Self Serve Carwash News Fall '19

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2 • FALL 2019

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FALL 2019 • 3

CONTENTS
Looking Back ...........................................6
JJ Checks In!
Cwguy.com’s ’ ........................................ 10
The Customer is always Wrong!
Association Calendar & News ........ 14
Quick Tips ............................................... 18
10 Questions ........................................... 21
One on One with Jerry Nix
Cold Hard Cash ..................................... 22
Are ice vending machines a good
addition for your self-serve wash?
Snap Shot ................................................. 28
Q&A with Kimberly Berg
Fun & Games ........................................ 32
Fill in the Blank ..................................... 34
Tricks of the Trade .............................. 37
Innovations .............................................. 50
Industry Dirt ........................................... 52
Extra! Extra! ............................................ 56
Cover Story .............................................. 58
Car Wash Royale
Darwin at the Carwash ...................... 71
VOL. 46, NO. 4, FALL 2019
Publisher Jackson Vahaly
Editor Debra Gorgos
Design Katy Barret-Alley
Editor Emeritus Jarret J. Jakubowski
Editor Posthumous Joseph J. Campbell
Editor Posthumous Julia E. Campbell
Self Serve Carwash News is published 4 times
per year and is independently owned by Jackson
Vahaly. Web address is www.sscwn.com.
All inquiries should be directed to:
Self Serve Car Wash News
110 Childs Ln., Franklin, TN 37067
jacksonv@sscwn.com
Copyright 2019. 2 Dollar Enterprises/SSCWN. All Rights Reserved
Note to Self
BY DEBRA GORGOS, EDITOR
Fall is now upon us which means mud, leaves,
post-hunting messes, tailgating and car owners
not looking to wash their vehicles in their driveways.
It also is the season of the Northeast Regional
Carwash Convention which, once again,
took place in Atlantic City this past September,
and I had a wonderful time meeting so many
self serve car wash owners, some of whom are
new to the industry. It was also nice to see Kevin
Detrick of Innovative Control Systems/Sparkle
Car Wash as the recipient of the Hall of Fame
Award, which is the NRCC’s highest honor. I
have known Kevin for over 10 years and he truly
deserves the honor.
Another great thing about Fall is that it is the
season of Halloween. I had a bit of fun with
the holiday in this issue, asking operators about
their scariest self serve car wash tasks, the creepiest
things they have found left behind in and
around the bays and I also found some old footage
of a zombie self serve car wash in Toronto.
I also wanted to use this opportunity to promote
a carwashforum.com post in which I.B.
Washincars of central Kentucky was hoping to
locate the owner of the keys in this picture:
Lost Keys, anyone?
I.B. Washincars’ post: We’ve had a
rash of break-in around here over
the last couple of months. The Nelson
County Sheriff’s Dept. has
made a couple of arrests. They had
a lot of stolen goods in their possession,
including some things from one
of my washes. They recovered this set
of keys in their loot, but as of yet haven’t
connected them to an owner. I have
directed them to Medeco to possibly match that tag
to someone, but they don’t have any owner yet. All
of my washes are within 20 miles of Makers Mark.
I have contacted several wash owners around me
and none are the owners. I know that they are most
likely useless to the owner now, since locks will have
been changed, but it would be nice to tie them to
another crime. Anyone here recognize them?
Speaking of crimes, this issue’s cover story is
timely, fascinating and maybe even polarizing. I
Letter to the Editor
Good Afternoon,
I am writing to you regarding an
article that was in your magazine
approximately 3 years ago. It was
regarding 1/3 of the water used
would stay on the vehicle and
would not go down the drain.
My sewer bill has gone up to
$2100 per month and my water
bill is $300 per month.
Any help with locating this
article would be helpful.
Regards,
Douglas Pete Carter
have my own stance on guns, but it goes without
saying that car wash owners are constantly experiencing,
or thwarting criminal activity (SEE
PAGE Darwins at the Carwash). There is also a
lot of cash being transported and I for one, understand
the need for some operators to be armed.
I used to work inside of a mall at a pretzel stand.
I used to have to close up the shop and bring
the money, in a bag, to the bank deposit drawer
inside the mall. Looking back, I realize how
much of a naïve and lucky gal I was. I am not
even sure there were high-tech security cameras
there at the time (it was 1996), but I was definitely
a moving target. Granted, it was not a lot
of cash, but I still had zero self-defense skills or
weaponry. I do not own a gun and there isn’t one
in our house, but I support well-trained, responsible
gun owners. I also understand how all of
you are pretty much out in the open. A criminal
can maybe see those of you (who accept cash)
emptying your machines. You out there, braving
possible criminial activity. I also admire all of you
willing to share your stories of why you carry.
And, before I sign off, I wanted to mention
that have now officially been at the helm of
this esteemed publication for two years.
I can remember the night in October
of 2017 when I was scrambling
to make sure my first official issue
lived up to the reputation
pre-established by JJ Jakubowski
and Joseph and Julia Campbell.
I was, honestly, being a bit too
impassioned and can even remember
showing up my son’s classroom
Halloween party looking like an actual
zombie. The legacy, the readers, the JJ wit! It
was and still is a tough pair of proverbial shoes
to fill. I hope you all enjoying each issue and I
hope you all know how grateful and I am to
work with the talents of Art Director Katy Barret-Alley
and Publisher Jackson Vahaly. Thank
you, everyone, for all of the support, the advertisements
and the readership.
Until next time,
Hello, Doug!
Debra
Yes, the article you are referring to was
published three years ago, but that was a reprint
of an article published by former editor JJ
Jakubowski. It originally appeared in the Fall 2001
issue of Self Serve Car Wash News. Also, to make
things even more confusing, it was a two-part
article, the first of which came from an SSCWN
article about 10 years prior, and the second part
was issued three years after that. Phew. I feel as
if I am back in chemistry class. Anyway, Doug,
the article is brilliant and ageless, and I can
understand your desire to see it once again. JJ
was kind enough to forward it to me. Enjoy!
Debra Gorgos
4 • FALL 2019

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FALL 2019 • 5

JJ Checks In!
Like the voice of Obi Wan Kenobi, every once in a while, former
editor Jarret “JJ” Jakubowski will pop into my email inbox to let
me know he is still out there reading the publication. Not one to
formally advise or correct, JJ has a mystical way of saying he still
cares. Sort of like the way Andy Dufresne would write to Red,
with no return address, or wordy diatribes. Recently, JJ sent over
a wonderful snippet from his archives.
I did some more digging and unearthed a local carwash
story that came along in the Grand Rapids Press newspaper
a few years after I retired … and I had forgotten. I finished
Photoshopping the wild ‘n crazy photo/graphic today. And
thought it probably still has “legs” as a pretty good fit in the
Darwin column. Your call, of course. Anyway, here tis.
Editor Emeritus JJ Jakubowski
CoinOps Were His
“The Golden Calf”
William Baer was a serial self serve carwash
burglar in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan.
His latest spree lasted a couple years until he
was busted in the act of busting open a coin
box. He then led the cops on a 100+ MPH car
chase which ended in Baer’s crashing into a
police cruiser. At his sentencing he pleaded to
the judge that he had become “a changed man
through the Power of Jesus!” The judge congratulated
him on his “being born again.” Apart
from the 5th Commandment, “Thou Shall Not
Steal”, he could not change the civil law, “Just
because you’ve had a conversion of spirit.” The
judge also noted that Baer had been arrested 10
years earlier for another string of SS burglaries.
He added that, “to you, coin op carwashes are
like the biblical ‘Golden Calf’ to which you are
inexorably drawn!” Baer was then sentenced a
“repentance” of up to 10 years in prison.
The following is t he let t er sent t o t he
SSCWN wit h t he dat a Joe Wolfinger compiled:
To t he SSCWN Edit or s and Reader s:
I have complet ed a wat er loss t est t hat
was designed t o det er mine what per cent age
of the water that entered the wash bay
act ually r eached t he sewer syst em. This t est
was designed by the Pennsylvania Technical
Assistance Program which is administ
er ed by The Pennsylvania St at e Univer -
sity. I thought your readers might find the
results very informative.
As you can see, any carwash that is
paying sewer r at es based on incoming wat er
met er r eadings is being subst ant ially over
char ged. Even when a vehicle wit h a small
sur face ar ea (such as a mot or cycle) was
washed dir ect ly over t he sewer t r ap — 12%
of t he wat er never r eached t he sewer t r ap!
We found 3 major loss ar eas: Evapor
ation fr om t he bay floor and walls, dir ect
vehicle Car r y Out, and Atomization dir
ect ly int o t he air fr om t he nozzle t ip.
This is a cost area for carwashes that is
going to become more critical as time goes on.
We found that the main concern the sewer
department had was developing a billing system
that was easy for them to administer.
What is needed is for our national organizations
to develop some more testing data
and lobby directly to the Environmental Protection
Agency for a recognized percentage of
water losses based on the type of carwash. This
could then be used as a rate allowance on any
federally funded sewer project. Virtually all
local sewer departments receive funding from
the EPA and this would help prevent inequitable
sewer rates to carwashes.
You Are Being
Over Charged On
Sewer Costs!
Here’s The Proof
...
And A Way
To Find Relief.
Needed Reprise
The following ar t icle is a compilat ion of
two articles that were first run in the SSCWN
over 10 year s ago. We’r e r epr int ing t hem now
because t he info/dat a is st ill per fect ly r elevant ,
and, unfor t unat ely, t he pr oblem of excessively
escalat ing sewer bills has got t en so much wor se
in so many different areas around the country.
These ar t icles ar e an excellent example
of both independent initiative and a willingness
t o help ot her oper at or s. Such endeavor s
char act er ize many of t he new br eed of t he best
in pr ofessional self ser ve oper at or s. So we
want to thank Joe Wolfinger (of Solar Shine
Carwash in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania) for
his important pioneering efforts and Larry
Mor r ison (East Adams Carwash, LaGrange,
Or egon) for his valuable followup wor k. We
would also encourage ot her s t o do likewise on
this and other issues that impact the indust
r y. The mor e we shar e, car e and communicat
e t he bet t er off we all be.
We’ll start with the man who got this ball
r olling — Joe Wolfinger — who had been
mot ivat ed t o do somet hing when his sewer bill
incr eased suddenly and dr amat ically — in excess
of $8,000 and virtually “overnight”! Joe
knew t hat consider ably mor e wat er was being
piped into his wash than was going out via the
sewer s, and yet his sewer bills wer e based on his
water bills. One gallon of water in “must” equal
one gallon of wat er /sewage out ... or so most rate
boar ds r eason. But he r ealized t hat befor e he
In the trenches — Joe Wolfinger precisely
measured the water lost to
the sewer after various
wash processes.
could convince t hose set t ing his sewer r at es t hat
he was being unfairly overcharged — he had to
accumulat e and pr esent t he r at e boar d hard
data to substantiate a request for a rebate or
rate adjustment.
After some invest igat ion Joe discover ed
that Penn State had a program, personnel,
and exper t ise t o help. The following t est s
wer e scientifically designed and t he dat a compiled
under t he object ive auspices of t he Univer
sit y. The cost ? Free! 0ur r eader s might
be surpr ised t o discover t hat t her e ar e many
gover nmental agencies, univer sit y pr ogr ams,
and independent organizations around which
can pr ovide a business per son wit h all manner
of assist ance. Your public libr ar y infor mat ion
ser vice and a book called “I nfor mat ion U.S.A.”
by M . L esko ar e a couple good places t o st ar t .
Bot t om lined — t hese t est s demonst r at ed
that of all the water used at a typical self serve
car wash an aver age 1 gallon out of 3 does not
even get t o t he sewer !
In certain areas sewer rates are a staggering
30% of costs and are literally destroying carwash
businesses. I t was the SSCWN’s hope that
Joe Wolfinger’s study would provide a springboard
SSCWN ........................ ● ........................ F ALL 2001
Flow Rates
1) Pre Soak 7.5 Pints Per Minute
2) Foam Brush .5 Pints Per Minute
3) HP Wash/Rinse (1250PSI) 32 Pints Per Minute
#1 . Morning Clean Up
A typical morning cleaning: use HP Rinse to push
debris toward drain. Sprayed clean foam brush,
signs, hose, grease spots, and mat holders. Also
cleaned first 4 feet of entrance pad with HP Rinse.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......144
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............79,2
PI NTS Of Water Trapped......................34.75
PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................56%
#
2 . Floor Clean Up
Dollars
Down
The
Drain!
1
can we stem
the tide?
for more research, organized lobbying efforts, and
more effective tools for carwash operators to deal
with their local boards of bureaucrats. There has
been and is important movement in that direction.
The International Carwash Association has available
some good adjunct data and materials. The
video tape “Home Carwashing And Environmental
Concerns” produced by the I CA and Tom
Hoffman illustrate how self serve carwashes are
actually meaningful environmental assets to any
community by helping save water resources and
protecting ecological integrity. Driving our carwashes
out of business hurts more than “just” the
carwash owner and his employees. The I CA is also
going to release this year the results of an exhaustive
3 year scientific study which will further
support the data presented here and that will be of
great help to operators dealing with sewerage and
other water management issues.
The SSCWN wants to again thank Joe
for his effor t s and acknowledge his special
contributions to our industry which have had
a ripple effect far beyond Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
We hope ot her oper at or s ar e inspir
ed by his example.
(Continued On A Following Page)
#
3 . Wall Clean Up
HP Rinsed walls between 4’ and 10’ levels.
Walls were dry at start. Water that ran off
walls followed low spot s of floor t o dr ain —
75% of floor r emained dr y.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......60
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............35
PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............10.75
PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................70%
#
4. Compact Car
Cleaned Sat urn sized car . Used Pr eSoak.
Floor was dry at start of wash process.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......176
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............96.8
PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............77.5
PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................20%
#
5. Full Size Car
Cleaned full size, 4-door car . Floor was ver y
wet at start of test. No PreSoak was used.
Test Procedure
1) Complet ely r emoved all r esidue (solids
and fluids) from test trap.
2) All wash and rinse fluids touching
floor will drain to trap via standard bay floor
designed t o gr avit y feed fluids into t r ap.
3) Est ablished t he flow r at e of wat er for
t he var ious wash and r inse ser vices (33:5
Pints Per M inute aver age flow).
4) Typical wash and water usage:
• Per for med a var iet y of maintenance/
cleanup act ivit ies t o bay st r uct ures (walls,
floor s, signs, et cet er a).
• Washed and r insed a wide r ange of
vehicles — from small mot or cycle t o a semitruck
and trailer.
5) Wait until wash/rinse water stops
dr aining into enclosed container (from 5 t o 10
minutes, depending on size of vehicle).
6) Finally — measure water in cont
ainer and compar e t o est ablished flow r at es
(from wand and foaming brush).
A short clean up of the bay floor only — HP Rinse
t o push debr is t owar d cent er of bay and dr ain.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.................72
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).........................39.6
PI NTS Of Water Trapped......................26.5
PERCENTAGE Of^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................33%
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......297
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............163.3
PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............124.5
PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................24%
(Continued On A Following Page)
Joe Wolfinger’s Solar Shine is a 6+1 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The wash’s
name was inspired by the impressive bank of solar collector panels on the roof. It’s a demonstration
of owner’s genuine committment to the efficient use of utilities and natural resources. The big utility
problem here, however, is “where the sun don’t shine” — the sewer. And Joe warns other operators
that his fight to cut unfair, dangerously high sewer rates could very soon become their battle too.
6 • FALL 2019
SSCWN ● ........................ 2
........................ F ALL 2001

