Automatic Car Wash - good business venture or not?

[thelongshoot]

Hello people. I have been toying with the idea of setting up an automatic car wash down here in Hua Hin. Im only realy toying with the idea at the moment, running it over in my mind, looking at prices etc. Before I jump into this and start researching it properly, i just wondered if anyone had an opinion to its viablity? Im curious if you think its a good idea, or if I am mad as a box of frogs for considering it....

You all know what I mean Im sure - the auto car washes you see all over the west with the big 'furry' brushes that spin over your car, folowed by a huge dryer at the end.

My thinking is that all of the car washes here in Hua Hin are real busy and customers nearly always have to wait anything from 30 minutes to a couple of hours before they will even start on your car, and then you have to wait a further hour for them to finish it. With an auto car wash its a few minutes start to finish. You dont even have to get out of the car. It might be viewed as something of a novelty also seeing as Thailand does not have one (as far as I am aware). Its quick, novel, convenient. Im sure people will use it, and Hua Hin at the weekend is full of Bangkok Thais in there nice cars and trucks. Sticking it on the main road leading into the town - it might grab a decent chunk of these Bangkok Thais coming into Hua Hin for the weekend (want there car to look gleaming in the condo car park) and on the way out for the same reasons.

There are auto car washes available ar various prices, all of course made overseas, starting at equivalent 500K Baht for a basic chinese one to 3 million baht for a German made monster. Im thinking somewhere in the middle. Of course there is going to be a hefty customs tax involved also.

There are pros and cons here obviously - the biggest 'con' being the engineering side of it. I am no engineer and the thing is bound to go wrong at least weekly. Its going to need some kind of maintanance on a regular basis which will mean having someone here trained to service and repair. That would involve, I guess, flying an engineer over from tje manufacturer to set the machine up and train staff.... But how long are the staff going to hang around for, and what happens when I have to find new staff? How are they going to be trained?

Another obvious con.... If it is successfull and there are daily lines are cars waiting to get in, the Thais are going to see this and think "hold on, lets have a go at this ourselves". before you know it there could be 4 other auto car washes on the same stretch of road.

If I am dreaming here and this is a crazy, stupid idea, go ahead and tell me, I have thick skin! Also I am fully aware that I am pottentialy gifting a good idea here to whomever is reading this but i dont care... At this stage its just a notion, an idea I am chewing over. If someone gets there before me, fair play!

Any feedback welcome, thanks!

TLS

[Berty100]

There isn't even 1 in Thailand?

Then who's gonna install one for you?

By the way, about 15 years ago some Makro service centers had them, but not anymore , so there might be a reason for it.

[dabhand]

These links might help:

http://www.stcarwashmachine.com/tunnel-car-wash-system/luxury-tunnel-washing-in-thailand/

http://carwashtouchless.com/client/thailand-dallee-clean/

[rocketboybkk]

Terrible idea

They're old hat

Hand car washes are now the thing

Get a load of immigrants down in their luck & desperate & get them washing cars

Problem is - you'll need to be there every minute otherwise you'll be robbed blind

So, all in all a terrible idea

Think again & post your next money losing scheme

We here to provide honest feedback

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jadee]

Hi, I live in Samut Prakarn, to the south of Bangkok and I have a few ideas and suggestions but they may not be relevant to Hua Hin.
Firstly, there is an automatic car wash on the main road I live on, Srinakarin, It's on the corner near Sikarin Hospital if you want to find it on Google maps but I'm not aware of the name of the company that operates it. My thoughts about whether it would be a good business are mixed. I've used it once: you pull up and two guys use a pressure washer to spray your car and they use brushes on the wheels and underside (presumably the parts that the machine doesn't clean that well). Your car then passes through the machine for the usual clean, shampoo, blow dry which is quite fun. On the other side, a group of 3-4 ladies are on hand to wipe the car down and do the door sills.
My thoughts are that for 60baht, it's a fun experience but not very good value for money and not a very good clean. I feel the hand-wash centers at places like Shell and Esso do a far better job and for 140baht it's better value for money given that they also clean the interior and vacuum it too.
Of course, in my area there are dozens of places to choose from, the wait is never long and it sounds like in Hua Hin it is.
My thoughts of it as a business is that obviously you have to charge less, yet you still have staff to pay and more land to rent, so I don't much see how operators have enough to cover the costs of repairs and maintenance. The automatic wash I went too looks old and rusty, I doubt the wipers have been cleaned much. I just have a crappy car so I'm not so bothered if it scratches the clear coat of paint on my car but I'm sure people with nicer cars would prefer the hand wash places, I doubt Thais care that much, but foreigners with nice cars in Hua Hin probably do.
From what I've seen on YouTube, German machines are the highest quality in terms of washing but surely require expensive maintenance and parts. I don't see how you'd cover this cost in Thailand, let alone pay staff or turn a profit.
The automatic wash I go to may be attached to a nearby mechanics shop so perhaps they have a rent arrangement.
I have wondered what a profitable car wash in Thailand might look like and there is a type of washing called 'waterless' - look it up on youtube. It involves brushing the dirt off first and then using an amount of spray on cleaning solution and microfibers cloths to clean the car - obviously not very dirty cars! Some enthusiasts claim this type of cleaning is kinder on the paintwork compared with high pressure water. That, in my opinion, may appeal to a certain type of car own who cars about their car and the environment, they may pay a premium for this kind of eco-wash service. It could be like a 'delivery service' so a guy goes to wash the car at the owner's home or place of work.

