When opening a particular business, the main issue is the profitability of this event. This criterion is key when choosing your field of activity. Of course, no one will undertake to predict future profits with absolute accuracy, but it is quite possible to outline the general picture.

A person who decides to open a car wash, regardless of the reason that prompted him to do so (dream, desire to organize own business, the intention to wisely invest financial resources, or just a lucky coincidence), acts, at least, far-sighted. After all, a car wash is not just a stable and sustainable enterprise, but also a very profitable business that anyone can do, regardless of their entrepreneurial experience. Nevertheless, the car wash business, like any other, has not only advantages, but also some, albeit minor, disadvantages.

Is a car wash really a guaranteed demand?

The question posed in the subtitle is absolutely not far-fetched. Everyone who has seen queues in front of car washes cannot help but respond positively to it. Nevertheless, some part of entrepreneurs, especially start-ups, in an effort to have some kind of illusory right to a monopoly, are trying to invent new idea which would allow them to avoid competition. However, a monopolist and a successful businessman are not always related concepts. A seller of square balls, for example, is by definition a monopolist, but one cannot expect to have a large clientele.

The most promising strategy for a developing business is to focus sales on goods that use high demand. And this is quite logical, since the reinvention of the bicycle is not only hopeless, but also expensive.

You should not be afraid of competition, because it is a kind of entrepreneurial engine. Therefore, while the number of vehicles on the territory of the Russian Federation is steadily growing, car washes are a business that guarantees a profit.

Investment attractiveness and liquidity of the car wash business

These are especially bright essential qualities business in general, and the car wash business in particular, are manifested in the context of the approaching economic crisis. Therefore, at present, finances invested in real production are considered the most reliable investments. This means that the liquidity of this business will remain quite high regardless of further developments. In other words, the money invested in your own profitable business will not be lost even in a financial crisis.

These findings are confirmed by statistics on the popularity of sales of a particular business. Car washes confidently occupy the third place in the sales ranking after beauty salons and the Internet. Summarizing the above, we can state that a newly built own car wash is an exceptionally liquid business, but it is doubly liquid, built on its own land.

Transparency and ease of management

The ease of running the washing business is due to several basic provisions, expressed in the absence of not only the absence of complex technical processes and acute dependence on suppliers, but also the lack of suitable personnel. Opening your own car wash does not require the entrepreneur to have special technical knowledge or skills, which makes it affordable for the vast majority of our compatriots.

High level of profitability

Monitoring the profitability of car washes, conducted by experts, shows that the minimum profitability of this business rarely falls below 30%.

As a rule, an entrepreneur who opens his own car wash, based on a well-written business plan, which includes not only a development strategy and an analysis of the existing market, but also marketing, has the right to expect a profitability of about 50%.

The main financial costs of the owner of a car wash, in most cases, are small and consist of the following items:

staff salaries;

communal payments;

• rent (in some cases).

  So, undoubtedly, the profitability of a car wash promises to be high, but subject to certain rules of this business. This is an off-season business that is in demand every day and even around the clock. In this regard, when asked whether it is profitable to open a car wash, all motorists will answer in the affirmative. The owner of a car wash is not threatened with downtime and lack of customers with well-organized work.

  A well-chosen placement is 50% success. Knowledgeable people are looking for a place closer to a gas station or service station, near busy highways or shopping centers. And this is the right move - after refueling the car, it is convenient to immediately send it to the car wash, without doing tens of kilometers. Or leave the car for half an hour, and go shopping yourself.

  The equipment and type of car wash is of great importance. After all, it is known that the more you invest, the more chances you have to get a return. Car washes range from simple, using self made, to fully automated, so-called contactless. According to surveys conducted by the editors of the site site, a modern car owner, especially the owner of a good and expensive car, does not want to save on car care and is ready to pay, but pay for quality services that guarantee an impeccable look and no scratches on expensive surfaces.

  This rule applies to the choice of detergents and other car care products. Automotive cosmetics is a whole science. Again, any car owner wants his car to be treated with proven and certified products, and not with washing powder.