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8 • FALL 2019
SSCWN ........................● ........................ F ALL 2001
2
The following is t he let t er sent t o t he
SSCWN wit h t he dat a Joe Wolfinger compiled:
To t he SSCWN Edit or s and Reader s:
I have complet ed a wat er loss t est t hat
was designed t o det er mine what per cent age
of the water that entered the wash bay
act ually r eached t he sewer syst em. This t est
was designed by the Pennsylvania Technical
Assistance Program which is administ
er ed by The Pennsylvania St at e Univer -
sity. I thought your readers might find the
results very informative.
As you can see, any carwash that is
paying sewer r at es based on incoming wat er
met er r eadings is being subst ant ially over
char ged. Even when a vehicle wit h a small
sur face ar ea (such as a mot or cycle) was
washed dir ect ly over t he sewer t r ap — 12%
of t he wat er never r eached t he sewer t r ap!
We found 3 major loss ar eas: Evapor
ation fr om t he bay floor and walls, dir ect
vehicle Car r y Out, and Atomization dir
ect ly int o t he air fr om t he nozzle t ip.
This is a cost area for carwashes that is
going to become more critical as time goes on.
We found that the main concern the sewer
department had was developing a billing system
that was easy for them to administer.
What is needed is for our national organizations
to develop some more testing data
and lobby directly to the Environmental Protection
Agency for a recognized percentage of
water losses based on the type of carwash. This
could then be used as a rate allowance on any
federally funded sewer project. Virtually all
local sewer departments receive funding from
the EPA and this would help prevent inequitable
sewer rates to carwashes.
Test Procedure
1) Complet ely r emoved all r esidue (solids
and fluids) from test trap.
2) All wash and rinse fluids touching
floor will drain to trap via standard bay floor
designed t o gr avit y feed fluids into t r ap.
3) Est ablished t he flow r at e of wat er for
t he var ious wash and r inse ser vices (33:5
Pints Per M inute aver age flow).
4) Typical wash and water usage:
• Per for med a var iet y of maintenance/
cleanup act ivit ies t o bay st r uct ures (walls,
floor s, signs, et cet er a).
• Washed and r insed a wide r ange of
vehicles — from small mot or cycle t o a semitruck
and trailer.
5) Wait until wash/rinse water stops
dr aining into enclosed container (from 5 t o 10
minutes, depending on size of vehicle).
6) Finally — measure water in cont
ainer and compar e t o est ablished flow r at es
(from wand and foaming brush).
Joe Wolfinger’s Solar Shine is a 6+1 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The wash’s
name was inspired by the impressive bank of solar collector panels on the roof. It’s a demonstration
of owner’s genuine committment to the efficient use of utilities and natural resources. The big utility
problem here, however, is “where the sun don’t shine” — the sewer. And Joe warns other operators
that his fight to cut unfair, dangerously high sewer rates could very soon become their battle too.
Flow Rates
1) Pre Soak 7.5 Pints Per Minute
2) Foam Brush .5 Pints Per Minute
3) HP Wash/Rinse (1250PSI) 32 Pints Per Minute
#1 . Morning Clean Up
A typical morning cleaning: use HP Rinse to push
debris toward drain. Sprayed clean foam brush,
signs, hose, grease spots, and mat holders. Also
cleaned first 4 feet of entrance pad with HP Rinse.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......144
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............79,2
PI NTS Of Water Trapped......................34.75
PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................56%
# 2 . Floor Clean Up
A short clean up of the bay floor only — HP Rinse
t o push debr is t owar d cent er of bay and dr ain.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.................72
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).........................39.6
PI NTS Of Water Trapped......................26.5
PERCENTAGE Of^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................33%
# 3 . Wall Clean Up
HP Rinsed walls between 4’ and 10’ levels.
Walls were dry at start. Water that ran off
walls followed low spot s of floor t o dr ain —
75% of floor r emained dr y.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......60
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............35
PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............10.75
PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................70%
# 4. Compact Car
Cleaned Sat urn sized car . Used Pr eSoak.
Floor was dry at start of wash process.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......176
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............96.8
PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............77.5
PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................20%
# 5. Full Size Car
Cleaned full size, 4-door car . Floor was ver y
wet at start of test. No PreSoak was used.
TI ME (Seconds) To Wash & Rinse.......297
PI NTS Of Water Flow (I n).............163.3
PI NTS Of Water Trapped...............124.5
PERCENTAGE Of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wat er L ost To Sew er ...........................24%
(Continued On A Following Page)
SSCWN ........................ ● ........................ F ALL 2001
4
Review
This article ran 3 years after the previous
one feat uring t he "wat er lost t o sewer "
t est s done by Joe Wolfinger . Those findings
helped hundr eds of oper at or s ar ound t he country
obtain 20%-30% adjustments on the their
sewer bills from utility rate boards. And quite
t ypically r ebat es on paid char ges from 1 t o 3
year s back wer e also given many for t unat e
oper at or s. Ther e have been, however , municipal
boar ds ver y skept ical of t he st udy. They
have demanded mor e dat a as a r equisit e for
t he consider at ion of any r at e adjust ments.
Enter Larry Morrison who was in the
lat t er cat egor y of oper at or s — t hose wit h
skept ics on his local boar d. H e wrot e t he
SSCWN and told us what he was going to do
about it. We'll let Larry tell his own story.
The following ar t icle is t aken from let t er s he
was consider at e enough t o send us and shar e
wit h our r eader s. H is backgr ound, exper i-
ment, and resulting data should be of great
inter est t o t housands of oper at or s t oday ...
and t housands mor e of you “tomor r ow”.
B Y L ARRY M ORRISON
I am a high school science t eacher in L a
Gr ande, Or egon who decided t o build a car -
wash as a source for a second income. After
ext ensive r esear ch, I set t led on a 4-bay self
serve outfitted with a Southern Pride wash
rack from Jim Garner who was my supplier
and “carwash coach” from Carwash Equipment
of Boise, Idaho. About 2 months after
my gr and opening, Jim showed me t he “Dollar
s Down The Drain” ar t icle from t he SSCWN.
I t hen showed t he ar t icle t o Rod M cK ee,
our local Cit y Engineer . M r . M cK ee said t hat
it was “interesting”, but he added that more
har d dat a would be needed befor e I could
r ecei ve an adjust ment on my sewer r at e
char ges. H e went on t o r ecommend and outline
a met hod by which I could collect t he t ype
of quality data he required — basically a year
long monit or ing of my wat er /sewer usage by
way of a wat er met er and car eful cor r ellt ion t o
var iables such as weat her , season of t he year ,
equipment, hours of oper at ion, et cet er a.
H aving a M ast er ’s Degr ee in Science and
being ver y familiar wit h pr oper r esear ch pr ocedur
es, I was confident t hat I would be t hor ough
and accur at e — “dr op for dr op”. I , t her efor e,
agr eed t o t he lengt hy t est and so pr oceeded in
conjunct ion and cooper at ion wit h bot h t he Cit y
Engineering Department and Eastern Oregon
St at e College. H er e's a br ief summar y of my
situation and the results of that test:
Background
La Grande is a small community of
11,000 people locat ed in a valley surr ounded
by mountains in nor t heast Or egon. We ar e at
45 degr ees nor t h lat it ude near which ar e such
ot her cit ies as M inneapolis, M innesot a and
Bangor, Maine. La Grande has an elevation
of 2700 feet and has a ver y t emper at e, moder -
at e climat e:
Temper at ure ext r emes can r ange from
highs up to 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) and
down t o as low as -20 degr ees. But t ypically
we do not have over one or t wo weeks per year
of t he ext r emes in t emper at ure. Our aver age
temperature in July is about 73° and 33° in
January. Rain falls at an average of 20" per
year with much of it in the winter months. We
have an aver age humidit y of 61% and moder -
at e winds.
My wash,the “East Adams Carwash”, is
locat ed on t he east end of Adams Avenue
which is L a Gr ande’s main st r eet . I t faces
nor t heast wit h it s backside r eceiving dir ect
sun exposure.
Due t o our pr oximit y t o t he “out of door s”
and occasional har d winter s, t her e ar e many
4 wheel dr ive vehicles and pickups in our
area. Our business volume is quite brisk due
in part to many students attending nearby
East er n Or egon St at e College which assist ed
in my year long pr oject .
Wat er and sewer cost s ar e not a major
oper at ing expense for me. When my st udy
began water was only less than 60¢ per 100
cubic feet (8¢ per 100 gallons). And sewer was
billed at a rate about 158% more — 95¢ per
100 cubic feet (less than 13¢ per 100 gallons).
These ar e low r at es r elat ive t o many ot her
par t s of t he countr y wher e sewer age r at es can
be often be as high as 300% to 500% more than
wat er char ges. M y inter est in doing such a
st udy, t her efor e, was mot ivat ed mor e by a
nat ural scientific curiosit y, as well as t he fact
t hat such r esear ch could be used as t he basis
for a paper in one of my college science courses.
I n shor t , I was definit ely not compelled by a
strong financial self interest.
Equipment And
Routine
My Southern Pride wash rack has 5 HP
motors and Giant 5066 direct drive pumps
which produce 1450 PSI at the pump and
approximately 1300 PSI at the wand.
The rate of flow is 3.2 GPM at high
pressure (Wash, Rinse, Wax) and about .5
GPM for t he l ow pr essur e ser vi ces (Tir e
Cleaner, Pre Soak, and Foam Brush). I now
have Spot Free Rinse (de-ionixed), but it was
in use only one month during t he t est per iod
and, t her efor e, should not be a fact or .
I have one boiler and st or age t ank and
provide heated Wash, Rinse, and Wax services
— 120° at t he boiler .
I use Giant trigger guns and 1/4 inch
Gat es hose. M y winter weep syst em is act i-
vated by an air thermostat when temperat
ures dr op below 35°. The weep wat er flows at
a continuous weep through both the wands
and the foam brushes.
The only unusual procedure is in my bay
and lot wash downs. I use a 3/4" garden hose
rather than the more typical in-bay wand at
high pressure. The reasons for this are that I
pr efer t o avoid t he added expense of using t he
heat ed wat er , and because our municipal wat er
pressure is a very high 105 PSI ! Given that
amount of force and the high GPM, clean ups
consist of a fast, heavy flush rather than a the
mor e t ypical low GPM , high pr essure, shar p
impact spray from the wands.
Dollars
Dollars
Dollars
Dollars
Dollars
Down
Down
Down
Down
Down
The
The
The
The
The
Drain!
Drain!
Drain!
Drain!
Drain!
(Part 2)
Larry Morrison undertook this study to
satisfy a natural curiosity related to the
subject he teaches and in which he has a
Master’s Degree — science.
(Continued On A Following Page)
SSCWN ........................● ........................ F ALL 2001
5
My building size is 79' x 28' and my lot is
100' x 110'. I wash down my bays virtually
ever y night, and hose down t he lot at least one
t ime per week.
I have landscaping that requires minimal
maintenance and relatively little water.
There’s no grass, just 20 small, hardy evergreen
shrubs that are briefly and manually
wat er ed (no sust ained wat er ing by way of
spr inkler s) at t he ver y most 2 t imes per week
during t he gr owing season ... if needed due t o
lack of rain. Water used on bushes in the
Summer months is appr oximat ed t o be 200-
250 gallons per monlh.
Water Monitoring
Equipment
To comply wit h our cit y engineer , t he
wat er met er had t o be inst alled in my secondary
holding sump — the 1000 gallon tank into
which drain my four 1000 gallon bay pits/
sumps. At t he secondar y sump, solids set t le
and effluents are then drained into the city
sanit ar y sewer line. To facilit at e easy, r outine
access t o my secondar y sump, I obt ained a
manhole cover and cr eat ed an opening lar ge
enough t o accommodat e it .
I was for t unat e enough t o have acquir ed
a 3/4" wat er met er from our ver y cooper at ive
City Engineer. His department provided me
wit h t he wat er met er which was an analog
type — the kind with dials that’s very accur
at e but has been r eplaced over t he year s by
t he easier t o r ead digit al unit s. The met er was
rebuilt and calibrated by the Engineering
Depar t ment and sold t o me for only $25. I 'm
told that this was far, far below the usual costs
for a met er for which t ot al char ges t ypically
run from hundreds into thousands of dollars!
The met er r equi r es wat er t o move
through it under pressure in order for the
internal gears to turn, register, and then measure
wat er flow. For t his purpose I obt ained
an elect r ic- automat ic Simmer M ar k 1A sump
pump. The wat er met er was connect ed t o t he
sump pump and t he assembly was inst alled in
t he secondar y sump. The pump was mounted
8 inches below t he r egular outlet t o t he sewer
so that if there were pump failures that outlet
would still function.
To eliminate continuous off/on pumping,
t he pump was set t o allow t he sump t o
r eceive an addit ional 7 inches of wat er befor e
being activated. Effluent from carwashing,
weeping, and bay cleanup then would drain to
t he bay pit s and on into t he secondar y sump.
When the liquids' level rose sufficiently, the
top 7 inches (about 150 gallons at a time)
would be pumped t hrough t he wat er met er
wher e t he flow would be measured and t hen
dir ect ed t o t he cit y sanit ar y sewer .
I then maintained a schedule of taking
met er r eadings at t he same t ime of day ever y 2
to 3 days for one year. June 1989 to June 1990.
During that time all outgoing effluent actually
being pr esent ed t o t he sewer was measur ed —
"dr op for dr op”. And t hose r eadings wer e compar
ed t o t he t ot al amount s of incoming wat er
met er ed and billed t o me by t he cit y.
The Results
Our cit y wat er /sewer billing per iod is for
2 months so I cor r elat ed my r eadings wit h
theirs. During that first 2 month period (from
June 25, 1989 to August 21, 1989) my findings
almost exact ly mat ched Joe Wolfinger ’s dat a:
Wat er Use Sew er Use Wat er L oss % Of L oss
14,615 10,179 4436 30-35%
(Not e: r eadings ar e in Cubic Feet not
Gallons. One Cubic Foot = 7.48 Gallons)
Based on that data I sent a letter to our
city manager and requested a 30-35% reduction
(almost $40) of that period's sewer bill
which was for $130.90. I cited the Sewer
Or dinance number and specified t he r elevant
The manhole cover provided access to the
secondary sump with the water meter and
pump. (Note the 1/2" double braided hose
line that was used to protect the electric
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxcord to the pump.
In the course of one year, the cover was
removed every couple days to take a total
of 189 meter readings.
The Simmer Mark 1A electric pump used
to power effluent through the water meter.
(Note the screen mesh around
the bottom to keep debris from
entering the meter.
Section and paragraph numbers, and then
requested that I also be given a 30-35% rebate
of my last 12 months sewer char ges.
As a result of that letter regarding my
init ial r esear ch I r eceived a 30% sewer r at e
reduction on that first bill plus a future adjust
ment fr om a ci t y engi neer (N or man
Paullus) which stated that “... owner (Larry
M or r ison) is t o pay only 70% of wat er consumpt
ion for sewer use. This is effect ive until
furt her not ice.”
M y second t est i ng/bi l l i ng per i od was
from August 21, 1989 to October 15, 1989.
H er e wer e t he r esult s:
Wat er Use Sew er Use Wat er L oss % Of L oss
13.326 9.982 3344 25.1%
I r equest ed a 25% r educt ion on t hat
per iod's sewer char ge. And I again sought a
rebate which was not granted with my previous
rate adjustment. Rather than again ask
for a r efund for t he whole pr ior year , I suggest
ed a r ebat e of only t he same cor r esponding
2 month period of 1988.
On my third testing/billing period. I had
a 24.9% water loss. So I was very surprised to
r eceive a sewer char ge t hat r eflect ed a 90%
r educt ion of what my r eading indicat ed it
should have been ... even after a 30% r educt
ion! I contact ed t he Wat er /Sewer Depar t -
ment and asked about t heir bill which seemed
much t oo low. I was t hen t old t hat my r ebat e
had finally been approved and that I had been
allowed 30% cr edit from “over payments” from
t he pr eceding year ... t he year I opened. The
cr edit whit t led my char ge down t o only $23 ...
what a deal!
Conclusion
Without a doubt water is essential to
self ser vice car washing. H owever , it is not
really all that water intensive. Thanks to
high pr essure at low GPM ; effect ive, bio-degr
adable cleaning agents; and t he ot her special
ser vices and t ools of our t r ade self ser ve
car washing is (bar none) t he most efficient
way t o wash a vehicle.
Additional good news can be found in that
we r un businesses t hat ar e not "sewer int ensive"
eit her . M y year long st udy pr oved t o t he
sat isfact ion of our cit y engineer s t he significant
water loss due to Carry Off. Evaporation, and
Atomization as well as lot clean up and landscape
wat er ing. That loss r anged fr om a high of
over 35% dur ing a hot , windy summer t o a low
of almost 7%. That low, however , was December
(Continued On A Following Page)
DIAGRAM OF THE WATER LOSS METERING SYSTEM
DIAGRAM OF THE WATER LOSS METERING SYSTEM
DIAGRAM OF THE WATER LOSS METERING SYSTEM
DIAGRAM OF THE WATER LOSS METERING SYSTEM
DIAGRAM OF THE WATER LOSS METERING SYSTEM
SSCWN ........................● ........................ F ALL 2001
6
1989 — t he coldest mont h on r ecor d for as much
as 100 years in much of the Northern latitudes.
It was an unusually bad winter month for carwashing.
Not only was it much t oo cold t o wash
car s, t her e was almost no snowfall (or salt on t he
roads) to dirty cars! And yet to prevent freeze
ups my weep system ran continuously and
ar ound t he clock t aking most of t hat lar ge amount
of wat er dir ect ly t o t he sewer . But even in spit e
of t hat fluke wint er per iod, my year ly aver age
water loss was a substantial 24.8% — only about
one gallon in 4 got t o t he sewer !
Our cit y engineer would accept t he r e-
sults of this year long test and apply its average
per centage of wat er loss t o my future
sewer bills. I , however , will continue my t est -
ing on an ongoing basis for a couple of r easons:
I n t he course of my 12 month t est I also
kept t r ack of weat her condit ions and found 4
var iables t hat would affect wat er loss: t emperature,
humidity, wind, and length of day.
I 've analyzed this data in light of my water
loss for 1989 and compar ed it t o weat her
averages for my area in past years. And I 'm
confident t hat my future year ly wat er losses
will be larger than 25% and on average will
pr obably be mor e in t une wit h M r . Wolfinger 's
aver age wat er loss of about 30%.
The amount of money I have saved by
pr esent ing my r esear ch t o our local cit y engineer
may not be impr essive t o some, but it is
significant. My first year I had about a $500
reduction and rebate. And I know that I will be
r eceive at least a $300 savings ever y year fr om
now on. But, as I said at the outset, our water/
sewer r at es ar e r elat ively inexpensive in my
area and I only have one, small 4-bay carwash.
Owner s wit h lar ger washes, mult iple washes,
and t hose oper at ing in ar eas wit h high sewer
r at es could ver y well enjoy much mor e subst ant
ial savings when t hey pay only for t he sewer
ser vices t hey act ually use.
Of course t he only way t o be absolutely
— “dr op for dr op” — accurat e at any ot her
locat ion would r equir e a r epet it ion of my t ype
of r esear ch at t hat par t icular locat ion. I n lieu
of that, I have been formulating charts and
gr aphs t hat could help oper at or s from differ -
ent parts of the country (with different average
t emper at ures, per centages of humidit y,
et cet er a) mor e pr ecisely det er mine t heir wat
er loss based on my r esear ch.
M y r esear ch is also going t o cont inue so
t hat I can pr ove t hat self ser ve car washes do not
produce effluent that warrants the higher sewer
r at e assessed ot her commer cial/indust r ial businesses.
M y det er gent s ar e all biodegr adable and
nor mal effluent is cer t ainly no mor e danger ous
than that most municipalities allow to freely
flow down r esident ial dr iveways and int o our
water supply by way of street storm sewers. I
will, therefore, be trapping and analyzing all
sediments in 2 separate traps in addition to
monit or ing wat er loss.
I ’ll be sure to keep you and your readers
informed. I hope this first effort will be of some help.
LarryMorrison
East Adams Carwash
La Crande, Oregon 97850
Addendum:
Even More Proof!
Larry Morrison’s research results will
be of gr eat inter est and value t o many oper a-
t or s. One especially not ewor t hy aspect of t his
st udy is t o be found in it s conser vat ive t o
moderate findings. Rate appeal boards reviewing
such dat a should be able t o comfor t -
ably allow about a 25% r educt ion of sewer
cost s. Some fact or s t hat assure t he conser vat
ive safet y of a 25% r educt ion ar e t o be found
at washes that (when compared to Larry's 4
bay in Or egon) have war mer weat her ; use less
or no winter weep; ar e in ar eas wit h less
humidity; occupy larger lots (if regularly
washed down); and have grass or more landscaping.
M ost of t he var iables in place at
Larry’s wash (especially that bitterly cold ‘89
December t hat badly skewed his year ly aver -
age) point to water loss that will be typically
larger (across the board) than that “safe” 25%!
Adding even mor e cr edence t o t his conser -
vat ive 25% aver age can be found in t he r esult s
of a t est act ually designed and monit or ed by a
Mr. Frey, the City Engineer of West Valley City,
Ut ah. Fr ey’s office r eceived a copy of t he fir st
“Dollars Down The Drain” article along with a
r equest fr om Rick Diehl (owner of Tur bo Wash
Car wash) for a r educed sewer r at e in line wit h
Joe Wolfinger ’s 30% wat er loss aver age.
M r . Frey was ext r emely skept ical of t est
r esult s pr ovided by any car wash owner who
was mot ivat ed by wanting t o lower a sewer
bill. H e r efused t o allow any r educt ion until
t he Cit y Engineer ing Office concluded it s own
t est ... which was done. The t est focused only
on washing vehicles and the bay clean up —
no lot cleaning or landscape wat er ing. The
r esult s r eally seemed t o surpr ise t he officials
whose r evenue inter est and pr econcept ions
wer e t ilt ed t owar d dispr oving Wolfinger ’s findings.
In the end, however, the City Engineer's
report had to admit that, “... by comparison,
our study is fairly consistent with the study
(‘Dollars Down The Drain’) sent to us by the
carwash owner (Rick Diehl).” Their t est complet
ed in M ar ch 1990 showed a wat er loss of
slightly over 26%! Consequently M r . Diehl
was granted a 25% reduction on all future
sewer bills. The engineer also suggest ed t hat
if Diehl wanted mor e of r educt ion t hat opt ion
was still open, but it would require essentially
t he same sor t of ongoing, involved wat er metering
procedure outlined by Larry Morrison.
Since our first publishing of Joe Wolfinger’s
“Dollars Down The Drain” the SSCWN has
r eceived let t er s fr om oper at or s ar ound t he country
notifying us of rate reductions based primarily
on that article. Roughly half of those who
cont act ed us wer e gr ant ed 25% r educt ions and
about one four t h each got eit her a 30% or a 20%
reduction. Others unfortunately have gotten no
relief at all. And what is most ironic — almost
tragic — is that the operator who started it all,
Joe Wolfinger , is among t hose who have local
r at e boar ds unwilling t o budge.
Hopefully this rising tide of data will help
convince t hose municipal boar d member s t hat
t he self ser ve car wash indust r y only want s t o be
t r eat ed r easonably. The closer t his issue is
examined t he mor e obvious it becomes t hat
granting a 25% or at the very least a 20%
r educt ion on sewer char ges conser vat ively r e-
flect s our act ual use of cit y sewer ser vices. As far
as most municipalit ies ar e concer ned, such r e-
duct ions seem t o be not only fair , but act ually
pr ovide t hem wit h t he bet t er end of t he deal.
Given some of the variables mentioned, operators
may very well be entitled to markedly
larger reductions — above 25%, 30%, and some
even more. Some operators may still their own
metered studies. I f so and regardless of method,
the SSCWN would be most interested in your
results in obtaining rate reductions. Please share
with us results of your tests and experience.
Finally, we ar e also ver y encour aged by
t he fact t hat befor e t he end of t he year (2001) t he
I CA will be r eleasing it s own exhaust ive, scient
ific 3 year st udy on t his as well as r elat ed wat er
conservation and pit sand issues. This massive
undertaking was in no small part inspired by
t he independent oper at or effor t s as seen in
t hese SSCWN ar t icle. The pr oofs cont inue t o
mount. Yes, pr ofessi onal car washes ar e
conser vor s and pr ot ect or s of our nat ur al r e-
sour ces. We ar e genuine asset s t o any communit
y. The dat a will cont inue t o make t hat point
— adding up ... “drop by drop”.
The East Adams Carwash — owned and scientifically operated by Larry Morrison is an
immaculate and very popular 4-bay near the “great outdoors” in La Grande, Oregon.

