Typical Sites

Cali-West builds “turn key” car washes for the small business entrepreneur. There are many designs for the lay-out of the car wash. Cali-West applies its 30 years of experience to assist the operator in the lay-out that will optimize the attraction of new customers, retention of those customers once they have started to use your wash and the generation of profits from your site. Some of the site considerations are access to the wash, the number and type of bays you will have, wait times, and easy access to the vacuums and vending.

A Typical Lay-Out of a Self-Service Car Wash
The Self Serve Wash will typically have between 4-8 bays depending on the lot size and traffic flow patterns. Self-Serve Bays should be clean and attractive. In-bay signage, count down timers and product information should provide car wash instructions on how to use the wash and promote higher profit items. There is always a centrally located equipment room and/or office that will house the equipment and allow servicing on the supplies and equipment.

Beyond the wash there are several ways to increase the average amount that your customer spends at the facility. Vending machines, such as Armor All products and paper towels will increase profits and add services for your customers. Vacuum islands and interior carpet shampooers are almost universally expected by the customer and offer increased revenue potential.

Site aesthetics are important in attracting the customer to the site. Color-coordination of architecture and external signage and equipment graphics present an up to date and efficient image for the customer. Awnings, lighted and colorful areas for vacuums and auto drying add to a consolidated “look and feel”.

Landscaping should also be well maintained and present an image of fresh, natural, and environmentally friendly.

A Typical Lay-Out of a Combination Self-Serve and Automatic Car Wash
Add an In-Bay Touchless Automatic to the site and you can expect to substantially increase your revenue generation. In-Bay automatics typically generate 3-5 times the income of a single self-service bay. The mixed configuration gives you an appeal to different groups of potential customers. Those that don’t want to leave their car or can’t easily use the self-serve bay can clean their auto without leaving it at the Touchless Automatic.

The marketing opportunities also increase with your automatic wash with the ability to target different groups, organizations and businesses through a variety of sales channels. Instructional signs are very helpful in guiding customers through the wash.

The traffic queue, equipment room, promotion opportunities and overall site requirements will change with the addition of the Touchless Automatic so planning is very important to assure proper flow and customer satisfaction. Some operators have seen the volume increase such that they need an attendant during busy times. These increased operating requirements are justified by the substantial revenue opportunity!