built for this
environment (sealed to IP68 rating), and it will
last for years. The wrong camera for this location
can be rendered useless in a few weeks by the constant moisture, fast changing temperatures and
corrosive effects of the chemicals scaling the front
glass. A camera made for this environment should
be small in size, high resolution, have a Varifocal,
or manually-adjustable lens, and have a built-in
fan and heater that comes on at temperatures of
50 degrees or lower to combat condensation and
fogging. Also ask if the glass lens has any type of
special coating that is designed to resist chemical
etching. This type of lens coating means you wont
have to clean it as often, and the scaling deposits
will be easier to remove.
Also, if the sun blinds the camera in the morning
or late afternoon, choose a camera that has WDR
listed in the specs. WDR stands for Wide Dynam-

Cameras that are mounted on the wash


structure and looking out at outlying areas
need to be the large type in the traditional
outdoor housings. This is for several reasons. First, since the lighting tends to be
dimmer the farther you get away from the
bays, the lens surface area needs to be larger so that the camera can gather more light.
Secondly, the large camera housings are
more visible and tend to be a deterrent to
criminals. Color cameras are fine for looking toward well lit areas such as Vacuum
islands, but when pointing the camera toward darker areas, or when using the camera
to pick up license tags, a Day/Night version
that will switch to a black & white picture is really
valuable since it can see better under dim lighting
conditions. Infrared cameras are also a good choice,
especially if it has very bright infrared LEDs to
throw the lighting out to dimly lit areas at night.
Pay attention to the distance the specs say that the
infrareds can reach at night. It is a good idea to half
this figure to see if the camera will still give you
enough light at the distance you need to see. The
distance spec the camera manufacturer lists, is under ideal conditions on a moonless night. A bright
night or your own perimeter lighting can effectively halve the lighting distance you will get from an
infrared camera.

Camera Lenses are the key to


seeing what you need to see:

The human eye is an incredibly adaptable device that can focus on distant objects and immediately re-focus on something close by. It can look
into the distance or at a wide angle nearby. It also
has a long depth of field, therefore scenes over a
long distance can be in focus at the same time.
By contrast the basic lens of a CCTV camera is
{continued }

Self Serve Bays

Good, tight seals and waterproof construction


are required in the harsh Bay environments. Large
outdoor housings dont work well in bays because
of the tendency for the large glass plate on the
front to get dirty and scaly pretty quickly. Small
format cameras work well here because they tend
to be even more moisture resistant than the larger cameras in housings, and their small lens glass
sheds water better with longer intervals between
cleanings. Avoid the tiny bullet cameras that some
companies sell, as they are a poor choice for any
wet location since they have a bad reputation for
condensation and fogging on a regular basis. Look

An HD 1080p Video Size, (scaled down to fit here).a


APRIL 2014

19

Guide To Choosing A Quality Security Camera System


an exceptionally crude debe better off with stationvice. It can only be focused
ary cameras that constantly
Lines of Resolution:
on a single plane, everything
monitor a scene rather than
before and after this bea moving camera that may
Not every camera must be the highest resolution model available. Depending on
comes progressively out of
miss something that happens
where you are using them, many standard resolution cameras will look great on a
focus. This single focus point
when it is looking elsewhere.
good quality system.
must be predetermined and
Also factor in the fact that
Use high resolution cameras where you need the clearest pictures and greatest dethat is usually not a guaranPTZ cameras are a mechantail,
such
as:
license
tag
views,
cash
registers,
change
machines
or
other
cash
points.
tee that an occurrence that
ical apparatus that will evenyou want to see will happen
tually wear out and will need
in that area. Therefore, the
more maintenance than simselection of the most appropler cameras, especially if
priate lens for each camera must frequently be a
you have them moving constantly.
compromise between what you expect to see and
Choosing A Quality Digital
the practical use of the system. Its not feasible to
Recorder
see the whole wash bay and be able to read all the
These days all DVRs are digital. Even an Analog
license tags with one lens. The solution may be to
system
uses digital cameras and DVRs, but uses
add more cameras or to compromise with a lens
analog to transmit the signal to the Recorder. The
strength that is somewhere in between.
hard part is figuring out what type of DVR to use,
One of the best lens types to work with when you
and how to end up with a good quality recorder
install your system, is the Varifocal, or manually
that will give you what you expect and is reliable
adjustable zoom lens. This type of lens gives you
over the long haul. Many times, its what youre
a small amount of adjustability to fine tune each
NOT told that causes you grief, so to help you to
scene, whereas a fixed lens camera is pre-set to a
understand the myths and learn to ask the right
particular view. As adaptable as the Varifocal lenses
questions, here are some helpful tips and things
are, theyre tempting to use everywhere. However,
that you need to look at before buying a DVR or
depending on which area of the wash you want to
NVR (Network Video Recorder which is used for
you can have the camera panning to each bay,
cover, theyre not always the best choice when conIP-based systems).
then zoom in to capture the license tag, then
sidering both price and effectiveness.
on to the next bay or area you want to record.
The following is a list of the most common types
PC-based Systems
You can interrupt the camera to move it around,
of lenses used and where they may work best:
Digital recording can push any system to its limthen make it go back to its primary job. Some
Fixed Lenses - View is fixed and cannot be alits, and this is especially true with pc-based DVRs.
of the nicer models even have several inputs so
tered. Least costly and usually comes standard
It is especially true of the hard drives. No other type
that you can attach some type of external sensor
with a 3.6mm lens, or also can be ordered with
of device pushes hard drives harder than a DVR or
to trigger the camera to swing around and capother options as well. A simple camera to use.
NVR. Most desktop PCs are not designed to operture a license tag on a passing car, or to zoom in
Arrives pre-set and pre-focused so all you have
ate long term in the harsh electrical and moisture
on a certain area when there is activity.
to do is hang it, plug it in, point it and youre
intensive environments inside most car washes, yet
The PTZ cameras are certainly a nice tool to
done. Used for short distance shots and genI have had PCs at several washes for years with lithave and also make a nifty toy to play with on
eral wide-angle views. Ex: Equipment rooms,
tle trouble out of them. The key to having a PCslow evenings at home, but they do have a few
changers, vending, doors, some bays, etc.
based system that can operate as well, or as long as
drawbacks that you need to be aware of. Price is
Varifocal lenses - Small amount of adjustaa stand-alone or purpose-built DVR, is using a hard
the first consideration. Good quality outdoor rated
bility is provided to get the correct width and
drive that is specifically designed for DVRs.
PTZs and accompanying accessories can run close
distance. Available for only a few dollars more
A quality 16 channel DVR is capturing and digito $1,500 each for an Analog PTZ, and $2,000 or
on most cameras. The amount of adjustability
tizing as many as 480 pictures every second, while
more for a High Definition. In some cases you may
varies with each lens, but try to get a camserving you and perhaps others remote video via
era with a 2.8mm to 12mm
the Internet, and allowing an
range that will give you
operator at the PC to be doing
the versatility you need for
something simultaneously. That
Bays or outlying areas, and a
kind of intensive multitasking
Telephoto range of 5mm to
can work a hard drive to death
50mm or more when using
within 6 months easily. If a supthe camera to capture scenes
plier is offering a pc-based system,
farther away.
find out whether they are using
Zoom Lenses Usually eleca hard drive rated and built spetrically operated and most
cifically for DVR systems. If you
commonly a part of a Pan/
use a consumer grade hard drive,
Tilt/Zoom type camera. Pan/
be prepared for a short lifespan,
Tilt/Zoom cameras, or PTZs,
and a lot of hassle because when
are nifty gadgets that can be
your main drive crashes, you will
used to do the job of severnot only lose the archived footage
al cameras, and have many
on that drive, but also your entire
tricks up their sleeve that can
operating system as well. That
be really helpful. These types
catastrophe will keep you down
of cameras can not only be
for a while as you reload the OS
remotely controlled over the
and the DVR software back onto
Internet from your PC, but
a drive. Reloading Windows may
can also be programmed to
be tough to accomplish these
perform tours and go to predays because it is increasingly rare
set positions automatically or
to get the original Windows disks
Approximate view of each lens
upon an event. For example:
{continued }
size in a 15 x 15 room.

20 APRIL 2014

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APRIL 2014

21

Guide To Choosing A Quality


Security Camera System
Camera System Tips:
Avoid putting up dummy cameras unless you are adding to
the perceived coverage of your real camera system. Used by
themselves, dummy cameras can create a legal liability for an
expectation of safety or protection where none exists. Besides,
criminals seem to intuitively know when a camera is fake.
Put up warning signs. Highly visible signage lets employees
and customers know that their actions are being recorded,
and signs can greatly increase the deterrent effect as well.

with a PC
purchase.
Remember
that a PC-based
system needs to be
dedicated to the task at hand.
Dont let employees get on the
PC and surf the net, because they
will inevitably pick up viruses or
worms that will slow the system
to a crawl, or even worse, cause it
to stop working altogether. Loading
games onto a PC-based DVR is also
a bad idea. Games are also very processor intensive and this will lead to
a dramatic loss of performance and
possible system crashes.

Purpose-built
Stand-Alone or
Embedded DVRs

The most popular type of DVR


or NVR are sometimes called
stand-alone systems because they
do not need a computer or any
other devices to operate. Another
common name is an embedded system because the entire operating
system and software has been embedded on the processor chip. No
software resides on the hard drives,
as those are reserved for archived
footage. This arrangement allows
the system to work much faster,
and also makes it virtually immune
to hacking or viruses. Thus, you
can put it on the Internet without
any worries about picking up a virus or allowing someone to hack
into it. These stable systems are
usually Linux-based but you never know that because you only see
the graphic interface and menus,
and never have to deal with the
operating system or even see it.
Lately, however, there have been
a lot of cheap stand-alone DVRs
come in from overseas. Unfortunately it is just as easy to get taken with a cheap knock-off as it is
to buy PC cards that are junk. So
I have compiled the following list
of minimum performance parameters to look for when evaluating
a stand-alone DVR. Again, if they
try to hide some of the numbers

22 APRIL 2014

or wont give
them to you
at all, move
on to another
supplier.

Analog
Resolution

The latest resolution to


hit analog systems gets
awfully close to Megapixel. In fact, within a year or
two, you may start to see many
analog systems commonly seeing
and recording megapixel sized video. Analog was once thought to be
maxed out at 740 x 480, but SONY
and a few other companies are
pushing analog into the megapixel
range very quickly. The latest resolution jump that is now widely used
is called 960H. This new standard
allows 34% more resolution than
older systems. The recorded size is
960 x 480. This is the same height
as the last generation of DVRs, but
is much wider. This wider picture
accomplishes two things: the picture is so much wider now that it
can see the area it used to take two
cameras to see. Also, it finally brings
analog video into the same screen
format as HD video, movies and
other high resolution media. The
old format was 4:3, which is a basically square monitor, and are increasingly harder to find. The new
format conforms to the same 16:9
monitor ratio that your PC monitor, TVs and other media uses. The
new 960H DVRs have also started
outputting video to the monitor at
1080p, and uses the same HDMI
cables that your TV and Blu-Ray
equipment uses.

Digital Resolution

All-Digital systems, such as IP,


HD-SDI, HD-CVI and others,
should have several recording resolutions, such as: 960H, 720p, 1080p,
etc. It is usually a good idea to buy
a digital camera with the ability to
output at 1080p because you will
be able to reduce the output to any
other resolution via the cameras
menu functions, if needed.

Guide To Choosing A Quality Security Camera System


Frame Rate

The latest systems, both analog and digital, most


often show you live video in real time. However,
more than half the systems sold do not have the
ability to record at anywhere near real time when
set to the highest resolution. In fact, 3-4 frames
per second is the norm for some of these systems,
and at that rate the video will be jerky and many
movements or actions will be missed entirely. Recording frame rate at the highest resolution is very
important. Real time is defined as 30 frames per
second per camera. However, if you insist on recording that fast, you will fill up your hard drives
in just a couple of days. So a compromise is in order. The human eye cannot really distinguish the
difference between 20 frames per second and 30.
In fact, I have found that on a quality DVR, I can
record at 15 frames per second and it still looks
near enough to real time that I cant see much
difference. So that should be your minimum recording rate: 15 frames per second times the total number of cameras the system can handle. (ie:
60fps on a 4 camera system, 120fps on a 8 camera
system, and 240fps on a 16 camera system). Try
very hard not to settle for less.

Other Features

Most digital systems these days have all the standard bells and whistles, but there are some out
there that do not support remote video feeds on
your other devices such as smart phones, tablets
or iPads. Of those that do, some will only support

one camera at a time on your device. Make


sure that you get to see all your cameras
simultaneously. Many users increasingly
rely on mobile devices to not only watch
their cameras, but to also search through
archived footage and change the settings
on the DVR. All of these features are hallmarks of a quality DVR.
Last but not least look at the Warranty
the company provides. A reputable company should give you a fix it or replace
it warranty for at least 2 years. Beware of
the system that comes with a 90 day parts
and labor, or 1 year parts only warranty. If
they wont stand behind your system, why
should you buy it?
If you let the performance numbers listed above be your guide to choosing a good
quality system, you will be happy with
your system for years to come.
Allen Spears has been in the carwash business
for more than 25 years, and currently owns 4
washes in Texas. Allen is also the Chief Engineer at CarWashCameras.com (a division
of Rugged CCTV), for the past 21 years, and
has designed systems for over 5000 car washes during his career. He can be e-mailed at
allensp@carwashcameras.com, and can be
reached at 1-866-301-CCTV.

Wireless Cameras:
Wireless cameras are not usually recommended
for car washes. Wireless technology requires lineof-sight and will not go through walls well at all.
Wireless cameras are also prone to interference
from a variety of sources such as a microwave
oven, three phase motors, vacuum motors, nearby WiFi systems or other radio sources. When
you think about it, there really is no such thing as
a wireless camera you must run a power wire to
the camera in order for it to operate. So, since
you must run power wire, then you might as well
run video cable right along with the power.
There are some situations where a wireless camera may be your only choice, such as across
roadways or where digging a trench or running
an overhead wire is not feasible. Rural areas also
tend to have less wireless congestion that may
cause interference. In these cases, seek a high
power wireless system that operates at higher
frequencies such as 5.8 Ghz.
Installation of some wireless transmitter/receiver
systems may require specific expertise to diagnose problems and fine-tune the setup, so make
sure your vendor has experience in wireless technology before buying a system.

APRIL 2014

23

THE HISTORY OF

Self Serve
Carwashing

PART I I

Editors Note: Part II of our History was


originally published in the Spring 99
issue of Self Serve Carwash News and is
republished here in its totality, including a
form at the end of the article inviting readers
to send in corrections, revisions, suggestions
or further information to amend history
or supplement it, as the case may be. We
look forward to working on Part III of
this History, which will cover innovations,
progress and the ups and downs of self
serve carwashing in the 1980s and 1990s.
We invite our readers to participate in its
reporting by contacting Kate Carr at katec@
sscwn.com. Finally, our thanks to Jarret J.
Jakubowski for his original reporting, which
has resulted in this fascinating and faithful
report on the earliest and most formative
years of self serve carwashing.

Birth of SSCWN

After having retired from the Air Force, Joe


Campbell and his wife Julia (Judy to Joe and
friends) went looking for a nice, not-too-demanding business into which they could semi-retire.
Something not too far from their home in Tustin,
California, which is about 35 miles southeast of
Los Angeles.
As with so many of the first coin-op carwash
owners, the Campbells got involved with laundries
first. They bought six laundromats (and a bill of
goods) from a group of businessmen who Joe insists were Mafia. They all looked, talked, dressed,
and drove cars that were right out of Goodfellas.
And they were smooooth. Yes, most of the stores
were in iffy South Central neighborhoods, but
just look at how well theyre all doing, folks

Taken to the Cleaners

Joe and Judy were driven around several times


to get acquainted with the business and to observe
the wise cracking wise guy owner/manager empty the coin boxes. Every box in every wash would
always be brimming with quarters! The hardest
thing about this business was hauling away all that
money off to the bank. Right!
Soon after signing on the dotted line they realized they had made a terrible mistake. The business
had been outrageously misrepresented. Those coin
boxes had been salted, that is, seductively stuffed
by the seller -- not customers. And while the cash
did not flow, other troubles did. Vandalism and
theft were non stop. Not just breaking into the coin
boxes, but the almost routine hauling off of washers
and dryers! Add to that the peculiar culinary practices of the locals. Who could have imagined cus-

24 APRIL 2014

By Jarret J. Jakubowski
During the period of explosive, unparalleled
growth of self service in the 60s, the public had
come to know and call it the quarter carwash
or 25 carwash. It was not at all unusual for
owners to actually name their washes with those
exact phrases painted prominently on pole and
mansard signs.
By the early 70s, most owners had gotten nervously apprehensive about having painted themselves into such a tight corner. They knew the
identity of the 25 carwash as a 25 Carwash
had been powerfully imprinted on the collective
mind of the American public. Like the original 10
Commandments, that fee for that service seemed
burned and carved in stone.
The 70s, however, ushered in an inflationary
spiral that would be fueled by an energy crisis
fabricated by the international oil cartel. Presi-

tomers would toss buckets of shrimp into dryers


and spend a quarter to cook them!
There had to be some better way to
semi-retire than this. How about that new
type of carwash they had been seeing at
the Automatic Coin Laundry conventions? The Campbells unloaded those urban laundries at a loss and bought a 5-bay
metal SofSpra from Cook Machinery.
Ahhh what could have been a nicer, easier business to ease on into retirement than
operating a coin-op carwash in the 60s? Hey,
take your pick.
The challenge of keeping five bays running was
daunting. There were blue suede shoes salesmen
aplenty, as evidenced by areas that had a coin-op
carwash on every corner. Lots of salesmen and
washes, but service after the sale was in painfully
short supply. Just finding replacement parts in an
industry that had jury-rigged together components snatched from here and there was an exercise in frustration.

Demon Inflation

Moving into the 70s there were improvements


in equipment and more competitive R&D among
manufacturers. But how do you pay for new and
better pumps, coin acceptors, and booms with
quarters that were now worth 15 to 18 because
demon inflation had been taking its big bites?!
And if the cash/profits arent flowing to the operator, how can they trickle up to the manufacturers
to stimulate more badly needed R&D and technological progress?!
California operators, the Campbells among
them, were the first to break the dreaded Quarter

dent Nixon did the unthinkable for a Republican


- Tricky Dick instituted wage/price controls. Still
costs were going up, up, up for coin-op carwash
owners and profits were slip sliding down. Something had to give.
Enter Mom n Pop Campbell...

