Competing for business at the Car wash

by Prada Handbag Prada handbag

Competing for business at the Car wash
Driving west on Pine Island Road, you see the sign — a dog in a tub soaking in a bubble bath. The caricatured pooch rests in a clawfoot tub, no less. Drive a little closer and the luxurious vision comes into focus: A dog wash, next to a motorcycle wash, boosting the curb appeal of the traditional car wash out back.

Welcome to the Downtowner Express. Two dog-washing bays pamper canines with an array of spa-like treatments: A warm water pre-soak, tearless shampoo, oatmeal shampoo, flea-and-tick shampoo, conditioner, fragrance and a warm water rinse. A wet doggie vacuum, along with a little dog blow drier or a big dog blow drier, finishes off the indulgent scrub.

The motorcycle wash comes equipped with a hydraulic lift. Bikers pull in and raise up their hogs. No more bending over to wash the underbellies of their pavement-eating beasts. Wash selections include a pre-soak, high-pressure soap, foaming brush, wheel and tire cleaner, spot-free rinse and a clear coat protectant. Downtowner owners say there are only three of its kind in the country.

The car wash conveyor takes vehicles through a theatrical 140-foot tunnel. Three projections — the Downtowner logo, a dog in a tub and a smiley face — move across windshields like a movie. LED lights make the hot lava wax look like a lava flow traversed the hood of your car and left it scalding clean.

“We’ve had customers say going through our car wash is like going to Disney World,” owner Troy Montpetit says. Singling out that customer comment shows the evolution of the car wash. The business has moved from manual to whimsical, from sponge-inbucket to la-di-da decadent in order to attract today’s clientele.

Mr. Montpetit is a third-generation car wash owner. He opened the Downtowner full service car wash on Del Prado in August 2006. The location has become known for its greeting cards and squirt guns. Patrons park at the Burger King next door just to run in and buy an outrageously funny birthday card. Squirt guns stand ready for children to squirt cars mid-wash as they go passing by.

“When it comes to a car wash, it’s not just one big thing, it’s a lot of little things. That’s where we feel we separate ourselves from our competition,” Mr. Montpetit says. “It’s all in the little details. We want customers to feel we value their hard-earned dollar.”

And at his latest venture, the Pine Island Downtowner Express which just opened in July, it’s all about the technology. Mr. Montpetit has incorporated a rooftop rainwater catchment system, along with other environmentally friendly innovations.

“You use less water at a car wash than you do washing your car in your driveway at home,” Mr. Montpetit says.

Eric Wulf, CEO of the International Carwash Association, concurs. “Car washes use 40 gallons or less of freshwater per cycle,” he says over a phone call from Chicago. “That’s less than the standard home washing machine uses per cycle. That’s less than five minutes of running your hose at home.”

welcome really useful kapton tape Web,double sided tape is best choose! thanks !

Sponsor Ads

• Ad Space Available - Rent it Now!

Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

Comments