In today’s automobile industry the majority of all car dealers provided a complimentary car wash at their locations. The car wash is usually done when a customer first purchases the car, and the car is detailed for delivery. It is also used for the service department after the car has been serviced at the dealership that the dealer runs the car through the car wash. There are also several dealers who offer free car washes to customers that have purchased their car at the dealership. These customers can come in take their car to the service department, and they will wash the car at no price to the customer. While this is time consuming and costly it is a great way to keep your customers coming back to your dealership. This may lead to additional service items are the car like routine maintenance or even the purchase of a new car. The question is should the dealership have a person who hand washes the car or should they have a automatic car wash. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of a hand car wash system.

Location: Space for a separate washing area, which limits the possibility of a customer walking into the wash area.
Climate: In most climates, a type of cover or shade is needed. For cold weather, the wash area needs to be enclosed for parts of the year and heated.
Water recovery: A wash floor that pushes water to a central drain, which is tied into a sanitary sewer.
Water use: If you are using a hose, a hose reel can help keep the work area neat. But sometime water usage is excessive.
Chemical control: An automated dilution system to safely mix chemicals. Provide a material safety data sheet for every chemical.
Wash materials: wash rags and towels need to be cleaned and dried.

Here are some advantages of an automatic Wash system:

Space: You need the space or a stall for a drive-through unit that will minimum dimensions are approximately 26 feet wide by 30 to 45 feet long.
Zoning: Is a car wash allowed on the facility’s property?
Climate: In colder climates, car wash units will need to be enclosed with automatic doors and a heating system.
Tap fees: A facility may be charged a tap fee for tying into the city’s sanitary system.
Water recovery: A wash bay must be designed for water to flow directly to the sanitary sewer or to a reclaim system that channels overflow to the sanitary sewer.
Electrical: Depending on the unit, a car wash could require 200 to 400 amps to operate. If more electricity is needed to power the car wash, additional electric services would need to be provided by the power company.

While hand washing is the norm for many dealerships, most prefer to speed up the process by washing vehicles with an automatic car wash.

Brite-O-Matic is a market leader in providing a variety of vehicle wash equipment. Their automatic car wash systems are designed to be safe and reliable while providing top quality wash results and limiting water and chemical usages.

Often car wash volume demands exceed the ability and budget to satisfy getting all the vehicles washed without car wash equipment. This is when you should consider car wash equipment and services.

Our mission is, and always has been, to deliver the best possible products and services to our customers. “We take pride in our ability to listen and respond to the needs of not only our customers, but also our customers to be,” says Jim Droz, Vice President of Sales. “For that reason, we offer a variety of rental and full-service plans and innovative wash equipment.” Our unique car wash programs have been designed through feedback from our new car dealer customers. They provide maximum value and protection against unplanned wash expenses. We have been pioneers in our industry and look forward to partnering with New Car Dealers to build and increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.

We look forward to the opportunity for Brite-O-Matic to help positively impact your business.