Barrier and make the great


leap to 50. Joe Campbell is
not a gregarious, outspoken
rabble rouser by nature, but
the results of making that leap
of faith -- leap of hope, actually -were so positive and so profitable he
had to let the world know! Joe and
Judy were absolutely, 110% convinced that this was what the
industry needed to survive
and improve. Their business
did not come to an untimely
end. Customer did not curse them
and trot back to driveways. There was hardly a momentary sputter. Volume was not hurt a bit while
revenue doubled!
They started looking for forums to spread the
word. Joe briefly wrote a column for American
Clean Car in which he made a point of banging the go to 50 now! drum. By 72, Joe was
giving speeches at NCC conventions exhorting
his fellow carwashers to follow the lead of a few
brave California operators and start charging a
half dollar, too. Those who rose to the challenge
had similar positive results. Some wrote letters to
the Campbells or told them of their experience at
conventions.
It was obvious to Joe and Judy there was a serious information vacuum. Operators simply talking
to operators should not be that difficult or infrequent. If only there were a newsletter that would
allow for a free exchange of information that
mattered most to them. And, ideally, this forum
would have to be unencumbered of obligation to
an undue influence from the manufacturers.
{continued }

APRIL 2014

25

the History of Self Serve Carwashing


True, the NCC did do a good -- often a great -job of moving coin-op carwashing forward. But it
was essentially a closed-loop organization. Some
described it as benign but incestuous. Of the 18
executive and board members there was as few as
one operator there to represent thousands of operators. While the other 17 positions tended to rotate among a couple dozen manufacturers with a
natural, vested interest in representing a couple
dozen manufacturers. And, as time passed, the inexorable force of the oil companies and tunnel
manufacturers came to dilute and distract attention from the purist coin-op wand wash operations upon which the NCC was originally
founded.
Self serve operators still needed an ideal voice
and way to share information of special interest to
them: real world evaluations of equipment, helpful hints, survival tips, problems and solutions, plus
some amusing anecdotes and even horror stories
from the trenches. All helping to foster a sense of
camaraderie -- a grassroots unity and support.
The existing carwash trade publications had
little interest in nurturing such an industry stepchild ...especially one the dominant ACWA/ICA
had been determined to exclude. In 1967 the
NCC had created a wonderful monthly newsletter
for its members
called Business
Builder. It was
only one sheet
(with print on
both
sides),
but it managed to contain
an
amazing
amount of valuable information specifically
and exclusively
for the coin-op
carwash operator -- akin to
the ideal forum described above. When the NCC broadened
its focus in the 70s to accommodate oil companies,
rollover and tunnel businesses -- an industry beginning to diversify -- the time was right for someone, somewhere to give self serve its own voice
again.
No one else was stepping up to the plate, so
Mom n Pop Campbell took that step. In 1974, 40
years ago, the Campbells put out the first issue of
Self Service Carwash News with absolutely no
previous publishing experience. It was mailed to
less than 500 operators and was only 8 pages long.
That issue and those that followed for the next 10
years would be pounded out on an old Smith-Corona typewriter (no slick, expensive typesetting),
cut and pasted together by Joe and Judy on their
kitchen table.
That was the humble beginning of a remarkable phenomenon. Within a few years, there were
5,000 self service operators receiving a 40, and
then an 80-page SSCWN. The mailing list was
built laboriously by going to all the trade shows;
local operator-to-operator word-of-mouth; begging for names from manufacturers and distributors; and the Campbells famous, ongoing feature
-- Carwashes on the Road. Joe and Judy drove
around the country and visited about 1,200 self

26 APRIL 2014

serve carwashes and many


hundreds of operators. Along
the way, year after year, they
would leave copies of the
SSCWN and encourage operators to upgrade their facilities, attend carwash conventions, join and form carwash
associations, and, of course, to
raise your prices!
The Campbells successfully completed their primary
mission. The quarter barrier
was broken in no small part
because of their testimony,
example, and sharing their
experience in a nationwide
forum of their own creation.
SSCWN editorials savaged
the play it safe strategy advocated by many: go slowly,
incrementally and bump the
price only one thin dime up to 35. Joe called that
nonsense -- foolish, shortsighted, cumbersome,
self-destructive a losing game that was just plain
wrong! He was proven correct by those who did
go the quarter and a dime route. It was major
coin-handling hassle and expense that did not pay.
Shaving time from the standard 5 minutes of time
bought some time, but at the wrong time. Thatw
as a maneuver better held back in reserve until after the 25 price hike.
The quarter increment increase was proven (albeit anecdotally at first) to be the way to go. After
championing the 50 breakthrough, other developments followed. As more cash flowed to the
operators and they became more informed, more
united and more vocal through the SSCWN and
within the Associations, self service carwashing entered a new era...a new age.

Carwashing Ages

In a number of editorials, Joe Campbell referred


to the 60s and early 70s as the Dark Ages - a
period when ...the blind were leading the blind
everybody was making it up as they went along
no one recognized who we really were and what
we could ultimately achieve.
Then the mid 70s heralded what Joe Campbell
called the age of The Revolution. Prior to that,
...the industry, Joe said, was defined and directed from the top/down the manufacturers decided what the operators did or did not need coin-op
carwashing was a take it or leave
it sellers market. That began to
change. With more money to spend,
a better sense of what they wanted
in equipment, increasing competition among the supply siders, and
a voice in the SSCWN -- direction
and pressure for change began to
surge from the bottom/up.
There were several milestone developments in the 70s that were
the result of supply side ingenuity
in response to operator as well as
public demand. Were talking about
De-Icing, Solid State Electronics,
Trigger Guns, and on the cusp of

Our fearless founders,


The Campbells, posed
underneath their new
50-cent signage.
the decade, the illustrious
Foaming Brush. Each in
their own way unquestionably redefined the industry
and moved it forward.

Floor Heat

Theres one simple way


to solve all the problems
endured by operators in
the Sun Belt states. Well,
not exactly solve, rather
just make their challenges
pale into cheery insignificance. The therapy the SSCWN prescribes is this
-- operate a carwash up North through one bitter
Winter season as done in the 60s -- with no floor
heat. Bing, youre cured. In the Spring, cruise on
back South or to California and operate happily
ever after that experience.
It can be a (polar) bear operating even with floor
heat nowadays. Its hard to imagine how so many
Northern operators in the 60s and early 70s coped
in Winter with no floor heat. The numbing, ongoing war waged against an unrelenting icy enemy in
the frozen hell of Freeze Belt carwash bays had to
be endured to be believed.
Many operators just chained off their bays and
stopped operating. Others used what was jokingly called Air Heat -- that is, operators would
get compressed air-driven jack hammers to bust
up the mountains of ice buildup. Salting, cracking, chopping, shoveling, plowing, and hauling
mini-glaciers out of the bays might be necessary a
couple times a day. Think about it, you happy go
lucky Sun Belters -- stacked bays each continuously occupied by a customer continuously generating 2 to 3 gallons of overspray per minute for 5-10
minutes with the air temp of 10 to 15 or more
below freezing. Then add small, easily frozen,
plugged floor drains to the mix. What have you
got? Just picture every customer leaving in each
bay the equipment average of about 10 one gallon
milk jugs worth of ice! Then figure 8 customers
{continued }

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the History of Self Serve Carwashing


or so per hour, 8 to 12 hours per day and,
well, you do get the picture, right? Before you
know it youre talking enough ice to sink the
Titanic!
There were some less back breaking applications of de-icing systems starting in the 60s.
There were operators who had some moderate success with gas fired, overhead infrared
radiant heaters. The early ones were not efficient, heated unevenly and could be dangerous. Weve heard of one lady whose synthetic
wig caught fire becoming a flaming, molten
clump that clung to her head and almost
killed her. There were also some low voltage,
electric heating grids embedded in the concrete. They too were very inefficient and unreliable.
There were a lot of bucks to be made in the
winter up North. The public hates that corrosive, ugly whitish residue from road salting,
but they cannot wash in their own driveway
and ice it up in freezing weather.Consequently, the volume of traffic that stacks Northern
washes on a clear day after the streets have been
plowed will take your breath away. As they say
at Blimpies -- its a beautiful thing! But trying
to keep the bays open was a very ugly, tough job
...until operators got what you might call --

The Real Deal

More often than not, its very difficult and dicey


attributing someone or some company the credit
for being the first or the best or the most at
virtually anything in this industry -- success has
many fathers in carwashing. But there are no contenders for the title
Father of Carwash
DeIcing. It belongs
to one man alone -Herm Deal, founder of Huron Valley
Sales.
This article is now
in its 1970s segment.
Thats when (starting
Herm
mid 70s) a huge push
Deal
for radiant, in-floor
de-icing systems by
Raypak began. Old washes got successful retro-fits
capped over existing floors and new washes saw
de-icing installed as pretty much standard. (An article written by Herm Deal in 74 for the SSCWN,
by the way, got a lot of operators attention and
didnt hurt the trend a bit.) However, the first applications of this technology in coin-op carwashes
actually happened about 10 years earlier. It was
Robo-Wash in 66 that took the lead by having
Deal install several dozen de-icing systems in conjunction with new ROBOs. It was very soon after
that National Pride then had Raypak and Deal (a
Raypak rep at that time) begin to apply radiant
heat to new NP wand wash installations.
For Your Information -- radiant heating has a
longer history than you might think ...much longer. Thousands of years ago, the ancient Romans
actually warmed the tiled, mosaic floors of their
grand spas by way of hot water running through
pipes in the floor!
A couple millennia later, Raypak took this basic
concept and created modern radiant floor heat

aesthetically pleasing wash construction demanded by planning/zoning boards.


Herm Deal discounts his personal part in
carwashings history by simply saying, I just
happened to be in the right place at the right
time. Those who really know what this industry was and what it has come to be would
simply amend that to say, Herm Deal was the
right man in that place at that time.
Coincident with the rising implementation
of radiant floor heat from HVS on the east
side of Michigan, there was another technological milestone being set into place on the
west side of the solid state of Michigan

Going Solid State

which was first applied to residential heating and


then adapted to commercial applications. In carwashes, the system consists of a specialized boiler
and pump that circulates a heated antifreeze solution through a manifold and tube grid set a couple
inches below the surface of the poured concrete
floor. When the temp gets around 35, thermostats
fire the boiler which heats the liquid thats circulated through the tubing which warms the concrete
which prevents water on the floor becoming ice.

If It Aint Broke

Apart from modifications in materials (going


from copper and steel pipe to plastic tubing, for
example) and efficiency, durability enhancements
to components -- the system has changed remarkably little over the last three decades. As they say,
if it aint broke. A testimony to that is the fact
that Herm Deals Huron Valley Sales company
has installed almost 10,000 floor heat systems
for carwashes over that time, ...and almost 100
percent are still on-line, Herm tells us, including
the very first unit ever installed in a carwash the
rollover in Jacks Shell gas station back in 1965!
One of the Deals not so secret secrets of success
has been a rejection of the cookiecutter approach.
Each installation has been individually engineered -- designed and balanced -- to work most
efficiently and dependably with the parameters of
a given site.
Deals Huron Valley Sales early on diversified
into water treatment. There were boilers (apart
from floor heat), water softeners and in the late
70s HVS was one of the very first (in conjunction
with Pro Water) to bring Spot Free Rinse to wand
bays. But without a doubt, Herm Deals most celebrated and revered contribution to the carwash
industry was his refined, engineered application of
radiant floor heat. Before Herm, washes in Winter
were a frozen hell. Thanks to Herm, Winter became a little bit of heaven. The busiest and most
profitable season of the year for Northern operators! The whole industry, however, was enhanced
by that transformation. The infusion and promise
of that new cash went a long way to drive even
more technological advancements while financing
the investment in equipment upgrades and more

In 1969 Jeff Anderson bought his first two


self serve carwashes. Several years later he had
acquired a partner, Cal Murdock, and named
their fledgling company GinSan, after their
wives, Ginny and Sandy. By 75 they had
another partner, Gene Roberts, with whom
they purchased all the remaining, existing self
serve carwashes in Grand Rapids, Michigan giving them a total of 11 washes.
Needless to say, these men cut their teeth on
this business at a time and place that were not
very forgiving. They were among those who had
to salt, crack,chip, chop, shovel, plow and haul
ice ...until they met Herm Deal at a trade show
and began adding floor heat as quickly as cash flow
would allow.
They were still plagued by a problem common
to many operators in the early 70s -- beat the
box thievery. The old Greenwald laundry turnknob acceptors would not only accept almost any
junk slug, whacking them would trip the delicate
whisker switch and give free cycles. Word got
around and it wasnt uncommon to hear more
teenage customers rapping on coin boxes with
wands than dropping quarter into those boxes.
Jeff Anderson solved that problem for the GinSan
chain by doing a little enhancement f coin mechs
rom Coin Mech of Chicago. Anderson simply added delay switches (from Radio Shack) which ended
the wand whacking and time theft. That was also
the beginning of GinSans move into the manufacturing arena. They exhibited their tough mech the
next year at an NCC trade show. GinSan provided a bat and a challenge to conventioneers. A sign
placed next to the device said Beat On The Box!
No amount of banging or shaking would trigger a
start but a quarter would.
That down-to-earth marketing of that simple
product got a lot of favorable attention and they
sold like hot cakes. The market for rugged, dependable solid state electronics was making itself
obvious. What would soon follow were a series of
timers specifically designed for the coin-op carwashes that could handle the harsh environment
as well as more complex and precise time/price
configurations.
As implied above, it all started pretty much with
the Greenwald timer -- the linchpin of the coin
laundry business drafted into carwash service in
the 60s. The Greenwald acceptor/timer is a simple technology thats still in satisfactory use in
laundromats today. It is completely mechanical
-- using a turn knob or slide tray that would close
{continued }
APRIL 2014

29

the History of Self Serve Carwashing

a snap action switch which would activate a tiny,


low torque motor with an attached timing cam.
The cams have time pins that are set to determine
the time cycle. When it worked, the Greenwald
was -- is -- a work horse. It got the job done, but
was fraught with problems of improper acceptance/rejection and
jamming.
Then, in 1976,
Keltner Research
of Littleton, Colorado, introduced
their 3A Electronic Timer. This was
the first timer to
utilize an RC circuit -- a rotary potentiometer (aka
knob) that when
set to a certain clock position (i.e. 12, 3, 6, etc.)
would give a time value. Setting the time was not
always easy or accurate. You had to verify your
settings as best you could with your wrist watch.
Often time cycles would vary from bay to bay, vac
to vac. There was a genuine noteworthy new feature in this unit -- namely, it was accumulative.
That is, it allowed coins to be accepted after the
start-up cycle in order to purchase additional time
if needed. Keltner would then establish itself as a
primary developer and supplier of carwash timers.
The next major step forward occurred when
GinSan discovered and hired Don Parker. Jeff Anderson describes Parker as the Einstein of Carwash
Electronics while others in the industry have given him the title of coin-op carwashings Father
Time. It was Parker who designed GinSans GS-3
which, with refinements, used the same type of
RC circuitry as the Keltner 3A. GinSans reputation for quality, solid state electronics
was largely established by the GS-3.
But less than two
years after the 3,
Parker designed and
GinSan brought to
market the GS-7
which would earn the honor of becoming the

30 APRIL 2014

most widely used timer in the carwash industry.


The primary breakthrough feature of the GS-7
was its being the first digital timer. It utilizes a binary dip switch to set the
number of coins to start
and time per coin. This enabled the carwash operator
to very precisely and consistently set times without
a wristwatch. This in many
ways was the Granddaddy
of them all. Most timers
built subsequent to the
GS-7 wisely chose to, shall
we say, emulate it.
After the GS-7 blazed
the trail, there were innumerable variations and
improvements among the timers being designed
for the coin-op carwash industry. Such developments as Last Coin Alerts, Last Minute Alert,
Grace Time, Bonus Time, Multi-Time, Digital
Displays, and still more as we moved in the 80s.
Creative manufacturers such as IDX and DixMor
would, indeed, bring much to the technological table from which todays operator can feast.

The Sensortron Age

We cannot review all the electronic devices that


came out of the 70s. Rather, were taking a look
at those few that were watershed advancements
-- broadly affecting and changing the course of the
industry after their introduction. In that context,
there is one more electronic innovation that must
be mentioned -- THE coin acceptor that helped
revolutionize this business ...and beyond.
The device got its start, in effect, from Ray Nicholson, president of CoinMech -- the worlds largest
supplier of coin acceptor devices. Almost every device everywhere that took a coin -- from pinball,
slow and pop machines to vibrating beds in hotels
and pay phones -- used Coin Mechs coin mechs.
Nicholson had come to be both friend and associate
to Jeff Anderson after GinSan began enhancing
Coin Mech acceptors in 72. Impressed by the advances being made by GinSans hotshot electronic
whiz, Don Parker, Nicholson told Anderson Coin
Mech needed an electronic coin acceptor. Something more sophisticated, less mechanical, more

reliable and accurate.


Around 76, Nicholson had brought a guide
to GinSan -- a primitive electronic acceptor that
he had discovered a German company manufacturing. Don Parker refused to even look at it. He
did not want to be burdened and distracted by
someone elses approach. Parker insisted on doing
this his way. Nobody knows whatever happened
to that brand of German acceptor, but the world
sure came to know Parker and GinSans. As the
decade of the 70s was ending, a new age in coin
acceptance was about to begin. After several years
of development and field testing, the Sensortron
was ready for the market.
Basically it consisted of three magnetic coils
with two slots between them. A quarter (or token) is placed in one slot to set up its own magnetic field. When a customers coin (or slug) falls
through the other slot, its magnetic field is measured against the desired coins in the first slot. If
the two match -- coin accepted and the timer receives a voltage pulse. No match -- slug rejected.
And, importantly, being no mechanical maze of
gates, springs, wires and switches the Sensortron
was virtually jam proof.
The Sensortron soon became the universal standard for coin acceptors. And we mean universal.
There was a gentlemans agreement between

GinSan and Coin Mech (between Anderson and


Nicholson). Both were involved sharing the cost
of years of R&D headed by Don Parker. So when
market ready, GinSan would have exclusive access
to the carwash industry; Coin Mech would sell the
Sensortron acceptor to, quite literally, the rest of
the world; a huge market.
Coin Mechs adapting the Sensortron to millions
of those pinball, slot and pop machines, (etcetera,
etcetera) around the world is one of the things
that sets this chapter of carwash history apart from
the others. After a couple of decades of self service
adapting this, that and everything from other industries, the Sensortron turned the tables. For the
first time, a product developed by carwashers for
carwashers would move from this industry to others That speaks volumes and symbolizes the rising
level of sophistication self service would continue
to enjoy moving on into the 80s.
By the end of that decade, Don Parker would
go independent. Feeling deprived of full reward
and recognition, he founded Parker Engineering.
Remarkably, the patent rights on the Sensortron
{continued }

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32 APRIL 2014

the History of Self Serve Carwashing


had not been formally established. Suddenly there
was a 3-way tug o war litigated between GinSan,
Coin Mech and Don Parker, who ultimately won
the rights to the Sensortron which was repackaged as Parker Engineerings SlugBuster. GinSan,
of course, still sells the legendary Sensortron, but
now pays to license the technology it had first introduced to the industry.
There are two more important developments in
coin-op carwashing that took root in the 70s that
we should consider. One addressed customer safety, the other customer satisfaction. So, as they say,
safety first

Wands & Guns

Once upon a time, simple wands served coinop fairly well and safely. A 2-3 foot length of pipe
with a rubber bicycle handle to improve grip and
insulate a customers hand from the pipe heated
by 110-120 water rushing through it.
If a customer should drop a wand -- no real big
deal. Pumping 2-3 GPM at only 400-500 PSI, a
dropped wand and hose would only wriggle around
on the bay floor like a sleepy garter snake you might
have poked while working in your garden. But as we
moved deeper into the 70s, new high-performance
pumps and regulators enabled operators to deliver
out to the bay some staggeringly high volume and
pressure. PSIs of 800, 900, 1000 pounds and more
were do-able but not controllable.
In 1975, Jim Coleman/Coleman Co. gave the
SSCWN an interview in which he berated the industry suppliers who were so obsessed with selling equipment by selling more and more and still
more so called Cleaning POWER! The formula
concocted for CP was GM x PSI. For example,
4 GM at 800 PSI would equal 3200 pounds of
Cleaning Power! Coleman warned that this compulsion to put as much pressure/power in the
hands of customers as the new pumps would allow
was terribly foolish, dangerous and self destructive.
We doubt that Coleman could have imagined how
right he would be proven to be.
It took a while for it to sink in. In the mid-70s,
there were a number of operator interviews in
which they yucked it up about how amusing their
customers looked chasing wands all around the
bays. Sure, some took some lumps, but this was in
the days before litigation was a national pastime and
people sued at the drop of a hat -- or drop of a wand.
The SSCWN then began receiving distributing
reports from operators around the country in 75
and 76 and made a point of printing them -- letter
after letter -- much to the ire of some suppliers de-

