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Income

What Level of Gross Income Can Be Expected?

This is a very difficult question to answer because income per bay can vary, depending on many factors. Income per bay will usually range from a low of $250 per week to a high of $450 per week. Many operators indicate that they have kept their prices constant while have cut washing time from 5 minutes to 3½ minutes. Others have increased charges from $1.00 to $2.00 for 4 minutes.

Why is a Car Wash a Good Investment?

The reasons for investing are numerous.

• Your money is not tied up in inventory.
• Your business starts earning money from the day it opens.
• Minimal manpower (only a few hours maintenance per day).
• Excellent return on investment.
• Operation on strict cash basis (no invoicing, no collecting, and bad debts).

How Do Extra Devices Affect Income?

If you have two vacuums on each island instead of one, you can accommodate twice as many cars, resulting in more income. Also, perfume spray machines and vending devices have proven very profitable, especially when the island is equipped with a canopy.

How Much Business is Needed to Support the Bays?

We generally use the principle of 1 bay per 1,000 area residents, but in some instances that general yardstick can be unreliable. As self-serve car washes can be located in a variety of areas, a good location is secondary to great service and an excellent price. We find that self-service car washing customers will travel to a good self-serve car wash, and customers loyalty tends to be high.