[Bantex]

This would be a bad investment. To many problems from importing, assembly, training, ongoing maintenance and customers with old vehicles alleging the car wash did damage. A lot of pickups in Thailand and the rotating brushes/bristles/sponges/cloths won't clean inside the back. Hire cheap labour to hand wash. Use a loyalty card system, seventh wash free for example to keep customers returning.

[KMartinHandyman]

How to become a millionaire in Thailand: invest $2 million in any business and wait three months,,

Poof you're now left with only $1 million,,if you're lucky!

[thelongshoot]

There isn't even 1 in Thailand?

Then who's gonna install one for you?

By the way, about 15 years ago some Makro service centers had them, but not anymore , so there might be a reason for it.

It would be an engineer from the manufacturer who installs the kit.

[thelongshoot]

Terrible idea

They're old hat

Hand car washes are now the thing

Get a load of immigrants down in their luck & desperate & get them washing cars

Problem is - you'll need to be there every minute otherwise you'll be robbed blind

So, all in all a terrible idea

Think again & post your next money losing scheme

We here to provide honest feedback

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You are wrong. Your problem is that you are thinking about your home turf where yes, they are old hat. 20 odd years ago they were a viable business but yes, I agree, BACK HOME everyone uses these drive in places where a bunch of Polish fellas blast over your car by hand in 20 minutes tops.

But what on earth does that have to do with Thailand? If Thailand never had auto car washes, how can they no longer be an 'in thing'? Again as you are making comparisons, back home they will clean your car by hand super quick. Here, as I said before, you almost always have to wait your turn and then it takes a good hour on top of that. An auto car wash eliminates that problem. You are also failing to take into account the novelty factor. Knowing Thais as I do, after living here for so long, probably a great deal longer than you, I know they will see it as a novelty and will enjoy using it.

Totaly jumping to conclusions about who will staff the place also. As long as at least one family member is there no I wont be robbed blind.

Sorry it just realy drives me nuts that typical TV poster, like you, who has to reply to a positive OP with the usual bitter, jaded, negative comment such as "next money losing scheme". Im not an idiot with a bar and a handfull of customers drinking chang. Neither do i sell property on Facebook or work in a Bangkok Boiler Room. Im actualy a successful businesman myself and have made most of my money whilst living in Thailand this past 14 years. Seeing as you are such an expert, why dont you share your achievments with us all?

[thelongshoot]

This would be a bad investment. To many problems from importing, assembly, training, ongoing maintenance and customers with old vehicles alleging the car wash did damage. A lot of pickups in Thailand and the rotating brushes/bristles/sponges/cloths won't clean inside the back. Hire cheap labour to hand wash. Use a loyalty card system, seventh wash free for example to keep customers returning.

Some very fair points there. Also rather stupidly I must admit I didnt even consider the probelm with the pick up trucks, good point. These are all my initial worries also, the importing, training, maintanance.

I wont ever look at setting up a hand car wash, just not my thing. I was only thinking of the auto car wash as its something different and if done right, could be a money spinner. Maybe. But yes your points are all spot on, i must admit. Thanks for posting.

[thelongshoot]

Hi, I live in Samut Prakarn, to the south of Bangkok and I have a few ideas and suggestions but they may not be relevant to Hua Hin.

Firstly, there is an automatic car wash on the main road I live on, Srinakarin, It's on the corner near Sikarin Hospital if you want to find it on Google maps but I'm not aware of the name of the company that operates it. My thoughts about whether it would be a good business are mixed. I've used it once: you pull up and two guys use a pressure washer to spray your car and they use brushes on the wheels and underside (presumably the parts that the machine doesn't clean that well). Your car then passes through the machine for the usual clean, shampoo, blow dry which is quite fun. On the other side, a group of 3-4 ladies are on hand to wipe the car down and do the door sills.