Careful -- youll shoot your eye out with that thing!

termined to sell as much perfectly safe, worry


free equipment as possible.
For example, an operator, Joe Rutan, from
Northern California wrote to us in late 76 telling of how his new wash was equipped with
pumps that his supplier set to generate 6 GPM
and 1200 PSI! Thats the equivalent spray impact of 3 GPM at 2400 PSI -- a pressure wash
rip saw!
Rutan said as soon as he opened, wands started flying around the wash like birds. Customers
would sometimes drop the wands or start the
cycle before taking the wand firmly in hand. Invariably, they went with their first instinct -- try
to grab a hold on the pipe or hose -- rather than
pushing the toggle switch on the meter box to
the off position.
Not only were customers and their cars
getting damaged, his brick walls were getting
chipped and bay lights broken. The flying
wands were so spectacular that the neighborhood kids would pool their pocket change, set
a wand in the middle of an open bay, pop a
couple quarters in the meter, jump out of the
way, and then set back and watch the show.
Chipped paint and dents were one thing, but
then there were litanies of testimony such as -a customer was blinded in one eye by a fly away
wand a lady had her jugular vein severed by
a flying wand and almost bled to death and
the grabber, my insurance on my wash has been
canceled after the third flying wand injury claim.
Not I cannot find coverage anywhere!
Looking back at the personal and property
liability exposure int eh not so good old days,
one has to wonder how any operator (especially those up North) managed to hold onto his
wash and assets. Can you imagine -- inviting the
public into a super slick, craggy, icy bay with no
floor heat and no trigger guns?! Customers routinely would slip, fall and let the wand fly. One
SSCWN reader who was getting sued graphically described such wands as flying harpoons.
Still the debate as to whether or not to go to
trigger guns dragged on longer after it would
seem common sense should have settled the issue. The SSCWN had a debate in print by way
of letters from operators and manufacturers in
1978. The lingering resistance from operators
boiled down to cost and inconvenience -- ...
trigger gun systems are too darn expensive
those guns break down in less than two months
customers will run them over constant
off and on of pressure is hell on pumps the
regulator/unloader devices are trouble prone,
and the somewhat surprising, but often said,
people will steal the guns! And, by the way,
guns are too heavy, awkward and difficult to
use especially for most women.
Those points were not altogether invalid. The
first guns to be used were yet another type of
item drafted into service from another industry -commercial/industrial paint spraying. They were
constructed all of steel and consequently they
were heavy and unwieldy ...and expensive. Even
so, the early guns were delicate, would malfunction and breakdown. It stung coughing up $50-60
for each gun that was not repairable or stolen.
And theft was a bit of a problem. Painters
would snatch them sometimes, but so would
{continued }
APRIL 2014

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APRIL 2014

35

the History of Self Serve Carwashing


customers thinking that it was the gun that generated that powerful blast of spray. Once the word
got around that attaching such a gun to a garden
hose was fruitless, that thievery dropped way off.
The first of the viable trigger guns were
brought to coin-op washing by Southeastern
Magic Wand (747 Trigger Handle) and US ParaPlate (UST Gun) who also developed regulator/
unloaders that relieved the problems of pump
heat and stress that came with trigger guns. But
it was Giant Products that is credited with discovering and bringing the German trigger gun to
the American carwash market. The Giant Trigger
Gun was well engineered, light-weight, durable
and set the standard.
Ironically, Cook Machinery,
the very first of the coin-op manufacturers, had a patented gun that
was an almost bizarre precursor of
the modern trigger gun. Cook had
a Wash/Rinse/OFF toggle switch
built right into the back of their
wand/gun that could be activated
by a flick of the thumb. The assembly, however, was wired with 110 V
out to the bay that poked an occasional customer and proved troublesome and cumbersome. (See
diagram of Cooks one-of-a-kind
electro-wand.)
Although there were more than
a few pigheaded holdouts among
operators, by 1980 the debate
of wands versus trigger guns was
moot. A flurry of lawsuits were
leveled at the industry -- deep
pockets or no pockets, it didnt
matter. Everybody up and down
the line was a party to numerous
legal actions -- the pump manufacturers, hardware package suppliers, distributors,
equipment installers, and, of course, carwash operators. Consequently, every new wash built soon
had trigger guns as part of the package. And manufacturers such as Dilling/Harris were among the
first to slap bold labels on their equipment using
very stern language warning the operator that use
of their equipment without trigger guns would
void warranty. Like everyone else, D/H had been
sued over flying wand personal injuries. But they
may very well have gotten an extra boost to push
trigger guns given the fact that it was D/H that in
78 bought the assets of Weben --which filed for
bankruptcy in part because of its being so heavily
hammered by flying wand lawsuits!
Its a shame that so many operators waited until after they were sued to get trigger guns. Fortunately, thousands of others learned from such
calamitous mistakes as featured in the SSCWN
and did not wait for experience to be the best
teacher.
Were now at the end of the 70s. It was a very
dynamic decade indeed -- socially, politically and
economically. The hippie counter cultural revolution; Watergate and Nixon; Vietnam; the oil shortage/oil crisis; and runaway, crippling inflation all
helped define that time. The times also defined self
service carwashing which saw its share of dramatic, dynamic change, too. But one of the most defining and revolutionary developments this industry
would ever see came our way at the 70s tail end

36 APRIL 2014

Foaming Brush

There were a number of extra services that


were introduced to coin-op washing early on. A
spray Jet Wax (a refined mineral seal oil developed
for the tunnels as a water beading rinse/drying aid
and sheen enhancer) was adapted and added to
the high-pressure Wash/Rinse functions by the
end of the 60s.
And there were add-on services such as Steam
Cleaning and Degreaser that were put on separate meters in the late 60s and early 70s. Both
held high hope for broad public acceptance and
increased revenues as inflation kept eating at the
Quarter Carwashs quarter price. That promise
was not fulfilled.
True, both Steam and Degreaser
were most welcome by professional
and amateur grease monkeys who
left a hellacious, greasy mess in the
bay. And both presented risks - the
searing, blistering dangers inherent
in adapting the famous Steam Jenny technology from the 40s were
soon demonstrated by inept customers.
The Degreasers used grease to
cut grease. There were numerous
reports in the SSCWN of operators using degreasers that contained
kerosene or fuel oil solvent mixed
emulsified with soap that too often
erupted in flames when hitting a
hot engine. Even after going to all
water soluble solutions, the extra
50-cents to $1 wasnt worth the
mess, relatively high operational
cost, liability and multiple meter
hassle. What this industry really
needed was a service that would be
on the same meter, safe, low cost,
and ideally, solve pressure washings biggest bugaboo -- road film!
The rush to pump higher and ever higher PSI
in the 70s was not just a function of some mindless macho compulsion. The fact of the matter was
that pressure washing with a wand with hot, soapy,
soft water was not removing that unsightly road
film. The public had learned that wands and 500700 PSI did not always get the job done. The hope
was that pushing the envelope to 800, 1000, even
1500 pounds might cut through stubborn film.
Unfortunately, the film was found to still be clinging to paint chips ripped off at very high pressures.
In the interest of customer satisfaction, there
were several noteworthy techniques implemented early on by some can-do operators. Looking
through the SSCWN archives we found that the
first (we have on record) were providing brushes
in-bay to customers in and around Portland, Oregon starting around 1973.
The system used a scrub brush into which was
screwed to a five foot, inch steel pipe with two
insulting bicycle handle grips. Hot, soapy water
was diverted to brush hose by way of a push/pull
Asco valve handle on the bay wall activated by the
customers. There was no tip in the brush pipe so
it would free flow. The customers could choose to
use either Wash or Brush or Rinse at any time. Almost all would wash with the brush and then use
the high pressure Rinse.
Another interesting, offbeat variation was to be

found in the Northwest, too. There were washes in Washington state that had two brushes in
each bay ...one on either side. They were simple brushes and not plumbed. A cable ran from
the end of each brush handle up to an overhead,
track-mounted trolley that allowed the customer
to move back and forth along the length of his
vehicle. Two brushes, off meter, with no flow of
lubricating soap ...amazing!
Around the country in the mid to late 70s there
were operators utilizing simple brush systems that
relied solely on city water pressure to move soapy
water out through brush head/pipe devices. Many
would discover the trick of installing some sort of
screen or filter (little Chore Boy kitchen scrub
pads worked nicely) at the brush head to froth up
the soap in the water as it left the brush. Many
referred to this type of city water fed brush system
generically as a scrub brush while some call ed it
bubble brush -- a term copyrighted in 1980 by
Mark VII that refined and marketed the system.
The next and most momentous step in this story was taken in 1977 when Kevin Holme (rhymes
with Foam) and his partner, Richard Hensley, installed the first Foaming Brush system in his 10
bay wash in Ontario, California. They were the
first to use a foam generator to mix air and soapy
water together to produce foam -- thick, rich, luxurious heaps of it -- and run it through a brush.

Believe It Or Not

Would you care to guess what day in 77 Holme


and Hensley offered to the public their revolutionary Foaming Brush...the one a whole industry
would be so, shall we say, thankful for? If you
said Thanksgiving Day, you are correct sir! Yes, it
happened on the very same holiday Jack Thompson opened that very first coin-op carwash in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The self serve carwash industry
was reborn 25 years after -- on the Silver Anniversary! -- of the very birth of the industry. Absolutely, wonderfully amazing!
The new service was an instant hit. Customers
loved the Foaming Brush. They took to it right
away because it virtually marketed itself. People
passing by the wash could tell at a glance that
something really different was going on. Within a couple of days of the brushes going on-line,
Holmess 10 bays were full of customers with cars
all heaped high and full of foam. You couldnt miss
it. This did not look like any self service carwash
anybody had ever seen before!
When SSCWN editor Joe Campbell visited
{continued }

APRIL 2014

37

the History of Self Serve Carwashing


Holmes wash in late 78, he went as a skeptic. Joe
was wary of adding some gimmicky new service
that might be more trouble than it was worth. But
Joe came away totally charmed and impressed by
it all. He got a kick out of Foam Brushing his van,
but was especially impressed by how enthusiastic
Holmes customers were about FB -- ...and they
were all enjoying the experience it made the
job of washing a car fun like playtime in a bubble bath!
Holme and Hensley came to the party with the
right product at the right time. In the late 70s
foam was hot. There were all types of household,
bath, personal care, and utility products that were
marketed as being especially desirable, effective or
new and improved because they were dispensed
in aerosol foam form. And the Foam Brush was
certainly a perfect fit at that time for self serve carwashing. It was not only the cure for the road film,
the Foam Brush would rejuvenate the industrys
image and appeal. Coin-op carwashing was good
clean fun again!
That process of industry rejuvenation began in
the spring of 78 when Holme and Hensley (incorporated as Andel Development) exhibited the FB
at a trade show sponsored by Bell Mfg. -- a leading coin-op carwashing manufacturer/supplier
headquartered in Carson, California. It was at that
show Joe Campbell heard about this new foam
brush concept which led to his driving his van to
Holmes wash (about a 70-mile trip) to see how
it performed in the real world ...away from the
convention.
In February 79 issue of the SSCWN, Joes story
on the FB was printed ...along with a half page ad.
That started a buzz around the country which became a roar after the FB was exhibited at the NCC
trade show that year. Many were resistant. They
thought the idea was just a gimmick and were reluctant to try and carve out any more space from
already jammed pump room to accommodate an
air compressor and another pump.
California operators were the first to jump on

the FB bandwagon. Many drove to Holmes wash


in Ontario to check it out and bought FBs for their
washes ..sometimes just one or two to give it a try.
Results were overwhelmingly positive. The worst
spread quickly and soon FBs were everywhere in
California. The SSCWN ran numerous interviews
with these operators -- Joe Campbells fellow Californians. They were ecstatic and reported increases in revenues of at least 20 percent to as high as
40 percent after the installation of the FBs. New
customers were coming in. Loyal customers were
washing more often. They were spending more
time in the bay rinsing off all that foam ...and road
film. Customer satisfaction was at an all-time high.
And to top it all off, FB had an operational cost
to less than the high pressure Wash.
By 1980, the Foaming Brush was selling far and
wide. Invariably some progressive operator would
get FBs first in his market, he would start pulling
in traffic from far and wide, and soon every operator in that area had to get brushes, too. Then
by 1981-1982, the Foam Revolution was in full
stride. The pages of the SSCWN had ads from every manufacturer featuring their version of the FB.
Within several more years, the FB was on its
way to becoming a standard feature in coin-op
carwashes everywhere. As the trend spread and a
couple wash seasons cycled, there were reports of
some unanticipated problems -- brushes were being stolen; customers would use brushes off meter
and double team the wash process. Then there
were a couple tiffs over improperly used brushes
hazing paint. And, the most common complaint
-- brushes freezing up in winter with legions of
brush addicted customers demanding the FBs be
kept on-line year round. The advantages, however,
of more volume, more revenue, more customers
satisfaction and a whole lot less bucket washing
far, far outweighed such problems.
FB truly transformed the industry and, to date
anyway, is universally regarded as THE most important single development in coin-op carwashings history. FB provided a massive influx of new

revenue which would feed the R&D machine and


help propel the industry to the next decade ...in
spite of an economy that was in such miserable
shape it spawned the infamous Misery Index.
Out of the FBs success was to come a surge of
enthusiasm for other low pressure services. While
the 60s and 70s were obsessed with high pressure,
the 80s would revel in such LP as Foaming TIre
Cleaner/Degreaser, Spot Free Rinse and Pre Soak.
Application and appreciation of even more high
tech, sophisticated technologies would follow, too.
Again, so very much of what was to come was facilitated by the little ol Foaming Brush -- the one
success against which all others will (forever?) be
measured.

Summary

While mentioned before in this article, it bears


repeating: coin-op carwashing was hamstrung
for years while lacking technology and hardware
designed specifically for coin-op carwashing. But
when we broke the Quarter Barrier and Winter revenues up North began to flow in the 70s
-- time, energy, money and ingenuity were focused
on this industry as an industry and exciting things
began to happen...what Joe Campbell terme The
Revolution.
Still, the 70s saw the demise or withdrawal of
several monumentally important companies that
had enjoyed the greatest success early on. Giants
such as Cook, Weben, Kwiki, ROBO and others
stumbled, fell and didnt get up. The dangers of
getting top heavy and complacent were demonstrated, as well. As we shall see, that was a lesson to
be repeated with different players the 80s.
Editors note: And thats all he wrote, folks! Please
help us write the next chapter of history by sending
your photographs, memories, information and other
materials of historical or even special nostalgic nature
so we can make history and continue this story into
the 1980s, 90s, and beyond!

REVISE HISTORY... PLEASE


At the beginning of this article (published in the

Heres where I believe the SSCWNs version of Self Serve History was in factual error ...

Winter 2014 issue) you may remember that we quoted


Napoleon, who called history the lie most commonly
agreed to. In the same vein, Henry Ford said simply
that history is bunk! With that said, the SSCWN is
giving you a chance to prove those two great historic
figures wrong. We do not want bunk and lies (even
if commonly agreed) to stand as part of the record of
The History of Self Serve Carwashing. And so

Here are the names of people, companies and/or equipmet not inclueded in the
SSCWNs review of the 60s and 70s that should have been ...

If you discover any errors in fact or of omission in


this article -- please, make things right! Years, dates,
who really did what or when. Who was really first
with this or that. Or even just correcting the spelling

The SSCWNs look back at the 80s in the next issue definitely needs to include ...

of peoples names and/or companies.


E-mail or call the SSCWN with your corrections and
additions to do your part to set the record straight.

SSCWN/History
315-767-7648, e-mail: katec@sscwn.com

38 APRIL 2014

Your Name/Company:
Address and Phone:

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HAPPENINGS IN & AROUND SELF SERVE CARWASHING

INDUSTRY DIRT
Starting in 2015,

the Western

Carwash Association (WCA) will no longer host


its own independent trade show and will instead
become a partner and participant in The Car Wash
Show, according to a recent press release from
the International Carwash Association (ICA). The
Car Wash Show is the worlds largest carwash
convention and trade show.
WCA President Brad Hooper explained in the
release that the decision is about more than just
trade shows, but part of a larger strategic transformation. The Western Car Wash Show was the
longest continuously running carwash show and
has a very loyal following among operators and
suppliers in the Western area of the United States.
With The Car Wash Show being held within
our region (Las Vegas) most years, this decision
provides our members with an even larger show,
without offering a competing show. WCA is most
impactful at the regional and local level, helping
operators with networking, advocacy and learning
opportunities, said Hooper. Entering into this
agreement with ICA allows us to participate nancially in The Car Wash Show, which gives us
additional opportunities to expand our focus locally and bring new added value to our members.
The release said the WCA plans to expand its
number of regional members meetings, road
shows and networking events throughout the
twelve Western States while reducing the expense to vendors who in the past have chosen to
invest in exhibiting at both shows.

In other trade show news,


the Northeast Regional Carwash Convention
(NRCC) has partnered with Public Strategies
Impact (PSI), a trade show management company,
to run the annual event, starting with its 25th

anniversary show this September 14-17 at the


Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. The NRCC
is the largest regional carwash trade show in the
country, according to a recent press release.
Since the very rst NRCC in Newport 25 years
ago, our mission has been to continually work to
raise the bar and deliver the best trade show and
education sessions possible, explained Walt Hartl,
New York State Car Wash Association (NYSCWA)
president and the 2014 host association co-chairperson. As a result of record-breaking vendor exhibits and growing show attendance, the board felt
it was time to elevate the NRCC to the next level,
but still keep our approachable, intimate feel. PSI
can help us do just that, he added.
PSI is a Government Relations, Public Affairs
and Association Management rm of 20 in New
Jerseys state capitol. Patricia Brewer, Associate
Director of Meetings & Convention Management,
and Laura Slomka, Event Manager, will spearhead
the NRCCs new management team.
The NRCC was founded in 1989 and is a consortium of ve regional carwash associations (Car
Wash Operators of New Jersey, Connecticut Carwash Association, Mid-Atlantic Carwash Association, New England Carwash Association and the
New York State Car Wash Association) which
work together to host an annual trade show that
also includes educational programming for East
Coast carwash owner/operators.

Istobal USA has appointed


Dave Tucker as Product Manager of the Istobal
USA HeavyWash line of automatic truck and bus
washing systems.

We are pleased to have someone with Daves


reputation, extensive experience and vehicle wash
industry knowledge join our rapidly growing company, a press release stated.
Tucker will work closely with Istobal Spain and
the companys Regional Business managers to help
educate and fuel the HeavyWash line of products.
Istobal USA is responsible for sales and service
of the Istobal S.A. line of automatic cleaning systems for the USA and Canada. In November of
2011 Istobal USA acquired the assets of Magic
Wand. Istobal USA is based in Bristol, VA.

D&S Car Wash Equipment


Co. has hired Elliot Herndon as

Business Development Manager. According to


a press release, Herndon will be responsible for
building market share for D&S by locating and

40 APRIL 2014

developing new carwash


equipment business in the
Western region of the U.S.
and working with existing
customers to expand their
business.
Herndon will also be responsible for identifying
new business opportunities and managing key customer relationships with existing D&S distributors.
The release said Herndon has over 27 years of
experience in the carwash industry, including experience in manufacturing, equipment, chemical
sales, and as a successful operator of professional carwashes. He was previously employed by
Washing Equipment of Texas (W.E.T.) where he
played a signicant role in sales and operations
which helped the company expand their business
throughout the state of Texas, the release said.