  Having received one satisfied customer, the owner of a car wash can be sure that he will get a dozen more people into the ranks of his regular customers. A good reputation is earned by conscientious work, not by advertising and low prices. This, simple at first glance, business requires serious organization and responsible work.
  

The trend of opening your own car wash has been gaining momentum lately. This is due to the number of cars, the purchase of which is steadily growing. Entrepreneurs more often began to wonder how to open a car wash and make good money on it.

The important factor here is:

• Service level;
• Ability to provide services various types transport (from cars to trucks);
• Location. Preferably in a busy area, away from competitors.

First you need to decide on the place where you plan to open. Then, within a month, obtain approval for the opening from the administration.

You will also need a draft design agreed with:

• building construction specialist
• sanitary and epidemiological service;
• environmental service;
• fire inspectorate.

In conclusion, you will receive the entire package of documentation for your project. It must be agreed upon, as a result, you will be issued a building permit for your facility.

open car wash

Existing types of car washes

To answer the question of how to build a car wash from scratch, you need to decide on the type of car wash you open at the initial stage. From this aspect will directly hang at the initial stage - investments, in the future - profit.

Car wash divisions:

• Mobile is the most demanded direction. Investments are minimal, the quality of the services provided is high, if you do not save on high-quality detergents.
• Automatic. It is divided into 2 subspecies:

1. Tunnel - in it vehicle moves along the belt, at this time it is cleaned by the washing structures located on both sides.
2. Portal - arranged exactly the opposite. Here the machine is in a stationary state, and it is cleaned with the help of brushes and water under strong tension, an arched structure moving along the machine.

A big advantage of automatic car washes is that you do not need to spend money on staff. For full and high-quality functioning, two employees are enough. However, the difficulties lie elsewhere: the construction or redevelopment of the premises will require a large amount. Equipment for the same car washes, too, will not cost a penny.

• Manual. There are two types:

1. Without physical contact of a person with detergents and water during the washing process, i.e. contactless. Here, everything automatically flows through the machine, and the car washer can only control the area and pressure.
2. The simplest and least expensive type. All work is done by hand. the loss of its relevance is associated with the expenditure of a large amount of time for washing by hand and a high probability of causing damage to the car, and the cost of compensating the harm caused to the owner of the car.

General requirements

The question of how to open a sink is asked by many. The first thing to do is to conclude an agreement with the water utility. It should state: the permissible volume of wastewater, as well as a ban on the discharge into the sewer of substances that can harm the environment. Every sink must have a water purifier. They are pretty cheap and don't take up much space.

Place for a car wash

What does it take to open a car wash? An important aspect is the choice of location. Where it will be: within the city, along a busy highway, near a gas station, etc. This is what your income will depend on. Obviously, a location in a residential area will not bring you such income as, for example, on a busy highway. But the rent will rise in a smaller amount in a residential area, and the authorities are not particularly approving of the appearance of car washes in the very center. It is most profitable to open in an elite area near the city center, since such residents have an expensive car and they take care of it quite often.

Next, you need to draw up a business plan on how to open a car wash from scratch and decide on the amount that you are willing to pay for renting a car wash space. Renting a space is much more profitable than buying or building it. The best option is to conclude a long-term lease agreement with a fixed payment.

How to choose equipment

Let's list basic set of equipment:

• A device for supplying water under high pressure and heating it;
• Device for compressing and moving gases under pressure;
• Water treatment systems;
• Vacuum cleaner for car interior washing;
• A set of detergents.

Prices will vary by manufacturer. Since the supply of such equipment is mostly engaged in foreign companies you won't be able to save much.

Manual car wash

Comfort zone

Another important aspect is zoning. There should be a recreation area for both the client waiting for his car and for the staff. In addition, there should be a cash desk, an administrative office and, ideally, a place where the client can drink coffee and have a snack while waiting. To do this, it is not at all necessary to open a cafe, a coffee machine and a machine with sweets are enough. All that is needed to attract customers is comfort - a sofa, an armchair, a magazine, a TV and a hot drink. Comfort while waiting will be appreciated by everyone.