My thoughts are that for 60baht, it's a fun experience but not very good value for money and not a very good clean. I feel the hand-wash centers at places like Shell and Esso do a far better job and for 140baht it's better value for money given that they also clean the interior and vacuum it too.

Of course, in my area there are dozens of places to choose from, the wait is never long and it sounds like in Hua Hin it is.

My thoughts of it as a business is that obviously you have to charge less, yet you still have staff to pay and more land to rent, so I don't much see how operators have enough to cover the costs of repairs and maintenance. The automatic wash I went too looks old and rusty, I doubt the wipers have been cleaned much. I just have a crappy car so I'm not so bothered if it scratches the clear coat of paint on my car but I'm sure people with nicer cars would prefer the hand wash places, I doubt Thais care that much, but foreigners with nice cars in Hua Hin probably do.

From what I've seen on YouTube, German machines are the highest quality in terms of washing but surely require expensive maintenance and parts. I don't see how you'd cover this cost in Thailand, let alone pay staff or turn a profit.

The automatic wash I go to may be attached to a nearby mechanics shop so perhaps they have a rent arrangement.

I have wondered what a profitable car wash in Thailand might look like and there is a type of washing called 'waterless' - look it up on youtube. It involves brushing the dirt off first and then using an amount of spray on cleaning solution and microfibers cloths to clean the car - obviously not very dirty cars! Some enthusiasts claim this type of cleaning is kinder on the paintwork compared with high pressure water. That, in my opinion, may appeal to a certain type of car own who cars about their car and the environment, they may pay a premium for this kind of eco-wash service. It could be like a 'delivery service' so a guy goes to wash the car at the owner's home or place of work.

Thanks Jadee, thats realy great feedback. Jesus, 60 baht they charge? It sounds like they might have a poor and very basic chinese made auto wash if they need manual labor to wash thr tricky parts and finish it. But yes you are right in saying the alternative is a pricey German kit that would cost fortunes to run and purchase. Yup these are just more points that lead me to believe its a bad idea.

[thelongshoot]

Ok, thats all i needed to here realy. Just these points above have led me to doubt the validity of it even more. It realy was just an idea that i wanted a little feedback on, and it seems you all have the same doubts as I do.

Ill leave it there and wont be checking on any more replies so mods, feel free to close this if you want. Im worried there are going to be too many know it all idiots posting the usual negative stuff and dont want to get sucked in to a daft petty argument, I can see it coming!

Thanks

TLS

[wooloomooloo]

You could call the drive thru car wash Hooters. Don't worry about any trademark rubbish as TIT.

[Lamkyong]

Ok, thats all i needed to here realy. Just these points above have led me to doubt the validity of it even more. It realy was just an idea that i wanted a little feedback on, and it seems you all have the same doubts as I do.

Ill leave it there and wont be checking on any more replies so mods, feel free to close this if you want. Im worried there are going to be too many know it all idiots posting the usual negative stuff and dont want to get sucked in to a daft petty argument, I can see it coming!

Thanks

TLS

I have thick skin not quite so thick now seemingly

[Henryford]

Automatic machines only make sense in the West because labour is expensive, not the case here.

[Aussie69]

Yeah I agree with the many previous posts, labour is cheap & plentiful in Thailand, plus hand washes are better than auto. I'm sure you'll find some great idea, plenty of opportunities. Good luck.

[lonewolf99]

it is a labour / emerging nation / 3rd world issue - why do you think they still have people putting petrol in your car here ?

I knew a man who owned a small hotel in Goa in India. He spent a fortune buying an Automatic Industrial Dishwasher.

It was soon pointed out that he could employ 2 local women for about 20 years at the same price........

[chiang mai]

The Central Festival near me has installed automatic ticket barriers which require the driver to stop, roll down the window, press the button and take the plastic card that is dispensed. Wach machine has a full time attendant stood next to it because one in three people don't know what they're supposed to do next, despite the audio instructions telling the driver to press the button. What chance do you think an automatic car wash has.

[chainarong]

Automatic car wash use enormous amounts of water , so whether you even get off the ground in the present dry climate is another factor , I'd check this out before moving any further, and that may very well the reason why you see the auto wash and humans doing most of the work................................