Zep, Inc. has promoted

Darrin

Baum to vice president,


general manager of the
newly created vehicle
care division of Zep Inc.
According to a company press release, Baum
previously was territory manager, district manager, western area vice president, vice president of
corporate accounts, and vice president of sales
and service at Ecolabs Vehicle Care division before it was acquired by Zep in 2012. Baum has
served as a board member of the Western Carwash Association since 2002 and has managed
several carwashes, as well.
Darrins extensive knowledge of our industry
and his passion for our team, together with his
business acumen and dynamic leadership skills,
uniquely qualify him to lead Zep Vehicle Care
into the future, said Steve Nichols, group president of Zep Inc.

Cleaning
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Industry Dirt
HAPPENINGS IN & AROUND SELF SERVE CARWASHING
Solution Application Systems and DynaEdge
Transportation Cleaning Solutions.
Last year, CSI released a partner app for iPads
which encouraged the company to evaluate its
website to nd similar dynamic capabilities as
the app while also providing the latest up-to-date
information and promotional items.
According to the release, CSI has also added
a F.A.S.T. (Feedback, Action, Suggestion, Template) form at the bottom right hand side of the
website to encourage people to give feedback and
make suggestions.

In additional news from


the company,

Lustra Professional Car


Care Products announced
today its plan to support
carwash operators with
marketing ideas and tips
throughout 2014. To support the operator, Lustra
is planning on sending a monthly email with
marketing ideas for the following month giving
the operator time to prepare for the promotion,
the press release explained. Our goal is to share
ideas and tips on how to effectively promote your
wash and help increase revenues.
Lustra will begin this monthly email in January
and continue throughout the year. They will also
be posting tips and ideas on their Facebook page.

MacNeilWash
Systems, a leader

in conveyor carwash
engineering now supported by its parent company
Ryko Solutions, the largest manufacturer of
carwash systems in the world, has announced that
Matt Nall has joined its sales team as Southeastern
U.S. Regional Sales Manager where he will be
responsible for supporting MacNeils distributor
and sales network.
Nall has an extensive background in the carwash
industry that spans over 12 years and includes distributor channel and sales management with companies such as CSI and ZEP, the release said.
Matts diverse knowledge of the carwash industry, relationships within the region and familiarity
with our distributor network make him a tremendous asset to our organization, said Anthony Antonis, vice president of sales for MacNeil.

Hydra-Flex has released a


redesigned logo and launched a

new website for the company. The new identity,


including the tagline Fluid Innovation, was
developed to better represent the company as
leaders in the uid handling industry.
According to the press release, the new website

is intended to be an extension of and a resource for


the Hydra-Flex sales team, as a means of educating the public about the companys uid handling
products and their applications. In addition to a
catalog of product information, the new website
will serve as a platform for adding videos, testimonials, company and industry news, and customer
self-service and troubleshooting tools.

The Car Wash Operators


of New Jersey (CWONJ)

held their Winter Membership Meeting


on Tuesday, February 25. The meeting
featured three presenters including an
update on PCI Compliance from ICSs
Nick Tylenda, and the introduction
of a new member benet by Ferguson
representative Bill Havard. To learn
more about these speakers you can visit the
Associations website at www.cwonj.com under
the members only section.
The events keynote, How to Secure Your Financial Future, was presented by Lou Rendemonti
of Rendemonti Wealth Strategies in Sarasota, FL,
who literally grew up washing cars at his familys
full-service business, according to the press release.
This insight provided him with a lot of what not
to do information with how you run your carwash business and plan for and secure your future. Rendemonti will carry this theme forward
at the Northeast Regional Carwash Convention
(NRCC), September 15-17, in Atlantic City in a
more in-depth seminar on the topic.
The CWONJ will meet again when it tours
washes in the Philadelphia market on April 22. For
more information visit www.cwonj.com.

The Western Carwash


Association is reaching out to carwash

operators in California affected by the 1000% increase


in surety bonds following the passage of California bill
AB1387 and put into effect January 1, 2014.
The following text is directly from the Associations press release:
California carwash operators are now required
to post a $150,000 surety bond, unless the wash is
covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The
previous surety bond amount was $15,000. Car
washes are struggling to qualify for this increased
bond, and those that do are facing huge premiums. Some small businesses cannot nd bonding
companies who can even provide this increased
bond, no matter the premium. Surety bonds are
in place to protect workers wages in the event the
car wash goes out of business. However, there are
several other methods to collect these wages and
surety bonds have been seldom used.

The Western Carwash Association (WCA) has


spent the past several months working with its
members and industry regulators seeking resolution to this issue. WCA is currently in the process
of working with lawmakers and other stakeholders
in Sacramento on legislation to reduce the bond
requirement while increasing penalties for those
operating outside the law.
Sander Romick, chairperson of the legislative
committee of the Western Carwash Association,
says that the Western Carwash Association
agrees with the intent of last years legislation; that our employees deserve the
best, and that employers must comply
with our states laws; those who dont
need to be penalized. Additionally,
Romick says, Those that usually break
labor laws and pay inadequate wages to
their employees, are unlikely to be bonded
anyways. Those who operate under the law
and fail to comply create a business disadvantage
for those who do. We want a level playing eld and
honest environment for car wash worker and owners. Increasing the surety bond does not get at the
heart of the problem and winds up punishing legitimate car wash businesses.
WCA is calling upon ALL California car wash
operators (regardless of whether you are a member
or not) to unite as an industry and speak with one
voice to make lawmakers understand the impact
that the new increase will have on businesses. WCA
is asking business owners to contact their California
State Assembly and State Representative at www.
ndyourrep.ca.gov/ and ask them to encourage AB
1387s author, Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, to
work with the Western Carwash Association on a
bill to reduce the surety bond amount while increasing penalties for those breaking the law.
Below are some suggestions and talking points
we encourage California car wash operators to use
when contacting their representatives in both the
California Assembly and Senate:
Introduce yourself as a constituent who has
been affected by last years legislation, AB
1387, which increased the surety bond requirements for car washes by 1000%, from
$15,000 to $150,000.
Feel free to share the impact this requirement
has had on your business. Have you been able
to secure a new bond? Has the premium increased? Has this affected any hiring decisions
youve had to make thus far? Will this affect
any decisions you need to make regarding current employees?
Let the ofce know that you support your employees and want bad-actors (car washes that
operate outside the law) penalized but that
last years legislation targets those who are licensed instead of those who are not.
Ask your legislator to contact Assemblyman
Roger Hernandez regarding this issue and encourage him to work with the car wash industry on a new bill that makes sense for both
workers and car wash operators.

APRIL 2014

43

P
O
P

GOES THE CARWASH


Revisiting the gated pay-one-price/unlimited
self serve carwash concept.
Originally we intended for this piece to serve as a
sort of analysis of the Gated Pay-One-Price/Wash
All You Want/Unlimited Self Serve Wash concept.
The rst article on these so-called POP washes appeared over three years ago in this same magazine
(an SSCWN exclusive it would seem) and we gured it was an opportunity to look at three years of
data. We hoped we would have an inux of data to
work with and analyze from then to now, but truth
be told, the deeper in we got with the story, the
more we realized this concept is still very much in
its infancy stage, and there doesnt seem to be much
point in trying to extrapolate the rises and falls of
the numbers just yet -- especially considering the
miniscule number of sites in operation (we tracked
down eight) and that nearly all of the operations we
found happened to be underperforming self serves
that were in markets under some sort of duress,
whether it be economic factors of its customer base
or oversaturation/express competition, before their
conversion. So, picking out a 30 percent increase in
volumes isnt nearly as cut and dry as it might be in
the case of a normally-functioning market or aver-

age-performing carwash.
To be honest, the only thing more surprising than
the slow growth of this format is the lack of coverage in trade journals or within vendor circles. It
would seem that the concept is mostly becoming
known from industry chatter at AutoCareForum
and during roundtable/networking events at regional shows. So while this piece might not be as
scientic or as large in scope as we had hoped and
planned for, there is still plenty of good information
to glean from our interviews with two operators
who have been using (and loving) the Gated POP
format for the last several years. Especially in terms
of the factors which led them to the Gated POP
conversion and in the emotional/psychological benets they have observed since making the switch.
SSCWN intends to follow this article up with a
more in-depth piece at some undetermined point
in the future. Please dont hesitate to reach out and
share your experiences, thoughts or questions about
the concept! E-mail me at katec@sscwn.com and
together well get to know more about this interesting game changing format.

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{continued }

POP Goes The Carwash


Interview with Mark Murray,
Adrian Image Center,
Adrian, MI,
www.adrianimagecenter.com
We rst heard from Mark back in early February
when we indicated our interest in the Gated POP
topic in a post on AutoCareForum. From there, we
exchanged a series of e-mails with Mark, followed
by a lengthy phone interview in March. For the interest of clarity in this story, we have meshed the
pieces of those interviews together. Also - an apology to Mark, who is paraphrased quite often in this
piece thanks to some faulty recording equipment.

SSCWN: When did you first hear about the


Gated POP concept?
MM: I read about the concept a few years ago in
SSCWN. I immediately drove to the wash in Panama City, Florida, spent the weekend talking to
customers and the owner (Graham Lovett), went
home and converted my underperforming wash
into WAUW. Never looked back! It is a 6+2 in a
small town in southeastern Michigan. We converted
the site in 2011 and set the price at $6. Thats really
what youd expect for a basic exterior wash in our
market. And then we raised the price to $7 recently.

SSCWN: Can you give us some background


information on your market area and carwash experience?
MM: Adrian is a backwater town in a rust belt state
that has been hammered by the change in manufacturing. Adrian area has lost thousands of good

manufacturing jobs. Michigan has lost 1,000,000


manufacturing jobs since 2000. I built the ss wash
in 1987 adjacent to my tunnel wash (build in 68
by father, bought in 78, bulldozed, rebuilt soft cloth
tunnel with hand nishing, doing 50-60,000 cars
annually. After 2000 doing half that volume). SS
opened as an 8 bay with two HP autos added in 97.
Sales went from 110,000 in 87 to 90,000 in 97 to
to 165000 in 1998 to low 80 in 2007 to double that
since the changeover to WAUW. The decision to go
WAUW was an act of desperation. We could not impact sales and were not willing to run a basically non
prot business. When I read the article in SSCWN, I

EXPO 2014

knew that it was a possible solution. After spending


the weekend in Panama City talking with customers
and staff, I know what I needed to do. I went home
in April, began to plan for conversion.

SSCWN: What factors pushed you to do the


conversion?
MM: Our gross numbers, well, they were at
about $110,000 in sales back in 1987 for an 8-bay
self-serve. By 96 we were down to $92,000, then
$102,000. We put in automatics, the rst in our
market area, in 98, and the next few years our numbers climbed. We were at $140,000, $155,000, then
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46 APRIL 2014

APRIL 2014

47

POP Goes The Carwash


to a trouble free service experience- no
more coin jams, machine failures, etc. No
more refunds, angry customers, changer
stringing, tokens, etc. Customers love it.
I love it! Simpler, easier to run.
This industry, what I think, is that
we hurt ourselves and our reputations,
because customers so often come to a
wash and they have to deal with broken equipment, or a coin jam, or whatever. And these things dont work and
it becomes a negative experience and
a hassle. The WAYW takes care of that
because there are no hassles; if a vacuum isnt working right, you just move
on to the next one. We try not to let that
happen, of course, but the main point is
that the customer is unbothered by all
of this because they dont have to chase
someone down for a refund.

$168,000. But then lots of IBAs


moved into the market area, and
by 2004 and 2005, we had leveled
off to $112,000, $119,000, and in
2006, the changes in the economy
and all the jobs leaving had really hit
us. We were $95,000, then $89,000,
then $82,000 and $85,000. We were
pretty desperate. I wasnt having a lot
of fun with the business anymore. I
read the article in SSCWN and pretty much just dropped the magazine
and got in the car to drive to Florida
to check out that wash. We were desperate. Dropping the price doesnt
work. Raising the price doesnt work.
We needed to get outside the box.
So, in mid-2011 we made the conversion. We closed our tunnel wash
down the street and turned it into a
tness center and tanning salon.

SSCWN: For operators considering


the conversion process, what advice would you give?

SSCWN: Why did you close your


tunnel? Did you ever consider
closing the self serve and focusing on the tunnel instead?
MM: Well, we crunched the numbers in the market, you know, jobs,
economy, per capita, and we tried to
project what the next 10 years might
be like for us. We asked what people in the market would support and
we talked to the operators in Florida
who had an express wash open up
next door after their conversion to
Gated/POP and discovered they had
maintained volume -- and that was
really encouraging. Also, I was really
excited about the WAYW concept,
and the Florida customers were really excited, too. I guess I saw more
interest in the Gated idea than trying to hold on to
the exterior tunnel. But it was really kind of a ip
of the coin situation -- but I was more excited to
stake my claim in the Gated concept for (what Ive
planned to be) my last ve years in the industry. Also,
I had a use in mind for our tunnel building -- a tness
complex -- that couldnt have happened on our self
serve property.

SSCWN: What are the features of your particular Gated POP site?
MM: We offer - attended every day, drying towels,
air freshener, air for tires, carpet cleaning, 6 bays, 2
HP automatics.
We moved the two Hamilton Auto Cashiers to
the entrance area and added two entry gates and one
exit gates. 50%+ of sales are debit/credit. We added
push buttons to the coin meter boxes and have a
push to start at the HP Autos.

SSCWN: What are the challenges of a Gated POP?


MM: Having the right layout on the property is
critical to make it work. The lot made it easy to
make it work for us.
Hmm.. other problems? Mudders need to be
banned. They are a problem. We ask our customers
to clean up after themselves. We have posted We
reserve the right to refuse service to anyone We will
kick you out for abuse. (we have not had to do so).
The facility can usually handle the volume on

48 APRIL 2014

peak days with minimum wait. If the wait gets too


long, we will raise the price another buck. We have
raised the price from $6 to $7 this past fall. No
complaints.
Utilities and parts costs have increased along with
a bit of chemical expense (still in line with previous
numbers). That has been offset I think, by less problems with coin mechs, changers, problems with angry customers losing money in the machines, etc. So
while there are marginal increases in chemical costs
and utilities, but theyre proportionate to volume. I
mean, broadly stated, our sale numbers went way
up and our utilities are actually proportionately less
than four years ago.
Some other details - be sure to understand the gate
engineering and wiring, as well as how to line them
up with the Auto Cashiers, where to place the signage,
the loops in the ground and general access security.
We re-logoed all equipment and vacs when we converted, renamed the facility EZ Carwash. Our front
sign reads Pay one Price -Wash all you Want.
I have not experienced problems with illegal access. I was worried about this, though. Motorcycles
could drive on the lot without paying. We have
cameras on location that are accessed remotely.

SSCWN: What are the advantages to the Gated POP format?


MM: The big plus is the positive feedback from
customers. We have removed all the impediments

MM: As you look at the lot, you need


to know if you can secure it with fencing, etc. You need a big lot with an entry
point that allows for stacking on busy
days, and you need to watch for ow.
Its kind of similar to a tunnel set-up. We
were lucky because we had curbing that
facilitated our exit path, but operators
will need to plan for that. In a Wash All
You Want (WAYW), one aspect is how
the customer moves through the lot. A
customer might spend some time prepping their car, move over to the auto and
then dry, vacuum, etc. So, when you get
busier and youre stacking cars, you need
to be aware of how the customers will
ow through the property. You should
kind of anticipate and predict that path and then get
lots of second opinions.
I would caution operators to talk to other operators. Google your gate options. Wiring the gate right
is important, and we didnt get it right at rst. Some
of the main cashier vendors now seem to have a
handle on the Gated process, but for us, the gate
thing was a misunderstanding and needed to be
worked out.
Also, we spent more money on the re-branding
than the Florida wash did, mostly because they were
in an act of desperation before closing the wash
down, and were pleasantly surprised when it worked.
But we did new logos, new vac hoses, etc. New wiring. We made it look brand new to the customers, so
much so that some thought we were some sort of
new franchise coming in.

SSCWN: There has been some discussion at


regional shows and on industry forums about
volume-based pricing. Have you considered
raising your prices during peak hours or days?
MM: Our auto cashier can raise the price if we
wanted, on a busy day or at peak hours. Its a Hamilton autocashier that is set up in the PARK option
like they use for parking garages, so you only charge
one price. But it has a controller that lets you accommodate the pricing, if you wanted. Were not
currently doing price changes; just trying to keep it
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APRIL 2014

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50 APRIL 2014

POP Goes The Carwash


as simple as possible for our customers. And theyre
not interested in saving a dollar; theyre just interested in getting on the property and washing on their
own time. Its the experience theyre after; no hassles, no roadblocks. We try to emulate McDonalds
and keep everything the same and consistent from
visit-to-visit. From both the customer and the owner perspective, its all very simple. All the roadblocks
are gone.

SSCWN: Do you worry about customers taking advantage of the POP concept, abusing
the sites unlimited wash service at all?
MM: As human beings, were accustomed to nding the anomalies. So, if you look at a Bell curve of
customers usage, yes, there are abusers out here
at this small end of the curve. And thats what we
complain about. We see these people wasting time,
and we get upset. But for every customer who is
perhaps abusing the WAYW concept, there is also a
customer who is just in and out. Maybe even more
of those. And of course, the majority of our customers just want what theyve also wanted -- a clean
car. And weve improved the experience for them.
No hassle or broken equipment. So, I was concerned
about those abusers before I made the conversion,
but now now. Weve had to ask folks to leave the
wash, sure, but its no different than at any self serve.
Theyre really such a small part of the curve.
We did have to make a rule about the mudders,
though. It wasnt difcult -- just put up some signs,
let them know theyre not welcome and have a relationship with police.

SSCWN: Do you worry about volume rising to


a point that you have lines? That you might
need to ask customers to get moving?

MM: Im not worried about being too busy. Isnt


that the problem we all want to have? Ive got a
business I can sell now. Ive happy. My customers
are happy. Its just so right. Were on the upswing
and Im so proud of our facility. Im happy to see
smiling customers who appreciate our wash (like a
musician who can tell hes doing a good job by the
dancing going on.)
My level of stress running the wash is so much
less. Im not worried about those dissatised customers who need a $2 refund. Its all pretty much
gone away. Sure, the utilities and repair costs might
have gone up marginally. But the sales have gone
way up, and the headaches and disappointed customers go way down. It helps your psyche -- really
helps your psyche -- to be in a business that doesnt
have dissatised customers. That means A LOT to
me, to have happy customers. I wake up knowing
Im going to have happy customers and no complaints. Its a really great feeling.

Interview with Marcus Kittrell, MARC-1 Car


Wash, Pelham, AL
Marcus Kittrell is a well-known and well-regarded
operator with nearly 30 years of experience operating in and around Birmingham, AL. At one point,
he had 7 self serve washes, although these days he
chooses to focus on his express exterior business. The
exception, of course, is his gated self serve in Pelham.

SSCWN: What led you to the gated POP concept and when did you make the conversion?
MK: We had been thinking about it for a while,
especially after the success we had with express
tunnels for one price wash and vacuum. We nally
made the decision at the end of 2012 and then we
started the actual conversion in December and reopened in February 2013.

SSCWN: Three months seems longer than the


typical conversion. Is there more to this story?
MK: Well, we had to move all of our vacuums
because I wanted to have two gates. The carwash
was laid out on a piece of property that actually had some extra land, so what
we did was move our vacuums to the back of our lot
and poured new pad and
curved gutters and moved
the dumpster and rewired the
electrical to the vacuums. We were
also xing some cracks in old concrete
that we decided to go x as we were digging everything up anyway. And then we had
to deal with some bad weather, some rain, that
delayed things.