Recruitment

One of the final stages is recruitment. Nothing complicated if approached responsibly. Significant experience in this field and specific knowledge are not required here. But don't miss out on that minimum requirements it is still worth presenting to a future employee.
The following requirements must be made:

• Knowledge of what the car consists of - its design;
• Responsible approach to work;
• Ability to locate the client, friendliness;
• sociability;
• Good physical preparation.

Car washes that do not have problems with the number of customers often work around the clock. In this regard, it is necessary to warn the future employee about the possible round-the-clock work or work in shifts.

Basic and additional services

Main services:

• Body wash;
• Dry cleaning of the interior with its further drying;
• Restoring the protection of the paintwork of the car body, i.e. polishing.

To provide additional services, additional knowledge and skills will be required, which will need to be trained by staff and, most likely, wages will increase. The only way to motivate a car wash owner to provide additional services is to increase the number of customers, and employees to increase wages.

The most common Additional services:

• Coated with a wax layer for protection;
• Giving the bumper the original black color - blackening;
• Giving the wheels the original black color - blackening the wheels;
• Engine flush;
• Flushing the radiator;
• Restoring the original color and gloss of the paintwork - abrasive polishing;
• Getting rid of holograms;
• Cleaning of interior plastic;
• Changing the light-transmitting and color properties of the car window - tinting.

Naturally, the wider the range of services provided, the greater the demand. But here it is necessary not only to provide additional services, but to provide them first of all with high quality! You can also provide tire fitting services, which will significantly increase the number of customers. Since it is much more convenient to come and do everything you need with the car in one place.

How much will the opening cost and possible profitability

A frequently asked question is how much does it cost to open a car wash from scratch. Opening a car wash from scratch is not so easy, there are different levels of difficulty. But the payback is almost instant! Car owners have long preferred to take their car to the car wash rather than wash it themselves.

In Russia, weather conditions do not allow the car to stay clean for a long time. That is why the demand for car washes is quite large, and the competition between them is low.

Initial investment:

• The equipment will approximately amount to 300-350 thousand rubles;
• Detergents 18 thousand rubles per month (with daily maintenance of 25 cars);
• Building from scratch premises for a car wash about 3 million rubles.

The average profitability rate is 45% - and this is a very good percentage. Initial investments begin to pay off from one to three years.

The biggest hurdle in starting a car wash is its initial investment. When asked how much money is needed to open a car wash, we answered. If you do not have such savings, you can try to open a portable sink first, and later, after the payback and a set of constant client base, build a full-fledged complex.

The wider the range of services provided, the greater the demand. But here it is necessary not only to provide additional services, but to provide them first of all with high quality!

• Washing as a project
  • Description of services
• • Production plan
  • Recruitment
• Financial plan
• What equipment to choose

An example of a business plan for opening a small car wash for two posts. It can be used both for personal justification of the expediency of investing in a business, and for attracting financial resources private investor. We bring to your attention a typical business plan (feasibility study) for opening a car wash. This business plan can serve as an example for obtaining a loan from a bank, state support or attracting private investment.

Washing as a project

The aim of the project is to organize a car wash in the city of N. The project involves the provision of a car wash service vehicles, incl. cleaning of the hull, wheels, bottom, polishing of the body, as well as cleaning and dry cleaning of the interior.

How much money do you need to open a car wash

To implement the project, it is planned to attract investments in the amount of 2.1 million rubles. Their own funds will amount to 300 thousand rubles, and 1.8 million rubles - credit funds. Economic indicators of the project implementation:

• Net profit per year = 989,406 rubles;
• Return on sales = 38.5%;
• Payback of the project = 25 months.

What taxation system to choose for opening a car wash

The organizational and legal form of the organization will be individual entrepreneurship. Project initiator - Ivanov I.I.

As tax regime a simplified taxation system will be applied, 15% of the company's profit.

