My $300,000 Car Wash Disaster 

As a general contractor i would go after the manufacturer as if they sent you promise date and failed then they owe you something as far as discount. I would also make sure they dont try to get you with covid price increase

If the problem is just the pay station and you can run the wash manually... you could just hire someone on a temporary basis to take payment and start the wash for the customer.

I appreciate you highlighting the troubles and not just success with these car washes.

Welcome to the industry. You have all the right ideas, and seem to be heading in the right direction. You just have to experience some things like any other industry and it all becomes a routine, been at it myself since '08.

I learned after my 2021 laundromat build. Have a drop dead day. Everyday after reduces the price of the job by $100. But you have to put that in the contract from the start. Any project that will close your business has to have a deadline. Makes the contractors and subs have some skin in the game.

I would make sure you had options of liquidated damage dates on any contract I signed. Just to hold all parties accountable for their commitments.

Youve been around the block a few times now, contracts should have penalties for lack of performance in them by now.

Depends on your contract and relationship with the suppliers, direct and respectful conversations go a long way.

I would be going after those that committed to timeframes for it. As an AV project manager I feel your pain. On the soap dispenser the manufacturers tend to use the acceptable level of spec to make things work to curb expenses, they're just tripping themselves up an get clients that don't return. The best recourse is to demand from them to install higher spec hoses so that you can refer others to them and keep buying from them... Or take your business somewhere else. Good luck, and thanks for all the openness and information, I'm learning a lot and I believe others too.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the new improvements made. I'm north in Cleveland and I eventually need to stop by. I like both ends of soap you use. The alkaline will clean grime and acidic will remove minerals and water spots. I know you mentioned a ceramic previously and as an upcharge you'd have cars even easier to clean and protect plus chemical resistance. I think you're doing amazing! I hope to visit some day! In the meantime be safe and well!

Keep your head up Brandon!!! You’re a great person and your channel is still great. I always watch your brother’s channel as well. Keep up the great work!

You need to add led rgb light everywhere. Believe it or not a lot of people like to go through car washes just for the pretty lights lol!

You will make it happen, you always do! You'll probably make a bigger profit on it than you expected once the renovation is done.

HOSE SOLUTION Hey there first off love your content and everything you do thank you so much for that. A little background for me I have repaired car washes for over 7 years now and I've had to deal with many busted hose problems. My immediate solution for any kind of high pressure no matter what PSI you are running is to use hydraulic hose with JIC fittings. I've never had a single one bust on high pressure water at any of the locations I have serviced. Depending on how you get it if you do it yourself it's about $3 a foot or if you go to your local auto parts store it may be more but most places like Napa can actually make the hose for you. Just be aware that you will pay a premium up front but it will last you years. The other benefit of getting a nylon core over steel core hose is if say your hose gets worn down because it's going over a corner and you do get a leak you can easily cut it and put a union in to repair it instead of replacing the entire hose. I hope that works out for you if you have any Car Wash questions please hit me up!

I’d start the process of going after them and them seeing that you are changes a lot and really lights a 🔥 under peoples butts especially when it’s viewed by the public on social media.

You have valid points for negotiation with the implied possibility of litigation. Lawsuits basically help no one other than the lawyers, but the threat of a lawsuit often results in concessions and adjustments.

After my last renovation from you know where. I had given them a start date at the beginning of January, but they didn't start until the end and we moved back into our house 3 days before I gave birth to my son. They were supposed to be 3 weeks for what they were doing. It was fixing flooring and laying new flooring, trim work, and carpet and redoing the bathroom. Which was a tub with molded surround, new tub hardware a prefab vanity and just rehooking up the toilet. It was not a huge project as it was only 900Sq ft of appt. I checked in often and it is like they worked for the first week sat for 2 weeks did nothing a bit the third and when I said we need to be back in it was a crappy rush job. This time around for a basement it will have many more clauses to protect me the homeowner against shotty work and nonwork/delays.

your problem with the quarters spilling on the ground is that you need to place the bucket under it before you open it so ones that fall out of the box fall into the bucket instead of the floor. Also your an amazing influencer and entrepreneur I like you bro

That low pressure needs to be a higher pressure hose. When the pump changes different soaps you sometimes get back pressure that will blow that hose

You can get from a local hydraulic shop either hose made with crimp ends or just buy the reusable ends and lengths of hose..

That's terrible! I'm sorry to hear about your car wash. I would also switch the chemicals to Kleen Rite or Simoniz if you ever get your car wash fixed

wow. this is an old school car wash. i love the new car washes because you don't have to pay extra to vacuum.