SSCWN: Did you model your layout after Robert Greenes site or any other location?
MK: No. The set up was something we came up
with to make it work with two gates. We could have
done one gate, but we really wanted to have two
gates there since were unattended. We attend it
about 35 hours a week, but the rest of the time its
unattended and opened 24/7..

SSCWN: Mark Murray in Michigan mentioned


the process of installing gates and connecting them to the cashiers could be tricky. Did
you find that in your experience?
MK: No, I wouldnt say that. Weve got the express exterior background, so weve been doing
this for 10 years. That part was pretty easy. We use

Hamilton Autocashiers and get the gates right from


Hamilton.

SSCWN: Have your customers adapted easily


to the new format or is there a learning curve?
MK: Thats still an issue -- well, maybe not an issue, but were still educating customers every day.
When we went to the single price ($6), we kept an
attendant there to explain how it worked. We were
actually having some people run their time down
and then go back to the pay station to pay again instead of just hitting the button to run the clock over.
{continued }

A DISTRIBUTORS
PERSPECTIVE

Matthew Stansell is an equipment sales manager for


Arcadian Services, a supplier of carwash equipment
and chemicals based in Alabama. He worked closely
with Gary Monroe as he converted his site in Florence,
AL, this past Fall.

SSCWN: Can you tell us a bit about


the renovation process?
MS: This is the first renovation weve done. Both
Gary and I have monitored input from operators
that have done it. My first real exposure to any
first hand information was at a SECWA round
table discussion by Robert Greene a few years
back. Then last year Marcus Kittrell renovated
his wash in Pelham, AL and kept Gary and I
posted on the results. Garys wash is located
in a community that has really suffered the
past few years. He had people soliciting his
customers for money and spare change while
trying to use his wash. Since we renovated
the wash the entire site is fenced except for
where the gates are. This has really cut down
on the foot traffic walking across his property
and customers feel safe. We are seeing a
more diverse customer base than ever before.
Customers comment on how they love the
concept and its the only place theyll wash their
car because of the perceived value. Gary owns
a $6 Express Tunnel 10 minutes away and a few
customers have stated they prefer his Self-Serve
with this new format. Obviously, the tunnel is still
many folks choice because of the speed, quality
wash, and free vacuum but that has shown us
that folks still like to wash their car if they see
value in whats offered.
Garys budget was more than it would
typically take to renovate a wash. He purchased
the land beside his existing wash for his vacuum
area. We installed 2 used Unitec Washselect
II(with credit card & receipt printer) pay stations
and installed new face plates on his bay boxes.
The bay boxes have non-accumulating timers
that run 5 minutes at a time. The customer must
push the button again when the time is out. We
installed a few new push button vacuums and
renovated his existing vacuums to push button.
Here is what his wash offers for $5:
5 Carwash Bays
9 Vacuums
2 Free Fragrance Machines
1 Free Air Station
1 Mat Brush Station(Rhino Alpha Mat
Machine)
We also installed a 39 selection vendor at the
vacuum area for customers to purchase vending
supplies.
APRIL 2014

51

POP Goes The Carwash


Our timer goes for six minutes, so that if someone
nishes washing early, it doesnt keep running indefinitely. There was a little bit of confusion at rst. But
most people have really liked this process. Youre not
ghting for time anymore or hustling for quarters.

SSCWN: Whats your marketplace like?


MK: In our market weve had a couple self serves
close down recently. We used to be oversaturated, but
then the expresses came in -- and a couple of them
were mine -- and that really kind of thinned the market out. Were really the only self serve left. We were
the rst and were actually now the last one left.

SSCWN: Speaking of oversaturated, do you


think the gated POP self serve will take off
like the express concept did in the early
2000s? The industry seems rather slow to
catch on so far.
MK: No, I dont see this as really taking off. Theres
just so many sites that cant do this at all; they
dont have the right number of bays or the layout is
wrong. Itd be very expensive for a lot of operators
to do this because there locations wont lay out well.
Its just the way they were built. Theres still enough
money in it to do the conversion, but only if the
site will work out. For me, I know I dont have any
interest in going out to nd more self serves to convert. Id rather build an express; that would be my
rst option. So I dont really see it catching on, even
if it is much easier to operate. We did it because we
owned the land and it was paid for and I was tired
with messing with quarters and dollars and damages
and people leaving trash. I wouldnt go back to operating a regular self serve, though, either.

SSCWN: What were the changes in your volumes and costs?


MK: Our utilities creeped up a little bit, but the
thing about the self serve is mainly people are using
their own labor, and thats not going to change much
even if theyre not trying to beat the clock. Our utilities are probably less than 2 or 3 percent more.
As for volumes, at the end of 2012 we grossed
$48,000. I originally built this wash in 1986, and
back then in the 80s and 90s we were averaging
about $98,000. After I built my express wash in
2006, it dwindled down quite a bit. But this past
year (after the conversion) our sales were $87,000.
And thats without doing any marketing. I think if
we did a bit of that we could get to $100,000. Thats
my goal, anyway. Theres still a lot of people who
dont understand the concept, but the people that
do, well, were keeping those customers. Theyll pass
other carwashes -- even pass my express -- to come
here. And theres certain vehicles that have to come
to us, like your lifted Jeeps and big trucks. And then
otehr people who just like doing it themselves. We
keep it attended about 35 hours a week and we let
people know about that; we have a lot more women
come through then. We even put smaller nozzles on
the vacuum for our female customers.

SSCWN: What sort of headaches are you


having with the gated POP?
MK: We do have some issues with mud, but youre
going to have that with any self serve wash. At least
this way I know theyre paying a solid price to come
in. You know, I think it offsets the person that comes
in and drops a bunch of trash at your vac island.
Thats not happening now. I would never go back to
a regular self-serve, with dollars and broken bays. Id

52 APRIL 2014

never go back to that.


So, I wont say no headaches at all, but its denitely a lot easier. I used to have seven of these
things and now Im down to one. You can run them
attended or not. You dont have to -- just because
youre gated doenst mean you have to be attended.
We were extremely nervous at rst with no attendants down there at night, but I dont think weve
even had one phone call from someone down there
at night with a problem. And, better yet, what we
have noticed is that some of these kids who come in
with the mud -- they actually spray down the bays
after because theyre not ghting time anymore.
Our trash is almost half of what it used to be -- and
weve doubled sales. Now theyve got to pay $6 if
they want to use the vacuum, so you dont have
people using your wash like a trash dump. So I like
what were doing, and I think itll maybe top out at
$120,000 a year. Theres not very many self serves
doing that anymore, at least not in my market. And
its the least amount of hassle.

SSCWN: It occurs to me as were talking that


the Southeast is particularly on point when
it comes to these trends, whether it be the
gated POP or the express exteriors from a
decade ago. Youre a former president of the
Southeastern Car Wash Association, do you
think theres any reason why this region is
always coming out ahead?
MK: Our guys communicate. We talk ideas out.
And were not afraid to discuss things with each
other. You know, the South has that reputation for
hospitality, and its true: People dont mind helping
each other, answering questions, guring things out
together. I think thats a lot of it, theres really no
other reason. There are some sharp guys in our industry and weve got a lot of sharp guys in our association -- they just dream up ideas.
You know, I talked to Robert (Greene) for a few
years, him and Greg Pack and I were back and forth
on this idea like four or ve years ago. There were
a lot of discussions with all of us, and then Robert
had the opportunity. And Robert and I both had
that success with express, so once it really started
working, we all said, How can we make this work
in the coin business? And thats really how it all
came together.
As far as education goes, the meat and potatoes
of it at least, youre going to learn that stuff at the
regional shows. You see what guys are doing in your
area, whats working. For example, Ive had two other people convert to Gated SS in my area, and we
went over and helped, kind of showed them what
to do. Its so important to share information. Everyone in the carwash industry thinks were competing
with other carwash operators, but were not. Were
competing with the driveway. There are a lot more
of those driveway washers than carwash customers
going to another wash.
And to that point. a bad carwash affects everybody. You start asking around, and youll nd out
that everybody has a bad carwash story. Either you
had a bad experience at a gas station wash or someone else had their vehicle damaged somewhere else.
Everybody has a story. So we need to try and improve our image. And I think the gated self serve
denitely helping. We used to be accused of all sorts
of crazy things -- shorting the time, whatever kind
of arguments. And this gated self serve eliminates

THE POP
OF GATED
POP?
Like weve discovered with
much of self serve history, its
hard to name one person as
the Father of Gated POP.
We did narrow it down to two
forefathers of the concept:
Bob Clements of Wonderwash/
Wonderlube did some experimenting
with the pay-one-price concept in
2000 in BLANK, and Graham Lovett
is credited with bringing the gated
technology to Panama City, FL, after
purchasing a self serve from Jimmy
Branch. While the idea seems to
be most popular in the Southeastern
market (perhaps owed to the success
of Southeastern Carwash Associations
Road Show series, which has highlighted
at least two locations at various get
togethers, including Robert Greenes
site in Georgia in 2010 which piqued
interest in the concept), it also has
successful operations up North, as
we discover in our interview with Mark
Murray of Adrian, Michigan.

all those arguments. Youre not digging for quarters.


Were retaining customers. You know, my son is 16.
He doesnt know any other way to wash his car than
the express tunnel. But when I was 16, we all went
to the self serve. And my parents went to the fullserve. Thats how theyd wash their cars then. But
now its express, and any time you can hang on the
coat tails of a model thats really working, especially
for self serves where we struggle with reputation,
than thats a good thing.
Youre seeing news articles these days where people are being robbed or even killed at self-serves.
Most of the time theyre unattended, the lighting is
really poor. This is the kind of reputation were up
against. So the gated self serve lets you ip it a bit.
We replaced all the lighting -- we really went big
on this. This site we have isnt an A site, its off the
main road. Really a B site. But we wanted to go in
a big way to give the customer the same experience
as the tunnel.
But back to the success of the Southeastern show,
I mean, you have to communicate. Thats the only
way youre going to learn. No one has the magic bullet and thats why these road shows are so great for
the regionals, whether its Southeast or Southwest
or in the North or wherever. Youre going to learn
what to do and what not to do and whats working
and youre going to see a real carwash and talk to
the operators who are actually doing that. Its not a
philosophy anymore, its actual.

APRIL 2014

53

BRIGHT NEW IDEAS,


PRODUCTS & SERVICES
FOR SELF SERVE CARWASHES

INNOVATIONS
From Bric Management
- New management
software and app!
Bric Management launched their WashStat hardware and iOS application at the
Southwestern Car Wash Association Expo
this February.
The WashStat interfaces with most inbay automatics and provides the operator
with real time car counts, fault notications,
chemical levels and machine status. All this
information is accessed quickly and on the go
via the WashStat iPhone and iPad apps, available in the Apple App Store. At the end of
each month site operators receive a monthly
report highlighting car count data as well as chemical consumption data.
The WashStat hardware is easy to install and
does not require a Static IP or advance
networking. Most installations are completed in
less than 90 minutes.

From Hydra-Flex Chemical dispensing


system

From G&G LED - Waterproof


LED lighting series
G&G LED introduces their latest waterproof
LED lighting series, the WP Series. These linear
LED xtures are perfect for carwash applications,
allowing for brighter, more consistent lighting in
bays and tunnels at a low total cost of ownership.
They are proudly made in the USA, UL Wet Listed,
and use top-of-the-line Cree XLamp(TM) LEDs to
achieve an efcacy of over 100 lumens/watt.
G&G LED lights have a unique 3/4 PVC conduit form factor for easy installation in countless
applications. The housing is constructed using
an innovative polycarbonate/aluminum co-extrusion which doubles as a waterproof housing
and heat sink. This allows for the lights to stay
especially cool giving them a lifetime of up to
100,000 hours (approximately 15 years). The
product also features a Lexan SLX(TM) lens that
is both UV and chemical resistant. When other
lights yellow and fog over time, the Lexan lens
maintains a cystal-clear appearance which maintains the clarity and brightness throughout its
lifetime. Furthermore, this is an essential component for harsh environments such as car washes where traditional lighting xtures are simply
unable to handle the corrosive chemicals and
wet environment.
When compared to metal halide lighting,
G&G LED lighting uses up to 70% less energy
resulting in an expected return of investment in
12-16 months upon the purchase date.

Hydra-Flex is proud to announce the release of the AQUA-LAB EVO - a fully integrated yet modular chemical dispensing system designed for use with in-bay automatic/
rollover machines.
Designed for reliable and consistent performance, the EVO offers enhanced options for
optimizing chemical and water control. Injector manifold wings are available in sets of
4, for up to 12 total applications plus foaming air. The space-saving system includes an
integrated 10 GPM pump and integrated electrical control box with UL enclosure and is delivered
pre-wired and pre-plumbed for easy installation.
Optional features such as an inlet water selection valve, pressure switch, or frost protection are
available to customize the Aqua-Lab EVO for
each unique equipment conguration.
Hydra-Flex is excited to be partnering with inbay equipment manufacturers in the roll-out of
this new platform. Istobal USA has signed on as
one of the rst, and is now including the Aqua-Lab
EVO with the sale of new MNEX-22 and MNEX24 machines.

{continued }

54

APRIL 2014

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APRIL 2014

55

INNOVATIONS

BRIGHT NEW IDEAS,


PRODUCTS &
SERVICES FOR SELF
SERVE CARWASHES

From Extrutech
Plastics, Inc. - Stay in
Place wall form

From Delta T Solutions


- Energy-efficient
condensing boiler

Extrutech has released a patented stay in place


plastic concrete wall form called Extrutech FORM
System (EFS). The Extrutech FORM is 24 wide by
6 thick and snaps together with the double-spline,
E-Locking System. The concrete wall forms are
pre-cut to the project specications and shipped as
a kit to the jobsite for quick assembly.
This system is designed for long-lasting durability and ease of sanitation and maintenance. The Extrutech FORM has a bright white, high gloss, easyto-clean, non-porous surface that resists damage,
and brightens any area. The panels also come in
beige and gray colors. These waterproof, concrete
forms will never rust, rot, corrode or discolor and
are ideal for high moisture areas where daily sanitation is critical to the owner.

The new Innite Energy


2 (IE2) condensing boiler
from Delta T Solutions runs
up to 98% ultra-high efciency, and features larger
waterways that can use fresh
water, built-in system redundancy and modulation, and a
completely serviceable, stateof-the-art heat exchanger for
easy maintenance. This stainless units modular design
and integrated controls provide exibility and non-stop
functionality. Freeze protection, water pressure monitors, and auto diagnostics are
just some of this boilers useful operating advantages.

From SAS - Smart chemical


accumulator

From Blendco - A New


tricolor conditioner

THE
24/7
OPERATOR
ROUNDTABLE

Blendcos Color Coat Carnauba is a new tricolor conditioner and wax that has the power of
Carnauba Wax for an amazing softness, shine and
durable protection. Unlike most
tricolor conditioners, Color
Coat Carnauba has all of the
properties of a wax along with
the vibrant colors and rich foam
of a tricolor conditioner. Color
Coat Carnauba is available in 6
gallon pails and 30 gallon drums.

Solution Application Systems (SAS) announced earlier


this year the installation of the
ChemPod at the Richmond
Street Car Wash in Appleton,
WI. The ChemPod is the newest product introduced from the
SAS division. The ChemPod is
a complement to the Mizer. It is a
smart chemical accumulator that
maintains the chemical under a
constant pressure.
We are excited to have installed the ChemPod at the
Richmond Street Car Wash.
We were able to remove
un-needed chemical storage tanks,
hydrominder and oat tanks, really cleaning up the
backroom, said Jerry Marquis, operator of Richmond Street Car Wash. With the ChemPod we
are able to distribute the chemical at a set dilution
ratio for every application of the same chemical.
The ChemPod provides simplicity and consistency in delivering the same dilution ratio for all
applications to each wash bay.
You can view the installation on YouTube http://
youtu.be/0fANpX8kg-s.

Submit your product release


Do you have a product that might benefit self serve carwash
operators? Tell us about it by e-mailing katec@sscwn.com.

56 APRIL 2014

TRICKS TRADE
OF
THE

ADVICE AND AWARENESS


FROM THE SELF SERVE
CAR WASH INDUSTRY

pgrzes: I have a 45-year-old wash which I have owned for 9 years. I still have not found
a good way to deal with CHEAPSKATES. (AKA Bucket washers.) We just had a killer
weekend after a week of sub-zero temps and frozen lines. As we started getting busy and
opening up bays, cars were waiting everywhere. Some regulars wanted to bucket wash. I
asked them politely to not bucket wash this weekend and they got all hissy: Ive been coming here for 25 years, Im going somewhere else! Well, no one is going to allow buckets this
weekend, so nice knowing you!
I have seven bays so generally if people come in on slow times Im not really too worried
about it, but I have been upgrading equipment and building so it is beginning to bother me more. Should I just kick them to the curb, or let them
be?? When its slow I like the presence of cars, but I would think general rule of thumb, they would respect my business. Dry brushers tick
me off even more! Got into a shoving match with one on Sat. evening.
It was such a good weekend, ruined by a few people!

TurboJet: I have signs on my property - No Hand


TurboJet:I
or Bucket Washing during daylight hours.
I gure this is somewhat of a compromise. During
the day respect my business, at night when there are
no line-ups I am OK with it.
After that you have to just enforce it, otherwise
they wont take it seriously and everyone thinks its
the norm. If they complain, I tell them what do you
do when you go to a restaurant? Show up, bring your
own food and wine and take up a booth all night?
No. Same with a SS bay - your renting it by the minute not occupying it by the minute.
I am planning on going to wobblehead brushes
this year. Im sick of these guys dry washing as well,
and waiting for some weepmizer water. Then they go
spend $4 on a coffee.
Earl Weiss: Quick story. In the days of full serve
gas stations, a guy asks the attendant to check his oil.
He is told he needs a quart so he goes to the trunk,
pulls out a quart and asks the attendant to put it in.
Attendant says, We only put in oil purchased here.
Guy says, But I bought gas. Attendant says, Would
you go the restaurant, buy a cup of coffee and hand
them 2 eggs and ask them to cook the eggs for you
because you bought coffee? Customer says, You
sell eggs here?
JeffM: The issue that I think most customers would
have is that you are deciding to ask them to change
their washing habits because you are busy when you
have not enforced this policy. Kicking them to the
curb is not going to help you retain your customer
base. If you are going to eliminate bucket washing
then do it all the time or not at all. Your customers
should never be left wondering if they can or cant
do something based upon a vague variable such as
how busy you are, or the weather. TurboJets idea
of no...during daylight hours would be one viable
solution as it has a denate guideline to be followed;
it is either daylight or not.

slash007: Not sure I agree with that. I have no


problem with regulars bucket washing during slow
times, and it is reasonable to expect them to not do
it when there are people waiting or we are busy. I
never say anything most days, but when all bays are
full or people are in line, I politely tell them that they
can bucket wash all they want as long as the meter
is running. I do get many that get mad, and I just tell
them that they can bucket wash all they want on
slow days, but on busy days they are basically stealing
from me and not respecting the time of the people
behind them. If they dont want to come back because of that, then that is their problem. Its a simple
matter of using common sense and having respect
for the business and for others.
MEP001: Im starting to see that it might be
wrong to let customers choose when its okay to
bucket wash. Ive had more than a few repeat bucket washers keep at it even after Ive asked them not
to do it when its busy. One guy copped an attitude
with me the THIRD time I caught him bucket washing while people were waiting on a bay and said, Im
still going to rinse it! Even after I told him again that
its stealing to tie up a bay without having the timer
running and making others wait, he just didnt get
it and said hed never come back. (He does, but still
never spends more than $2.)
Ive also noticed that the people who bucket wash
also tend to dry in the bay. That means for the $2-3
they spend they can easily cost $20 in revenue.
tdlconceptsllc: I have signs that say no bucket
washing. I tell people, Whats the point of coming
to a carwash if you can bucket wash at home?
soapy: I just watched a fellow at my wash bring
in his own soap and brush and scrub his car down.
Then he went to use the weep water to rinse his car.
The temperature is 3 degrees right now and somehow the weep water got turned off just at the time
he was going to use it. He had to drive off with fro-

zen soap all over his car.


pgrzes: Thanks guys, I think this is just a venting thread as I had a really busy weekend, one that I
have not had in several years. I know we all have the
same issues, we have signs up and people just dont
care or refuse to respect our business. I just installed
a rebuilt pump stand, and am spending money on
other upgrades. I will just have to enforce the no
bucket washing rule. Dont like it? Go elsewhere.
wobblehead brushes will be on the bucket list. Its
the attitude you get when you ask nicely not to do
it they look at you like you have 3 heads! Short on
bays, lines everywhere and they want to sit and waste
your space. Its really frustrating.
JeffM: On slow days your customer is technically
stealing from you as well; you just choose not to say
anything. Enforcing a policy all the time or not at all
will create consistency which customers want.
I full appreciate that a SS bay only generates revenue when occupied and the meter is running. Letting
customers occupy without the meter running at any
time (within reason) tells them what they are doing is acceptable and will be tolerated and becomes
part of their washing experience. They may return
because your wash allows this during slow times
and will feel a sence of entitlement for the $5-$7
they spend when they try and do the same on a day
where you are busy.
Ever been to a busy restaurant on a Friday night
where they tell you to get out immediately after
your meal because you arent still ordering? They
maintain consistancy regardless of how busy they
are. That table is not generating revenue as long
as you are still occupying it. No different than a
wash bay.
The point I am trying to make here is that it
doesnt matter which side of the fence you are on
{continued }
APRIL 2014

57

TRICKS TRADE
OF
THE

about bucket washing (and I know almost all are


against it), pick a policy and enforce it and be consistent about it. Customers will either choose to wash
with you or not. Better to lose a few that way than to
have stories about the jerk at the carwash who told
me not to come back. (Not saying anyone here is
actually a jerk.. lol)

ADVICE AND AWARENESS FROM THE SELF


SERVE CAR WASH INDUSTRY

I choose the darwinian approach; let the customers


police it themselves. Too much hassle/opportunity
to bend the rules when its not busy or its someone I
know/like/feel sorry for. Just being candid.