Currently started Practical activities for project implementation:

1. Registration done individual entrepreneurship in the IFTS;
2. Signed a lease agreement for the municipality land plot to accommodate a single-station mobile car wash with an area of ​​80m2. Rental price - 10,000 rubles per month;
3. A preliminary search was made for a company supplying turnkey modular (mobile) car washes.

The organization will include 5 people: an administrator and four car washers.

Description of services

Consider the main services that our organization will provide:

1. Car body wash. It includes washing the body and rims. Will be provided by two washers within 10 minutes. average cost services - 250 rubles;

2. Car interior cleaning. IN this service will include wiping the windows, cleaning the fabric and leather surfaces of the interior, cleaning dust and debris (vacuum cleaner). The average cost of the service is 300 rubles;

3. Interior chemical cleaning. This service includes cleaning of seats, floor, ceiling, doors, seat belts, plastic. The average cost of the service is 1000 rubles;

4. Polishing services. This includes bodywork with liquid wax, polishing the body with polish, polishing the front panel and plastic, etc. The average cost of the service is 400 rubles;

5. Additional services. These are services such as cleaning disks, blackening wheels, processing locks, removing traces of insects, etc. The average check for these services is 100 rubles.

It is planned to establish an operating mode from 10:00 to 20:00.

The share of each service in the total volume of services provided is presented in the form of a diagram:

Download car wash business plan

Step by step plan to open a car wash

In our country, the number of car owners is growing from year to year, and the demand for car wash services is growing accordingly. The number of middle class people who are the main customers of car washes is also growing. These are mostly middle managers and entrepreneurs.

Our car wash will be located in close proximity to a gas station with a large flow of cars. This is a very good location, so the organization does not need additional advertising. The population of the area where our car wash will be located is about 30 thousand people.

The closest competitors are at a respectful distance. There is no such object within a radius of 500 meters.

The presence of two boxes for washing a car will allow you to avoid a long queue and, accordingly, exclude the possibility of a client leaving for the nearest competitor. Let's move on to calculating the estimated revenue of the organization.

It is assumed that the average passability of the car wash will be about 30 cars per day. That is, 15 cars for each washing box. With an average check of 350 rubles, daily revenue will be about 10,500 rubles, per month - 315,000 rubles.

However, take into account the seasonality in the car wash business. The peak of revenue occurs in spring and autumn, and the decline begins in summer and winter:

Monthly revenue by periods will be:

• Spring period - 504 thousand rubles (+60%);
• Summer period- 157.5 thousand rubles (-50%);
• Autumn period - 472.5 thousand rubles (+50%);
• Winter period - 126 thousand rubles (-60%).

Based on the above data, the annual turnover of the organization will be 3,777,000 rubles.

Production plan

A mobile two-station car wash has a number of advantages over conventional capital facilities:

1. Low initial investment for starting a business;
2. The design of the car wash allows you to install the premises in the shortest possible time;
3. Mobile car wash is a completely independent module that does not require construction and installation work;
4. In case of an unsuccessful location, the car wash can be moved to another location. The design of a mobile car wash allows you to change the place of deployment about 30 times.

The object package includes:

• Power frame;
• Insulated outer contour, which provides thermal insulation of the room from +30 to -30 gr.;
• The inner and outer cladding consists of polymer-coated sandwich panels;
• The car wash is equipped with a three-stage circulating water supply system with a coagulation chamber;
• Tank with a capacity of 80 liters for diesel fuel;
• Supply and exhaust ventilation system;
• Fully autonomous air system heating on diesel fuel;
• Electrical wiring in waterproof design;
• High pressure pump for washing cars, manufacturer - Germany;
• Vacuum cleaner for dry interior cleaning;
• Compressor for blowing locks and other equipment.

Recruitment

The planned staffing of the organization includes:

Annual salary costs will amount to 1,312 thousand rubles.

Financial plan

The fixed costs of our organization are presented in the following table:

Total fixed costs per month will amount to 214,220 rubles.

The structure of annual costs is presented in the form of a diagram:

The main expenses of the organization will be the cost of paying wages to employees - 51% of total expenses, as well as the payment of insurance premiums for employees - 42% of total costs car washes.