I work for a gas station that has a car wash and were still getting delays in the supply and labor area's. Not sure much can be done in either case but wait. We've tried to sidestep and use other companies and find our own parts needed with little to no positive results. Good luck

Nothing you can do, construction is just a disaster right now

I manage a heavy commercial and industrial HVAC company. We are experiencing longer equipment delays than during Covid, and it will not get better. Manufacturers no longer have to pay to keep inventory stocked on hand, they manufacture the equipment when it’s ordered. We don’t send any contracts out anymore that don’t protect us from equipment delays beyond our control, installation dates are an estimate anymore. Grainger sells all kind of high pressure/high temperature hose rated far more than 200 psi, all different diameters as well.

let see what happen 😮 to your business bro

jfc, go to your local parts store and get a hydraulic hose made. no hose with a hose clamp is good over 100 psi. and why have electronics in the same room with water hoses? buy a server rack to put electronics in to protect it

As a diesel mechanic I'd say use hydraulic lines instead and have them made at a Parker store. Since your in Ashville the closest Parker store is in canal Winchester. Or maybe even napa could help you right down the street. Take both the hose and all the fittings related to the hose

Never go by the minimum manufacturer pressure spec. Always... ALWAYS doubt that spec at least if you want to keep blowouts of hoses from happening.

I would put some sort of moisture sensor or water level sensor to alert you of leaks or blown hoses. Where did the hoses fail at the connection I notice they are hose clamped. Not all clamps are created equal. If it's coming apart at the fitting try putting a oetiker style clamp on it.

Hose burst issue-Is that going to your chem injectors? If so check your pressure regulator. turn on an output with a small flow (tire cleaner for example) and make sure the pressure isn't excessively high. I use continental insta grip which KR has and have never had a problem like that it has a 300psi working pressure. A friend of mine is using yolink for many applications at his var wash including water detection and vibration (vandalism) and he highly recommends them.

Braided PVC vinyl hose for anything high pressure. While you might have something rated for 200 PSI. You will in time experience bulging and eventually a line busting. Not all of those lines would call for higher tho. Its very dependent on the situation without seeing things in person hard to make a call tho. PVC > Rubber at the end of the day.

While the 200 PSI hose may be able to handle 250 PSI on occasion, it's not designed to do it on either 1000's of cycles or for long durations, else they'd rate it higher. I'd go at least 300 PSI rated to give it some margining, but 500 PSI just that much better.

You have to get like 3 or 4 washing boxes, so where the customer can wash their car by them self with a pressure washer ect. Then you can make it 24/7 open. Here in The Netherlands we have the same, were making 40.000 euro a year, without the carwash !

Being in the c-store wholesale fuel business my father always said every time we invested capital in land and buildings no matter how new and shiny it was always the people that made the difference .

I'm surprised you don't have commitment dates/penalty clauses for non-performance. I would consider trying to encourage a faster delivery, potentially alternatively source, while having your attorney prepare a Nasty-Gram to ding them for breach of contract. But, I don't know all the details.

Id look into having a steel braided hose made for that hose problem, it might be worth the extra cost and peace of mind

Get a guy to check the wash daily. That 200psi hose is a bypass for the high pressure unloader it looks like. If you are blowing that hose, you've got nozzles plugged on the high pressure. Or if you are using hot water, could be cooking the hose. Been repairing carwashes 25 years, I've see that blow lots. Clean nozzle and it's fine

The reason that 250psi hose keeps blowing is because it has too much back pressure. Looks like the side blaster hp line. We fixed ours doing that by adding more gph nozzles to the side blasters. assuming thats a washworld or a laserwash

Definitely change out the underspecced hose. No question. Most towns with an industrial base will have hose specialists. Failing that go to the next bigger town. Similarly, there should be some repair company, local or up the chain, that can come up with an idea how to put the carwashes into service- used parts, manual runnings, liek the guy says a human addendant or two. Remember car washes are season- the busiest is early spring- like right now. Don't miss it! If the vacuums work, but the carwash doesn't- put a mobile temporary street sign sign and run the vacuums for free for a couple weeks, just to get people to pull in. People are crazy "place-specific"- it's hard wired in us, long story- but if someone comes in for a freebie...they will be back.

I am a GC here on west coast and build these car washes. If you got 15 years out of that FRP that is amazing as most FRP installations don't last 5 years. If our client wants FRP in their tunnel we will not warrantee it as it simply does not last. We use a spray on fiberglass over a Dens Guard / Dens Armor substrate (fiberglass based board). We have a subcontractor that comes out and sprays the whole tunnel and it lasts 30+ years or longer (never had a call back on one yet). Chances are that when you tear off the FRP in your tunnel you will find mold which will require the replacement of the substrate.. Also, I would not use FRP outdoors around you vacuum units...It won't last. Good Luck.