WaxMan: I let em go ahead and bucket wash.


Maybe the minority opinion here but too much of a
pain-in-the-butt to police every one and some who
do it are so darn elderly or otherwise kind and buying detail services, etc. later on.

WhaleofaWash: I have no clue why you guys


hate bucket washers. Most of mine are extremely
picky about their car. Yes, a few are inconsiderate,
and I might say, Could you speed it up someone is
waiting, but generally I have enough bays, so no big
deal. I think bucket washers generally make my wash
look good: Super clean car + very little money spent.
Please skip the clunky Wobblehead and buy a
nicely colored handle made by the Hamels (Hamel
MFG) for only $10. It must take 10 years or more to
recoup the $150 handle for the Wobblehead. I have
even kept brushing my car with excess foam on it instead of throwing more coins in because I am on the
opposite side of the car. I hope the wife sends me to
the Old Carwash Owners Rest Home if I ever start
to worry about someone brushing without paying. If
you need to control every aspect of a persons wash
habits -- the problem may be you. No two people
that come to my wash clean the same way, and it
doesnt matter to me if they spend $2 and gone in 5
minutes or spend $2 and linger for 30 minutes. I am
with the Waxman on this one.

I kind of feel that I need to choose my battles and

slash007: While I have had a few complainers, it

JGinther: The bucket buffoons always come back


no matter how many times you ask them to leave
because they are picky and like a good wash. I have
found that most of them are not just cheap - they
are just picky about how they wash their car, and
self centered to the point that they believe they are
doing things right.
Of course, some are just cheapskates. If you have a 2
function timer, a push button in the equipment room
could change the price on those and drywall guys,
mudders, greasers, and trashies. It would be fun to
make a quarter worth 1/4 of the time just for those
guys. You could always post a 1 by 1 sign somewhere so you arent doing anything unethical. ;)

is rarely busy to the point that bucket washing bothers me, so I let the regulars take their time and then
when it is busy I tell people to put money in the bay.
Most understand and dont complain, I dont think
it is a big deal to let them bucket wash within reason
most of the time and then when you have a line ask
them to not do it.
Randy: Im going to have to side with Waxman,
North Dakota John, and Sami on the bucket washers
issue. Bucket washers dont bother me and Im not
going to hang out at the car wash and play Bucket
washer policeman during the day or on the weekends. We normally get to the car wash about 05:30
and we are usually gone by 8:00. I dont know if we
have regular customers or not because we dont hang
out at the car wash. Hanging out at the car wash has
to be one of the most boring things there is to do.
MEP001: I dont hate bucket washers, in fact I set
the foam brush output a little on the heavy side after
noticing a lot of customers like to let the time run
out and keep scrubbing with the foam they already
got. The bucket washers I feel we cant allow are the
ones that spend the bare minimum while tying up a
bay for a half hour. Yes, some of them hand wash because they want to take better care of their cars, but
the ones that cause a scene when theyre asked not to
do it are the tightwads that dont even think theyre

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58 APRIL 2014

TRICKS TRADE
OF
THE

doing something wrong.


The customer is always right, but theres no
law that says you have to let
them be your customer.
Jeff_L: Ill play devils advocate
here...
Unless youre a jerk and policing the
bucket washers constantly, youll be hard
pressed to change the habit. The question
to ask is, Why are they bucket washing?.
Are they cheapskates? Maybe, but maybe
not. They obviously care a lot about their
car that theyre willing to spend the few
bucks to buy the soaps, brushes, towels,
etc to clean their car. Maybe they dont
have a driveway where they live; have
you ever driven in an area of high
density housing? How many vehicles do you count that are cam
aeros, mustangs, etc? Perhaps theyre
coming to your bay because they dont have access
to a hose or dont want to drag it out.
If you really want to change the bucket washing
mentality, then change the way you charge your customer base. Such as, some type of barrier in front of
your lot that only allows a customer in after paying
by credit card, and continues to charge until they

pull out. Just a thought.


One more thought, if you had a
monthly program to wash all you
want, would your perspective
on bucket washers change? I
would think so, theyd now all
of a sudden be a very protable
customer.
chaz: Problem is the guy that activates the wash then bucket washes and then rinses with a second
activation makes me no money
during the bucket washing time.
My policy, customers must exit
the bay when timer stops and
others are waiting. Most customers respect this some even bucket
wash with the meter running. On
busy days you bet I am at the wash,
its not boring, and my presence directing trafc etc, helps keep the cash
owing. Just this past weekend, I had a customer
blocking a bay and vac while he detailed the inside.
He got mad and said hes not coming back. Fine with
me. But then he ended up pulling into the bay and
spending $6. Nice.
mjwalsh: Whale & others, That tends to be the

way we handle it. Just to add something, some of


us North of the Dixie-Mason line have overhead
doors and when the streets are cleaner because the
slush has frozen we get busier during the prime daylight hours. So there is the indoor towel drying potential abuse.
Recently, we very much improved our hand blow
dry. So now the customer is more likely to actually
use increased meter time. Also, as part of a PLC program, we make our blow dry LED advert lettering
sign in the bay to go off 6 minutes after the meter
stops. Now when the argument comes up ... I just
got done washing ... we calmly let them know that
it has been at least 6 minutes because the blowdry
sign timing is accurate. ;) Most of the time, they do
not want to be unreasonable and will respond in a
decent way.
After dark, the PLC program puts our brand new
G&G LEDs in their perfectly spaced 1/3-2 amp
mode vs the full lighting 6 amp mode after ve minutes. If there is a line after dark that is also a subtle
encouragement that seems to help a lot. We close
at 10 PM with no lights on -- but we still get our
unpredictable lull periods, so the added benet of
lower electricity bill is helpful. There is still enough
light to still be attractive and our new programmable marquee tricolor led sign in front jazzes up the
attractiveness also.

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APRIL 2014

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Hey, Hey,The
Gangs All Here
(or at least 5,600 of them)

A look at Car Wash Show 2014 and the big changes ahead.
By Kate Carr
The theme of this years Car Wash Show, hosted
by the International Carwash Association (ICA) in
Chicago earlier this month, was 100 Years of Carwashing. To that point, the Association collected
photos and historical figures tracking the birth and
growth of the professional carwash industry over
the years and presented it on a big screen during the
welcoming reception at House of Blues in Chicago
following the opening day at McCormick Place. It
also was a nice PR opportunity for the industry, resulting in a splashy story posted on NBCnews.com
this month and in several other efforts by the ICA,
including a Facebook page allowing operators to
submit photos/memories and a video booth at the
ICAs pavillion at the show for attendees to record
their stories, as well. (Check it out! The NBC News
story can be found here: www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/car-wash-100-years-brushes-soap-waxshine-elbow-grease-n70876)
But the history were more concerned with is
that of the show itself. It was apparent this year that
the new normal for the carwash industrys largest
convention and trade show is going to be the mid5000s attendance mark, with exhibiting companies
hovering around the 300s. The ICA is now turning
its attention to absorbing regional trade shows (like
the WCAs event next year) and expanding internationally (to Amsterdam in 2015, with indefinite
plans to continue or branch out from there). And,
to the ICAs credit, everyone we spoke to was rather pleased with how the Chicago show turned out,
from the vendors (It exceeded our expectations

64 APRIL 2014

was the cliche phrase passed around this year) to the


show staff (well, obviously) to the attendees. Taken
as a sum of its parts, it leaves us to believe this is the
standard going forward. Perhaps it mirrors your own
business -- maybe like the ICA you enjoyed some
spectacular successes in the early 00s, but things
have settled now. Only, I wonder

Looking back on the


numbers
As youre well aware, weve recently been going
over our own history -- that of SSCWN and the self
serve carwash industry. One of the recurring themes
seems to be the idea of periodically banding together to push self serve needs and interests to the surface once again, as they are likely to float either just
below or sink altogether over the years. In the late
1960s it meant founding the National Coin Carwash Council -- the only national association that
exclusively represented the interests of the self serve
carwash industry, and in 1973 it resulted in the creation of this publication.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, perhaps our time to
raise up has come again. (Dont worry -- its not
anarchy yet. I simply think we need to get a louder
and raise a little heck to get the things we want
out of our most beloved Car Wash Show.) Despite
everyones willingness to accept the show as it is, we
c ant shake the feeling that its capable of achieving
far more to benefit our industry. In its heydey,
Car Care World Expo (as the ICA then called it)
drew more than 10,500 attendees, and for many
years it regularly attracted over 9,000. This year
the Association was lucky to hold its attendance
numbers at the 5,600 mark, just slightly above half

13 years of Car Care


World Expo/Car Wash
Show attendance
numbers
*record attendance

LOCATION

YEAR

ATTENDEES

Chicago

2014

Vegas

2013

5900

Vegas

2012

5700

Vegas

2011

5500

Vegas

2010

5000

Vegas

2009

6550

Orlando

2008

7100

Vegas

2007

9000

Vegas

2006

9200

San Antonio 2005

8400

Las Vegas

2004

10600*

Las Vegas

2003

9900

Chicago

2002

9160

{continued
5600 }

their record volume. (And it should be noted, for


all the hand wringing that happens whenever the
Car Wash Show moves out of Las Vegas, Chicago
previously set the off-Vegas attendance record in

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65

ICA Show Report

They sure dont ll a room like they used to...


shown here, a packed room at an Early Bird Panel
Discussion in 2003 and the Self Serve Roundtable
discussion in 2014.

2002.) In addition to the attendance numbers, the


ICA has also had to fight to hold their exhibitor
standings, which bottomed out around 300
companies this year. In previous, more successful
years, it wasnt unusual to see more than 400
exhibitors on the floor.
And those exhibitors are behind the real drama
of Car Wash Show 2014, which didnt happen until
the lights went off and the floor closed. A half hour
after the show ended, the ICA hosted about 65
vendor representatives and concerned parties to
discuss International strategy, the European show,
and the WCA show consolidation. Notice of the
meeting was given via small sheets of paper passed
out to exhibitors, apparently randomly. The majority of vendors SSCWN spoke with didnt even
know it was scheduled and it was clear based on
the room set-up that the ICA thought theyd have
a much smaller turnout. Chairs were brought in
up to the meetings beginning, and even then there
were several persons left standing. Oh! To be a fly
on the wall! (But guess what -- I was a fly on the
wall! Lucky you!)
Well get to the details on that meeting later,
which has some real interest for operators, not just
the vendors who were present -- but for now, lets
turn to our major gripe with the Car Wash Show
2014: Educational programming! (Or lack thereof.)

The proof is in the


pudding
It was wildly obvious to our staff that pending any
real ruckus from the attendees, the educational programming from the ICA is going to be rather lackluster going forward, a sort of generic and corporate
bent on trends in social media, marketing, and web
presence, as well as larger management topics, like
motivating employees and creating business growth.
Aside from the vendor-run track, the shows presenters were all carwash industry outsiders. We respect the fact that professional speakers, motivators
and business gurus can have much to teach us about
management and marketing trends -- but seriously,
NO operator-run panels? No early bird sessions?!
The Car Wash Show used to be a fantastic place to

66 APRIL 2014

talk shop, but even the networking events were a


bust. Basically, I bought $77 worth of Bud Light,
joked one attendee who shelled out the big bucks
for the ICAs new Operator Networking Dinners
event, only to find he was one of THREE operators
there to network. Even worse? The dinners were
at a cost above that of the All Access Pass, leaving
some attendees with a rather expensive dinner bill.
I cant complain about the food. And at least the
Sonnys guys were there to talk to, said another attendee who visited a different restaurant which was
supposed to feature conversation about conveyor
topics and found much of the same.
Still, there were some nuggets to be found if you
mined the mornings schedule. The most valuable
sessions were vendor-run, such as the program on
Optimizing Your Water Efficiency by Partnering
with Your Local Municipality presented by PurClean and Brandon Leister, conservation planner
for San Antonio Water System. While the room featured plenty of empty chairs, I think the 60 or so
attendees who turned up walked away with some
hard facts and figures which might help them as
they work with their municipalities to bargain for
rebates and assistance with water reclamation costs.
(BONUS: Look for a thorough report on that session, as well as lots of supplementary information
on water conservation, education and reclaim in our
next issue, which will be focused on water issues
and the self serve carwash industry.) We also thoroughly enjoyed Kevin Detrick of ICSs presentation
on Using Marketplace Trends to Drive Earnings.
While the program was decidedly for tunnel operators who are interested in flex-serve, there were
plenty of good business practices discussed which
could apply to any number of carwash formats.
For instance, Detrick explained how much time he
put into achieving the right type of clean with his
equipment and chemicals by sending dirty car after
dirty car through the tunnel until he could achieve a
clean car without prep. First focusing on the chemistry, and then on the equipment. Throughout the
process, he meticulously tracked his sales numbers
and utility costs -- and those are the kinds of good
business practices which transcend genres.

In addition to these excellent offerings, I heard


from many attendees that the ICA-organized carwash tour the day before the show opened was very
well done. Several operators said they were surprised
by just how busy some of these Chicagoland locations were, including at least one or two gas station
washes. We definitely regretted not making the trip
a day earlier to attend, but cest la vie.
Then there was the industry round table session
on the last morning of the show. Boy, oh boy, was
I excited for this program. I even cased the room
the day before, wondering how they would fit all
the bodies into the small conference room. And the
round table was, as expected, excellent owing to the
caliber of operators who turned out -- even if there
were only 10 SS operators assembled. Thats right:
TEN. The last industry trade show I attended before
my maternity hiatus, I believe we filled a room with
100+. And that was in the lean years following the
recession! Even more upsetting, the low attendance
didnt only affect self serves; the tables for express
exterior had about 12 persons, and the flex-serve
table drew another 10. The tables for full serve and
IBA discussions were empty.
Lets focus on the positive: As you might have
guessed, the self serve operators were the first in the
room and the last to leave. They discussed a little
bit of everything, hitting on all the industry standards: What are you doing for pit cleaning and how
often? How much water are you reclaiming and
what equipment is working for you? What are you
paying for credit card processing? Have you tried a
pet wash? And then some of the technology at the
show and trends in the industry: Has anyone seen
the CryptoPay system? What do you think about
the underbody wash system? Have you tried a loyalty program? What are you hearing about unlimited washing at the self serve? Do you have express
exterior competition in your market? The operators
who showed up had the benefit of two of the industrys most experienced and knowledgeable self
serve gurus, David Dugoff of College Park Car Wash
in Maryland and Walt Hartl of Hoffman Car Wash
in Albany, NY. Both Dugoff and Hartl have not only
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67

ICA Show Report


Can you spot Jackson?! There he is! The SSCWN booth
may have been buried at the end of a single-sided corner, but it didnt stop our many fans and loyal readers
from tracking us down to say Hi over the course of
the 3-day event.

decades of operations under their belts, but they


are also seasoned panel discussion moderators and
presenters, as well as regional association presidents.
(Dugoff is the current president of the Mid-Atlantic
Carwash Association, and Hartl is president of the
New York State Car Wash Association.)
Unfortunately, the table branched out into
several different conversations, which means its
nearly impossible to provide a transcript of the
session. And perhaps thats our biggest regret
about this new roundtable format. It does provide
excellent networking, but the opportunity to really discuss the nitty gritty on a topic is decimated.
Honestly, what is this show coming to if we cant
even set up a measly panel discussion?! Where is
the value for seasoned operators? Especially in this
Internet age, when new products are just a click
and a YouTube video presentation away, what is
the point in spending $1,000 to trek it out to Vegas? I am trying very hard to appreciate the other
sessions (we have summarized the few we attended for your benefit on page 84), and I suppose for
a small regional chain of conveyor locations there

probably is even greater opportunity there -- but


its disheartening to think the industrys best networking event is slowly eroding. A panel discussion costs nothing to set-up. Youve already assembled the industrys best and brightest minds at the
event, youve paid for the room, and these operators are all eager to share their experiences FOR
FREE. Particularly for the single-site self serve operator who doesnt do much in the way of Internet marketing, employee management or business
growth -- couldnt you set up an Early Bird session
for him?! His ICA membership and show pass cost

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the same as the flex-serve operators. Its a much


better draw to attend a show if there is the promise of some educational opportunity.
Its clear from chatter on the AutoCareForum that
there is a growing movement of SS operators who
have elected to not renew their membership in the
ICA as they feel they have forgotten the little guy,
and at least one operator told us he far prefers the
way the Coin Laundry Association (ironically the
first organization to represent self serve carwash operators) is managed. According to CLAs website,
they are similarly industry focused, but seem to

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ICA Show Report


Theres a new use for LED Simoniz illuminates
their hot wax in a golden glow with the energy
efcient lighting technology.

take a much more detail-oriented and hands-on approach to the issues -- they even direct the affiliate
groups (similar to the regional associations) in a you
pay for one and get two memberships deal. (You can
check them out at coinlaundry.org.)
Interestingly enough, at the same time that the
ICA seems to be moving away from the little guy,
some companies are moving toward him (or her).
For instance, Unitec Electronics hosted a Customer Focus Group as part of the educational program
series in order to get feedback and ideas from their
customers. About 20 operators attended the pro-

gram, which allowed them to discuss Unitecs current products, as well as their thoughts about the future of their businesses and pay station technology.
The focus groups are one element of our ongoing
campaign The Customer Comes First -- which
has been driven by a lot of internal conversation
surrounding our objective of really understanding
what the customer wants, explained Unitec President Pam Piro in an e-mail after the show. As you
know, at the end of the day we are only successful in
business if we are really giving our customer something they want because it helps them achieve their

business goals.
And even though Pam and I werent discussing the
lack of other quality educational opportunities, she
kind of hit the nail on the head when discussing the
success of Unitecs Customer Focus Group session.
During the show, several of the participants approached me to express that they enjoyed participating and found the session to be very interesting
and valuable; in fact, some carried on the conversation during the show. This exemplifies what I hear
from so many new investors in our industry regarding how helpful established operators have been in
sharing their expertise, which really speaks highly to
the quality of the individuals themselves.
And thats just it -- operators learn best practices
from talking to other operators. Marcus Kittrells
comments in our article about the Gated POP
concept (p. 44) go even further; elaborating how
industry trends and, in fact, industry success is really dependent upon this kind of collaboration and
communication.
So, ICA, if you are indeed an industry driven association -- could we please, pretty please, have our
Early Bird sessions back?!