The calculation of economic indicators is presented in the table - the forecast of income and expenses of the organization:

Professional business plans on the topic:

• Car wash business plan (21 sheets) - DOWNLOAD ⬇
• Tire service business plan (14 sheets) - DOWNLOAD ⬇
• Car service business plan (16 sheets) - DOWNLOAD ⬇

How much can you earn at a car wash

The net profit of the car wash at the end of the year will amount to 989,406 rubles. The profitability of the car wash is 38.5%. With such indicators of the business plan, the car wash project will pay off in 25 months.

Recommended download car wash business plan, from our partners, with a guarantee of quality. This is a complete, ready-made project that you will not find in the public domain. The content of the business plan: 1. Confidentiality 2. Summary 3. Stages of project implementation 4. Characteristics of the object 5. Marketing plan 6. Technical and economic data of the equipment 7. Financial plan 8. Risk assessment 9. Financial and economic justification of investments 10. Conclusions

What equipment to choose

Car wash equipment will need the following:

• washing chamber;
• overpass;
• ventilation, water treatment and lighting systems;
• power supply and heat supply systems;
• washing equipment;

equipment for supplying water and waste liquids. Usually all the equipment is already included in the complex, but if you want to provide additional services, you will need to buy the equipment necessary for these types of services.

What documents are needed to open a car wash

First of all, you need to register an individual entrepreneur or LLC with the tax authorities. If you plan to provide services only to individuals, you can stop at an individual entrepreneur. If you are going to serve businesses, it is better to register an LLC.

Which OKVED to indicate when registering a car wash

You must also select the OKVED code for business registration. For a car wash, you can use the OKVED code 45.20.3- "Washing of vehicles ...". In this case, this is the most suitable OKVED, and you can stop at it.

Do I need a permit to open a car wash?

You will also need permits from the Chamber of Architecture, SES, State Fire Supervision, Environmental Service, as well as a copy of the project certified by the BTI. Documents must be submitted to the local administration, which, after their verification, will allow the construction.

Wet business: opening a car wash

* Calculations use average data for Russia

Car washes are not a new business, but they are still in demand. Moreover, many experts say that this sector is currently experiencing another round of development. In particular, this statement applies to regional markets. So how do you open a car wash?

According to the calculations of foreign experts, there should be one portal car wash for every 50,000 people.
The initial boom in car washes has passed, but the market for these services has not yet been fully developed.

Car washers offer almost the same “menu” and work with the same equipment. Most prefer the Karcher brand and do not want to know the other. Indeed, the equipment is of high quality and reliable, although not the cheapest. But widespread: Russian dealer network of this German concern is well developed. As for other manufacturers, products of such brands as Istobal (Spain), WAP, Weidner, Wesumat, California Kleindiest (Germany), Ceccato, Comet (Italy), Carebridge (Great Britain) are presented in Russia.

In the whole country, 80% of the market is occupied by equipment of German manufacturers; the remaining 20% ​​are shared by Italian, Czech and Polish firms, whose products are inferior to German ones in quality and price.

Of the three main types of car washes, "moidodyry" confidently opt for manual-type car washes with high-pressure cleaners - they occupy 80-90% of the regional market. An extremely small segment (10-20%) belongs to automatic portal car washes, which is strange in itself: this service is very attractive to customers and highly profitable. Washers themselves say that drivers do not like "portals": they allegedly damage, scratch the car.

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Meanwhile, car washes of this type are widespread in Europe, along with self-service car washes. The latter, by the way, are also completely absent in the regional market. Not to mention tunnel-type sinks.
Given the above features of the regional market, it is not difficult to figure out a way to “squeeze” into it. A trivial, but guaranteed winning option is to purchase a portal car wash, or even better, a tunnel-type car wash. That is, to make a name for themselves in a sector with little or no competition. The method is good for entrepreneurs who are not constrained in their means.