Just a thought, but maybe adding some drainage to your pump room to prevent future accidents from waterlogging the room would benefit you long term.

I am in the exact same situation you are now. My Wash World Razor showed up on December 20th. I have done everything my self so far and just have electrical left. Hope you get this thing finished soon. What brand/model is your new pay station?

It is still awesome to see your adventures.

have a look at steel braded hoses, they should withstand more then enough pressure.

1,200 cars in February. @$15 each wash is 18k +vacuum and self serve. Sounds like a fun business to consider.

Simplify the process. Hire an attendant to process cc transactions. Install a temp switch to start machine giving everyone a high end wash for same price.

I'd build a payment box myself. Raspberry PI hooked up to a Square? payment gateway, screen, camera with qr code scanner, notifications for you. Then you have more control of the whole system. You've got GPIO to trigger the doors or lights and other features, You've got the ability then to run your own website, memberships, promos etc and get the box access to it. Maybe a local makerspace could help you get there if that's kinda out of reach.

There's probably a lot of water hammer happening with solenoid opening and closing... That style hose clamp isn't the most secure. I'd look into an industrial hose supply to make crimped hoses with the proper fittings.

I'm surprised your car washes do good at all. I guess is different market than most I see. Most of these car washes like this our totally gone in our area and have several of the new ones that are manned, you drive thru and includes free vacuum at the end. No timer on vacuum cleaner or having to put change in. Can even sign up for monthly deal and get you car washed as much as you want.

the opening line this vid is the best opener i've ever heard LOL i have been dying for the past 5 mins at that line hahaha

I had the same problem when I got my emergency whole home electricity back home generator. I paid the contractor half and was ready to pay them the other half. They had problems with labor. I had previously tried to hire a different contractor first but he told me he didn't have a plumber for the gas work. They were supposed to install this in a month and it took them 6 months due to holidays and 2nd wave of coronavirus hitting.

Take that problem hose and the fittings on the end and replace it with a high pressure hydraulic hose. Until that time double clamps on either end, using high quality clamps. 100% stainless

water hammer can cause pressure spikes that will burst hoses that are rated slightly above operating pressure. water hammer occurs when water is running through a pipe and is suddenly stopped, usually by an automatic valve (solenoid). the water slams against the closed valve, and a pressure wave reflects back. in building plumbing, you can get a device called a "hammer arrestor" that is placed near the valve.

Need to get away from that quarter crap and get to a card system

I work in the hvac industry and lead times on certain pieces of equipment are just ridiculous and what we have grown accustomed at this point. Unfortunately in your situation it’s nothing new in terms of constant push back from manufacturers. Talking with reps, and what I have heard is that manufacturers with these constant delays are the ones who are not sourcing their parts from other manufacturers, which is causing delays. When you have a final product that is only compatible with once part that is gonna create problems.

You need to replace those 200psi lines to 500psi or 600psi lines. Always go at least double psi lines higher than needed on these lines this will help protect you from faulty lines. Many lines today are made from sub standard materials. I have owned power washers, air lines, and power sprayers and learned not to trust parts based on specs. so much stuff is more Bs specs than fact. Better to spend more for quality now than later paying for what sub quality cost in repairs and down time

If you’re not hurting, just keep getting updates. If it were me, I’m broke, so I’d probably hand wash cars in the bay so I can make some money to pay on the loan.

I think this is why you see a lot of car washes with 2 automatic bays.

I would look at penalties when negotiating your contracts etc even with buying the machines etc see what room you have and put in the penalties give them that kick up the arse to get the job don within a timely manner a few days a week or 2 at most within reasons acceptable 3 months is ripping the piss tbh

Regarding delays in systems 2+ years later look at the backlogs in restaurant equipment. Most major equipment have delays. Right now getting some new ice cream machines (non refurbished) can take up to 40 weeks, grills/fryer units up to 26 weeks and other equipment almost as long Right now the company I work for we have delays in some repair parts for equipment that is nearly 3 months on some items. We removed the bad equipment to storage and are using back up equipment in their places. Fortunately over the years we got into the habit of stockpiling common parts that fail and have kept older equipment in storage simply to strip parts from them. We expanded our search for repair parts and even rebuild some parts as needed People simply can't grasp how vast the covid pandemic hit the world. From 1918-1924 the "Spanish flu" pandemic hit and affected over 1/4 of the population. Covid not only affected more people physically but also supply chains forged over decades that can be snapped by a single failure in one point

No vacuum machine should cost $30K. Not even an industrial one.

It's difficult to say what I'd do. I hate that Corona still has ripple effects throughout every industry, even to this day. Sadly I to am at the mercy of supply chain for some parts, with no relief in sight. It's a poop sandwich for sure, especially on our end where we just have to sit and wait.