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APRIL 2014

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70 APRIL 2014

ICA Show Report


Keynote hits
the right note
For all my whining, I wasnt completely
dissatisfied. The keynote address this year
was particularly on point -- and a nice break
from the round of sport stars the ICA had
been hiring. Although Id never seen the
show, I was absolutely smitten with Daymond John, CEO and founder of FUBU

brand, and Robert Herjavec, a techshow up ready to deliver their standard go


nology entrepreneur with many sucget em, tiger speech.
cesses in the tech industry, from the
(If youre not familiar with Shark Tank,
hit ABC series Shark Tank. They
here is a description of the program from
were funny, insightful, and charismatthe shows website: The critically-acclaimed
ic -- and even better, it appeared they
business-themed show, Shark Tank, has the
had actually taken time to think about
Sharks -- tough, self-made, multi-millionaire
Daymond John
Robert Herjavec
the carwash industry, its struggles and
and billionaire tycoons -- continuing the
its future, unlike so many other keynotes who simply
search to invest in the best businesses and products
clothing

Transcript of CEO Eric Wulfs remarks at opening breakfast


I want to today, for the first few minutes, talk about some of the things
ICA, your association, has been doing
in 2013, and then some of the plans
we have going forward. First of all, Im
happy to say that in 2013, ICA had its
fourth consecutive year of membership growth. This is something we havent had since the 1980s; that kind of
steady increase. We obviously have a
lot more we can do, and a long way
to go, but I want to thank everybody
in this room for being a part of that.
Second of all, in 2013 we also had
an increase in the number of companies and locations participating in
our WaterSavers program. We ended
2013 with approximately 1200 locations involved; another year of double digit growth in that program. And
what were particularly excited about
is some of the progress we made last
year in public, consumer relations.
The outreach were doing with that
program. The best example was, as
some of you will recall, when Governor
Brown in California declared a drought
emergency last Fall. Within three
hours of that announcement, we were
able to mobilize a digital advertising
campaign, using Facebook and other social media, particularly targeted
at consumers in California. Now that
was part of a broader area of work in
2013, all told we touched consumers
with about 100 million impressions.
We know that the battle to let people
know that professional carwashing is
the better choice will take time, were
moving in that direction and we want
to accelerate that, and we think last
year was a big part of that progressive movement toward our industrys
services. In terms of 2014, so you
know, were already over 375 participating companies, thats nearly 2,000
locations, already just on April 1st.
We will have three campaigns beginning in June, so if youre a member of
WaterSavers youll certainly be a part
of that, if youre not I encourage you
to stop by the ICA booth and learn
more. We think that these are going
to be another opportunity to reach the
motoring public and tell our story very
effectively.
Another program I should high-

light is our WashCount program. This


is now the second or third year of
WashCount, once again double-digit
percentage growth in that program.
And Im particularly happy to say we
tweaked the results so that now we
have same-store data that goes back
4 years of same store results, giving
you, the carwash operator, even better indications of how youre performing against the market, by carwash
type, by geography, and periods of
time. Again, if you havent been a part
of that program, please think about it
and stop by the ICA pavillion.
And then theres the E3 Series weve
unveiled -- actually renamed about a
year ago. Really, some of these programs weve been doing for about 3
or 4 years now. Most significant is one
we call the Wash Different Workshop.
This is an opportunity we have for a
day and a half program in Chicago,
bringing in outside speakers, and allowing carwash operators to hear
some other industry perspectives and
network with one another. In 2014
whats going to be special about that
program will be it is going to be the
latest incarnation of our consumer research. Some of you might know every 3 years since 1994, ICA has been
doing a national consumer research
study. So in 2014, the real focus of
that Wash Different workshop is going
to be that research. And its focused
in three different areas. One is differentiation. Why a customer picks one
carwash over another. The second

is avoidance. Why people dont go


to a carwash. And the third is going
to be value. So what specifically are
customers valuing of the components
of our service. So, speed, underbody
wash, etc. And well have those results to share with you at the Wash
Different Workshop.
So, that was 2013. Now, weve also
had some things weve announced
already this year about go forward
plans, and I want to talk about two
of those. The first of which being our
new partnership with the Western
Carwash Association. We announced
a couple of months ago that 2014 will
be the last show for the WCA. Theyll
have their show in Vegas this year.
We encourage you to go to that show,
of course. But beginning in 2015, the
WCA becomes a partner to ICA in
putting on The Car Wash Show. This
means we now believe were adding
more to whats the best show in the
industry. I want to make sure that you
understand that this is about more
than just a trade show. We think this
move is going to provide some wonderful things for WCA and its members -- but not just about the trade
show floor or the education, but also
about WCAs strategic focus on the
local member and local markets. So
look for the WCA to do more in terms
of road shows, membership meetings, perhaps even table top shows
to make sure theyre doing more to
connect with their core member. And
thats sort of the differentiation with
us partnering on the trade show and
them focused on the local -- we think
its a really exciting model and were
looking forward to inviting them into
next years show.
The second is The Car Wash Show
Europe. Again, just a couple of months
ago we announced this. Like in the
U.S., there are several other events in
Europe that have a carwash component, but there is no show that is like
The Car Wash Show in Europe. And
after spending a considerable amount
of time evaluating it, were really excited. The feedback were getting from
operators in Europe in particular is extremely positive. Were looking forward
to bringing that event to Amsterdam in

October 2015, so about 18 months


from now. Now, you might say, Well,
whats that do for me? Im an operator
in Peoria, Illinois. Well, I can think of
a couple of examples. One, if youre
a supplier, this is a new way to build
brand or to develop a market. You can
work with us and we can put you in
a venue and experience that we think
will best and better show what you
offer. Number two, for the operator,
its about knowledge transfer -- and
heres a fantastic example. Arguably, in
the last 15 years, the most significant
change or evolution in the industry, you
could say, might be the express exterior carwash model. Well, many of you
also know that past ICA president Ben
Alford is sort of recognized as the father of the express exterior model. But
Ben would tell you that it was while on
an ICA Management Seminar trip to
Europe that he first saw the free vacuums concept. Ben took that idea and
combined it with his idea for automatic gates and history has been written
after that. Its about that knowledge
transfer and providing operators with
those opportunities to get new ideas
and experiment and see new markets
that we think is the most powerful part
of this new show. So, with your membership, you will get two passes to the
Amsterdam show. I do hope you will
consider joining us.
So, thats a lot of review of 2013,
thats a lot of new things and evolution
that we are going through -- but I also
want to emphasize: We havent forgotten who we are. This is an organization
that is focused on the owner/operator,
the people who are every day operating
car washes or servicing and supplying
that and youre Board of Directors reflects that. Sixteen members who serve
in a volunteer role. Operators and suppliers, distributors and manufacturers.
Single site operators and those that
manage more than 300. Your Board of
Directors are your peers and focused
and committed to finding those solutions or evolutions or the next thing
down the pipe that best benefits you
and this industry. I want to invite you to
reach out to these folks; give them your
input, give them your suggestions. We
would love to have them.

{continued }
APRIL 2014

71

ICA Show Report

A round of applause,
please

There werent many empty chairs to be found ahead of this years Keynote Presentation by Robert Herjavec and Daymond John from the hit ABC show, Shark Tank.

that America has to offer. The Sharks will once again


give budding entrepreneurs the chance to make
their dreams come true and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires.
John and Herjavec spoke at
length about their failures in
entrepreneurship and the lessons gleaned from those costly
mistakes in a talk show style discussion moderated by ICA president Gary Dennis, peppering
Gary Dennis
their earnest recollections with
amusing anecdotes.
When discussing what hes learned from failure
or mistakes, John said, What I realized is you can
drown in opportunity. You can get to a level of success where you think that youre most successful
than the industry. I learned at that time that I really shouldnt veer very far from my key skillset. I
learned that if I wanted to go into another industry
-- say, if I was going to go into Roberts (technology) industry -- I would have to acquire a person like
Robert who is not yet very successful, but has the
20 or 30 years in the business and can teach me. If I
go in there purely for the money play, Im going to
get eaten alive. You have to stick to the things you
know best.
Herjavec had a different spin on the topic. The
difference between success and failure for me was always the ability to persevere, he explained. Youre
never a failure until you stop. So, for me, theres never a finish line. Theres never an end game. Theres
never a finality to it.
Herjavec and John also discussed the idea of nature versus nurture as it applies to the entrepreneur
gene. Are great entrepreneurs born or made? Herjavec asked. Both men realized they had a drive for
business in their youth -- for Herjavec it was a middle-school paper route when he was a few years under the newspapers age limit, and for John it even

72 APRIL 2014

began as early as grade school.


In first grade, I would go and find pencils and I
would scrape the ink off the pencils, and I would
then paint the name of the prettiest girls in the class.
Then, I would sell them the pencils with their name
written on it. So, I found a way that I would not
only be able to talk to the prettiest girls, but I would
make a little cash, too. What happened, though, was
my principal...he didnt have any vision. He made
me close the business down after about a month.
But I remember the pitch. I went to his office, and I
said, Im making money and Im supplying pencils
to everyone. Why would make me close this business down? And he said, Well, I found out youre
stealing the pencils from the boys.
I think the key is, were all born thinking like entrepreneurs, John said, adding that over time, outside influences like family or friends, might discourage lofty ambitions. So, really, you learn *not* to be
an entrepreneur.
I read a statistic somewhere that something like
80 percent of all entrepreneurs come from families
where one parent owned a business, Herjavec recalled, adding that in his own experience as the son
of immigrants, this wasnt the case (his mother, a receptionist; his father, a factory worker). And in fact,
Herjavec never wanted to own a business. I would
have never started a business if I hadnt been fired. I
had bills to pay. It was very simple.
When discussing what they look for in an entrepreneur to invest in, both John and Herjavec agreed
it comes down to likability and a personal connection. In regards to the products and ideas theyre
pitched, Herjavec explained, I dont believe theres
any such thing as a great product. I think its kind
of like Paul McCartney said, Everything thats been
sung has been sung before. I think what it really
comes down to is execution. Why is one carwash
more successful than another carwash? It comes
down to execution.
{continued }

Another highlight of the show was seeing the


carwash industrys biggest fan, Brian Campbell, honored once again by the ICA, which
has shuffled their award offerings around
and added a new honor in his name: The
Brian Campbell Inspiration Award (previously
Campbells name was featured on the annual
Innovation Award). As a child, Campbell was
diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, a rare
neurodevelopmental disorder, and doctors
told his family he had a 10-year life expectancy. Not only did Brian beat those odds, but
by 10 years old he had developed a fascinaJohn added that one of the most common reation with carwash equipment and businesses
sons
start-up
businessesattending
fail is actually
over-funding.
and
was regularly
industry
trade
They
dont
just
take
the
small
step
that
they
shows -- a passion he continues to this
day,can
afford,
go old.
beyond
adding and
that passion
they cant
at 33they
years
His that,
enthusiasm
gofor
back
to the initial
when it comes
time
carwashing
areinvestors
truly contagious
and like
many
of
you,
we
feel
he
is
our
most
favorite
to meet the needs of the businesss growth and often
face
on thefishow
end
up to
insee
personal
nancialfloor.
duress trying to fund
This
years
Car
Wash
Hall
of Fame award
the increasing demands of the business.
was
another
endearing
moment
tied
into
Herjavec agreed, recalling that thethat
only
business
the shows 100 Years of Carwashing theme
where he lost money in the beginning was the one
and recognized carwash industry pioneer
he started after he was already wealthy. And so inLeo Rousseau. He received the honor poststead
of trying
thing, Idofsay,
lets
try these
humously
in one
recognition
hisOh,
place
in history
five
things.
And
wed
throw
a
bunch
of
money
at it
as the father of the first automated carwash
and
theyd fail,
Id say,
Oh,Rousseau
lets try another
five
machine,
thesoMinit
Man.
develthings,
wouldnt
work.aEventually
I realopedand
the those
Minit-Man
system,
five-step carwashing
production
process
that oftook
the
ized
wed run
out of money,
so instead
trying
five
industry
by storm
after we
World
War
II. Prior
to
things,
we tried
one. And
made
sure
it worked
this, we
carwashes,
known as automobile launbefore
moved on.
dromats,
consisted
of men your
washing
the cars in
In terms of how to manage
investments
by hand as it was moved from station to stathe business, Herjavec cautioned, Every dollar you
tion. The Minit-Man system revolutionized the
spend, youre making a conscious decision not to
industry by providing a chain conveyor, side
spend
it on something
else.
brushes,
a top brush,
vacuums and blowers
Speaking
of
wasted
money,
asked
the two
for $16,000, explained anDennis
ICA press
release.
Sharks
if there
was any
pitchspawned
on the TV
they
His
invention
literally
anshow
indusfelttry,
theyICA
missed
on.Wulf
(Sharks
use their own
monCEOout
Eric
elaborated.
Cynthia
granddaughter
ofbusinesses
Leo Rousseau,
eyWatson,
to invest in
the products and
presented
on his
behalf.
onaccepted
the show.)the
It award
goes back
to what
Robert touched

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APRIL 2014

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ICA Show Report

Perhaps the most notable innovation on the show oor: Automated booth babes! From
sign-spinning mannequins to hologrammed hotties, these automatons were all the rage in 2014.

And of course we couldnt miss


these booth babes in the esh!

And the automated booth babe technology wasnt just for gals Heres a hologram
superhero and his poster-board companion for the Synergy Solutions booth.

on earlier about execution. I realized that the pitches for the products that have been successful, it
doesnt mean they would have been successful if I
had partnered with them, John said, citing a product (ReaderRest) another Shark invested in that was
used to hold reading glasses on a persons shirt. This
is no new idea -- but Laurie bought this product.
And Im telling you, this is the stupidest product.
But Laurie did, I think, $4 or $5 million dollars in
gross revenues on this product. But it wouldnt have
been the same with me. It just wouldnt. So I dont
regret that. It wouldnt have been as successful.
For Herjavec, who similarly claimed to have no
regrets, the reassurance is in the sheer number of
ideas and pitches out there. So 42,000 people ap-

76 APRIL 2014

plied to be on the show last year, and we brought


175 to L.A. Of those 175, only 75 aired on television. You know, theres another deal coming around
the corner. Its just like in business, its not about the
one opportunity or the one day. Theres always
something around the corner. You make your own
luck, you make your own opportunity. Im positive
therell be more good ideas next season.
Dennis then lead John and Herjavec into an
extremely entertaining conversation about the
amusing things that happen behind the scenes on
Shark Tank before raising the subject of the carwash industry.
I have a solution for the entire carwash industry,
Herjavec boasted. If you can fix this problem, ev-

erybody in this room will be a multi-millionaire: If


you can find a way to get my wife and daughters to
actually *want* to clean their cars -- at least once a
year -- you will have done it. Adding, I think the
thing is, weve got to get *everybody* cleaning their
cars.
Herjavec also raised the point of pricing according to weather and of the future of unlimited wash
clubs or subscription memberships.
John added, I wrestled with what to talk about up
here, because with a room full of all these entrepreneurs, we probably wont say something new. And
as I told you on the call beforehand, I dont want
to come here and say, Hey, why dont you guys try
{continued }

APRIL 2014

77

ICA Show Report

All Paws Pet Wash even had a standalone pet wash building set-up on the oor.

this? and they say, Yeah, hey, bozo, we tried that


10 times. But the fundamentals of business are normally the same: Increase sales and reduce costs. And
I like that aspect of a membership program because
you always need to be upselling the current customer you have.
At this point in the conversation, Eric Wulf had
walked on stage -- they were really running the
clock! Two Car Wash Show attendees who had won
an ICA-organized contest to present their entrepreneurial ideas in a sort of simulated mini-Shark Tank
episode came on and we enjoyed watching them
squirm as John and Herjavec put them through the
ringer. Of course...they werent the only ones at Car
Wash Show 2014 squirming...

Say it aint so, Show...


If I had asked people what they wanted, they
would have said a faster horse. - Henry Ford. This
quote jumped out at us from the copy of the inflight magazine we read on the way home. It would
appear that Henry Ford would be a rather welcome
addition to the ICA Board, who were left to vigorously defend themselves as a rather irate group
of about 60 vendors (led by the indomitable Paul
Fazio) criticized the boards decision to move on to
Europe (with little to no input from the vendors or
ICA membership) and routinely asked, Whose interests are you serving?
The meeting kicked off at 2:30 p.m., just shortly
after the show closed, and began with a slide presentation by ICA President Gary Dennis that was
meant to address the confusion and concern among
the group and to correct several rumors about the
European trade show and the WCA merger. The
slide mostly reiterated the progress the ICA has

78 APRIL 2014

Pet washes have been a hot topic among SS operators for years. The re
hydrant is a nice touch but how in the heck did Fido get way up there?!

made over the last few years, with several direct


quotes/slides from CEO Eric Wulfs comments at
the welcoming breakfast. (A full transcript of Wulfs
comments is available in this story.) It also covered
some general information about trade shows and
the timeline of events that led the ICA to evaluate
opportunities in Europe.
The slide also explained that the ICA is now independent of SmithBucklin, with four staff members
becoming employees of the ICA in January 2013,
although they retain SmithBucklin and a larger staff
for show services.
According to the ICA, the genesis of Car Wash
Show Europe began after CEO Eric Wulf was invited to attend Autopromotec, an Italian automotive equipment and aftermarket product show that
also has a carwash segment, as a guest of the Italian
Trade Commission. I also attended the show, at the
time representing Professional Carwashing & Detailing. Subsequent trips to Europe by the ICA to
attend Automechanika, a larger automotive equipment show in Germany, and Autopromotec again,
resulted in the ICA developing enough interest to
hire an outside advisor/consultant who specializes
in bringing American associations to the European
market. His review of the situation was so favorable,
the ICA made way with plans to organize a show in
Amsterdam.
The show will be a wholly owned subsidiary with
funding structured as a loan from the ICA, Dennis
explained at the meeting. It is being capitalized with
funds in excess of reserve requirements.
The point is not to take the North American
show to Europe, but to have a stand alone, profitable show in Europe, he explained, adding that the
ICA has been trying to build revenues to promote

industry initiatives for years and spent quite a while


looking at diversifying their revenue streams when
they realized the better opportunity might not be to
diversify revenues, but to instead find new avenues
to produce trade shows, their specialty.
Dennis presented a similar argument for their decision to absorb the WCA Show into The Car Wash
Show. He reviewed the ICAs decision to go from
two shows a year to one show back in 1992 (at the
bequest of the vendor), which had the unexpected
result of ending in more regional trade shows per
year and vendors who felt there were too many duplicitous efforts.
We run the best trade show. It makes no sense to
do it less, Wulf argued, hinting that regional shows
could shift to table top shows and carwash tours, or
otherwise focus their efforts on local membership
meetings or educational opportunities.
And finally explaining with a slide that simply
said:
How we make show decisions:
We listen to our customers
We evaluate the market
We look at our results
Where there is demand, we want to be the world
class trade show provider as often as possible and
use profits to drive industry initiatives, Dennis concluded.
Unfortunately for the ICA, it would seem their
members were not on the same page (or PowerPoint
slide, as the case may be).
The questions from the vendor group began immediately. Did the ICA do a study of ROI for vendors to go over and display at Europe?
Well Gee. Err, no. Not yet.
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APRIL 2014

79

ICA Show Report

Show cars dont all have to be Mercedes and BMW Sometimes a utility van is exactly
what one needs to showcase an IBAs skillset, as was the case with Rykos Radius display.