[mike324]

Have a look at the link below, its a China made system, never used it but it looks like a brushless system

This car wash has it in Bangkok

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dallee-Car-Spa-Innovation/125688580928205

This is the chinese manufacturer

http://carwashtouchless.com/client/thailand-dallee-clean/

Personally my friends and I here would not use it since hand wash is available for 120-140 baht (many places include scrubbing your mats too). People tend to think hand wash are cleaner...I've used auto washes in the US regularly just because it is cheap and easy option for where I live in the midwest. My friends who live in California can get hand wash for cheap, so most don't bother using automatic car washes. Plus car geeks are scare to get their cars scratch in the auto washes.

Your biggest problem is competition and price. Given that most mid-high income folks won't use the service, you are stuck with the low-mid income segment. You will probably still need to employ at least 2-3 people, which is no different than any other car washes at gas stations. Your water cost will most likely be higher as well, not to mention rent and such, your ROI would be low.

Reason it works better in the West is because of high labor cost and there is winter, winter tends to be the busy time for car washes as people want to get the salt off. During the summer, many people wash their own cars. You should try reading some case studies online regarding to car washes, that would help with your business planning.

If you want to run a car wash, its better to join a franchise like Meguairs as training and all the equipment can be provided locally.

Edited June 11, 2016 by mike324

[manarak]

how does an automatic car wash clean the inside of the car?

[steelepulse]

We had one in Phuket, it went out of business.

[Swiss1960]

I pay 180 Baht here in Nongprue for manual in- and outside cleaning.. so take 50% for outside, 100 Baht. Profit maybe 50% after electricity, water, staff, taxes.. so first profit after 100'000 cars.. 50 cars a day.. roughly 5.5 years to pay back the investment... and still need staff for inside cleaning..

Nice idea, but staff is to inexpensive in Thailand and makes it difficult to get decent ROI for automation projects

[Estrada]

Automatic car wash use enormous amounts of water , so whether you even get off the ground in the present dry climate is another factor , I'd check this out before moving any further, and that may very well the reason why you see the auto wash and humans doing most of the work................................

Automatic car washes do not use enormous amounts of water and usually half that used by hand washes using hoses. Typical usage 150Litres per wash. A cubic metre of water here is too cheap to even consider a water recycling system.

[a10ams]

On the odd occasion where I have washed my car myself I have found that unless the wet car is chamois dried then then I am left with white (calcium?) water marks on the paint.

I don't know how good the dryers are nowadays on auto car washes but if they leave any residue then it could be a reason not to use them.

What I recommend is a drive thru car wash, I used to use one back in the UK. About six people attack your car at the same time with sponges and soap, then rinse it and hand dry it. Didn't take long and they always made a good job.

Now if you could get half a dozen bikini clad girls .................

[ukrules]

I believe a lot of people stopped using these things because they damage the paintwork and leave visible marks on parts the car where the rotating brushes make contact.

[Estrada]

I was manufacturing and installing car washes and car wash water recycling plants in the UK for 20 years before moving here in 1994. At that time I exhibited at Queen Sirikit Exhibition Centre where a local company was trying to sell automatic car washes and automatic vertical car stackers. This is the company that installed the automatic car washes at their offices on Srinakarin road Bangkok and a number of petrol stations. They also had the demonstration unit of the automatic vertical car stacker stored on the opposite of the road which they could not sell.

In the UK and Europe I installed over 1,000 car washes and/or car wash water recycling plants, mainly with all the UK Oil Companies, so I looked at setting up an Automatic Car Wash business here in 1994. The standard configuration of a petrol station which I helped develop in the UK with Heron and others, consisted of self service pumps, convenience shop, oil change, pressure wash, and Automatic Car Wash. Due to water costs and the drought situations that occur, many stations in the have full water recycle so that only 4 Litres are used by wash. So when the Oil Companies started to invest in the modern petrol station concept here they started with an automatic car wash bay. Most of the Automatic washes have been taken out and the bay used for hand washing as labour is so cheap. It has taken 20 years for PTT to open their first Self Service Petrol Station but to illustrate my point the average Thai wants does not want automatic car washes or self service pumps.

From my experience I would advise against investing in an Automatic car wash. If you still want to invest in a car wash enterprise, consider a hand wash first using local labour. At B60 for a basic wash I do not think that Automatic Car Washers are viable. What is popular here is a full valeting system inside and out by hand.

[chiang mai]

how does an automatic car wash clean the inside of the car?

Automatically?

[manarak]

my point the average Thai wants does not want automatic car washes or self service pumps.

and the average foreigner doesn't want it either.

what you explained makes a lot of sense, automatic car washes only make sense in countries where unskilled labor has been priced out of the market

[Mr Freeze]

What about a topless car wash ? No expensive outlay and you wouldn't arf be busy !