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FALL 2019 • 9

Cwguy.com’s
‘Random Thoughts’
The Customer is
always Wrong!
By Eric Wilson
Sure, some customers may have some
truths to their stories or stretches of
the truth (or just a white lie) ...
... but I would just say the majority of the time
a customer just makes up a story so you will call
them back. They pad their complaint to make you
feel it is more important than it actually is. I honestly
appreciate knowing there is any issue, even
the smallest little problem with my equipment, but
some customers’ stories just make no logical sense.
I am not denying self-service equipment can
and does make mistakes. We are leaving vacuums
that cost over 4k outside and unattended, as well
as thousands of dollars in changers and vendors.
Are we the ones that are insane leaving an automatic
that cost over 150k uninstalled without a
guard? So, yes, equipment breaks down under normal
conditions…. Also, stuff breaks down because
random people use your equipment unattended.
Changers sometimes have problems. I remember
when a random distributor informed me when
my changer was giving 5 quarters instead of 4 for a
dollar (which I greatly appreciated.) That incident
seemed odd because I did not get any other complaints?
But when my changer gave 3 quarters for
a dollar, I was stealing food from their dinner table.
Or, “I need that 25 cents to pay my water bill!”
Another thing I will never understand is if you put
a nasty bill in my changer and it jams my changer,
shouldn’t you know the owner of the changer will
know exactly which bill you put in there? “I put
a $20 in your changer and then the light came on
and did not give me change.” “My changer was
jammed on that side you are correct…. But it was
only a dollar.” I also like, “Your changer took my
$50.”. “My changer does not take $50s or change
them.” And, then I come to discover that the
changer does not even have a $50 in it ...we never
met in person after that conversation.
After all these years of discussion and asking
why would you put $30 in a bay that has “Mega
Time” for 15 minutes? I have figured out some
simple rules for defusing any hostile situation:
1. I always like to check if there was an actual
issue with my equipment before talking to the
customer. Half the time there is not an issue.
I have talked to other car wash owners who will
deny a refund if their equipment is working properly.
But I believe if the customer is really a customer,
they would not come back. Sometimes, customers
do have issues with working equipment, or they
might not understand how the equipment works.
They also might not read the instructions. (Some
older versions of timers might also work differently.)
2. Accept responsibility and explain how all
equipment sometimes has issues but you are fixing
the issue right away. When you accept responsibility
the person’s attitude about the issue almost
always changes. Usually it will shock the customer
and it honestly was your fault if your equipment
was not working correctly. Sometimes I relate my
equipment to their car and almost anyone can
understand general maintenance in that aspect. I
always try and put money in my equipment. But I
will give a cash refund when this happens.
3. Limit claims to a certain period. This has
happened way too many times. When you accept
responsibility and admit there is an issue with your
equipment, tell the customer you will give them a
refund. However, make a limit to how long ago or if
you would accept other refund attempts. Example:
“This issue also happened 5 years ago.” “Your vendor
also did not give me a product 6 months ago.” My
answer is always “I wish you told me then. Sorry”.
4. The customer is required to have a car
to get a refund. Paying the complainer to leave
is the easiest method. But paying them could also
cause issues and make them a constant complainer.
Also, pointing to a car and claiming it is theirs
should not count. Even if they are, “trying to save
gas by not driving the car.”
5. Any excuse with the word “laundromat”
makes me deflect responsibility and blame them
for using my changer and trying to steal business
from me. Using my changer costs me money. It
is not my fault the laundromat can’t keep their
changer working. I am not sure I ever had anyone
claim they were also a car wash “customer” either.
6. Automatics and customers…. I believe
it is always good to stay calm when talking to customers
concerning your automatic or any building
damage. You just need to remember when your customer
claims your automatic or building broke their
windshield and dented their hood, you probably
need to be nice to the customer so you can get lots
of information from them. This way you can report
the damage claim to their insurance company rather
than relying on the police to find the customer.
Even when a customer is upset, usually talking
to them results in them not even asking for a refund.
Usually venting and realizing that you are accepting
and fixing the issues is enough for them. But
I do get irate customers over a dollar or less.
I have this dream that one day
the whole car wash will just accept
credit cards….
No changers, no coin acceptors,
and it would be great, but I know
that would also come with a whole
other host of problems!
Eric Wilson is a self-serve car wash owner who also blogs online on the popular and very funny website, cwguy.com.
10 • FALL 2019

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FALL 2019 • 11

12 • FALL 2019

FALL 2019 • 13

2019
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
NOV
13, 2019
NOV
18, 2019
DEC
5, 2019
JAN
29-31
2020
APR
6-8
2020
JUN
8-10
2020
OCT
5-7
2020
14 • FALL 2019
CALIFORNIA
LAW UPDATE
Lucca Restaurant & Bar
Sacramento, California
www.wcwa.org/events/
WOMEN’S
LEADERSHIP
EXPERIENCE
The Second City
Chicago, Illinois
www.carwash.org
CALIFORNIA
LAW UPDATE -
SOUTHERN CA
Tin Roof Bistro
Manhattan Beach, California
www.wcwa.org/events/
SOUTHWEST
CAR WASH
ASSOCIATION
2020 Convention and Expo
Fort Worth Convention Center
Fort Worth, Texas
THE CAR WASH
SHOW
Henry B. González Convention
Center - San Antonio, Texas
www.carwash.org
CAR WASH
EXCELLENCE
SUMMIT
Hotel Bennett
Charleston, South Carolina
www.carwash.org
NORTHEAST
REGIONAL CARWASH
CONVENTION
Atlantic City Convention Center
Atlantic City, New Jersey
www.nrccshow.com
Association News
SCWA announces CEO forum
speaker for 2020 convention
ICA names its 2019 award winners
NRCC numbers are up
The 30th Northeast Regional Carwash Convention
(NRCC), which was held September
23-25 in Atlantic City, hosted 348 booths, which
is an 8% increase from the 2018 convention, and
it drew in 1,847 vendors/attendees which is a
19% increase.
The three-day event also included a keynote
address from Moo Moo’s John Roush who poignantly
spoke about the culture of care, and how
it is important to care for your customers, your
people, your community, your brand and the car
wash industry as a whole.
WCA partners with law firm
The Southwest Car Wash Association
(SCWA) announced that Arthur Greeno, the
owner/operator of two Chick-fil-A restaurants
in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will serve as the CEO forum
speaker at the 2020 Convention & EXPO.
The SCWA stated that Greeno believes customer
service is the cornerstone to business success
in any business and extraordinary customer
service comes from creating a special culture in
your business.
“Arthur’s insight will give you keys to be
remarkable and make a difference in your business.
Arthur teaches business owners how to
create a unique culture in his own lighthearted,
irreverent and down to earth way.”
Greeno is also the author of Dysfunctional
Inspiration and Breaking Conformity, the latter of
which hit the Amazon Bestseller list in one day.
The convention will take place in Fort
Worth, Texas from January 29-January 31 at the
Fort Worth Convention Center. Former United
States Vice President Dick Cheney will be the
keynote speaker. His keynote address will be on
Thursday, January 30, 2020.
Each year International Carwash Association
awards its Emerging Leaders Scholarships
to up-and-coming industry professionals under
the age of 45. This year’s recipients include:
• Tim Ehmann of Bethel Park Rapid
Wash in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
• Daniel Haynes of Waves Carwash Café
Pty Ltd. in Australia
• Daniel Petrelle, Jr. of Splash Car Wash
in Bethany, Connecticut
• Kyle Pezoldt of Kuhnsville Car Wash in
Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Travis Rogers of Marc 1 Car Wash in
Pelham, Alabama
In other ICA news, Suzanne Huisman of
Belgium’s car wash association (BBRV) and Brian
Madderson of the UK’s Car Wash Association
(CWA) were honored September 18 at an
awards dinner hosted by International Carwash
Association at Car Wash Show Europe. Huisman
and Madderson were recipients of ICA’s
Distinguished Achievement Award, recognizing
unique and exemplary contributions to the car
wash industry.
According to a press release, “Both the Belgian
and British markets have been plagued by
criminal activity at illegal hand car wash locations,
many of which were involved in tax fraud,
unsafe working conditions and human trafficking.
Thanks to Madderson and Huisman’s leadership,
their associations have played a major role in
gaining the attention of authorities and improving
conditions for workers and communities.”
Awards were also handed out with Innovative
Control Systems/Sparkle Car Wash’s Kevin
Detrick, receiving the NRCC’s highest honor, its
Hall of Fame Award.
The Most Distinguished Person Awards
were given to Jeff Gold of Buckman’s Car Wash,
Tom Hoffman, Jr. of Hoffman Car Wash, and
Brett Benderson of Delta Sonic.
The dates for next year’s NRCC have also
been revealed and the three-day Convention will
take place October 5-7, 2020, at the Atlantic
City Convention Center.
The Western Carwash Association (WCA)
has partnered with employment law firm Palmer
Kazanjian Wohl Hodson (PKWH) to provide
members with the resources they need to navigate
the world of labor law. WCA members receive
free access to one thirty-minute consultation
per calendar quarter, and a discounted rate
for two additional hours of consultation.

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ORDERS
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SEPT 15, 2019
FALL 2019 • 15

Association News
SCWA’s Expo is record-breaking success
The Southwest Carwash Association’s
2019 Convention & Expo, which was held
at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington,
Texas, in February drew in over 2100
attendees, making it the largest regional carwash-based
gathering.
According to the SCWA website, there
were 325 exhibitors covering over 75,000
square feet of exhibit space.
Two highlights from the Expo included
MGM Vice President Michael Dominguez,
who spoke at the CEO Forum, and FOX
News anchor Dana Perino, who gave the keynote
address.
Details for next year’s event have also
been announced by the SCWA, which stated
the venue had to change due to the need for
more exhibit space. The 2020 Convention &
Carwash Expo will take place in Fort Worth,
Texas, on January 29-30, at the Fort Worth
Convention Center.
SCHEDULE, HOTEL DETAILS REVEALS
FOR 2020 CAR WASH SHOW
“Seek new landscapes,” suggests the International
Carwash Association by attending next year’s
Car Wash Show, which will take place April 6-8 in
San Antonio. “We can’t wait to host you in River
City in 2020,” states the ICA. “Amid spring-fed
rivers and rolling hills, San Antonio’s rich culture
shines. Its repertoire of artists, historic legacies and
culinary delights will tempt travelers of all ages.
From the River Walk and the Alamo to Hill Country
vineyards and golf resorts, San Antonio embodies
the charm of an authentic American city.”
According to the ICA, here’s a taste of what
you’ll experience in San Antonio:
• Amazing food and festivities just steps from the
Convention Center by the beautiful River Walk. Hop
on a river barge, grab a drink, or take your team out
to dinner.
• Incredible history: The Alamo is steps from the
convention center, and Missions National Historic
Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, is a quick taxi
ride from downtown.
• Vibrant neighborhoods: for trendy restaurants and
nightlife, check out the Pearl district, or head over to
HERE IS THE 2020 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
King William/Southtown for San Antonio’s arts district.
The Show will take place at the Henry B Gonzalez
Convention Center, which is located at 900
E Market Street.
Hotel information is now posted on carwash.
org. The ICA warns that special hotel rooms associated
with the Car Wash Show are only available
through Connections Housing. “Connections
Housing is the exclusive housing company for The
Car Wash Show. The use of any other housing
company claiming affiliation with The Car Wash
Show may result in loss of deposits, relocation
without warning, or unfulfilled hotel reservations.”
Orange = Basic Pass Green = Premium Pass Purple = Member Experience
SUNDAY, APRIL 5
• Registration: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• New Investor Seminar: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
MONDAY, APRIL 6
• Registration: 7 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Premium Education Sessions: 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Partner Solution Sessions: 9:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Peer Power Hour Sessions: 9:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• First Time Attendee Tour: 10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
• Trade Show Floor: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Quick Hits: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• Opening Night Party: 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, APRIL 7
• Registration: 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• Premium Education Sessions: 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Partner Solution Sessions: 9:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Peer Power Hour Sessions: 9:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Trade Show Floor: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Booth Crawl 5 p.m. – 6 p.m.)
• Quick Hits: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8
• Registration: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• State of the Industry & Keynote Address: 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
• Trade Show Floor: 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Quick Hits: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
NECA hosts annual golf outing
The New England Carwash Association hosted
its annual golf outing on September 10, 2019, at the
Brook Meadow Country Club, in Canton, MA.
WINNERS FOR THE CHARITY EVENT
INCLUDED:
1st Place Team: Tony Lombardo, Jeff Hill, Chris Hill, Dan
Nguyen
2nd Place Team: Bill Rogers, Jim Rogers, Jim Cheney, Joe
Macrina
3rd Place Team: Chris Ouimet, Ryan Gough, Scott Goodreau,
Dan Mendes
Closest to the Pin: Micah Smith
Golf Cannon Closest to the Pin: Micah Smith
Long Drive Ladies: Yvonne Blackman
Long Drive Mens: Chris Hill
NECA IS ESPECIALLY THANKFUL
FOR ITS OUTING SPONSORS, INCLUDING:
Presenting Sponsor: Autoshine of New England
Golf Cart Sponsor: Simoniz USA
Putt for Prize Sponsor: Autowash Maintenance Corp.
Passport Sponsor: Washify Services
Golf Ball Cannon Sponsor: DRB Systems
Rules Sheet Sponsor: ICS
Beverage Cart Sponsor: Motor City Wash Works
HOLE SPONSORS
Balise Car Wash ~ Car Wash Insurance Program by Mc-
Neil & Co., Inc.
ERC Wiping Products ~ Gem Wealth Management ~ Harrell’s
Car Wash Systems
Motor City Wash Works ~ National Ticket Company
Qual Chem LLC ~ Wheel-eez
IN-KIND DONATION
ERC Wiping Products
AutoWash Technologies
Autoshine of New England
Mid-Atlantic
Carwash Assoc.
helps to save the
Chesapeake Bay
At its October 16 meeting, the Mid-Atlantic
Carwash Association presented the Chesapeake
Bay Foundation (CBF) with a symbolic
$19,000 check. This brings the total donated to
the Foundation by MCA members to $79,000
since it started helping out in 2012.
According to the CBF website, the Foundation
is dedicated solely to saving the Bay.
“Serving as a watchdog, we fight for effective,
science-based solutions to the pollution
degrading the Chesapeake Bay and
its rivers and streams. Our motto, ‘Save the
Bay,’ is a regional rallying cry for pollution
reduction throughout the Chesapeake’s sixstate,
64,000-square-mile watershed, which
is home to more than 18 million people and
3,000 species of plants and animals.”
16 • FALL 2019

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FALL 2019 • 17

QUICK TIPS
BUSINESS TIP
Finding Fruitful
Fleets
Self Serves have an opportunity for consistent
revenues by offering a fleet account program. And,
businesses can benefit from partnering with a self
serve wash because it offers the business owner accountability,
convenience, control and oversight on
how and when their vehicles are being washed, as
well as a systematic way to pay for each washing. For
a self serve car wash to do this successfully, you have
to offer a program that both you and the business
customer can use and understand as well as the person
washing the car. Here are some important questions
to ask yourself:
• Will customers be able to set limits on the
days, time, or cost that an employee can
spend at the wash?
• Will they want to service more
than 25 vehicles?
• Do you want to offer them actual cards?
• Would you prefer them to prepay?
• Will they want a program that
itemizes receipts and offers tracking
on different vehicles?
Next, a self serve might have to market their
fleet program to a business. According to Amber
Foley, marketing manager for Classy Chassis Car
Wash in Tacoma, WA, there are two ways to doing
this successfully.
The first one is using your website. Using keywords
and proper SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
techniques, give a clear and easy-to-understand
breakdown of your fleet program and how it
would benefit a business.
Next, is good ‘old fashion pavement pounding.
“We have gone by businesses and handed out brochures
and asked if they feel it would be beneficial
-- a lot of times, that works very well,” Foley
explained. “They say, “Oh, really? We can track it
ourselves?” A lot of businesses think there’s a fee
to the program, so we explain that it’s free and
they’re pleased to find that out. We also approach
businesses that are already using our wash and let
them know we have a program just for them. And
then a lot of it comes in from the website.”
Also, don’t just market this towards transportation-based
businesses. Think outside the box. For
instance, it only takes a few vehicles to consider
it a “fleet.” And, these businesses can include caterers,
party supply rental agencies, maid services,
mobile house technicians, etc.
Once you have established a customer, be sure to
maintain a healthy rapport by checking in with them
to see if there are any issues, or if they need more
cards, etc. The key is to be accessible and not make the
business owner have to track you down. A monthly
check-in is likely the right amount of communication.
If done right, having a fleet account could be the
perfect fit for your car wash and a perfect fit for a
business owner looking to monitor the cleanliness
of their vehicles.
2020 Convention & EXPO
SCWA IS HEADED TO FORT WORTH
CREATING NEW EXPERIENCES
January 29–31 | Wednesday–Friday
Fort Worth Convention Center
For Details Visit - www.swcarwash.org
18 • FALL 2019

MARKETING TIP MANAGEMENT TIP
Make ‘Small Business
Saturday’ Work For You
The 10th annual Small Business Satruday is
taking place November 30, 2019. Promoted by
the Small Business Administration, it is a day to
celebrate and support small businesses and all
they do for their communities. It was founded
by American Express in 2010 and officially cosponsored
by the SBA in 2015. The SBA.gov
reported that according to the 2018 Small Business
Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, the
total reported spending among U.S. consumers
who said they shopped at independent retailers
and restaurants on the day reached a record high
of an estimated $17.8 billion. The same survey
reported that more than 70% of consumers are
now aware of Small Business Saturday. In total,
over the past 10 years, approximately $103 billion
has been spent at independent businesses.
“The highly successful team of SBA, Women Impacting
Public Policy (WIPP), and American Express
will be kicking off the 2019 holiday season
by driving traffic and revenue to our nation’s 30
million independent businesses with Small Business
Saturday events.”
American Express is offering free marketing
tools — from signage to social media platform
training. Of course, the credit card company
wants to promote the acceptance of their credit
cards at your business, but even if you are cash
or tokens only, they will still offer up their Small
Business Saturday tools and resources.
There is an automotive category on the
American Express website for its marketing
tools, which can be found at https://www.americanexpress.com/us/merchant/.
You can also promote Small Business Saturday
on your own, by switching up your signage,
adding banners, changing up your social media
alerts, and being on hand at your car wash on
November 30 to thank your customers. Consider
handing out low-priced “thank you” gifts
such as balloons and ice cream to the kids, etc.
Also, be sure to promote that you’re celebrating
Small Business Saturday to your local news
outlets. Send a press release to the newspapers
and stations, saying you’re excited to celebrate
along with other local businesses, and that you’ll
be handing out free gifts, and that you’re willing
to be filmed or interviewed for a story.
How to Protect
your Wi-Fi
According to the Small Business Administration,
if you have a Wi-Fi network
for your workplace, make sure it is secure,
encrypted, and hidden. To hide your Wi-Fi
network, set up your wireless access point or
router so it does not broadcast the network
name, known as the Service Set Identifier
(SSID). Then, be sure to password protect
access to the router.
Also, how often are you changing your
password? If you think once or twice a year
is enough, you might want to think again.
According to the SBA, you should change
your passwords every three months. And,
never make your password the name of your
business or even the name of your business
with a number after it. Also, “Consider implementing
multifactor authentication that
requires additional information beyond a
password to gain entry,” according to the
SBA. “Check with your vendors that handle
sensitive data, especially financial institutions,
to see if they offer multifactor authentication
for your account.”
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FALL 2019 • 19

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20 • FALL 2019

10 QUESTIONS
One on One with
Jerry Nix
By Debra Gorgos, Editor
debrag@sscwn.com
Jerry Nix is the president of Speedi Car Wash
-- a car wash chain consisting of four locations
throughout the Washington State. He is the former
president of the Western Carwash Association
(WCA) and has been a key player in the WCA’s
recent Self Serve Summits as well as forums and
educational seminars at the International Carwash
Association’s Car Wash Show. He has over 35 years
of experience in the car washing industry. Nix, along
with his car washes, survived three recessions, water
restrictions, a drought or two, the onslaught of the
$2, $3, $4 and $5 express models, and maintained
a positive outlook and mentor for other self serve
owners. In May 2009, when Nix was president of
the WCA and the economy had officially crashed,
Nix wrote in the WCA newsletter, “While most
businesses dread economic downturns, some
believe that nothing sharpens the mind better than
the economy taking a nap. Leaner times make us
focus our energies on what’s most important.”
His championing advice encouraged many other
owners and it was also around this time that I first
met Jerry Nix. A very busy man, I asked him if he
would answer 10 questions for me and he kindly
said, “yes.” Here is what he had to say.
How did you get started
in the car washing industry?
I got started in the car wash industry in 1982.
I owned apartment rental properties at the time
and had a friend whom was building self-serve car
washes. So, I decided to try it out as an investment.
What type of car wash
is Speedi Car Wash?
I have four Speedi Car Wash Self Serves with 2
Autec Soft Cloth and 2 Laser 360 Plus. All of the
locations are self serves.
How has the self serve
industry changed since
you first got involved?
The industry has changed in many ways from
1982 to present day. The quality of the chemicals in
today’s car wash world has been outstanding. New
soap and wax products have evolved to where they
actually do a tremendous job of cleaning, protecting,
and putting a nice protectant shine on a vehicle.
Self-serve car wash equipment has had a major leap
forward with additional features to sell and market
on your coin box. The addition of pre-soaks, tire
cleaner, triple foam conditioner, air dryers, Rain-X,
tire shine, in-bay credit cards, and in-bay bill acceptors,
have given the operator additional profit opportunities
for their car washes.
Also, there are the other profit centers self-serve
operators have built into their car wash, including
coffee stands, pet washes, and the development of
the in-bay automatic.
What is it you like best
about running a
self serve operation?
What I like best about running a self serve is the
satisfaction of providing a quality service to the
public for cleaning their vehicles. Watching customers
line up and clean their cars either themselves
or going through the in-bay automatic gives
me great satisfaction.
What is the biggest hurdle
facing self serve
car wash owners today?
The biggest hurdle operators face is competition
from the express tunnels that offer the $5 car wash.
The competition from the express tunnel is different
in other markets around the country, but I would say
that’s the biggest hurdle for self serve operators.
What do you think a self
serve owner/manager should
do to improve their business
in terms of attracting more
repeat customers?
Provide a clean, safe and well-maintained car wash
for the customers is the best way to attract and keep
loyal customers. Make sure your facility has curb
appeal, is well lit at night, is cleaned daily and the
equipment is kept in top operating condition.
What should they do in terms
of their car wash equipment?
In terms of equipment, my goal is to keep all
pieces of equipment operating at 100%, which is
why we check on the properties 2 times per day. If
there’s a maintenance issue we fix it ASAP so that
the customer sees everything working and no “out
of order” signs indicating inoperable equipment.
Where do you think the
self serve car wash
model is headed?
There’s no doubt the self-service model has retracted
with the advancements in automatic tunnel
technology. The self-serve business model success
appears geographically specific where some
self serves are thriving and other markets where
they have outlived the highest and best use of the
property they sit on. In my market area of the Pacific
Northwest there hasn’t been a new self-serve
car wash built in the last 26 years. Existing selfserve
locations that are well maintained are still
profitable and successful operations.
What advice do you have for
our readers who are new to
the self serve industry?
New operators to the industry need to learn
as much as they can about their operations and
equipment. Network with others in the industry
or stop by and meet your competition, join regional
associations, and join forces with the self-serve
car wash online forum. There’s a lot of experienced
operators on the self-serve car wash forum
that could help the new operator solve problems.
What advice do you have
for long-term owners?
My advice for long-term owners is to identify what
it is you want your car wash property to do for you.
Are you satisfied with its current operating revenue
or do you want to demolish the property and build
a mini tunnel? Other questions to ask yourself are:
How much longer do you want to work? What other
opportunities can you do with the property? Can
you lease the property to another operator/family
member which will free up some of your time? It
is important to start searching out the most viable
opportunity that suits your lifestyle.
FALL 2019 • 21