And sometimes a step back in time is


needed to showcase a good shine.

This foam spray technology (part of the Sudser high-volume


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80 APRIL 2014

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M A L D E N , M A 0 2 1 4 8 | FA X 7 8 1 - 7 2 3 - 0 0 7 0

ICA Show Report

The Bubblecano from NS Wash might be a tunnel innovation...


but that didnt stop us from appreciating the wow factor.

And just across the path

The new Hot Rubber Tire


Shine unit from Diskin
Systems was showcased
with the companys space
saving jointed boom.

The new autocashier


from Hamilton has
me hungrier than ever.
Time to go sniff out a
slice of Deep Dish!

Afliated Resources
were spotted with their
copy of SSCWN. (And a
pretty impressive sign -I quite agree!)
APRIL 2014

83

ICA Show Report


This ice vendor features a new see-through
window so customers can watch their ice being
bagged while they listen to a catchy tune or the
operators personal message as they wait.
and Asia have faster growing markets. What about
Australia?
Well You see We were invited to go to Italy
Right off the bat I realized the best spinning
brushes at Car Wash Show 2014 werent on the
show floor -- they were here in this meeting, as Wulf
and Dennis and a few more vocal board members
worked diligently to defend their decision to go to
Europe. (Interestingly enough, the WCA merger
didnt come up. But I should take this opportunity
to add that I got the chance to speak with Executive
Director Ross Hutchins on the show floor and was
INCREDIBLY relieved that the WCA will host their
own educational programming at Car Wash Show
2015, so that actually works out in the ICAs favor.
Ill just jump on the WCA track and quit my griping
about how awful the ICAs efforts have been.)
Back to the matter at hand. A mere 50 minutes
into the meeting, the powerhouse question from
SONNYS Enterprises, Inc. President Paul Fazio:
Why wasnt the membership consulted? This is a

big change. Why werent we surveyed?


Turns out, Fazio conducted his own survey of
exhibiting members and nearly 90 percent were
against the move to Europe.
Wulf argued that the membership had been informed at the appropriate time, and that there is
a constant dialogue between the Association involving newsletters, its magazines and their board
representatives.
No ones ever talked to me, one woman countered. No ones stopped by my booth.
From there, the complaints ventured to the Cen-

A few of the educational sessions summarized


in a single paragraph:
Doug Ross - Developing Unconventional Marketing Tactics: To be honest, were not sure there
was a lot for SS operators to glean from Ross lecture. He talked a bit about coupons and was big on
the idea of the word exclusive, like you might use
to indicate a limited number of discounted washes.
He also had this advice: When an employee or customer offers an idea, respond with, Thats a good
idea, and instead of Thats a good idea, but
Too many business owners get stuck in a negative
thinking process using the latter phrase.
Patrick OMalley - Social Media and ROI:

Most useful tidbit? Carwashes that spell their name


using a space (CAR WASH) rank higher on Google
than those using a single word. According to OMalley, this kinda stuff is called SEO or Search Engine
Optimization, and asking your customers to review
your business on Yelp or advertising on Facebook
can also boost your ranking. Also, it seems that
Google really likes videos -- so if you can, post
one or two on YouTube to boost your ranking. An
excellent spin on this idea would be to get a nice,
shiny car and ask a female family member or friend
to shoot a short how to wash your car at Blanks
Car Wash video. Doesnt require much in the way
of editing and could drive some traffic to the site.
You could also do a video tour of your location with
basic info about the kinds of payment accepted,
hours of operation, etc.

Roselyn Connor - Understanding Generational Diversity: The seminar focused on the problems operators are having with Gen Y employees
(born 1981-2000). (Mostly, surprise, surprise: Entitlement and smartphone usage.) According to Conner, when communicating with these workers, it is
best to:
Be clear and exact while speaking directly to the

84 APRIL 2014

issue, You didnt pick up the trash last night.


You need to pick up the trash every night before
leaving.;
Ask questions to ensure understanding and expect questions in return, When should you pick
up the trash? Great question. No, you shouldnt
be on your phone when picking up the trash.;
Develop a standard approach to ensure fairness
among all employees, Bobby will clean up the
trash when he leaves for the evening; Mark will
clean up the trash when he arrives in the afternoon.
Everyone will pick up the trash at some point.;
Use tech devices (such as text communication)
along with verbal instructions TEXT MESSAGE:
Put down your phone and pick up the trash,
Bobby.
(Whew boy. Kids these days.)

Kordell Norton - How to Become a Trusted


Advisor Using Consultative Selling Skills that Provide Results: It used to be you were valued for what
you knew, but not anymore. In the Internet Age,
everyone knows what you know because they can
Google it. Now youre valued for the questions you
ask, according to Norton, who encouraged operators to sell by asking the right questions. Starting
with identifying who your customer is, and working through to identifying your customers problems
and asking your customer to identify the solution (in
a roundabout way) so that when the time comes to
sell your customer has done all the work. It was
spectacularly exemplified in a short video clip of the
comedian Louis C.K. who is repeatedly asked Why,
Daddy? by his six-year-old daughter. It starts with
her wondering why the sun isnt up yet, and ends
with C.K.s frantically depressed realization that he
has wasted his life and that God is dead. (I promise, its much funnier than it sounds -- you can look
it up on You Tube.)

tury Club. According to the ICAs website, the Century Club is an exclusive opportunity for vendors
to build their brand and reach new customers. According to Fazio, its a $7500 price tag for getting
leads on potential customers that in previous years
were given for free as part of the exhibiting fees.
Thats wrong. That doesnt serve our community.
I have the money to pay for that -- but these little
guys cant afford this.
In fact, several larger vendors have refused to join
the Century Club out of solidarity for the smaller
companies; to date, the Association website lists
only 16 members.
Fazio continued, Who are we now? You know,
we used to sit on auto boards. We used to know
about the paint surfaces and the chemistry. Thats
all gone now. Wheres the value?
To which Bill Carbonel, a carwash owner and
Blendco sales rep, added, The concern is this (move
to Europe) isnt member-driven and its not vendor-driven. Its not even industry-driven. It seems
like its profit-driven. And thats a slippery slope.
Then, one hour into this meeting, John Antonis of
Jim Coleman/Hanna brought up a rather interesting point. His experiences in Europe and attending
trade shows there lead him to believe Netherlands
isnt even a good locale for the show -- so how much
planning and strategy is really going on here?
The conversation then veered towards the ICAs
financials and what their intentions are for the $5
million in reserves. Bruce Kramer, the ICAs general
counsel, handled those questions, adding that the
books are open for anyone to review.
And then, my faithful readers, Im afraid your diligent editor had to run to catch her flight, right in the
middle of all the fireworks. And I mean literally -- I
had to run. Which is too bad, because I ran a marathon only two short weeks before the show and my
hamstring was screaming at me.
I made it just in time to check in, sit down at the
gate and board the plane, before casually opening
my magazine to that quote
If I had asked my customers what they wanted,
they would have said a faster horse. - Henry Ford.
Well, folks, if theres one thing the SSCWN honors, its history. I suppose it will be interesting to see
how this plays out.

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APRIL 2014

85

Darwin at the

Carwash

A collection of the most asinine antics and


unusual criminal events to be reported at
carwashes around the country.
These dumb criminals never
cease to amaze, do they?

There he discovered footprints leading between the vehicles original location


and the car wash, as well
as a large sack hidden in the
bushes containing several hundred dollars in quarters.
He later apprehended the suspects,
Cash M. Yoakem, 27, and Heather Garrett, 25, and
found even more incriminating evidence in their
vehicle: cash, flashlights, masks, gloves, a sledge
hammer, tools, and three green bank bags.
The pair were arrested on charges of breaking
and entering, safecracking, criminal trespass, vandalism, possession of criminal tools and posses-

Case in point, two would-be thieves in Laurelville, OH, were caught in the middle of an early morning break-in after a police officer spotted
them hard at work at a local carwash during the
middle of a snowstorm.
It just wasnt a vehicle I recognized, explained
Officer Mitchell Willie in an article about the incident that appeared in The Circleville Herald. And
it was about 5 a.m. in the middle of a blizzard, so
that made it even more suspicious.
According to the newspaper report, Willie followed the vehicle a short distance when it pulled
away and called in its plate number, but with no cause
for a traffic stop, he returned to inspect the area.

p
e
e
K

sion of stolen property. The


newspaper account estimated damage to the carwash at
about $1,500 and police recovered about $800 in change.
I just think the officer did a great
job, Eric Maxson, owner of the carwash, was quoted in the article. Im very
pleased with the police department and their diligence, being out at 5 a.m. in the snow and able
to do the job he did. He was on top of his game
to know that vehicle wasnt common to the area
and to run their plates before they even got out of
town. That was very good police work.
Hear, hear!

SOUTHWEST

CAR WASH
ASSOCIATION

Industry Innovations Business Solutions Plus Unparalleled Hospitality

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com
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mail a check with this order form:
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February 22-24, 2015 | Arlington Convention Center | Arlington, Texas

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Payment information:
Send order form and check to: P.O. Box 91836, Long Beach, CA 90809
Call toll free at 888-881-5861 or email us at sscwn@pfsmag.com.

86 APRIL 2014

www.swcarwash.org

Darwin at the Carwash


But for every dumb criminal,
there is an equally productive
one out there among us.
Which is why the recent arrest of two Nevada men (Jeffrey Paget, 21, and Robert Trask, 53)
charged with over 20 different thefts in a threeday period is perhaps not surprising, but at least
its more proof of hardworking law enforcement
officers getting the job done.
A media account of the crime spree said the
thefts included homes, vehicles, and several businesses, and an attempted hit on Bulldog Self-Serve
Car Wash which resulted in severe damage to
the automatic wash and three lost days of business
while repairs were made.
I guess he was just trying to hide out from the
cops, owner Tony Pezely explained in a story on
Fox13. He thought he could get inside that automatic bay with his trailer on there, and just hide
out from the cops overnight.
Surveillance footage from the carwash allowed
cops to identify Paget and his vehicle, and through
subsequent investigation he was apprehended
shortly followed by the arrest of his partner, some
500 miles away.
The article said police have recovered most of
the property stolen in the course of the three days,
and also looking into the possibility of other suspects who may have been involved.

Well, it was
worth a try.

A man arrested here


claimed his vast arsenal of
burglarious tools had nothing to do with a recent theft
from a carwash coin box,
and everything to do with
his interest in becoming a
locksmith.
Robert Lyon, Jr., 35, was
found in possession of 11
lock picks, 34 keys, 10 tension
wrenches, and a number of crow bars and screwdrivers, according to a report on WSAW.com.
He was charged with possession of burglarious
tools and entry into a locked coin box. The article
did not say if any coins were recovered, but noted
Lyon had about $12.75 on him.

Wands and brushes and coins,


oh my! Surveillance video shows two men
stealing the whole kit and caboodle from two
separate carwashes in Haltom City, TX, and the
suspects remain at large.
According to a report in The Star-Telegram,
the men struck out while trying to break into the
carwashs vending machines before having some
success with coin boxes in the bays and vacuum

cleaners and finally ripping the wands and brushes from the walls and making off.
The early morning crime happened just
before 8 a.m. and police released details
about their vehicle and clothing after reviewing the surveillance footage. The report did not estimate the
cost of damage to the businesses or
the amount stolen.

It would seem everyone


feels better in a clean car
-- even criminals.

Alex Tauveve, 49, reportedly followed his theft


of Glass House Car and Dog Wash with a quick
run through the automatic wash before his clean
getaway backfired on him and police arrested him
on suspicion of second-degree burglary and second-degree theft.
According to a report in The Columbia Basin
Herald, Tauveve stole at least $600 and was apprehended after carwash owner Travis Palmer shared
the incident with local media and on his businesss
social media accounts. According to Palmer, there
were about 14,000 hits on his sites after video
surveillance from the carwash and another nearby
business showed the suspect walking into the carwash building and then later returning to his Jeep
to bring it through the wash.
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APRIL
2014
AM

Darwin at the Carwash


Well this one has a sort
of sad irony to it, eh?

The operator of Eco Carwash has


been fined over $6,000 by the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality
for a violation of the Oregon storage
tank regulations.
According to a report in the Portland
Tribune, this isnt even the first time Eco
Carwash has run afoul of local environmental regulations. In 2011, the business was fined for failing to meet
proper regulations of having a
method to detect leaks in the
underground tank system.
Operator Joseph Hannah
was required to release the
remaining fuel in the tanks
and provide documentation
which proves he decommissioned the tanks by this January.

Add another tally to the


win column for Local
Law Enforcement! Officers in

Elk Grove, CA, were able to not only make the


arrest -- but also recover the vehicle and some
VERY important property after a mans car was
stolen as it came out of a carwash tunnel.
The 80-year-old victim had been transporting
his wifes ashes to a priest so they could be blessed. We can only imagine his relief when police told
him they had apprehended the suspects.
According to a report on azcentral.com, the man
had a short conversation with a woman who wanted to buy a soda while they were waiting in the
carwash lobby. He explained he didnt have any
small bills, but instead gave her enough change to
purchase the soda. The reward for his good deed?!
The woman somehow got her hands on the poor
mans ticket receipt and used it to claim his vehicle as it came through the conveyor.
Three cheers to the officers who managed to return his wifes ashes and give him some well-deserved peace.

Headed out to commit some


crimes? Dont forget to support your favorite

sports team! Police are hunting for a man who


was driving like a fanatic -- and not just because
his white SUV had a large Philadelphia Phillies
emblem on its tailgate. According to an article in
The Reporter, the driver approached a payment
kiosk at a local carwash, but somehow managed
to brush its concrete base with his vehicle. He
paid in cash, but must have decided against the
carwash, because instead of stopping in the bay
he sped through the (closed) back door. He got
out only to remove the damaged bay door panel
before speeding off the carwash property.
Surveillance footage caught the incident on tape,
but the mans bewildering actions cost the wash at
least $10,000 in damage repairs, the report said.
The search for the vehicle and its driver is ongoing.

88 APRIL 2014

And heres yet another attempt


at a clean getaway.

A woman in Wakeman, OH, reportedly went


straight to the carwash after losing control of her
vehicle and driving through a field.
A report in the Sandusky Register said police
were notified by another motorist that a vehicle
was being driven through a field and eventually
caught up with Jennifer Strader, 25, after finding
her vehicle at a carwash parking lot and cited her
with leaving the scene of a crash and failure to
control her vehicle.
The woman explained she was
driving home from work after
being fired when a vehicle in
front of her suddenly braked
and she lost control her car. She
then decided she wanted to wash
her Ford Taurus before reporting the
incident to police.

And to follow that


more humorous
D a r w i n i a n
womans
story
with another, more

gruesome (but kind of related)


story a woman in Alaska has been
charged with failure to remain at the scene
of a fatal accident and tampering with evidence
after she struck a mans remains in the road and
then visited a carwash 40 miles away to wash her
truck.
A report in Anchorage Daily News said the investigation into the 81-year-old mans death is ongoing, but Wyran V. Young has been charged with
those crimes, and her father and passenger, also
faces charges of evidence tampering following the
carwash visit.
The elderly mans body had been badly damaged, according to the newspaper, and investigators believe several vehicles may have struck
him. A citizen reported finding a body part at the
carwash, and police found other remains which
linked those parts to the deceased man.
Police found Young after speaking with a gas
station clerk who had directed her to the carwash
and were able to link his description with a receipt
and surveillance footage. The clerk told police he
heard the woman tell a man accompanying her
that she thought she had run over some furniture
on the road and needed to wash off material that
was hanging beneath the vehicle.
When police arrived to question the father and
daughter, her father told police a semi truck ahead
of their vehicle hit the man first. Material taken
from the vehicles undercarriage showed clear evidence of human tissue, bones and DNA, according to the report.

Promotional
Poster
Please feel free to display the
following full-page poster at your
carwash or use it to inspire a
personalized promotion for your
business. It can be laminated,
framed or posted to the carwash
bay, vending area, or in your
office. Additional copies may be
purchased at www.sscwn.com if
you would prefer a PDF file which
can be professionally printed and
reproduced.
If youd like to provide customers
access to additional resources
about the environmental dangers
of at-home washing, please
refer to the Residential Car
Washwater Monitoring Study
or the Fish Toxicity Test Report,
which are available at www.
washwithwatersavers.com.
It is the intention of Self Serve
Carwash News to make this poster
part of a regular series. If you have
ideas or suggestions for future
promotional posters which may
be of use to self serve carwash
operators, please e-mail Kate Carr
at katec@sscwn.com

Order
Reprints
of your article!

And if youre looking for a final


(most light-hearted) laugh,
head to your computer and Google Remi Gaillard,
Pigeon Car Wash for a short video clip from this
famous French prankster at the carwash.

Visit www.sscwn.com and click


Reprints to order a copy of any
article printed on a custom-designed
plaque for your office wall!

PAT YOURSELF

ON THE BACK!
YOU DID THE

ENVIRONMENT
A SOLID TODAY!

By using a professional carwash, you

Conserved
water.
Self-serve washes use the least
amount of water per vehicle
than any other type of carwash,
especially an at-home wash. A
ten-minute wash at home will
waste about 100 gallons of water,
while a similar scrub down at this
carwash uses about 10 gallons.
Thats a savings of 90 gallons!

Kept polluted
water out of
storm drains.

Saved
money.

When you wash at home, the runoff


water flows into storm drains and
from there is deposited directly into
local waterways. The Clean Water
Act requires professional carwashes
to route carwash wastewater to
water treatment facilities or to
state-approved drainage facilities
designed to protect the environment.

The average home wash wastes


about 90 gallons of water. Whats
worse -- the cost of purchasing a
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at home is comparable to the
money spent to wash your car here.
Not to mention, you dont have to
worry about getting a pesky fine
from the city for contaminating the
local storm drain!

Contaminants in wash wastewater include:

Oil and grease, which contain hazardous materials such as benzene, lead, zinc, chromium, arsenic,
pesticides, herbicides, nitrates, and other metals
Detergents -- even biodegradable detergents can be poisonous to fish
Phosphates, which are plant nutrients and can cause excessive growth of nuisance plants in water bodies
Chemicals, such as hydrofluoric acid and ammonium bifluoride products (ABF), and solvent-based
solutions that are harmful to living organisms
Chemicals and oils used for the maintenance of cleaning machinery (for automatic systems)
Debris that can clog storm sewer inlets and grates and thereby prevent stortm water drainage to the sewer
APRIL 2014

89

Caption this!

Hilarious carwash pictures from around the world.

8
7

Send us your
best captions for
a chance to win a

$25 VISA
gift card!

Send your
submissions to
Kate Carr,
katec@sscwn.com,
before June 31, 2014.
90 APRIL 2014

APRIL 2014

91

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