Washes- worth it?

[shotime]

Is it worth offering washes as part of your mobile service? My neighbor and this older guy in town have me wash/vac their car and it`s more of a burden than anything. By the time I`m done with the wash/vac/dust/windows, I`ve spent almost 30-45min and only making $15. I keep thinking to myself for another two hours of work, I`m making $125. These aren`t regular "detail" customers so I`m not working with something in decent condition to start with. If I do offer washes, I`m thinking about offering it to only those who have had a full detail. That way I keep in touch with my customer base and profit from maintaining the car inbetween details.

[bigron62]

i think they are a pain but i do it for my regulars.. heres what i do and charge

[bigron62]

1

[edschwab1]

Shotime,
I think certain services, like wash, wash/wax, spot cleaning should only be done for regulars. Then only after a complete detail to make sure the vehicle is up to your standard and to help maintain the vehicles appearance. While maintaining the vehicles appearance you are putting a little coin in your pocket.

Bigron,
Nice menu.

Eric

[shotime]

I think I`ll try just doing it for regulars, $15 at my house, $20 at theirs. It`s not worth my time to drive 15min or more to make $15, but I also can`t charge much more than the shops. Going rate around here at the shops is between $12 and $15. One thing good about washes is they usually pay in cash.

[bigron62]

youre right about the price . i charge the exact price the local carwash does . my $30.00 is a deterrent for washes but i have several who come by occasionally .. pocket money

[BaDm0theR]

Shotime, perhaps Bigron is revealing something of value. Charge accordingly for your time and services, otherwise you will find that your just cutting yourself short and undermining your own business venture.

Raise the price, or only make appointments if you have MULTIPLE vehicles to `Full wash` at once.


Goodluck.

[edschwab1]

Originally posted by BaDm0theR
Shotime, perhaps Bigron is revealing something of value. Charge accordingly for your time and services, otherwise you will find that your just cutting yourself short and undermining your own business venture.

Raise the price, or only make appointments if you have MULTIPLE vehicles to `Full wash` at once.


Goodluck.

Well said Badmother. Your regular clients will appreciated having a set appointment and paying for your services, to maintain their vehicle. Do not be cheap as people will associate you and your service as being inferior.

Eric

[dr_detail]

I look it as the long-haul as well as the short term... yes washes seem to have the least in the profit margin scale, however there is plenty of benefits with steady customers as well as the ability in the exposure to many other prospective clients at each stop. For me, anytime I stop the unit for services, I get at least 3 enquiries and average about 1 complete detail per 5 enquiries...

Besides, those weekly all year long wash clients keep the bills paid through the slower winter months. think of it in a different light -- If you had 10 wash clients per wk, and ya waxed each one once a month, and did a detail once a year on each, that $15 has grown into close to 15k/yr... now expand that to 10 each day, 5 days a week.... hmmm... you do the math.

To me though, $15 seems a like quite the deal -- especially when a complete wash package at the local car wash tunnel runs in the $19-25 range.