Cold, Hard Cash
Are ice vending machines a good addition for
your self-serve wash? One expert weighs in.
According to Tyler Jones of Kooler Ice an ice vending
machine is a good addition to a self-serve car
wash for several reasons, including:
1. Location. The same reason you put a car
wash in the location you did, is the same reason
an ice vending machine will do well. The
demographics for each are very similar.
2. Zero Rent. Car wash owners have access
to real estate, they do not have to pay rent to
place the machine. It is a great way to increase
traffic and get better utilization of the property.
If you can attract 10,000-12,000 customers
a year to your car wash to purchase ice, it is a
great way to sell additional washes, improve
customer satisfaction and increase your overall
awareness in the community.
3. Easy Utilities. Electricity and water are
generally readily available on site, and a lot of
owners will use their RO system to provide
purified ice and water to their customers
without having to purchase an RO system on
the machine, thus lowering their equipment
acquisition price while providing a superior
product.
4. Ease of Use. Car wash owners are generally
a mechanical group, and are very familiar
with bill validators, coin exchangers, sensors
and motors, etc. So, managing an ice machine
will not be difficult for car wash owners.
Why have they
become so popular?
Ice vending machines have become popular
because of the benefits they offer to customers
looking to buy ice and the owners who manage
the machines.
For customers it is a convenient way to buy ice.
Rather than having to go into a store and wait in
line, they can pull their car up to a machine, insert
their money, get their ice, put it in the car, and be
on their way. They will also pay considerably less
for vended ice, compared to ice that is delivered
to a store. It costs 40 cents to make a bag of ice
through ice vending while it costs $1.15 for a store
to acquire a delivered bag of ice. An average vended
10 lb. bag of ice will cost a customer $1.50-$2.
An average 10 lb. bag purchased from a store will
cost $2.50-$4.
Cost is one of the first benefits for business
owners. As previously mentioned, it costs about
40 cents to vend a bag of ice compared to $1.15
for ice delivery companies. Thus, it presents an
opportunity for profit margin improvement. Furthermore,
you virtually eliminate stock out and
overstock issues. Every bag is bagged on demand.
You also cut out theft entirely. You can choose
from four different models to best match your
customer demand for ice, so you rarely run out or
have too much ice in stock.
22 • FALL 2019

FALL 2019 • 23

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INFORMATION
CALL
414-764-6630
FAX: (414) 764-9763
www.ziercowaterboy.com
107C Cartridge Features:
• Field Repairable
• 100% 304 Stainless Steel Internal
Materials Eliminate Failure Due to
Corrosion
• Double O-Ring Design Uses Any
Type of Grease
7355 S. 1st. Street
Oak Creek, WI 53154
sales@zierden.com
TM
VISA and Master Card accepted
DISTRIBUTOR INQUIRIES INVITED
QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE 1937
24 • FALL 2019

Carwash
Boom
Assemblies
Zierco’s Easy Service Swivel and
Boom Systems with
MODEL 204 and 206 FEATURES
• Twin compression springs are tension-adjustable
for a variety of hose and gun weights
• Swivel rotates 360˚ - 12 ft. diameter
• Temperatures to 280˚ max., pressure to 2000 psi
• Longer hose life as spring prevents kinks
• Ruggedly built, satisfaction guaranteed
• Optional stainless steel components
• Proven performance with over 50 years service in
the field (Since 1962)
Boom Systems with Full 360 Degree roTATIoN
Booms are Available with 3 Different Mountings
MODEL 204
ENHANCE YOUR SELF SERVING
CONVENIENCE
STYLE B
Flat Plate
Mounts directly
to the ceiling or
beam.
Easy to Use -"Feather Light" rotating action
STYLE C
Swivel Base
Mounts directly to
the ceiling.
MODEL 206
OFFSET Overhead Carwash Boom
Allows for TWO Center Boom Installation
STYLE D
Wall Bracket
Mounts to wall and
is adjustable so
boom swings
to wall when
not in use.
Ideal for foaming brushes.
FOR COMPLETE
INFORMATION
CALL
(414)-764-6630
www.ziercowaterboy.com
CONVERSION KIT
204B
To Convert Model 203
to a 204 Assembly
Remove boom body
from hinge plate
EASY 3 STEP PROCEDURE
TO CHANGE SEALS.
NO TOOLS REQUIRED.
Rotate hinge plate
counter clockwise to
remove seal elbow
Replace O-Rings
7355 S. 1st Street
Oak Creek, WI 53154
Fax: (414) 764-9763
sales@zierden.com
QUALITY PRODUCTS SINCE 1937
TM
DISTRIBUTOR
INQUIRIES
INVITED
VISA and Master Card
accepted
FALL 2019 • 25

Ice Vending
What kind of maintenance
do they require?
To keep a machine running at peak performance,
we recommend performing some preventative
maintenance every six months. The maintenance
requires a thorough inspection and cleaning
of key components. Machine owners can perform
this maintenance themselves or pay to have a service
technician perform the service. Other than
this semi-annual maintenance, day-to-day or
week-to-week upkeep entails replacing bags and
removing cash/coins from inside the machine and
wiping down the bill validator, coin exchanger and
outside Lexan.
Whoever you buy a machine from, make sure
they have a robust monitoring system that provides
the car wash owner a way to see what is always
going on with the machine. This makes upkeep
easy and removes any of the guesswork. We
have an iPhone and Android App as well as a desktop
application to allow owners to see exactly how
many bags are in the machine, how much money
is in the machine, if the door open, if there is a bill
or coin jam and if the ice maker is performing as
it is supposed to, etc. Having a high-quality monitoring
system on the machine will reduce stress
and make management of the machine easy since
you know exactly what is always going on with the
unit. Plus, if someone else is responsible for the
machine, you will be able to easily keep up with
cash amounts and monitor how they are taking
care of the unit.
Frost
Bits
According to
Marketplace.org:
1. Packaged bags of ice are a
$2.5 BILLION
BUSINESS.
2. There are over 2,000
packaged ice retailers
who sell it.
3. The average American buys
FOUR BAGS of
packaged ice each year.
4. 80 percent of all packaged
ice is sold between
MEMORIAL DAY
(May) and LABOR DAY
(September).
What would a car wash owner
have to do to allow for one to
be installed (land allotment,
electricity, etc.?
Due to electricity and water being readily available
at car wash locations, not much needs to be
done to the site for an ice vending machine. You
will first need a 4-inch-thick concrete pad poured.
For our largest machine its pad would need to be
10’ x 15’. It can be smaller for smaller units. The
electrical service required is 220/Volt – Single
Phase and anywhere from 60-100 amps depending
on the machine model. For water, a 1/2’” to
3/4” supply line with shutoff is required along
with a 2” drain line (if the machine is placed on a
pad). Depending on the site, other drainage may
be used such as a French drain.
What kind of ROI can an owner expect within
the first two years?
On average, machine owners receive a 25-30%
percent return on their investment in year one.
In year two, the ROI usually increases to 30-35%
thanks to the local area becoming more familiar
with the machine.
How Interesting!
Timeline Information provided by International
Packaged Ice Association.
1. 1700s: Farmers started selling ice procured from their ponds. Only the wealthy
could afford to house it. Ice was in heavy demand especially in New England.
2. 1806: Twenty-three-year-old Frederick “Ice King” Tudor decided to not follow in
his brothers’ footsteps by going to Harvard and instead worked in Boston Harbor
loading wooden hulled ships. It was there that he got the idea of selling and
shipping ice. In 1815, Tudor built a functioning ice depot in Havana which could
hold 150 tons of ice. Eventually he began shipping ice to places in the South,
including, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, and New Orleans.
3. 1952: Leer Manufacturing introduced the first ice merchandiser
to store packaged ice at retail locations.
4. 1960s: Charlie Lamka, an ice company operator in Amarillo, Texas, invented
and marketed a volumetric packaging machine that revolutionized the industry
by making the change from ice packed in paper bags to plastic poly bags. Also,
during the 1960s, coin operated vending machines were introduced by S&S
Vending and KG Brown.
26 • FALL 2019

Now unattended car washes
can offer unlimited wash programs.
In bay Tunnel I Touch Free & Soft Touch
• Quick and simple equipment set up
• System will work with any inbay
equipment on the market
Maximum Throughput
• Washes and dries 40 cars per hour with
separate bays in one tunnel
• Applies chemical and washes five sides of
vehicle at one time
• Real-time data on customer and
equipment usage
• View detailed reports to understand
customer needs and patterns
Unattended Operation
• Specifically designed without a conveyor
system, allowing for unattended operation
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Convenient Customer App
• Easy download with no employees required
to sell program on site
• Guaranteed secure payments with no hassle
of coins or tokens
Versatility & Reliability
• Smart technology able to wash small and
large vehicles, even duallys
• Minimal moving parts decreases downtime
and increases longevity
DA!!il!!i □ a 5i5C:a a5h.org I B□□.B92.3537
FALL 2019 • 27

SNAPSHOT
From coast to coast, we are profiling different self serve car washes
and will showcase photos, business information, methods of advertising
and what sets them apart from the competition.
PRESENTING A Q&A WITH KIMBERLY BERG
OWNER OF CITRAUS HEIGHTS CAR WASH
LOCATION: CITRUS HEIGHTS, CALIFORNIA
HOW LONG HAVE YOU OWNED
YOUR CAR WASH?
16 years ago, in 2003, I purchased an old self-service car wash,
fixed it up and branded it “Citrus Heights Car Wash.”
WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND
THE CAR WASH?
The car wash was built in 1982, by the Neal family, who built it
at the site of their family’s two homes, on a quiet corner in Citrus
Heights. Little did they know, 37 years later, that the location
would become a central part of town, where approximately 80,000
cars pass by every day.
WHAT TYPE OF CAR WASH IS IT?
Citrus Height Car Wash has 5 self-service bays.
HOURS/DAYS OF OPERATION:
We are open 24 hours a day.
METHODS OF ADVERTISING:
Our customers tell us that we have the best self-service car
wash in the Sacramento Area. The best forms of advertising are
our location, and word of mouth. We’re located on a busy corner
in Citrus Heights, where approximately 80,000 cars pass by
every day. We advertise in the local on-line newspaper, have a
website, and a 4.3 star rating with Google (148 reviews) and a
4.5 star rating with Yelp (39 reviews).
ARE TOKENS AND/
OR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED?
Quarter theft in 2014 made us switch over to $1 tokens and enabled
us to add a single credit-card reader at the cash machine. The
hoppers dispense only $1 tokens that can be used in all of the wash
bays, vacuums and vending machines. To promote goodwill, we
absorb the credit card transaction fees.
NUMBER OF VACUUMS:
We have 5 dual-motor vacuums. They get a lot of use, because our
vacuums suck! We wash the vacuum filters weekly, and replace the
gaskets when they start to compress and deteriorate.
HOW MANY VENDING MACHINES?
We have 7 vending machines that dispense Armor All Protectant
Sponges, Quick Dry Towels, Quick Dry Glass Cleaner, Quick Dry
Microfiber Towels and Little Trees hanging scents. We also have a
stand-alone Carpet Shampooer and Spray Fragrance machine.
28 • FALL 2019

KLEENRITE.COM • 800.233.3873
UNIVERSAL BRUSH
XL FEATHER TIP
TRIPLE SURFACE
BRUSH WITH SIDES
• 8” head
• Triple surface
$18.23 FO1808G
• Fits in a 5 gallon bucket
• Uses foamy brush handle F0204A
CRYPTOPAY
CREDIT CARD ACCEPTORS,
COORDINATORS, SWIPERS
& BOXES
CPS3025
CPS3005
$374.99 CPS3000 Coordinator
$399.99 CPS3005 Swiper
$6.50 CPS3010 CAT5 Cable
$53.50 CPS3025 Stainless Steel Box
G&G
32 FT. LED
LIGHT PACKAGE
INCLUDES FOUR 8 FT. TUBE LIGHTS
LIGHTS TOTAL 32 FEET
DX1000
WEEP MIZER
• Cycles weep system on and off for
maximum savings
• Prevents line freezing
• Battery backup and built in “FAIL
SAFE” program for peace of mind
Get 32 feet of bright LED lighting at your car wash
or detail center!
• Easily
programmable
with two push
buttons!
TI0100
$369.99
$1,289.99 GGBAY32 32ft Self-Serve/In-Bay Lighting Package
$949.00 GGBAY48SS-AC Driverless 32ft Self-Serve Bay Lighting Package
NEW!
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PROSPECTOR
VACUUM CLEAN OUT CANISTER
GUNS
• 10.5 GPM
• 4000 PSI
• 300°F
• 3/8” INLET/1/4” OUTLET
$39.95 VACP
OUR
MOST
POPULAR
GUN
$20.50 GUK600NW NON-WEEP
$20.50 GUK600W WEEP
• Never throw money in the trash again!
• Features 162 less than dime-sized
holes to allow dirt and debris through
while keeping coins and valuables out
of the trash.
• Fits JE Adams vacuums without
cutting notch for hose inlet hole
• 18.75” Dia. x 7.25” H
TOWELS BY
DOCTOR JOE
Now available exclusively from KLEEN-RITE
TIME TO STOCK UP FOR WINTER!
BODY TOWELS
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800.233.3873
FALL 2019 • 29

WHAT ARE YOUR PRICES?
Wash: Currently $2 for 3.5 minutes, and we’re planning to
increase to $3 for 5 minutes in January 2020.
Vacuum: $1 for 2.5 minutes
Carpet Shampoo machine: $2 for 3 minutes
Spray Fragrance machine: $1 for 40 seconds of spray scent
Vending: $1 for Armor All, Quick Dry Towels, Quick Dry Glass
Cleaner, and Little Tree scent
Vending: $2 each for Quick Dry Microfiber Towels
ANY COMPETITION NEARBY?
Within 3 miles, I have another self-service car wash, and 4 express
tunnel car washes. I don’t really consider them competition,
because I attract a different type of customer, looking for a higherquality
self-service experience. What sets me apart from the other
car washes is that my wash is clean and well-maintained, open
24 hours with bright LED lights, acceptance of credit cards (with
no credit card fee), gentle hogs-hair bristle brushes, in-bay dryers,
high-quality wash chemicals, self-service carpet shampooer and
spray fragrance machine, and friendly customer service.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL
PROFIT CENTERS (OTHER THAN
VENDING MACHINES)?
When the car wash was built in 1982, the original owners had
the foresight to build a giant billboard right over the car wash.
It’s a 2-sided billboard that measures 14’ x 48’, and 12’ x 25’.
The billboard is mounted to the roof, and the 36” base runs
down through the roof, the middle of the pump room and work
bench (see photo)! The billboard company leases the space from
me. They handle all the advertising and pay the lighting bill,
and mail me a monthly check for doing nothing. Not only is the
giant billboard a landmark, but it provides us a steady source of
revenue. Our contract is up for renewal in 2021.
DO YOU OFFER ANYTHING SPECIAL IN THE
BAYS DURING CERTAIN SEASONS (I.E. SALT
REMOVER, ETC.)?
During the summertime, we hand out popsicles to the kids!
Fortunately, with the mild seasons in the Sacramento area in
Northern California, we don’t need to worry about snow or ice.
WHAT IMPROVEMENTS HAVE YOU MADE AT
YOUR CAR WASH?
Since we purchased our car wash in 2003, we’ve made a lot
upgrades and improvements:
• On the grounds we replaced the weeds with colorful flowers and
bushes, and added yellow pole covers. We recently added an
asphalt overlay.
• On the building we replaced the original brown metal paneling with
blue paneling and added a “Clearance” bar over each bay. Added
building signage “Citrus Heights Car Wash.” Replaced sodium and
30 • FALL 2019

metal halide lights with LED lights, which cut our electrical bill in half!
• In the wash bays, we added custom menu signs and colorful instruction
signs, advertising the hogs-hair foam brushes, in-bay dryers and
discouraging bucket-washing (while others are waiting). We upgraded mat
holders and wand holders. We recently installed Diskin’s Super Air Shammee
in each bay, and replaced the aging ceiling booms with Zierden’s booms.
• Added a 16-video camera surveillance system.
• Painted the 4 original and faded fiberglass vacuums a bright yellow.
• Upgraded the vending machines from mechanical pull-knob style with
electronic retrofit kits.
• In the pump room, we replaced the water softener and recently switched wash
chemicals from mediocre generic brand to high-quality Blendco chemicals.
Chemical technology has improved significantly in 16 years.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT
RUNNING A SELF-SERVE?
What I like most about running a self-service car wash is being of service
and making a personal connection every day. For me, it’s not about making
money. It’s about making a positive difference, and letting my customers
know I care about them. I enjoy personally greeting all my customers and
talking with them, making change, explaining the wash menu options and
how the equipment works, giving out extra tokens, and using my portable
jump starter to help a customer when their vehicle battery dies. In this day, a
little kindness goes a long way that customers will long remember.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING?
The diversity of my work load is a challenge. Every day I need to be mentally
and physical strong to be flexible and able to handle whatever comes my way,
in a positive and professional manner, with patience and a smile. In a given
day, I may arrive to deal with a muddy bay, then need to move an abandoned
broken television set, then confront a customer who feels entitled to bucket
wash their vehicle on a busy Saturday morning, then need to make an
unexpected repair, then empathize with a long-time customer, who has fallen
on hard financial times and needs help washing their vehicle. At the end of the
day, I am tired, but feel an enormous sense of satisfaction and joy.
Keep coming!
Subscribe online at www.sscwn.com
or mail a check with this order form:
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Send order form and check to:
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Call toll free at 888-881-5861
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FALL 2019 • 31
Astromatic Softgloss 3-375x4-875 ad PRINT 011818

FUN& GAMES
WHAT’S
DIFFERENT?
Think these two
pictures taken at a self
serve car wash are the
same? Think again!
There are six
differences. Can you
spot them all?
1. 3 is changed to an 8
2. Red corner bumper is missing
3. Part of coiled hose is missing
4. Cement slab is shorter
5. Tree has been added
6. “S” is missing from canopy
SIGNS OF LAUGHTER
Looking
to up your signage game?
Check out these business signs from
across the country for some inspiration.
32 • FALL 2019

HUR-98-62023
Increase Wash Time
& Bay Revenue
Give Your Customers A Spot Free Combination They’ll Love!
Super Flo - R.O.
SPOT FREE RINSE SYSTEM
With our
Super Flo-R.O.System
you can expect
Reliable and Efficient
spot free production
that wastes less water and
Saves You Money!
Plus, your customers will love
your final rinse.
Hard water or soft,
we’ve got you covered
Super Flo-R.O.-N
RO System, No Water Softener Required
FOR SITES WITH WATER HARDNESS LESS THAN 4 GRAINS.
Ṡuper Flo-R.O.-C
RO System with Water Conditioner
FOR SITES WITH WATER HARDNESS UP TO 50 GRAINS.
Super Flo-R.O.
RO System, Water Softener Required
The energy efficient
self serve drying solution
that is simple to use. Your
customers will love having the
ability to dry their car, which
means more time in your bay.
Amazing!
FOR THE ULTIMATE IN CAR APPEARANCE
USE PURIFIED SPOT FREE RINSE WATER AT LOW PRESSURE
SAVE TIME - SAVE EFFORT - NO DRYING!
1. WASH & RINSE CAR NORMALLY WITH HIGH
PRESSURE SPRAY
2. SELECT “SPOT FREE RINSE”
3. RINSE CAR FROM TOP DOWN WITH LOW
PRESSURE SPOT FREE RINSE
• Easier To Use
Than A Towel
• Fast • Touchless
• Spot-Free
Both Systems Come With Bay Signage To Promote Your Items.
Call Us Today to Find Out More About the Services Carolina Pride Offers.
INDUSTRIAL GRADE
Flexible • Profitable • Dependable
(800) 421-5119
225 Crown Blvd., Timberlake, NC 27583
PO Box 488 | Roxboro, NC 27573
www.cpcarwash.com | sales@cpcarwash.com
FALL 2019 • 33

