Quantcast
Jump to content


is a car wash profitable in an auto repair shop


Recommended Posts

im a car wash detailer but im getting paid well about 600 a week but im getting a job offer from an auto repair shop to be their sole detailer where all the profits go to my pocket. im unsure about this as i dont know how profitable a car wash is while located in an auto repair shop. i imagine its inconsistent but does anyone know how profitable it is? will it be worth it to leave my safe weekly paycheck for it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We actually have it the other way around here. We are a car wash, with a full service auto repair shop as part of the car wash. The car wash is definitely the larger part of the business compared to the auto repair shop. We do a ton of full details at our auto repair shop but I think this is because originally the entire building was a full detail shop that was partially converted to an auto repair shop, not the other way around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you do this right, you could make some decent income. I'm assuming that you will have your own bay with all the detail / washing tools you need. Then, I would develop your base in two ways. 1. Bring all your current customers over with you. 2. Make a deal with the shop to wash every single vehicle that comes in. Not a full detail at all, just something that makes the customer think, "Wow, I just went in for an oil change, and they washed my car too. I'm coming back here." Depending on the shop and the experience that they are trying to create, this can be a big win and help you have a stable flow of "customers."

 

Additionally, I have seen some mobile detailers in our area striking deals with local apartments and big office complexes. They will come by the complex and wash cars in the parking lot. If you can present yourself well to the office managers and close these deals, it looks like there is a lot of money to be made in this area.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How did this shop come to offer you a job? Do you know much about this shop? Reputation, etc. I am always leery about telling someone to take the leap of faith when you have a safe paycheck already. For me having dealt with dealership managers, I would never leave a safe paycheck for an unsure thing. The sole reason I started my shop was just to make a living. Couldn't do it working at the dealership so what was the point in staying. Your personal life and situation comes in to play. Just take a step back and look at the BIG picture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let me understand this:

 

All of the profit from this part of the business stays with you. Define profit. You have to pay the overhead of rent, electricity, taxes, and especially water, then you get what is left?

 

What is the owner of the business getting? Good will? The ability to have this access to this service? New customers? This makes no sense to me.

 

No offense, but detailers are a dime a dozen. Unless you are bringing a lot of new customers that the garage owner can possibly get

repair business from, this model is doomed to fail.

 

Keep your current job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read the first post, then just kind of skimmed the replies... Here is how I see it:

 

If the detail side of the shop was making any kind of profit to be substantial, why would they give it away to someone else... Let me re-phrase that. If the detail side of the shop was making ANY PROFIT AT ALL, why would they give it away. Even if it is just breaking even, they should want to keep it.

 

Doesn't sound like a smart move, just my thoughts though

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
  • Similar Topics

    • By Joe Marconi

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.

    • By Changing The Industry
      The Basics of Owning An Auto Repair Shop - Balancing GP per Hour and Productivity
    • By Joe Marconi

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.

    • By carmcapriotto
      Thank you to our friends at RepairPal for providing you this episode. As shop owners we were part of RepairPal’s Certified network and you can learn more at RepairPal.com/shops.
      Show Notes
      Reasons Google will suspend your GBP Adding Keywords to Your Business Name Using PO boxes or virtual office addresses Using your home address for a service area business - mobile mechanics Making major changes to your information - name, address, phone number Adding Reviews - Talk about RV Masters Recent experience Spam Reviews Two businesses sharing an address - same with phone number A competitor reported you  Dandy Review Removal: Negative review removal using AI They had to rebrand from ReviewVio because of all the negative reviews and complaints that they received. They over charge and under deliver. It is a 12 month contract - not monthly Writer’s Hand: WriterHand.com's Review Generator AI employs state-of-the-art natural language processing algorithms to produce high-quality reviews in a matter of seconds. The tool is designed to cater to the needs of both individual writers and businesses seeking to enhance their online presence. By simply inputting a few key details about a product, service, or experience, users can obtain well-crafted reviews that reflect a genuine customer's perspective. Embed Social: Use AI tools to help you collect more reviews, reply to reviews faster and make your reviews widget designs. New AI Optimization services: Boost Ninja:  Speak on Accurate Automotive GBP Listing being suspended after adding this company to their listing - Supposed to be a Google Maps ranking system by boosting local rankings by targeting top keywords and AI Optimization to your Google listing Problem is when you talk to client’s who have hired companies like this and ask what they are actually doing - the answer is the same: “I have know idea”  
      How To Get In Touch
       
      Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
      Website - shopmarketingpros.com 
      Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros 
      Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book
      Instagram - @shopmarketingpros 
      Questions/Ideas - [email protected]
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By carmcapriotto
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Auto Care Customer service is the backbone of any successful auto repair shop. Tom Petty discusses the critical role of clear, effective communication with customers. And guess what? It all starts with your internal team and company culture. Tom Petty, Petty Motorworks, Waretown, NJ Show Notes
      Watch Full Video TST Seminars: https://www.tstseminars.org/ NAPA Auto Care Gold status (00:01:24) Tom Petty discusses NAPA AutoCare Gold status and its significance. Technical training and progression (00:03:13) Tom Petty's technical training and progression through the years. Family business and technical training (00:04:22) Tom Petty's decision to start a family business and his involvement in technical training. Engaging technicians and setting shop culture (00:05:44) Discussion on setting the culture for a shop and engaging technicians in training. Apprenticeship and mentoring (00:08:13) Tom Petty's approach to apprenticeship and mentoring young technicians. Automotive vocational education (00:11:10) Discussion on the need for a specialized automotive charter program in vocational education. Challenges in the automotive industry (00:13:03) Challenges faced by young technicians in the automotive industry and the need for development and support. Starting wage and labor margin (00:14:36) Discussion on starting wage for technicians and the importance of labor margin for business sustainability. Post-education career advice (00:15:31) Tom Petty's advice for students coming out of a two-year automotive program regarding starting wage expectations. Structured Raises (00:15:37) Discussion about implementing structured raises for technicians to prevent wage suppression. Setting Technician Wages (00:19:06) Discussion on the importance of setting technician wages based on experience and productivity. Communication and Customer Service (00:23:53) Importance of effective communication, especially through digital inspections, and its impact on customer service. Training Alliance (00:28:00) Formation of an independent training alliance to improve technical training in the local area of New Jersey. Kidney Donation (00:30:44) Tom Petty's kidney donation. Life Post-Surgery (00:33:14) Tom Petty shares his experiences after kidney surgery and discusses the minimal impact on his daily life. Avoiding NSAIDs (00:33:53) The importance of avoiding certain pain medications for kidney health, with a cautionary example. Recovery and Kidney Function (00:34:31) Insights into the recovery period after kidney surgery and the remarkable adaptability of the kidney.
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Auto Care Learn more about NAPA Auto Care and the benefits of being part of the NAPA family by visiting https://www.napaonline.com/en/auto-care Connect with the Podcast: -Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RemarkableResultsRadioPodcast/ -Join Our Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1734687266778976 -Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/carmcapriotto -Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmcapriotto/ -Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkableresultsradiopodcast/ -Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RResultsBiz -Visit the Website: https://remarkableresults.biz/ -Join our Insider List: https://remarkableresults.biz/insider -All books mentioned on our podcasts: https://remarkableresults.biz/books -Our Classroom page for personal or team learning: https://remarkableresults.biz/classroom -Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/carm -The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com -Special episode collections: https://remarkableresults.biz/collections  
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio


  • Our Sponsors

×
×
  • Create New...