Another fairly standard solution is to increase the area of ​​​​the “auto-laundry”, that is, its productivity. But, betting on the amount of turnover, you need to locate such a car wash in the appropriate place: close to large highways in order to provide yourself with customers. Or look for a "wholesale" customer among large motor transport enterprises and conclude an agreement with him for the exclusive right to "wash". Departmental cars are washed regardless of the weather - they have such a rule.

Actually, the most profitable are only two types of sinks. The first type includes sinks with high productivity and a minimum range of services. These car washes bring maximum income on busy sections of roads and are designed for customers who value their time. On the other hand, the faster one car is processed, the more cars will pass through the car wash per day. The average service time for one car at such washes should not exceed 10-15 minutes. They are most effective, in particular, at the entrances to the city and highways connecting the sleeping areas of the city with industrial ones. Only automatic equipment is needed here - portal or tunnel washing - with a capacity of 12-100 cars per hour. And the use of manual labor is reduced to a minimum. Of course, the cost of wages is also reduced.

The second, alternative option - sinks with high quality and a wide range of services provided with low productivity. A set of them may include washing the engine, dry cleaning the interior, polishing the body, rubbing and polishing the interior, blackening tires (in particular, as pre-sales preparation), etc. Such car washes are designed for customers who specifically plan to spend a certain amount of time in exchange for quality, comfort and prestige. They may be located away from busy highways, but they must definitely give the client the maximum benefit. On these washes, manual equipment is used: first, the abrasive is washed off the surface with a manual apparatus, then it is wiped with a soft sponge, then wiped dry, and the master controls the quality of work. Accordingly, on sinks of this purpose, separate rooms for recreation and entertaining pastime of customers should be provided. It can be a cafe, slot machines, whatever! Everything is limited only by the imagination of the owner.

In Novgorod, car washes often operate in conjunction with a car service, or at least offer drivers all sorts of “side” services. In business, there is such a thing as "synergy". It refers to the additional effect of combining two or more related types of business. If a potential client needs to buy oil and a couple of parts, a broken spare tire is lying in the trunk, the car is dirty, and besides, he is not averse to eating, most likely he will choose the car wash where he can combine all operations, and not four different places. Even just stopping by to change a wheel, the driver often looks at the car wash for the sake of interest, assesses whether it will be convenient to wash the car here. Separately standing sinks are sometimes untwisted for six months. In most cases, the reasons for the failure of the car wash business lie not in its very unprofitability, but in the wrong approach to its organization. An original solution to a business problem that turns the routine problem of the washing process into a small holiday for the client will surely bring additional profit to the entrepreneur, which may turn out to be even greater than the income from “core” services.
Do you need advertising for car washes? There are different points of view on this issue. Of course, it is appropriate to place ads in the "automotive" media, distribute colorful booklets in crowded places and mailboxes.

It is always useful to come up with a non-standard advertising move to stand out. You must be remembered.
As an example, car washes that have recently become popular in Moscow and other cities can be cited, where customers are strictly prohibited from opening windows, doors, getting out of the car and ... touching the washer. This is explained simply - the ceremony of cleaning cars for the joy (and sometimes amazement) of clients is carried out by half-naked girls. It is not hard to guess that this car wash has no shortage of mostly male patrons. There is also an opposite example, when ladies from different parts of the city come to see the master of the ballet genre, which turns a car wash into a beautiful show. Of course, an overly conservative visitor may not appreciate your efforts. But for him there are many other "highlights". Offer, for example, a client to play "darts" (which is even easier - a target and darts) during a wash with the condition that if he scores a certain number of points, he will receive a small discount. In any case, you can be sure that rumors about the existence of an unusual car wash will spread quickly and far. And clients will drop in to you not only from adjacent areas, but also from more distant ones.

The threshold for entry into the "wet" business is about 10-15 thousand dollars. AVD washings pay off in 6-12 months, and it takes about 3 months just to get to know about the enterprise. Much more profitable, in his opinion, portal washing. But it requires much larger investments, since it costs from 40,000 euros and pays off in three years.

Much depends on the size of the production area, the number of cars that the car wash can serve per day. In Nizhny Novgorod, if a "car laundry" occupies 100 sq. m, then, according to experts, on average 15-20 cars pass through it per day. But, of course, each sink has its own indicators.