FILL IN THE
THE SCARIEST THING
ABOUT OWNING A SELF
SERVE CAR WASH IS
______________________.
... It’s the people who come to these Self-Serve car
washes, not necessarily customers. Over the years I’ve
been in fist fights, had to draw my weapon, I carry a Sig
P220 .45, thank God I’ve never had to fire it. We go to
the car wash at 05:30 so we don’t have to interact with
anyone, most of the night lizards have gone into their
holes at that hour. Self-Serve car washes are pretty much
a magnet for the trash of society and a transfer site for
the dump, a place where people can come to drop off
whatever.......am glad they’re not bucket washing in one
of my bays when paying customers are waiting. - RANDY
... We have a lot of illegal immigrants in our area, due to the
natural gas fracking industry. I have kicked several of them
off the site, due to loitering and just generally $&%$#@! the
place up. Twice I’ve had them drive circles around my lot
watching me (for upwards of an hour). Not a comfortable
feeling.... I am always packing, but that doesn’t mean I
want to have to use it if things escalate. - SRR5008
... The scariest thing is when you get on people for
dumping everything in our trash cans they just go nuts
and start cussing. I’ve been called a D..khead and Ahole
in the last week. And it seems to be getting worse. And
[we are in] a small town in Tx. - WATER GUY
BLANK
... The scariest part of my car wash is when I have to
point out the rules I have in place written for all to see
and someone is breaking them. They always want to
debate you and things can escalate. - SOAPY
... I find the best way to get loiterers to leave is to tell
them they have 5 minutes to finish up whatever they are
doing and then leave if they are not paying customers.
This usually does not result in any hard feelings as
opposed to telling them to “Get out”. - EARL WEISS
... Monday: power washed a massive paint dump.
Tuesday: used oil pads to soak up an oil change in one of
my pits. This morning: degreased a bay from a taco truck
dumping his fry tank on me at 2am. All despite signs in
every bay that say no paint, oil, or grease. - KLEANRIDE
... Yes there are some crazy people out there. Years ago
a guy pulled in with a large mower on a trailer. I walked
down to the bay, spoke to the man and told him it was
ok to wash the mower from the top down but please
don’t wash the deck and I walked off. Before I got 2
bays away, he sped off obviously not finishing. A few
minutes later I was filling some vending machines and
didn’t notice he had driven back in and circled around
and was behind me. Suddenly something hit me in the
back and someone was screaming obscenities at me,
and maybe this will pay for the clean up. It was the lawn
mower guy and he had wadded up a $20 bill and hit
me in the back with it and then burned rubber off the
lot. Now that was scary. That could have been a bullet.
I taped the $20 bill inside my changer for years as a
reminder every day to be careful and more aware of
what is going on around me. - JERRY
... Well maybe my guardian angel looks out for me. I
really don’t find any part of it scary. Sometimes a little
tense, but not scary. - MAC
... Earl & others, That tends to be our “trying to be fair
enough” approach also. Too often we get answers
stating they are waiting for a ride etc. Sometimes it
becomes somewhat of a “cat & mouse” type of game
with them lying about being with someone etc. The
restroom in our laundromat makes for a subtle helpful
draw for maintaining some customers and potential
customers. On the down side ... restrooms can be
tough if someone stays in too long with the door locked.
I wonder if any car washes have free wifi for their
customers??? I remember motioning to what appeared
to be some rich kid’s son to turn down his stereo that
was clearly way too loud. I could not have been more
gentle and kind and it usually is enough and just the
right touch for most who don’t have a malicious intent.
The under 30 year old went into a tizzy wanting to talk
to the owner. He then called me every name imaginable
accusing me of being racist and persecuting the
homeless ... keep in mind ... both him and me are
whiteys. He was so pathetic he even called on our
listed phone number about 2 weeks later. I happened
to answer that specific line. Again he goes into a spiel
about wanting to talk to the owner about how he was
abused!!! After trying the reasoning approach again ...
I might have finally had to hang up on him ... not sure.
Sometimes ... it seems like somehow someone behind
the scenes (truer faith at work) finally vouches for an
owner and straightens those kind of lunatics out. In a
worse case scenario (in my humble opinion) sometimes
they find fellow lunatics and form sort of a gang against
a person??? - MJWALSH
AS FOR DOORS ON MY SELF SERVE BAYS __________________________...
...No. My place is drive in, back out, no need… - KEITH
BAKER
...We have a four bay wash site in Vermont. Three of the
bays contain IBAs and one bay is a self serve. The SS
is new to us, and the bay had existing doors when we
added the SS. The bay has been open 24/7 since mid
April but we are going to use the door and post winter
hours, closing the bay overnight during cold weather. -
NEW WASHDOG
...We are set up with 3 tandem bays. The inside portion
of the tandem bays have four 10’x10’ overhead doors
& for our RV-truck bay there are two 13’x11’ doors with
the one in front no roof but 8’x20’ windbreak fiberglassredwood
homespun structures. Via cameras we can do
some closing & opening remotely via ZAP operators
that Airlift sold back in the day as their extra safe
(Made in England) door opener option. We don’t auto
operate the Zap operators or let the customers use
them even though I believe they are safer than standard
door openers. There has never been an incident of a
customer not being able to safely use the ropes on the
doors. The signs clearly state that the door must be lifted
completely open to prevent an unwanted fall down.
In our North Dakota climate there are times during the
winter when we have to make sure ice does not build up
on the overhead doors. Airlift’s strapeze counterweight
system have been a life saver for us compared to if
we had been stupid enough to put in torsion springs.
Our main and very almost brand new self service
competition “sensor auto opens and closes” the doors
for their customers 24/7 ... time will tell if they will be
able to maintain that luxury in my opinion. I am sure
we have lost a few customers because of that luxury
convenience. Does anybody else uses that approach?
My mindset is that if the customer opens and closes
manually and the doors are kept light enough for even
dainty women ... it makes more sense it seems to have
the customer be in total control and not have to rely
on sensors. Having the rope on at least one door does
stop the tunnel wind effect ... that is why even above
freezing temps we allow our customers to close our
south doors even if the wind is coming from the north.
BTW ... we had a custom setup made about 19 years
ago that a machine shop friend helped us with to lock
our doors from inside the equipment room by use of
air cylinders and linkages etc. Definitely something
worthwhile knowing what it was like to fight with the
locking mechanisms on our previous overhead non
alaskan doors. - MJWALSH
…[we are a] 4 bay SS in Ontario, Canada. We use the
Wyndstar Vinyl doors both front and back. They are
connected to loop sensors that open and close the
doors as it detects the vehicle, when time expires, or
after 30 seconds if not money is inserted. Have door
openers on the inside as well so a customer can open
or close the door. Doors help keep the equipment and
bays warm. Customers love the added protection from
the elements. More equipment does come with more
issues although we have been able to work through
most things (clips breaking and the door getting out
of the guides, moisture in the push button controls,
customers moving garbage bins unintentionally under
the door and the photo eye detects this and won’t
close). All in all we have pretty harsh winters and the
doors are almost a necessity. They were not cheap by
any means to purchase or install. Not sure how you cold
climate operators do it without them. - SPARKLESSS
...What a great idea Soapy. I got so tired of fixing them
at the self serves I just took them down. I‘ll be redoing
my entrance/exit doors at my tunnel and can’t decide
which doors to go with. It sounds like some have more
problems than others. - JMMUSTANG
34 • FALL 2019

FALL 2019 • 35

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36 • FALL 2019

TRICKS OF THE
Presenting some of the best discussions from the Self Serve, IBA and General Discussions sections of Auto Care Forum. To view more
posts discussing some interesting and common problems, as well as some of the best and brightest solutions, visit AutoCareForum.com
Wherefore art thou, water?
Have a bay at my wash that has not been operational for several years, and the place is around 15 years old.
So I removed the motor and pump, rebuilt both and cleaned up the stand. Put it all back together and manually
pushed in the starter. No pressure showing on the gauge, and this is the best part, no water coming out in
the bay. So what’s going on? Since there was no pressure showing on the gauge, I thought it was bad, so [I] put
a new one on. Same thing. Pulled the discharge hose from the pump and got a nice stream coming out. Well
the old hose and steel fittings must have corroded closed. But if that is so, there should be pressure showing
on the gauge. The fun just never stops. And to make things easy, the bay is the farthest one away and you have
to crouch down and walk on the roof trusses. And did I mention it’s 90 degrees out? - MAC
(Note: Some posts feature minor edits for readability.)
air bound? Start at the pump and remove the output
hose. water there? keep going like that... WAXMAN
Have done that. Water comes out of the pump
under pressure. Pulled pressure gauge off and water
comes out there also. Finally got water to come out
boom in the bay but not a good flow. Now have bad
bypass hose on pump and bad check valves above the
boom. The whole bay system was bad. Every part. Just
have never seen one bay so bad. And it’s a pain to just
climb up there. Also need all low pressure hoses. MAC
Yeah it’s always a pain to climb up to replace
trough hosing etc. for me, too. I would start with
a fresh length of 3/8” HP hose and together with a
helper re-fit it. WAXMAN
Sweet dreams,
carwash... zzz…..
By my tally about 2% of my paid business and 98% of my crime,
abuse, and stupidity happens between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. I’ve spent
the better part of the past two weeks chasing down midnight trash, taco
grease, and paint dumpers and I’m wondering if any SS operators are
closing at night? Signs and cameras don’t seem to phase these people
and I’m getting a weak response from the cops.
By closed I mean gated and locked up, not just lights out.
All of my SS competitors are open 24/7 but I’m thinking it may be a
fair trade to give up 2% of my revenues in exchange for sending all of
my late night sh_t heels over to their washes.
Am I crazy? Any thoughts? - KLEANRIDE
I sympathize with you. Probably many have little
revenue but plenty of problems after dark.
I would be concerned with starting something
you could not undo later. If you start closing at
night, it is conceivable that you would not be allowed
to go back to being a 24-hour operation.
Opposition to increased noise or whatever.
There is a labor cost to opening and closing each
day. So if you could not go back if you changed
your mind, you would be stuck with that. - SEQUOIA
About 30 years ago we were forced to shut
down one of our washes at night from 10 p.m. to
7 a.m., all the power had to be shut off except
for the lights over the back door and the over the
changer by the city for violations to the newly enacted
noise ordinance, we fought them tooth and
nail, spent thousands of dollars on lawyers but still
lost. The city actually did us a favor by forcing us
to shut down at night. Our illegal dumping, theft,
and vandalism went way down. The next 3 car
washes we built we did the same thing, fenced and
gated them, shut them down from 10 p.m. to 7
a.m. We have a security company come, close the
gate, lock it and then come back at 7 a.m., unlock
and open the gate. It’s worked out so well that a
couple of other local car washes have done the
same thing. - RANDY
I know of one operator who shuts his down at
night, not sure of the time but it’s gated and all lights
out all night. He’s in one of the worst areas in town.
I might consider shutting down at night, but I feel
like I’d want the entire wash fenced off. - MEP001
I have gone through the same thing. Most operators
accept that it comes with the territory. I
have cabs and tow trucks washing 24/7 so closing
at night would really hurt. You’re out to make every
dollar you can. It starts to get on your mind
on what’s going on when you’re not there. You
arrive every morning with a bit of unease to see
what kind of condition your wash is in. If you’re
in a rural area with very little business, it would be
worth it to close at night. I don’t have that option.
- CELICA
I’m in a rural area, but I get occasional washers
at all hours. And there are a few devoted truck
owners who always come in about 5am, likely
on the way to the job site. I get at least several of
those every few days, maybe more.
I think the night business I receive is probably
roughly equal to the cost of electricity to keep the
property lit up. But that has the benefit of added
security. - SEQUOIA
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38 • FALL 2019

TRICKS OF THE
Winter is coming...
Two of my washes do not have a weep system connected to the foamy brushes.
I live in the Pacific Northwest so we regularly get under 32 degrees. I have used
antifreeze foamy brush chems in the past and it has been fine but I’m
having trouble finding someone to sell me it this year. Anyways,
what are your favorite antifreeze foamy brush chemicals and
who do you buy from? - WYATT
Source methanol by the barrel from a fuel supplier
and mix your regular chemical with it to make your
own winter solution.
Figure your ratio so you can dilute between 4:1 -
8:1 at the hydrominder. Example: If your standard
foam brush is diluted 240:1, make the methanol/
chemical mixture 30:1. Then 8:1 at the hydrominder
would give you 240:1 in the tank.
8:1 at the hydrominder should give freeze protection
to around 20 degrees. 4:1 goes significantly colder
likely to 10 degrees or less.
This is what I purchased from a Sunoco Race Fuels
dealer. I think they had a couple options, but I buy
the most basic. Was approximately $200 for a 55gal
drum. - XBOWHUNTER86
For you guys that mix methanol with your current
soap, is there a certain kind of methanol that works best?
Is this the same stuff as methanol racing fuel? - NOOB
I pick my methanol up using my own 15 gallon
barrels. I just paid 2.89 per gallon. Distributor dispenses
it just like gas. - SOAPY
Anybody else have so many auto-doors on both
ends self service car wash competition ... in your area
... so your customers no longer will use the self service
bays when the temperature is below freezing? In other
SSCWN EDITOR CHIMES IN:
Warning! Stop reading now if you’re not a fan
of winter weather predictions. Okay, if you’re
still with us, I want to turn our attention to the
good ol’ 2019-2020 Farmer’s Almanac, which
has been exceptionally accurate year after year.
So, for this winter, expect… Snow, ice, wind….
Your basic seasonal wintertide trifecta. More
specifically, according to the Almanac, expect
everything from flurries to no fewer than seven
big snowstorms from coast to coast, (this
includes two in April in the Intermountain region
west of the Rockies).
“This snow-verload will include storms
pummeling Washington state and points
eastward across the northern-tier states
into Michigan. For the normally rain-soaked
Northwest, this could mean a repeat of last
winter’s record-breaking extremes, including
the Snowpocalypse that dumped 20.2 inches on
Seattle in February.”
In the middle of the United States as well as
New England it will be “more wet than white”
and people are warned that the slush will freeze
during the overnights. “Meanwhile, much of
the Deep South will be saturated by soakers.”
However, winter should be most pleasant in
Florida, the Gulf Coast, and Texas.
words... we used to have short day wintertime situations
where we used the antifreeze foam brush soap
but our competitors changed that ability ...
I notice lately signs & adverts on many local gas
stations stating, “free car wash with fill”. I remember
the days where there was some effort on the part of
the ICA where they lobbied a bit against predatory
big oil companies’ deeper pockets subsidizing the
“free car wash” directly or indirectly. It appears those
days are gone & us “self service especially” basically
have to fend for ourselves when it comes to the gas
stations. Maybe “predatory” discussion should be a
new thread. It does affect the below freezing customer
flow opportunity with the use of more outdoor
style washing methanol level of car washing from my
perspective. - MJWALSH
Polish
Knowledge
I should know this, but I don’t. What is a good
product to use to really polish an old stainless
vac? The crap at the hardware and big box stores
doesn’t do diddley. I’m not looking for a mirror
finish, just clean and new looking. - MAC
If they’re getting over spray from SS bays, start
with an aluminium brightener such as Arcadian’s
nu wall. Do not allow it to dry on the surface or it
will stain black. Spray on and use a white scotch
brite pad (with gloved hands of course) to clean.
You will not scratch or mar the finish with a white
pad. You can use one grade coarser than the white
pad but have to be careful and go with the grain of
the metal. Be sure to rinse off before the product
dries. It’s best to do it at night or first thing in the
morning while the vacs are cool to the touch.
They make aerosol stainless polishes, but every
one I’ve tried just left a greasy messy finish that
will attract dirt. - GREG PACK
Believe it or not, one of the best cleaners I’ve
found for stainless is called ‘Totally Awesome’
from the Dollar Store and it’s cheap. Probably not
what you need to restore an old old vacuum but
for maintaining its great. - GOBUCKEYES
Totally awesome has the same ingredients as a
decent alkaline tire cleaner.
Oh yeah, you probably know this already, but
don’t use brillo pads or steel wool. Tiny bits of
metal can get embedded and leave rust specks -
GREG PACK
FALL 2019 • 39

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FALL 2019 • 43

TRICKS OF THE
We don’t need
no badges!
I contacted the local Sheriff’s Deputy regarding an excessive trash
dumping incident. 14 items in the dumpster, including 9 large bags of trash,
and rolled carpeting thrown behind dumpster.
My wash is in CA, which has essentially decriminalized just about
everything under about a $1,000 loss. However, the Deputy was willing
to take a report and send me a “Citizen’s Arrest” form. Since it was a
misdemeanor not witnessed by a Peace Officer, this is their process. I filled
it out, and submitted a chronology along with multiple videos in support.
Fortunately, the blockhead drove right by the license plate camera and I got
his plate #. This report and the “Citizen’s Arrest” form then gets submitted
to the DA for any action or non-action. As we all know, non-action is the
likely outcome. I looked up the Deputy’s report this morning (Sheriff’s log)
and it was listed as a call about “littering.”
I’m not familiar with the “Citizen’s Arrest” process. The last flagrant
dumper I reported (lucky me) happened to have an outstanding warrant, so
he went off to jail that night. Does anyone know how the “Citizen’s Arrest”
process in CA works, and is there any downside to pursuing this? - SEQUOIA
SSCWN EDITOR CHIMES IN:
Citizen’s Arrests are really a thing and each state has
its own guidelines on how and when an arrest is allowed
or tolerated. According to the Los Angeles Times’ Ask Laz
section, in most cases, the general rules are that, if it’s a
misdemeanor, the crime must have been committed in your
presence. “In California, Penal Code Section 837 states that
‘a private person may arrest another: (1) For a public offense
committed or attempted in his presence. (2) When the person
arrested has committed a felony, although not in his presence.
(3) When a felony has been in fact committed, and he has
reasonable cause for believing the person arrested to have
committed it.’”
And, New York State Penal Law states: there exists a
separate common law/statutory privilege that permits property
owners, including shop-keepers and landowners, to restrain
or “detain” persons whom they have probable cause to
believe have committed or are about to commit violations of
their property rights (e.g., by theft or by trespass or property
damage).
As for my own humble opinion, I say don’t take matters into
your own hands and up your security surveillance and make
any troublemaker’s face viral via Facebook.
Is there not a local ordinance against using someone’s
trash facility without their consent? There is
here, and it’s a $200 fine.
Some local agencies will enforce a sign you post, e.g.
if you had a sign at the dumpster stating $200 fine for
leaving trash, they might go after them with proof.
I think it’s BS that with a citizen’s arrest form submitted
along with video proof they won’t go issue the
guy a littering ticket, or that you can’t show the video
to a peace officer who has then witnessed it. I couldn’t
even get an officer to come out the other day after I
had a safe drilled out. They could only take a report
over the phone and told me I’d get a call back, which
never happened. That’s why I decided to get a gun,
and they’ll just have to deal with these people in a different
way. - MEP001
I wonder if you provided the evidence to Waste
Management or whoever pickup company that they
would help to make sure the individual is fined. It
seems like most trash pickup companies nowadays
own the dumpster & always have the “illegal dumping”
sign on the dumpster ... not the business owner.
Let us know if that helps with your rather severe incident
where you have the evidence.
Here in Bismarck some nonprofit thrift stores got the
news media to shed light on the “leaving of unwanted
items” without their permission. Those news stories
have popped up a bunch of times recently. Not sure of
the effect from that though.
It seems like the more prevalent the socialism mantra
becomes ... the more at risk we are. Yesterday, I
had to talk down a well meaning college student based
44 • FALL 2019
on what he was articulating to me & some others at
the business. It was a bit exhausting & I am not 100%
sure I got through to him about being lulled into that!
- MJWALSH
That is a very good suggestion. Waste Mgmt. is getting
very tired of my car wash, and the workload on
their drivers. I increased trash pickups from 2 per week
to 3. They said I shouldn’t need more than one.
I am trying to figure out options to lock or remove
the dumpster entirely.
When I roust people in the act of dumping trash, I
am always surprised by their reaction: “really? what’s
the big deal?” - SEQUOIA
Your waste company can likely provide a dumpster
with a lock bar. It will likely be an extra charge, but
sounds like it would be worth it. - MC3033
What you need to do depends on your state laws.
You should be able to find them online. If you educate
yourself on your state’s laws you can play the game
and find out exactly what the prosecutor/magistrate/
judge are looking for and needing for prosecution. In
my state, it’s called criminal littering and mail found in
garbage can be used as evidence to prosecute and fine.
Also, each state has slightly different procedures for
arrests and criminal proceedings. In my state, most law
enforcement departments do not investigate and pursue
misdemeanors. It is up to the citizen to pursue charges
by going to the magistrate’s office with a police report
and any additional evidence. The magistrate will look
at the report and evidence, and if there is sufficient
grounds will issue an arrest warrant for the suspect. So,
it sounds like you’re going through a similar procedure.
But you need to know the exact wording of your state’s
littering laws and see if your incident fits the description.
Most likely it did, or the police wouldn’t have filled out
a report. Another possible option is theft of services in
some states according to how the law is written.
Can’t imagine a downside. - GREG PACK
When I gave the Deputy the license plate number over
the phone, there was a slight pause and then he said:
“Hmmmm.” I took that to indicate this person already
has a criminal history, which might be why he was willing
to even take a report.
As I have been combating the dumping problem by
scrutinizing video, I am learning a common denominator.
A lot of my problem trash people drive “beater”
pickup trucks. This fellow’s truck had body damage on
virtually all body panels, and the back window of the
cab was blown out and replaced with plywood. Not
the kind of vehicle that gets much attention at a carwash.
- SEQUOIA
Maybe there was a warrant out for the person. I don’t
know if anyone else has a problem with apprehending
“a warrant for arrest” person, but it can actually get to
the point where it can hurt a business.... considering
how the police sometimes block both entrance & exits.
It also has a way of scaring away normal regular business
when they do that. Those incidents are not related
to a call from us for help, but our property becomes
theirs (police) for too dang long sometimes. When you
need them ... sometimes “where are they?” .... when
continue ...

FALL 2019 • 45

TRICKS OF THE
We don’t need no badges continued....
you don’t need them .... you get my drift. - MJWALSH
Over the years I’ve been toe-to-toe more than once
with the police over illegal dumping. You can pretty
much forget about the police or the prosecutor doing
much of anything, I’ve never gotten any satisfaction
from them. Lock your dumpster up like it was Fort
Knox. When they dump outside of the dumpster look
for an address and then take their garbage/junk back
to them, that can be very entertaining. - RANDY
We lock our dumpster, but people get creative with
how they go about leaving their crap on our lot. I’m
a big fan of dumpster diving for anything with an address
on it. I then like to return their garbage to their
property (i.e. dumping all over their lawn), if they are
within driving distance. - SRR5008
The chances are low, but you risk an accidental needle
stick if you paw through the dumped trash. That’s
a risk I choose to avoid. I like the idea of taking it back,
except if I am halfway unloading it and a drunken property
owner comes out to confront me. Ahhhh. - RANDY
I think I wore out my welcome with law enforcement
with just one report. The deputy asked for videos;
unfortunately, that became many emails because
of size limits of email attachments. So, my effort to
send the required information, pictures, and videos
probably flooded his email in-box for a bit. From his
perspective, that’s a lot to shuffle through for a “littering”
charge. - Sequoia
I dump the bags into my dumpster and use one of
those trash picker/grabber tools to stir the trash and
pick out envelopes - for that very reason. I’m always
worried about druggies dumping on my lot. I also return
garbage to homeowners during the wee hours of
the morning to avoid fistfights. - SRR5008
Just had my first trash dumper with my newly acquired
wash. And yes, he was dumb enough to have
mail and documents with his phone number on it. Left
him a nice message saying basically if it ever happens
again, don’t worry about it being reported to the police.
There was a little more I said that I wish to not
repeat here. - MAC
I think you are approaching this wrong, I prosecute
this as theft of service. I can sympathize with not wanting
to prosecute littering, but this is not littering- it is
theft. It is NOT a minor annoyance, it is costing me
thousands of dollars per year.
Littering: “carelessly discarded refuse.” (freedictionary)
Theft of Service: a crime which is committed when
a person obtains valuable services — as opposed to
goods — by deception, force, threat or other unlawful
means, i.e., without lawfully compensating the provider
for these services.
In plain English, if you are paying for trash collection,
and somebody brings a tied-off bag of garbage
and leaves it on your property/dumpster without paying
you, they are stealing a service. This is the “service”
(as opposed to product) version of shoplifting. It is a
misdemeanor, and goes on their permanent record.
Whenever somebody tells me “it’s just a bag of
trash, get over it” I remind them that the service of
trash collection is one of the biggest industries in the
US, look up the value of Waste Management or Republic
Services if you think I’m wrong, they are both
fortune 500, climbing steadily. - PAULLOVESJAMIE
I use the “theft of service” tag a lot, including for
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TRICKS OF THE
bucket washers and detailers when it’s busy. I recently
happened upon a food truck parked in a bay, I went
and checked video before I talked to him and he had
already been in the bay for 45 minutes without ever
starting the timer. When I approached him, I just told
him he needed to move out of the bay, and he acted like
he planned to spend a ton of money to wash his truck
and I was running off business. He ended up going to a
nearby wash, and all he did was spend another 20 minutes
scrubbing down his interior and one startup cycle
to rinse food scraps everywhere. Theft of service/shoplifting
is an arrestable offense in Texas, so he’s going to
jail if he comes back and his truck will be towed. The
tow alone will cost him close to $1,000. - MEP001
The current mindset of the local PD is a big factor in
getting a complaint filed & for it to stick it seems. Randy’s
current area’s situation appears to be an “effort
in futility” littering charge wise ... it seems is reflected
by his post. I have very painful memories of how persistent
I had to be to get a contractor charged or even
a strong enough warning of restitution required on a
“HORRIFIC” tar all over my overhead doors, walls
& floor. Some of you may remember that post several
years ago about the 7-8 man hours & lots of chemical
use thread. I suppose we could have tried to hire a private
attorney, but I was not chummy enough with any
of them at the time. Usually private attorneys want an
extremely high upfront fee!!! - MJWALSH
Paul, you are absolutely correct in your statement.
Unfortunately, though, reality sometimes rears its ugly
head. While we in the business appreciate the offense,
our police mostly just blow it off. I used to own a wash
in South Miami and we had a break-in. Big dollar loss
so we called the Miami police. Three hours later a cop
shows up. When my partner said we called three hours
ago he replied, and I am not making this up, “Look I
only make $90,000 per year. You think I’m going to
bust my ass for something like this?” In Florida an illegal
alien has more rights than I do. If he gets pulled
over for a DUI with no license, insurance, or registration,
they might take the car but let them go. For me I
get slammed with thousands in court costs and fines.
It’s sad, but just a reflection of our times. - MAC
We have a lock on our dumpsters, but sometimes
people still pry the plastic tops open and still puts the
trash in the dumpster. - CLEANING UP MUD
I suggested theft of service to the deputy. He wrote
‘littering’ in his report.
I’ve been reviewing the dumpster camera videos for
a few weeks now. I recently spent a day working at the
wash, and politely chased away half a dozen “small”
dumpers probably totaling a dozen bags of trash in
one day. None of the wanna be dumpers purchased a
car wash service.
I heard the same line everyone has: “What? It’s just
a couple little bags of trash!”
I’m going nuclear. I called the trash company today
and told them to remove the dumpster from the
property. I am going to try not accepting any trash at
all. I expect shaky results for a month or two, but I am
hoping to break long held habits formed in my small
community.
We will see how it works out. - SEQUOIA
Be sure to put the Sheriff’s department on speed dial.
I had removed my garbage cans a few times and the customers
would put their garbage where the can should
have been or they laid it on the vac island. - RANDY
MORE CUSTOMERS.
MORE REVENUE.
LESS EFFORT.
ANY WASH
No matter your equipment,
we work with just about any
equipment on the market.
ANY PAYMENT
Payments are made easily
through credit or loyalty
cards, and mobile.
ANY LOCATION
With one location or
hundreds, tie all your data
together to make managing
your wash a breeze.
651-439-5740 | washcard.com
FALL 2019 • 47

www.manniwashsystems.com
1-800-552-4492
1131 Greensburg Road • Lower Burrell, PA 15068 • Phone 724.337.8255 • Fax 724.337.8554
THE HI TECH CAR WASH SYSTEM
IS BACK AND STRONGER THAN EVER!
Touch Free
In-Bay Automatic
The WORLD’S finest self service automatic continues to set the
standards for CLEAN CARS and HIGH PRODUCTION.
While our competitors claim their equipment is high tech
because of its good looks and aesthetics that does not mean it
will make you successful in the car wash business.
This business is all about clean cars and happy customers. It is
not about having the prettiest equipment.
All Turbo Wash
units come with
the Rear Blaster!
High volume car washes that can deliver clean, shiny cars need
to be a “WORK HORSE”, and that is what the TURBO WASH is
often called. In fact, there are more units of the TURBO WASH
basic design that are 10, 20 even 30 years old that are still out
there washing cars. What other manufacturer can make that
statement?
Top Reasons to buy a
TURBO WASH
Clean cars! Better than any other touch free
Available to fit in existing bays easily
Simplicity of operation
Extensive use of Stainless Steel
Highest quality components throughout
High production – you wash more cars
Will STILL be running when you make your
last payment
UL approved electrical throughout
48 • FALL 2019

The Total Self-Service Package
1200-1500 psi • 3 hp • 3 phase Available up to 8 Bays.
SIX BAY WASH MODULE·UL Listed
Includes: Soap • Wax • Rinse • Pre-Soak • Foaming Tire Cleaner and Foaming Brush
Standard Features
• Stainless Steel Frame Construction
• Stainless Steel Holding Tanks
• Stainless Steel 360 o Boom
• Stainless Steel 180 o Brush Boom
• Stainless Steel Coin Box (vault ready)
• Coin Box Heaters
• Electronic Coin Acceptors
• Digital Readout Timers
• Motor Starters with Overload Protectors
• Low Pressure Air Pumps
• Trigger Gun and Hose Assembly
• Hogs Hair Foaming Brush
• Automatic High Pressure Weep
• Roof Trough Manifold
• All High Pressure and Low Pressure
Hoses and fittings
• 100 KVA Transformer Per Bay
• Stainless Steel Pre-Soak Pump
• Sign Package
• Wire from Coin Box to Panel
• U.L. Listed Control Panel
Call us for our Special Pricing on Upgrading your Present Equipment
Check us out on the Web: www.manniwashsystems.com
Manni’s Wash Module
Manni's 1131 GREENSBURG ROAD • LOWER BURRELL, PA 15068
WASH SYSTEMS 724-337-8255 800-552-4492 Fax: 724-337-8554
FALL 2019 • 49

INNOVATIONS
INTRODUCING NEW AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS AND
SERVICES FOR SELF SERVE CAR WASHES
In-Bay automatic from Belanger
Belanger has unveiled its new Cube® Soft-Touch In-Bay Automatic Wash
System, the industry’s first friction IBA wash system that provides a quieter experience
for the customer while also improving the quality of the wash.
“We couldn’t be happier with the overwhelming response the Cube received
at this year’s PEI-NACS Show,” said Allen Luce, Sales Manager. “Operators in
attendance were impressed by the Cube’s innovative ‘smart’ features that allow
them to choose the best ways to market their sites while delivering better
throughput and cleaner cars. Additionally, the Cube was designed with the idea
that a successful wash operation begins with meeting the needs of the person
behind the wheel, and this new wash system does just that.”
Prior to developing the Cube, Belanger conducted an extensive voice of the
customer (VOC) survey to learn what customers expected from a wash experience.
From this VOC, Belanger engineered a unique wash system that addresses
each of the top requests, such as lower noise, no vehicle damage, and higher
quality of wash. To address these top expectations, the Cube utilizes slow-spinning
friction wheels to lower the overall noise inside the vehicle during the
wash. In order to keep the noise low and the wash quality high, the Cube incorporated
Belanger’s ShineMitt foam media. The design of the media acts as
a wash mitt that thoroughly cleans the vehicle in a gentle and quiet manner. In
addition, the Cube utilizes a host of “smart” technology allowing it to be precise,
intuitive and flexible to provide the best possible cleaning result for each customer.
The Cube’s smart features include:
Mud stoppers from Kleen-Rite
Mud, grime, and grit sometimes builds up in the outer holes of the fiberglass
grating in a car wash bay and it is difficult to clean out this sludge and
it might begin to collect gravel and small pieces of trash. This is unattractive
and potentially unsafe for customers. In addition, this increases the possibility
that brushes will pick up solid particles that can scratch or damage
vehicle surfaces.
Mud Stopper plugs easily and quickly solve this problem. Once you identify
which holes in your grating collect mud, you can clean them out and
insert a plug in each one. This directs the mud and sludge further towards
the center of the grate where it will fall into the pit instead of building up
around the edges. Plugs are easy to insert and perfectly sized for common
car wash grating. Your wash will instantly look cleaner, stay cleaner, and
provide a safer experience for all customers and employees.
● Smart Wheel technology that tilts and adjusts to the
shape of the specific vehicle
● Smart Touch technology utilizes torque-sensing,
radial-driven arms that detects friction levels and
position the wash wheels in optimal geometric proximity
to each vehicle
● Smart Spray manifolds that “know” the position of
each wheel and apply spray at the right time
In addition, the Cube offers remote access capabilities, patented LED-enhanced
wheels and spray arms that cycle through six colors to provide Active
Site Marketing, and an innovative scissor-arm top wheel that precisely lowers
to the vehicle and covers more area along the front, top and rear of the vehicle.
The Cube’s LED lights also provide navigational assistance to load customers in
and out of the bay quickly, increasing throughput.
Car wash monitoring
solution from Unitec
United introduces has announced the launch of its newest service, Uptime
Solutions.
Uptime Solutions employs a team of experts to monitor the status of
car wash equipment and triage any issues. The service increases wash uptime,
and reduces unnecessary service provider site visits. When the Uptime
Solutions team detects an issue at the wash, they will remotely provide a
fix, advise personnel on how to resolve the issue or, if needed, engage the
wash’s service provider for an on-site visit. The team customizes a resolution
process to the store’s staff and company policies and stays on top of
each problem until it is resolved.
50 • FALL 2019

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2/4/2019 FALL 2019 10:55:40 • 51
AM

INDUSTRY DIRT
HAPPENINGS IN & AROUND
SELF SERVE CARWASHING
ICS relocates
corporate
headquarters
into expansive,
high-tech space
Innovative Control Systems®(ICS), a Lehigh
Valley, Pennsylvania-based company for more
than 30 years, and the global leader in car wash
technology, has expanded and relocated its existing
corporate facility to 81 Highland Ave.
Moving to the Lehigh Valley Industrial Park
IV provides direct access to routes 512 and
22, and an easy commute for employees. The
25,100 square foot third floor suite, where operations
will be housed, has been completely
renovated into a state-of-the-art, world-class
office environment that will support in excess
of 220 employees.
There is also a high-tech first floor 5,100
square foot employee cafeteria that will feature
healthy food choices at company cost prepared
by an onsite chef. Free coffee, cappuccino and
fountain drinks are also available to all employees.
This floor also features a fitness center
open 24/7 for all employees. “In order to attract
highly-skilled employees in today’s market,
you need to provide them with an attractive
working environment with great benefits and
pay scale,” said ICS President Kevin Detrick.
“Our team took a great deal of time designing
a workplace that is attractive, functional and a
fun place to work.”
A living wall was also introduced to bring nature
into the setting, as well as other appointments
added to enhance the workspace environment.
“The wall has over 700 plants and is
a great focal point positioned adjacent to the
cappuccino bar.” said Detrick.
As part of the move, ICS has announced an
expanded benefit package for its employees.
New additions to employee benefits include
expanded vacation time and the ability to receive
paid time off for community service projects
and family matters. “Our goal is to attract
the highest caliber employee to help us continue
to grow the company,” said Detrick.
Lehigh Valley resident Kevin Detrick founded
ICS in 1988. The company has more than 160
employees, most of whom live in the Lehigh
Valley. As a global leader in its market, ICS has
offices in Irvine, CA; Bristol, England; Germany
and Australia. ICS also has a 55,000 squarefoot
production facility in Bethlehem on South
Commerce Way, as well as a 21,000 square-foot
fabrication shop in East Stroudsburg.
FRAM ® Joins How2Recycle Program
FRAM® of Rochester, Minnesota, a market
leader in filtration products, is pleased to announce
that it has joined the How2Recycle ® program in
an effort to help improve the recycling of its packaging
and materials.
As part of FRAM’s sustainability efforts, the
company has partnered with How2Recycle to
help empower customers to recycle specific products
and packaging more accurately through the
program’s smarter label system.
Customers will notice the recycling label printed
on FRAM packaging for its Extra Guard®, Tough
Guard® and Ultra Synthetic Oil Filters and
Fresh Breeze® Cabin Air Filter. The label informs
Women in Carwash
conference is coming to
Arlington, Texas
Registration is open for the second international
Women in Carwash conference in Arlington,
Texas, January 20-22, 2020.
The first Women in Carwash conference, held
April 29 to May 1, 2019 in beautiful Niagara Falls,
Canada, exceeded expectations and left guests enriched
and inspired. Guests had this to say:
What a wonderful experience of learning,
networking, and growing ideas through
meaningful interaction with insightful and
informative speakers. The very first conference
has already begun to change the culture
of the industry to promote greater collaboration
across all areas of the business - Amy
Cantin, Zep
It was much more intimate and personable
than other conferences and seminars I have
been to. I am used to a large convention-center
type event. … I felt like I got to actually meet
and talk to almost everyone in attendance -
Emily Gertenbach, Kleen-Rite Corp
My company paid for me to be at the
conference. It would have been well worth
spending my own money to attend - Kevin
Thompson, Zips Car Wash
customers that the outer box of FRAM packaging
can be recycled across the U.S. and Canada.
“We are continuously looking at materials, processes
and technologies to reduce waste and conserve
resources in all aspects of our business,” said
Kevin O’Dowd SVP, Global Marketing. “Improved
packaging sustainability is a core part of our effort
to protect our environment. This initiative is very
important to our company, our direct customers
and the motorists who purchase our products.”
Launched in 2012, How2Recycle is the standardized
U.S. label across all packaging types and
offers comprehensive instructions on packaging
recyclability.
The Arlington conference will be jam-packed with
productivity-focused sessions designed to help attendees
build their businesses and better engage with
colleagues, family members, and industry peers.
Attendees can choose from a variety of registration
options that are detailed at www.womenincarwash.com.
Monday, January 20 will begin with
a Lunch & Learn session followed by four handson
learning sessions and concludes with the inaugural
evening event – A Toast to Women in Carwash
– featuring cocktails, food, networking, and
an inspiring Keynote Presentation by Paul Krismer,
a high-energy speaker and executive coach.
Tuesday morning begins with breakfast and includes
a two-part DiSC Profiling session and a separate
event for the returning alumni from the first
conference. Tuesday afternoon features a panel discussion
of a range of selected topics followed by an
educational session on Social Media and Marketing.
Tuesday features a special evening event, which
will be held at the Texas Star Dinner Theatre,
where guests will be sure to enjoy an entertaining
theatre production, a lovely three course dinner
and compete with other teams during an interactive
Mystery Theater.
Wednesday includes breakfast, lunch, and educational
sessions on Human Resources and Leadership.
The number of participants will be limited to
preserve the intimacy of the first event, so visit
www.womenincarwash.com to explore the variety
of registration options and register early to and ensure
you get a ticket.
52 • FALL 2019

FALL 2019 • 53

INDUSTRY
DIRT
LSI announces
new hires and
new facility
LSI Industries Inc., a manufacturer
of outdoor and indoor
lighting and graphics for
commercial, industrial, and
multi-site retail applications,
has named Erin Nichols as its
new national accounts sales
manager. Nichols will work
with distributors to expand lighting product sales,
manage customer satisfaction, and provide the firstclass
service upon which LSI is built. In addition,
Nichols will be instrumental in creating direct relationships
with a range of national retailers, including
hypermarket, warehouse, discount, and retail-banking
formats, by leveraging the strength of LSI Industries’
diverse product offerings, and helping LSI’s customers
to be more competitive in their markets.
Prior to joining LSI Industries, Nichols achieved impressive
revenue-generation, customer-acquisition and
customer-retention metrics in account management
and business development roles for the medical and
pharmaceutical industries.
LSI has also appointed
Thomas A. Caneris as Senior
Vice President – Human
Resources and General
Counsel. Caneris brings to
LSI more than 30 years of
experience as a practicing
attorney and senior advisor
in both public and private company settings. Most
recently, he was a Senior Vice President at PharMerica
Corporation from 2007 through 2019, leading
the Human Resources Group and serving as General
Counsel. Earlier in his career, he served as Commercial
Affairs Counsel for AK Steel Corporation.
Caneris will focus on the acceleration of LSI Industries’
initiatives to retain and attract top talent and continue
efforts to deliver a customer-centric organization
and workforce that enriches skill, diversity, and satisfaction.
In addition to guiding the organization on all
aspects of human resources, he will utilize his wealth of
operational knowledge to collaborate with functional
leaders in several areas of the business, including communications,
investor relations, and government affairs.
In other LSI news, a press release announced that
the town of New Windsor, New York, will host the
company’s new facility. “Congratulations are in order
for the town of New Windsor for its approval of the
ground lease, which clears the way for a new owner to
offer quality jobs in another wise dormant commercial
space,” said Jim Clark, President and CEO. “We’re
thrilled to be close to completing this transaction.”
LSI headquarters is in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has
facilities in Ohio, Kentucky, California, New York,
North Carolina, Rhode Island and Texas.
CSI ® announces new regional
sales manager for Florida
President of Proto-Vest retires
Proto-Vest, Inc. of Glendale, Arizona, announced
the retirement of President and CEO
Christopher (Woody) McElroy. After 36 years
with the company, McElroy who holds nine
patents on car wash dryer systems.
New Proto-Vest President Jeff Reichard has
previously served as CEO and president of various
business sectors within the $15 million to
POLLS
Profits for June 2019
compared to
June 2018 have been:
HIGHER
LOWER
SAME
Is being a self serve car
wash owner easy?
YES
NO
DEPENDS ON THE SEASON
*These unscientific polls were conducted
via the carwashforum.com.
Cleaning Systems, Inc. (CSI) of De Pere,
Wisconsin, announced the hiring of Victor
Buffo to the position of Lustra® Regional
Sales Manager for Florida. Victor is based in
Atlanta, Georgia, and will help support the
Southeast with emphasis on Florida. For the
past 18 years Victor was with ZEP Vehicle
Care Division as a Territory Manager, Corporate
Account Specialist and most recently was
Distributor Sales Development Manager responsible
for directly managing their distributor
network that spans the East Coast and
Eastern Canada.
Dave Krause, President and CEO of CSI,
stated in a press release, “We are excited to
welcome Victor to the Lustra Division Team.
His industry experience, breadth of roles and
responsibilities and relationship strength will
be a great contribution to the ongoing success
of our Southeast team.”
$2.5 billion annual sales range.
Simon “Buddy” Blattner will continue on as
general manager.
“Woody’s ‘Institutional Knowledge’ will be
greatly missed and we wish him all the best on
his next adventure in life,” said new Proto-Vest
President Jeff Reichard in a press release.
Same
20%
Lower
30.0%
DEPENDS
ON THE
SEASON
27%
NO
47%
Higher
50%
YES
27%
54 • FALL 2019