Since the cleanliness of the car costs the owner 100-200 rubles (the final price is made up of what services the client wants to receive, and strongly depends on the proximity of the "point" to the city center), the monthly profit of an average car wash can range from 4 to 8 thousand dollars.

Considering all of the above, the profitability of car washes, according to specialists practicing car washing, is at least 20%. In the best case, the bar of profitability can reach 40%. But the level of profitability is highly dependent on several factors, the main of which are the location of the sink, staff, vagaries of equipment, seasonality.

Of course, one cannot put an exclamation mark on the statement that the washing business is too dependent on the fickleness of nature. Yes, the autumn-spring crowds of cars at the car wash are replaced by relative summer calm. People go to rest, and do not mind washing the car on their own. But in the summer, as owners of car washes testify, customers come to vacuum the interior and do dry cleaning, in spring and autumn they usually do not want to spend money on this. In order to attract customers and maintain an acceptable flow of cars at the car wash, it does not hurt to do some summer discounts to expand the range of services to the maximum.

Ready-made ideas for your business

The most productive periods are spring and autumn. At this time, queues often even line up. And the intensity of visiting decreases in holidays and the summer holidays. Of course, one of the most important conditions for the success of the washing business is the right choice of location for the location of the sink (although even the most successful location in itself does not guarantee 100% success of the enterprise). It is believed that the most advantageous location for washing are highways at the entrances to the city, especially in front of traffic police posts.

In Nizhny Novgorod, this did not justify itself. It turned out that it is much more convenient for customers if the car wash is located near the road connecting sleeping areas with industrial ones, along which powerful streams move in the morning and evening. If the car wash is located in a “sleeping” area, then the client, in addition to washing the car outside, often uses additional services: cleaning the interior, removing stains on the upholstery, polishing the panels, washing the engine, etc., up to blackening the tires.

If you put the car wash on a too busy highway or at the entrance to the city, then the client here will be rather random, wanting only to wash the car and leave as soon as possible. Then it makes sense to arrange a room and select equipment that provides maximum throughput. This will increase productivity and avoid queues. But too good is sometimes bad. There are times when a car wash located near major transportation hubs suffers from excessive traffic. Potential customers often just “bummer” to wade through the stream of cars.

When choosing a room, it is important to pay attention to a good access to the sink, so that the road is tolerable, and you don’t have to look for it for half an hour. Also, practice shows that "car laundries" feel good at service stations, gas stations and car parks. Another option is to build car washes near hypermarkets, where a lot of cars gather on weekends.

Not the last factor influencing the profitability of the car wash is the strict selection of personnel. At first glance, it is not difficult to find employees for a car wash. Invite the first person you meet, and let him clean the car for a moderate fee. An no. Although no special education is needed to clean cars, experienced entrepreneurs prefer workers who understand cars. Energetic guys with "elementary automotive education" here is very welcome.

Some entrepreneurs were very satisfied by inviting girls to work. The natural "ambitiousness" of the latter is fully manifested at the car wash. But men are still preferable - the work is quite hard.

The issue of equipment security from the encroachments of home-grown "Kulibins" is also relevant. In particular, at automatic car washes, operators manage to underestimate the number of cars washed, causing considerable damage to the owners. Russian self-taught people quickly find the weak points of equipment, so it is better to purchase equipment that is as protected from hacks as possible.

Car washes, especially portal ones, suffer not only from the hands of personnel, but also from breakdowns of imported equipment, which is poorly adapted to our water. The failure of any unit or unit leads to paralysis of the entire washing post. And if the service company does not have the necessary large spare parts (which often happens), then they have to be ordered abroad.
A number of additional problems brings the owners of sinks and the harsh Russian climate. In cold weather, cars must be warmed up and washed only with hot water. Washers' expenses are also growing due to the need to purchase branded auto cosmetics. On the other hand, not every imported powder or shampoo is suitable.

Nadezhda Veselova, Sergey Pichugin
"Nizhny Novgorod Business Journal"