FALL 2019 • 55

EXTRA!
EXTRA!
Presenting the news stories featuring
self serve car washes
Twenty-three-year-old buys opens self
serve in New Mexico
Ernesto Rosas just 23 years old, but he already owns a detail shop, and is
now a proud self serve car wash owner. According to krwg, Rosas said he
remembers visiting the car wash with his father when he was 9. ““This has
been my dream to have a self-service and full-service car wash,” he said.
“We’re hoping that people will come out to give us a chance.”
Rosas has been running Neto Boys Mobile Detailing for the past five
years. Recently, the previous owner of the car wash reached out to him,
and Rosas took over the Valley Drive location in September. He added
fresh paint, bright flags and a big new sign. According to the story, he’s
also reduced self-wash prices from $1.50 to $1.
Rosas said in the story, “I want to make improvements to the Valley
Drive self-service location, but I can only do that when traffic increases,
and the business makes more money.”
New self serve in South Dakota will
welcome boats, campers and RVs
Scooptown Car Wash will soon be open in Sturgis, South Dakota, according
to Black Hills Fox Business News. Owners Tylea and Chris Bergman are
transforming a 4,000-square-foot lot that will feature two automatic bays,
three self-serve bays, an oversized bay for campers, boats, and RVs, and even
a pet wash.
“There’s a lot of research going into equipment. There’s a lot of equipment
companies out there. We’ve done our research, traveled around., toured a lot
of plants,” Chris said in the story.
“It’s right off the exit so it’s convenient for them to pull off and get a quick
carwash and like you said now that there’s going to be the dump station here
when it’s during the summertime and they need to swing in. Now there’s a
convenient place for them for their RVs to get that done,” Tylea added.
Scooptown Car Wash is slated to be up and running by December 2019.
Alaskan self serve chain has been in
business for 50 years+
For the past 50-plus years the Boyd family has been washing cars in Anchorage,
Alaska. Today, Brian Boyd is managing both the Magic Wand self serve
car washes and the Rainmaker touches car wash chain. Brian told KTUU, “It’s
over 50 years of family business at this point, my grandfather, he built the first
one and then my dad ended up running that and grew it to three self serves
and then he added these automatics and here I am I run it with my wife and
got my kids handprints in the concrete so it’s definitely a family business.”
Brian joked that when he was a kid and was working at the self serve, he
kept imagining things like automatic doors and cameras coming into play.
Little did he know that both of those visions would become a reality.
Crediting the women in his life, Brian said in the story, “Boy, having my brilliant
wife on board sure makes a difference and no I really wouldn’t be doing
this without her so yeah it’s pretty important.”
Proposed property tax increase would impact California car washes
A union-backed initiative that looks to impose
higher property taxes on commercial and industrial
property started gathering support via signatures
on October 27 in downtown Los Angeles,
nbclosangeles reported.
According to the nbc report, under terms of
Proposition 13 (the landmark property tax reduction
and limitation measure approved by voters on
June 6, 1978) increases of assessed value of real
property are restricted to 2% per year except if it
is sold or there is construction.
“The measure would mainly apply to large and
older businesses, as it exempts owners of commercial
and industrial properties with combined value
of $3 million or less,” the story stated. “There are
also exemptions for all residential and agricultural
property. The initiative also exempts from taxation
$500,000 of combined tangible personal property
and fixtures from small businesses.”
The proposed initiative would not alter the
1% tax limit of a property’s full cash value under
Proposition 13.
If approved, there would be net increase in annual
property tax revenues from $7.5 billion to $12 billion.
Money garnered through this initiative would
be allocated to schools and local governments.
Susan Shelley, vice president, communications
of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, spoke
out against the initiative, stating, “The split-roll initiative
would be a huge tax increase on every business
in California, simultaneously and repeatedly.
Taxes would rise almost immediately for every
shopping mall, hotel, restaurant, office building,
factory, warehouse, self-storage facility, car wash,
parking structure, movie theater, sports stadium
and supermarket. …Prices would rise to reflect the
higher costs. Even the smallest businesses would
be hurt as landlords passed the cost of higher taxes
through to their tenants.”
56 • FALL 2019

SBA Invites America’s
Small Businesses to
share their story
The U.S. Small Business Administration is now
accepting nominations for its 2020 National Small
Business Week Awards, including the annual Small
Business Person of the Year. For more than 50 years,
National Small Business Week has celebrated the inspiring
achievements of America’s small businesses
and the countless contributions they make to their local
communities, and to our nation’s economy.
“We are proud to recognize the small business owners
that have made it their mission to support their
communities and drive the entrepreneurial spirit forward,”
SBA Acting Administrator Chris Pilkerton said.
“A National Small Business Week award is one of the
nation’s highest honors for small business achievement.
Please take a moment to visit sba.gov/nsbw to
nominate a deserving small business owner in your
area. I wish all of our nation’s small businesses the best
of luck and look forward to their nomination.”
SBA Awards given in celebration of National Small
Business Week from May 3-9, 2020 include the following:
• Small Business Person of the Year
• One from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and
Guam.
• Small Business Exporter of the Year
• Phoenix Awards for Disaster Recovery:
• Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery
• Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to
Disaster Recovery, Public Official
• Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to
Disaster Recovery, Volunteer
• Federal Procurement Awards:
• Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
• Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards for Excellence
(for large prime contractors who use small businesses
as suppliers and contractors)
• 8(a) Graduate of the Year
• Awards to SBA Resource Partners:
• Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence
and Innovation Center Award
• Women’s Business Center of Excellence Award
• Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Year
• Jody C. Raskind Lender of the Year
• Small Business Investment Company of the Year
• District Office Award
All nominations must be submitted no later than
3 p.m. EST, Jan. 7, 2020. All nomination packages
must be hand delivered or mailed to the nearest SBA
Office. Email submissions of SBA Awards forms will
not be accepted as they contain personally identifiable
information (PII).
U.S. is showing strong economic
trends, according to the SBA
The U.S. Small Business Administration
announced FY19 lending numbers showing
that it guaranteed over $28 billion to entrepreneurs
that otherwise would not have access
to capital to start, grow, or expand their
small businesses.
“A strong economy is powering America’s
30 million small businesses, and the SBA’s
FY19 numbers bear that out,” SBA Acting
Administrator Chris Pilkerton said in a press
release. “When the economy is doing well,
7(a) lenders are more willing to provide capital
without the need for a federal loan guarantee.
Our 504 and Microloan programs continued
to grow from last year, as all of these
loans are designed to create jobs and grow all
small businesses in communities across the
country. We continue to be proud that the
SBA is here to help America start, grow, and
expand opportunities for entrepreneurs.”
In FY19, SBA’s flagship 7(a) loan program
made approximately 52,000 7(a) loans totaling
$23.17 billion. The 504 loan program had
another year of increased performance, with
more than 6,000 loans made for a total dollar
amount of more than $4.9 billion.
“With a strong economy and historically
solid small business optimism, we know that
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational
Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has been granted authority to handle
worker retaliation complaints under the
Taxpayer First Act (TFA). The statute was
signed into law on July 1, 2019.
Under the TFA, OSHA will investigate
complaints of retaliation against employees
for providing information regarding underpayment
of tax; violations of internal revenue
laws; or violations of federal law relating
to tax fraud to the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS), another federal entity listed in the statute,
a supervisor, or any other person working
for the employer who has the authority to investigate,
discover, or terminate misconduct.
The TFA also prohibits retaliation against
employees for testifying, assisting, or participating
in any administrative or judicial action
taken by the IRS relating to an alleged
underpayment of tax, violation of internal
revenue law, or violation of federal law relating
to tax fraud.
OSHA will process TFA whistleblower
7(a) lenders are making loans conventionally
without the SBA guarantee. We also saw
a 4.3% growth in the 504 loan program due
to the longer term and low fixed interest rate
that the product provides to small businesses,”
said Associate Administrator for SBA’s
Office of Capital Access William Manger.
“We are also proud that our Microloan program
had another record year with a nearly
7.5% increase in small business lending.”
In FY19, there was significant growth of
dollars lent in the SBA’s Microloan program,
with more than 5,500 loans approved for
nearly $81.5 million.
In addition to the strong lending numbers,
the SBA continues to innovate and improve
processes by leveraging enhanced technologies.
Lender Match is an SBA technology
platform that gives entrepreneurs the ability
to complete a quick online form, without
registration or cost to the user to connect
with an SBA-approved lender within 48
hours. To date, Lender Match has generated
4.4 million leads on behalf of small businesses
to our lenders, and lenders have contacted
more than 230,000 unique borrowers with
financing options.
OSHA now handles retaliation complaints
under new Taxpayer First Act
complaints using procedures under the Wendell
H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform
Act for the 21st Century (AIR21), 49 U.S.C.
§ 42121, until an interim final rule is issued.
OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program
enforces the whistleblower provisions
of more than 20 whistleblower statutes protecting
employees from retaliation for reporting
violations of various workplace safety
and health, airline, commercial motor carrier,
consumer product, environmental, financial
reform, food safety, health insurance reform,
motor vehicle safety, nuclear, pipeline, public
transportation agency, railroad, maritime,
securities, and tax laws, and for engaging in
other related protected activities. For more
information, visit www.whistleblowers.gov.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing
safe and healthful workplaces for their
employees. OSHA’s role is to help ensure these
conditions for American working men and
women by setting and enforcing standards, and
providing training, education and assistance.
FALL 2019 • 57

CAR
WASH
ROYALE
As self serves continue to
attract criminals, more and
more owners are becoming
armed and ready.
By Debra Gorgos, Editor
debrag@sscwn.com
Along with religion and politics,
the topic of guns can be just
about as provocative and polarizing.
From people not liking the
lack of gun control or oppositely opposing
challenges to the 2 nd amendment, there are
some people who grew up around guns and consider
them part of the scenery and there are others
who just loathe the mere sight of metal weaponry
stocked with kinetic projectiles. Self serve car wash
owners have a unique situation at hand, in that
they work odd hours, they are often alone on site,
they empty machines full of cash, and, unfortunately,
their businesses can attract trespassers, delinquents
and your basic hooligans. Read the back
pages of the last five years of Self Serve Car Wash
News magazines and you’ll see pages upon pages
of crime stories. Some of those stories end
peacefully while others reference criminals
brandishing guns, and some include physical
attacks and violent misconduct. In a survey
that didn’t just reflect car wash owners, but
did represent small business owners, 35 percent
said they have taken steps to protect themselves
against potential shootings or other workplace violence—or
plan to do so soon. The monthly survey
included input from nearly 800 small companies
and was conducted for The Wall Street Journal by
Vistage Worldwide Inc. A not-so-scientific poll
conducted on carwashforum.com asked car wash
owners if they are armed when they go to work,
and the results were as follows:
Always Armed: 54.2%
Never Armed: 20.8%
No, but I am considering it: 25%
And, while this article is in no way promoting
guns or glorifying possible violence (see sidebar:
Shoot to Not Kill), we are sensitive to the idea that
car wash owners feel the need to be armed, and or
protected in some way. And, car wash owners are
not alone. Thirty percent of U.S. adults say they
personally own a gun, while a larger percentage,
43%, report living household with a gun. And it
seems as if the United States in general is not exactly
full of gun-shy inhabitants. A Small Arms
Survey stated that civilians in the United States
account for 393 million of the worldwide total of
1 billion civilian held firearms. Car wash owners
Shane Massing of Dayton, Ohio, and Phil Tutt of
East Texas are two of those 393 million people.
Read on to find out why they carry, what they carry
and what advice they have for others.
continued ...
58 • FALL 2019

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FALL 2019 • 59

CAR WASH ROYALE
Q&A with
Shane Massing
Where are you located and how long have
you been in the car washing industry?
Shane Massing: Currently we have a 3/1 near
Dayton, Ohio, and we bought it about two and a
half years ago.
Has there been a lot of
criminal activity at your car wash?
Our wash is in a pretty decent area and in the
big scheme of things the criminal activity so far has
been very minor (you can’t see it but I’m knocking
on wood right now) …
Why did you decide to arm yourself?
I have been licensed to carry a concealed handgun
for over 15 years now and it all started when my
wife and I were buying vacant houses in these kind
of sketchy areas. Carrying a gun could be paralleled
to having a fire extinguisher handy. Rarely will you
need it but when you do, there is no substitute.
Have you always been someone
who was comfortable with guns?
My dad had guns, so I was exposed to them
(and safe handling) at a young age. My first gun
was a single shot .22 rifle given to me as a Christmas
gift when I was 10 years old and I didn’t have
unsupervised access until several years later.
What kind of gun do you carry
when you visit your car wash?
Currently a Kahr PM9 which is a micro sized
9mm semi-automatic with a 6-round magazine.
Keep in mind that these small guns are easy to
conceal but more difficult to shoot so a larger gun
may be more appropriate for someone else.
What advice do you have for other
car wash owners who are inquiring
about protecting themselves at
their car washes?
At minimum take a concealed carry class even
if your state does not require it for carrying concealed.
In that class you should at least learn about
gun safety, state laws and get some live fire in. After
that, rent different sizes and calibers of guns at
a range to see what you like and what you shoot
the best. After you buy it don’t skimp on the holster
as that is about as important as choosing your
gun. Go to the range to practice and have fun! On
another note: Taking a self-defense class might also
be a good idea.
Have you ever had to
draw or use your gun?
No and I hope to never have to. It is only for
self-defense, and if someone wants to take your
property without threatening your life then let
them have it.
What is your stance on gun control?
If you look at statistics on the areas in the United
States that have the most homicides, they usually
have the strictest gun laws on the books (Chicago,
for example). Most gun laws we currently
have are anti-2 nd Amendment. With that being
said, there are a small handful of laws that probably
do some good.
Shoot to Not Kill
Are non-lethal guns
the way to go?
Even if used in self-defense, shooting someone
with a bullet can lead to emotional, financial
and legal trauma. That’s where some might want
to consider guns that don’t kill, but temporarily
subdue a possible threat. For instance, Cabela’s, a
longtime retailer of outdoor products, markets a
gun-like pepper spray blaster called the Kimber
PepperBlaster® II. This unit, according to Cabela’s,
shoots an extremely potent non-aerosol solution
using a revolutionary pyrotechnic delivery system
capable of accuracy and force sufficient enough to
penetrate facemasks and wraparound glasses. “The
10% OC solution is mixed with benzyl alcohol for
increased viscosity. It causes severe irritation and
temporary blindness that can last up to 45 minutes,
giving you time to get away.”
If you’ve ever played paintball, you might know
that the paintball can hurt upon impact, but what
if it were filled with pepper spray? Salt Supply Co.
offers a pepper spray “paintball gun” which shoots
cartridges which burst on impact and release a cloud
of pepper spray. Shots have to be accurate and maybe
even at close range as you have to aim for the
continued ...
Q&A with
Phil Tutt
My washes are located around the Houston,
Texas, area, but I live in Spring, Texas. I have
been in the car washing industry for 25 years.
When did you first get
familiar with guns?
I was trained in the U.S. Army. That is where
I got to know about them and feel comfortable
with them. I have been carrying a gun at my car
washes for about 10 years.
Why did you start
carrying at your car wash?
I personally never felt that I was in that
much danger but wanted the extra protection
just in case. In the area of our car wash there
were just too many robberies. We are in a lower-
to mid-class area and I’m thankful I have not
had to use one, but better to have one and not
use it than to not have one and need it. I also
have cameras, an alarm system and other guns
available as protection.
What advice do you have for others
looking into getting a gun?
Understand your state laws and the permits
needed. And, get the training. I am a member of
the U.S and Texas LawShield (a legal and self-defense
membership program for gun owners) and
I know anyone in the United States can join.
How do you feel about stricter
gun control in general?
I’d have to cross that bridge when it happens,
but, as a Christian I would likely have to obey
the law.
What guns do you recommend for
people who are new to owning one?
I carry a 380 and a 9mm mini. Those are
small guns that you can conceal easily. I do not
open carry (in Texas you can open carry) because
if they see the gun, you may be the first
one they will shoot while you are not looking.
I’d rather be the person pulling the gun first
rather than them pulling their gun first.
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FALL 2019 • 63

CAR WASH ROYALE
face area. The company states, “Upon impact, bullets
burst into a 5’ toxic defense cloud that can cause
temporary blindness and difficulty breathing.”
Projectile tasers are another weapon to consider.
These also need to be accurately aimed as they
have to hit exposed skin or light layers of clothing.
The TASER® M26C by Taser International uses
cartridges containing compressed nitrogen to fire
two small charged probes from the TASER up to
an impressive 15 feet away, which provides the user
with enough power and distance to escape to safety.
“The TASER® M26C transmits strong electrical
pulses through these wires into the attacker, thus
immobilizing them,” the company states. “It measures
approximately 8” long and includes a durable
storage case for transportation. It also features
a light display to show you its power level, spark
duration, and other vital information.
And, lastly, while bean bags seem anything but
threatening, ARMA USA offers a Bean Bag Gun
that is lightweight, but delivers knockdown power
from 20 feet away at a rate of 135 feet per second
with reusable bean bag projectiles. It is also legal
to have a loaded bean bag gun in all 50 states and
requires no license or background check, according
to ARMA USA.
Unarmed,
but still dangerous
They didn’t have a gun, but these business owners
and employees were still able to fight off criminals
1. Clayton Leathers, 55, owner of North London’s
Muscle Limit Gym, said it was “fight or
flight” time when he tackled a crazed attacker
to the floor. An August 2019 story by Express
Daily, stated that a crazed knifeman held a
12-inch kitchen knife to Leathers’ throat and
demanded cash.
Leathers remained calm and then knocked him
to the floor with a series of punches.
Leathers said in the story, “On reflection I
would advise anyone not to fight back but people
are sick and tired of the constant knife crime in
London, it’s a pandemic.”
Leathers credits adrenaline and the art of distraction
with his “take no prisoners” defense.
State
2019 State Gun Laws
Firearm
Registration
Required?
Permit
Required
to Carry?
Permit
Required
to Purchase?
Open Carry
Legal?
Alabama No Yes No Yes
Alaska No No No Yes
Arizona No No No Yes
Arkansas No No No Yes
California Yes Yes Yes *
Colorado No Yes No **
Connecticut Yes Yes Yes Yes
Delaware No Yes No Yes
Florida No Yes No No
Georgia No Yes No Yes
Hawaii Yes Yes Yes Yes
Idaho No No No Yes
Illinois No Yes Yes No
Indiana No Yes No Yes
Iowa No Yes Yes Yes
Kansas No No No Yes
Kentucky No Yes No Yes
Louisiana No Yes No Yes
Maine No No No Yes
Maryland Yes Yes Yes Yes
Massachusetts No Yes Yes Yes
Michigan Yes Yes No Yes
Minnesota No Yes Yes Yes
Mississippi No No No Yes
Missouri No No No Yes
Montana No No No Yes
Nebraska No Yes Yes Yes
Nevada No Yes No Yes
New Hampshire No No No Yes
New Jersey Yes Yes Yes No
New Mexico No Yes No Yes
New York Yes Yes Yes No
North Carolina No Yes Yes Yes
North Dakota No Yes Yes Yes
Ohio No Yes No Yes
Oklahoma No Yes No Yes
Oregon No Yes No Yes
Pennsylvania No Yes No Yes
Rhode Island No Yes Yes Yes
South Carolina No Yes No No
South Dakota No Yes No Yes
Tennessee No Yes No Yes
Texas No Yes No Yes
Utah No Yes No Yes
Vermont No No No Yes
Virginia No Yes No Yes
Washington Yes Yes No Yes
West Virginia No No No Yes
Wisconsin No Yes No Yes
Wyoming No No No Yes
2. Patricia Ramos was alone in her bike rental
store last August in Seattle when a man came
in around 10:30 a.m. The man then assaulted
her, breaking her finger. But Ramos didn’t go
down without a fight.
continued ...
*Open carry is generally prohibited in California. The law states that the issuing authority of a county or city
within a county with a population under 200,000 people may issue licenses to carry loaded and exposed
handguns. The license would only be valid in that country (source: usacarry.com)
**No permit required; however, local governments can have regulations preventing open carry in certain
buildings or areas. Denver has enacted such regulations banning open carry in the city, this was confirmed
as legal in a court case (source: gunstocarry.com)
64 • FALL 2019

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FALL 2019 • 65

CAR WASH ROYALE
Ramos told the Candy, Mike and Todd Show,
“He said, ‘When your windows are shot up, when
you are shot because you didn’t give me a bike,
you are not going to think it’s funny,’” Ramos said.
“I said, ‘I don’t think it’s funny now. I don’t appreciate
the threats. Please leave.’”
After assaulting her, he pushed her to the other
side of the store and that’s when Ramos picked up
a “super wrench,” which was a 10-pound, metal
wrench that is nearly the size of her arm.
“I was terrified,” Ramos said. “… that’s when I
knew I had to defend myself. Not just my life in
that moment, but the store, my employees … I
kind of just went into defense mode. “That’s when
I went for the wrench,” she said.
Ramos lifted super wrench above her head and
ran across the room at the man, striking him as he
attempted to pick up a bike and leave.
“This is one of those situations where I didn’t
know how I was going to react,” she said. “I’m usually
pretty peaceful, so I didn’t expect it. But I’ve
never been this scared. I’m a small business owner, I
think small business owners are fighters by nature.”
3. Last September in Pomona, California, a
woman fought off a man who brandished a
knife and demanded money at her family’s tax
and insurance business, Fox News 6 reported.
Concepscion Escalante, 23, told KTLA she was
working alone Saturday at ALE Insurance Services,
when a man entered and pulled a knife. “I hit him
in his private area,” Escalante said in the story.
She is seen in surveillance video struggling with
the robber over the knife for about a minute before
he ultimately fled, taking about $1,000 with
him, according to Escalante.
4. The owner of a Fort Myers, Florida, small engine
repair shop chased a gun-wielding burglar
off with a knife in July 2018, according to the
Fort Myers News-Press.
The owner said he was sitting at his desk Tuesday
when a man walked into the garage asking for
work and a glass of water. The owner declined saying
he does all the work himself and didn’t need
help. The man then left.
The next day he returned, once again asking for
water again before leaving. He later returned demanding
cash and allegedly pointed a gun at the shop owner.
He then snatched money from the owner’s pocket.
The owner then grabbed the man and while
the two struggled, the owner pulled out a knife
which he began swinging at the suspect ‘to ward
him off,’ according to the story. The suspect then
fled the scene, dropping the cash on the ground.
continued ...
66 • FALL 2019
I’ve thought about just keeping a loaded shotgun
within reach in the pump room. Same as I do to defend
my home. No carry license required and zero chance of
missing the target.
KleanRide
I am armed everywhere that I go (that is legal to
carry). Car wash is no exception.
Srr5008
If you’re not familiar with guns, then don’t go down
this route until you are familiar. Train, train, train and
then train some more. Spend a lot of time at the range
and pay for some private lessons. After you do all this,
what gun you want to carry will be an easy choice.
Axxlrod
…FIRST buy a good quality gun belt. Then get a 380
and a good leather pocket holster for summer. And
then get a 9mm and a good IWB (inside the waistband)
holster for the rest of the time. Which 9mm is a matter
of personal preference. S&W Shield is a solid choice
if it is comfortable for you. The one other brand that
needs a comment is Glock - massively popular, but
most people either love it or hate it… Definitely try
before you buy, and if you like them, good chance it will
be your favorite.
I’ve seen a handheld taser tested as the result of that
same argument. It definitely messes you up but does not
incapacitate. If drugs had been involved, “slowed down”
would be the way I’d describe it. NOW, I’m not an
expert, so don’t take that as definitive advice (disclaimer
disclaimer!), just my personal experience. As far as I
know it was a pretty good unit, but not top of the line.
Taser or grizzly spray is definitely better than a gun if
[you’re] not prepared to pull the trigger though…
PaulLovesJamie
I carry half the time; my issue is it’s not easy to do
any work with a pistol in my pocket…
Ultra Shine
Yes, on occasion we carry a weapon at the car wash.
There’s tremendous amount of responsibility with
carrying a weapon. Most people who carry a weapon
don’t think about the emotional trauma of having drawn
their weapon, point it at someone and pull the trigger.
It’s a split-second decision and a decision that you
can’t take back. When that bullet leaves your weapon,
you better be 110% in the right that you’re protecting
your life or the life of a loved one from bodily harm.
Because that nanosecond decision will affect you the
rest of your life. The trauma of taking another human
life will affect for the rest of your life. You might think
you’re a real badass, but it will affect you. Then there’s
the financial loss you’re going incur. After you call the
police the next person you need to call is an attorney,
because you’re going to need one. Even if the shooting
is justified, you’d better call an attorney because the
prosecutor is going to do everything they can to try
and put you in jail. Or the family of the scumbag you
just shot is going to sue you for everything they can
get. An employee of mine caught some kids stealing
gas in the middle of the night, he chased them until
they had to stop, and the gun he had pointed at the car
went off, hit the street, ricocheted and hit the underside
of the car. He was arrested and charged with assault
with a deadly weapon. He went to prison for 5 years,
lost everything, his wife, his house, all the money he
had in savings trying to defend himself. So, if you carry
a weapon, you’d better be prepared to assume the
What Others Are Saying
Comments were posted to
carwashforum.com
responsibility that goes along with it, not only emotionally
but also financially because now you’re in the big
league.
Randy
Agree with the liability of shooting through something
is quite high in most situations. Most states have
“stand your ground laws” but if there is a locked door
between you and an intruder you are going to have to
successfully articulate why you saw this person as a
deadly threat and felt the need to shoot through any
barrier.
I’ll say this too: Shooting is a last resort in my opinion
where I feel my life is truly in jeopardy. I’d much rather
hand over a bag of cash than shoot someone. The
legal implications of shooting are just far too great.
Greg Pack
If I’m armed and one guy with a knife or a bat
tries to rob me, I most likely won’t have to shoot him
unless pointing a gun at him doesn’t stop him from
coming at me. If I’m pulling money and two or more
guys come at me, I will absolutely shoot. The original
owner of this wash told me his mother was there alone
one afternoon checking the vendors when two guys
approached her and asked for money. When she told
them no, one of them punched her in the head, she
fell and hit her head again, and they left her for dead.
Luckily, she was fine.
After an incident at the wash last night, I’m going
to pick up an M&P Shield as soon as I can. I’ll have
to worry about an LTC later, but I fully intend to take
safety and license courses. I can conceal carry at the
wash without a permit. I can always start building a gun
collection later too.
The incident: A woman pulled in and parked by a vacuum,
and about five minutes later another car pulled
in and parked next to her. The passenger got out and
started talking to her, it didn’t look like a drug deal, and
at one point I heard them all laughing about something
together, so I ignored it. After about ten minutes I hear
one of the men shouting at her in a VERY angry and
aggressive tone. I listened for a minute to see if things
calmed on their own, but they didn’t. I was concerned
for the woman’s safety and was just about to call the
police, but the two men got in their car and left. If I’d
been armed, I would’ve dialed 911 and then asked her
if she was okay.
MEP001
I carry a gun because my city has high crime and I’ve
been threatened with death and rape when working at
night.
AlpineDreams
I live in a much milder crime area, but I am armed
full time now. Employees are also. Sad that society has
gotten to this point.
Soapy
I carry especially when collecting $$$ from the wash.
I just renewed my license. The Police Chief told me, “If
there was an incident, it’s better to be Tried by 12 than
carried off by 6....”
2Biz
We have a single IBA that is unattended, but when I
go there to collect from the entry machine and vacs, a
friend assists me who is armed (open carry).
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Terms to Know
Provocation Law: Provocation refers to something
that incites or provokes; a means of arousing
or stirring to action. In criminal law, provocation is
a possible defense by excuse or exculpation alleging
a sudden or temporary loss of control as a response
to another’s provocative conduct sufficient
to justify an acquittal, a mitigated sentence or a
conviction for a lesser charge (source: US Legal).
No Cause for Self-Defense: When there is a
mutual combat upon a sudden quarrel, both parties
are the aggressors, and if in the fight one is
killed it will be manslaughter at least, unless the
survivor can prove two things:
1. That before the mortal stroke was given, they
had refused any further combat, and had retreated
as far as they could to safety.
2. That they killed their adversary from necessity,
to avoid their own destruction.
As a general rule, no one is allowed to defend
themselves with force if they can apply to the law
for redress, and the law gives them a complete
remedy (source: UP Counsel).
Imperfect self-defense: A common law doctrine
of criminal procedure whereby a defendant
may mitigate punishment or sentencing imposed
for a crime involving the use of deadly force by
claiming that the use of force was on the honest
but unreasonable mistake that force is necessary to
repel an attack. In some jurisdictions, such a self-defender
will be charged with a lesser offense than
the one committed. For example, a defendant may
be charged with manslaughter rather than murder
because the defendant used unreasonable force to
repel the attack on the honest belief that it was necessary
to repel the attack (source: US Legal).
Malice Aforethought Law: The deliberate intent
to cause death or great bodily harm to another
person before a person commits the crime. Malice
aforethought is an element that must be proved in
the crime of first-degree murder. This description of
the perpetrator’s state of mind basically means that
he or she had an intent to inflict injury without legal
justification or excuse (legal justification included
such defenses as self-defense, while excuse includes
mental illness and duress). (source: USLegal)
Duty to Retreat: In some states, defendants cannot
use deadly force in self-defense if they can
safely retreat from the attack. (source: www.criminaldefenselawyer.com)
Stand Your Ground Law: Stand your ground
means to stick to your stance or position in an issue,
especially in the face of opposition. It may also
refer to the legal right in some states to use deadly
force in the face of deadly force, rather than flee.
(source: USLegal)
STATES THAT HAVE ADOPTED STAND
YOUR GROUND LAWS INCLUDE:
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70 • FALL 2019

DARWIN at
the
CARWASH
The investment in security cameras pays off for carwash operators (and the readers of SSCWN) with these
mostly frustrating, sometimes funny -- and always cautionary -- stories of Darwins Caught on Camera. Images of these criminals
and/or their vehicles were given to police and the press. Many have been caught thanks to the prowess of security cameras.
First a car wash, then a pub, then a Zen House,
and then an IT company,
but it was the car wash’s surveillance cameras which helped in
catching 25-year-old Kyle Michael Carl of Duluth, Minnesota.
According to the Duluth News Tribune, Carl faces seven felony
burglary-related charges in three separate cases.
Carl was accused of burglaries at the Woodland Car Wash in
May and three downtown businesses — Carmody’s Irish Pub, the
Fitment Group and U.S. Bank — in June and July. Back on May
18, Carl allegedly entered the Woodland Car Wash and attempted
to gain access to coin machines at the business. Officers said
they found a suspect forced entry through a door and appeared to
have pried into the backside of the machines. Also located at the
scene were a screwdriver and ice pick, the story stated.
“Carl and another man were found at approximately 3:51 a.m.
when a burglary-in-progress was reported at the nearby Zen
House, according to a complaint in that case. Police identified
Carl as the alleged perpetrator based on surveillance video from
the car wash, and found several additional tools in a backpack
he was carrying, the complaint said.”
The Duluth police said they are continuing to investigate other
potentially related burglaries.
Police thought it was some
sort of Halloween-related
situation, but no,
unfortunately, it was an actual
dead body they found in a car wash dumpster in
Pueblo, Colorado. According to The Mercury News,
police responded to a report of a suspicious item in
a dumpster at the self serve car wash. “What they
saw was what they thought was skin and what they
thought was blood, but being this close to Halloween
and stuff like that you never know if it is real or
not,” said Pueblo police Sgt. Frank Ortega.
Upon further investigating, they discovered it
was a dead woman, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts
and stuffed into a suitcase.
Surveillance footage shows a man driving up in
a car, opening the trunk, wrestling with the suitcase
and driving off.
They released the video and an image of a distinctive
tattoo on the woman’s leg. That footage led
them to suspect Anthony Cuevas, and the woman
in the suitcase was his...mother. Eeks! According
to KRDO News, Cuevas, who dumped the boy on
October 17 around 6:30 a.m., tried to sell his mother’s
vehicle for scrap at 10:30 a.m. that morning for
about $70.
Employees of the scrapyard realized where the
vehicle came from when they saw the picture of the
blue Versa on the news.
If this story were
part of a children’s
book, the idiom of, “If at first
you don’t succeed, try and
try again,” would be warranted. But, when it
comes to More Dumb Criminals it is just plain idiotic.
A man in Concord, California, was caught on
camera trying to steal a coin machine. After many
attempts, at first with what appears to be a rope, and
secondly with a chain, the man drives off. According
to KRON 4, surveillance cameras were also able
to catch that it was a black 2000 Toyota Tacoma as
well as the license plate number.
FALL 2019 • 71

Darwin
A man took the name
of the Duck In Car Wash
way too literally as he
was caught ducking in and
out of the car wash three times before getting
caught. According to 47 abc News, the William Hutson
II broke into the car wash in Milford, Delaware,
three separate times between September 15th and
September 16th, between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7
a.m. “Surveillance footage from the car wash shows
Hutson allegedly taking an undisclosed amount of
money during those three separate entries. Police
say Hutson also caused damage to the inside of the
building as well,” according to the story.
Car wash employees were able to identify the
39-year-old through surveillance footage.
If any of you reading
this are having a bad
day, at least you’re not this
car wash owner. In fact, if
the owner of the Soft Touch Car Wash in Kansas City,
Missouri, is reading this, we are all here for you, man.
According to KDAF-TV, car wash owner Dennis
Nash, who has owned South Touch for 16 years, is
mad after his security cameras recorded a red Chevy
pickup truck driver pouring wet cement on one of
his bay floors. “The video shows the driver wash out
the mixer and then dump wet concrete mix, the rest
of what was in the mixer, onto the floor of the car
wash bay,” the story said.
Seven days later, on October 28, Nash said the
mess still isn’t cleaned up. Nash’s son and a family
friend have been helping him to break up the pile
and carry out pieces in a wheelbarrow.
“It makes me very mad, and the city also, that’s like
dumping. It just doesn’t work,” Nash said in the story.
Nash said he’s also worried about the damage it
might have done to his drainage system.
Police were able to identify the man and he has
been issued a summons for illegal dumping.
Being pregnant can be
difficult. It is especially
difficult when you are
surrounded by reckless
drivers. And, before I go on, I want everyone to
know that the woman as well as her baby are okay.
In Fort Myers, Florida, on September 26, a woman
described as “very much pregnant” was hit by a car
which fled the scene. “The crash caused the victim
to go into labor later that day, earlier than expected,”
according to NBC2. The other driver fled the
72 • FALL 2019
Is it just me or does
this photo of two men
who allegedly damaged a car wash in Franklin,
Tennessee, look like 1950s heartthrobs? The one on
the left looks like James Dean and the one on the
right looks like Tab Hunter.
Here is a picture of Tab Hunter and James Dean
for comparison:
And, back to the news story at hand. Police in
Franklin were able to catch the two men pictured
(not Dean and Hunter) who damaged a car wash
after their truck and equipment got hung up during
the wash, according to Fox 17 Nashville.
The driver and passenger exited the vehicle to
inspect the damage, but fled the scene. Police were
able to catch the two men thanks to the car wash’s
surveillance system.
I understand the importance of
a good high-pressure shower,
but this is a bit extreme.
Two men of Carhaix, France, who are
perhaps trying to honor Benny Hill, got a
good scrubbing after sitting through an in-bay
automatic washing minus a vehicle. Thankfully,
they are not completely nude and left on bright
orange underwear.
The two men sang a song during the wash
down as someone cheers them on in the
background. Afterwards, they went to the
vending machine and bought air fresheners
and tied them around their ankles. Just
kidding, I made up that last part.
scene on foot, but security cameras spotted him at
Arland’s Car Wash. A car wash employee witnessed
the crash and called out to the man on foot to see
if he was okay. “She whistled at him to come to our
property to see if he was okay and everything and he
didn’t really reply to her, he was really nervous and
just wanted to walk away from the scene,” said car
wash Assistant Manager Naomy Martinescu. “That’s
how we caught him on camera by her calling him
over here closer to our property.”
Deputies soon came to collect the security
video from one of the car washes 30 security
cameras, according to the story. Two weeks later,
deputies arrested 32-year-old Daniel Watson at a
methadone clinic.
A 26-year-old man was
caught allegedly breaking
into the Arras Car Wash coin
box in
Hillsboro, Missouri on Oct. 27. The Leader reported
that the car wash owner witnessed the
break-in attempt via his security cameras and notified
police. Police Chief Steve Meinberg said in the
story, “The owner has got video there,” Meinberg
said. “It showed the owner that someone was tam-

Come on, guys,
it’s all ball bearings
nowadays!
Still the
24/7
Operator’s Roundtable!
FALL 2019 • 73

pering with a coin box. We showed up and found
(the) suspect there with a white van that had been
stolen out of St. Clair two days before. It was full
of multiple power tools, probably $5,000 worth of
equipment. There were ladders. There was even a
mounted deer head. A chandelier. Plumbing stuff.”
Methamphetamine was also apprehended.
Sometimes a thief needs to
know when to throw in the
towel. In this case, there were
three men
who simply didn’t give up, and instead tried to rob
a car wash, unsuccessfully, for three hours. Surveillance
video caught a group of men pounding on the
payment machine at the Barn Car Wash in Saugus,
Massachusetts, with crowbars and sledgehammers.
“The owners of Barn Car Wash said the payment
machine was left ruined by the assault,” reported
WCBV 5 News. They believe this may be the same
group that tried to break in about two months ago.
Lock up your guns, folks. A 19-year-old man in
Port St. Lucie, Florida is accused of stealing a gun
from a vehicle at the Stuart Car Wash & Detail
Center, according to TCPalm.com Jordany Elveus
was arrested on two felony charges, including theft
of firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted
felon charges.
The robbery victim said she was at the car wash
earlier in the day and had secured her Ruger handgun
in the center console. After leaving the car wash
she said the gun was missing. Surveillance video
showed three employees go near the automobile,
but only Elveus – went near the center console.
“At one point, Elveus put a rolled up cleaning rag
in the front of his pants and went away for about
two minutes,” the story said. “One of the car wash
owners reported finding a gun “in the bottom of the
cabinet in the area Elveus went to.” Elveus denied
taking the handgun, but was later arrested.
A woman was able to flee on
foot from her kidnapper at a
Des Moines, Iowa, car wash.
Jessica Thompson, said she was washing her
camper on August 5 when her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy
King, 42, arrived. He violently abducted her and
drove off in her camper.
King reportedly then drove off and stopped at a
car wash, according to KCCI 8 news. “And so I just
Security footage shows
robbery suspects trip
over each other
before mugging a car wash employee in
New York.
The New York Post perfectly writes,
“Two bumbling robbers tripped over
each other moments before mugging a
car wash attendant of $800 at gunpoint
… The clumsy pair –– a man and woman
–– approached the attendant booth at
Bedford Car Wash … just after midnight
October 2.”
The two robbers tumbled to the
Shout out to KTUL
Tulsa for this line it
its story: It was a fullservice
arrest with an
unexpected rinsing.
On October 30 in South Coffeyville,
Oklahoma, a man is caught on video,
“hurling soapy water into the face of a
South Coffeyville police officer right before
the officer tased him.”
“It was a first,” said Officer Shelldon
Rivers.
Officer Rivers had been dispatched to
a car wash for a reckless driver complaint
in which the driver, Michael Downing, had
been caught going 70 mph in a 30 mph
zone.
When Officer Rivers approached
Downing, who was inside the car wash
bay, Downing picked up a liquid and threw
it in the officer’s face, forcing him to tase
knew this is the time,” Thompson said in the story.
“If I want to go, I gotta go now. He speeds up to try
to grab me up again and I just book it, just sprinting.
And I just run into a busy road.”
Surveillance video showed King “pursuing her
ground, and, after the awkward
plunge, “the pair continued to the
booth, whipped out their guns and
hit the 29-year-old worker on the
head before fleeing with the cash…”
Downing to the ground.
Chief Wade Lamb said in the story that
his officer handled the situation perfectly,
even if he did get a little wet.
“He already had the taser out, I don’t
know if it got in his eyes and he went ahead
and deployed it cause he already had it
aimed at him, it was a 50/50 hit or miss on
that one,” said Lamb.
Chief Lamb says the liquid he threw was
left behind in this grate after a car wash, it’s
a combination of soap, wax and water, the
story said. The chief says Downing said he
was using it to wash his tires.
“It’s wastewater, I don’t know why
anyone would want to use it,” said Lamb.
aggressively with the vehicle,” but he drove off before
police arrived. King was later arrested and is
awaiting trial.
74 • FALL 2019

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FALL 2019 • 75

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