I would be like I can't wait that long. I can't have this be down for too long, and we're almost back into normalcy if it was me I would pressure them a little bit to deliver at the deadline that I set after numerous delays if they can't deliver I'll have to find someone else.

I'm in the process of having an express wash built. It was supposed to be up and running this month and my new finish date is in June...

Great video, love to see people making money, wishing you the best my man !!!!

Plz fix the air in the lines at ashville carwash

Money is money get what you can get however you need to get. Fair and professional is the attitude you should always maintain.

So my thoughts. Frp covered walls are a thing of the past. They age, dont look good, and arent smooth. I like the bare concrete look, bright LED lights, the fancy new looking led light vacuums that are just the wands, etc. Well lit and trendy. Frp says old school.

Go to your local hydraulic shop and get custom hoses made. Replace all high pressure hoses with custom ones

A self service with an automatic car wash is not an investment.... its a tax write off. Just a tip. Keep them coming back, don't skimp on the presoaks or wax/drying agents.

This is a good example of cow business is harder than people think. Lots of people believe that business is doing nothing but make money and rip people off. There's another side to that coin.

damn, thats rough :( (especially the payment station, what's up with that? component shortage?) but this is looking to be a pretty spiffy car wash! i don't think it's a disaster, just a delayed excellent investment. i would definitely hold everyone you're making agreements with to committing to them though. you've done amazing things before though obviously, im sure you'll make this work too!!

It would be easy to change the hose to a 500 psi go walk into any hydraulic hose company and ask them to make you one with 3/4 fittings at least that’s what they look like

Hey Brandon thank you for the content I always enjoy watching your video's, I have one question do you own the Real Estate for this car wash or do lease it?

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but perhaps adding a water hammer arrestor to the solenoid manifold might solve the hose problem!

I’m an industrial mechanic. I think 200 psi is asking a lot from lines held on with hose clamps. Go talk to a farm equipment dealer. They can probably make you hydraulic lines that would be good for thousands of psi.

I'm under the belief that if the hose is labeled 200psi it should also be labeled with a temperature(or might be able to find that on a datasheet), that would be relating to the average psi it can hold for long term use; they're probably "right" that it's within spec for holding far more than that(250 or whatever) but that's also misleading as it would depend on the application and that would also be more of a peak pressure; hold fine occasionally but not for long term......... **standard pex tube is a good example of application and environment coming into consideration, it is why you're not suppose to use standard PEX for air compressor lines, although they are rated for something like 300psi~(after being exposed to oil etc it may deteriorate, hardening over time may effect how it fails/etc.... fail safely or destructively); most pex will list multiple psi ratings for diff temperature ranges..... **other example side note; I tried using these fancy automotive use 600psi~ braided hoses for the output of a compressor head which gets fairly how, and what ended up happening is it cooked the inner lining, that hardened and the shaking made it leak:P(out of spec it went that easily:P)

Your hose issue has several variables that would need to be known before fixing the issue. It looks like you guys are using a single braid air/water hose that is only good for 200-250 working psi. I see hose ends that have no clamps and hose ends that have 1 worm gear style clamp. I'm afraid if we pulled some of those hose ends off we would find out they are not on a fitting with a hose barb but were forced over a threaded end which should never be done even if it's on lines that have no pressure. Ideally you would want to take all of those hoses to an industrial hose supply shop and have them fix you up with higher pressure lines with 'crimped' ends that are good for the chemicals/soaps that are being distributed through those hoses.

If it was 300k for that property, then I would just sell off any items and level that area to build apartments or houses. People don't like to use these old-fashioned manual car washes. The touchless wash with free vacuums is what everyone goes to.

I would send out a few demand letters and either get money back or the product quicker

Put the Mark VII ChoiceWash XT in your bays and you should be good for a while.

Also can you not get plumbing company in a solder copper pipes instead of crappy rubber.

We have one In our self serve bays and it saves the back and the time to collect from the bays directly

You mentioned that you done 1,200 car washes in a month. Think at that rate it would be impossible to make a profit but hope you do. You might want to see if somebody can make you quality high pressure hoses. We never used flimsy hose clamps above 75#'s. I joined a close by car wash that I only pay $32 a month for unlimited best of the 3 types washes they offer. Have two lines that are both running on busy days. They have approximately 75 spots for vacuuming cars. They have the absolute most powerful central vacuums. Powered by eight 40 horsepower motors. I get 6 to 7 car washes a month so it only cost me $5 a wash. Did electrical work for a car wash. Guy did a great job maintain equipment but every week something needed fixing. Good luck with this. Smart to go with three phase motors whenever possible. They produce great starting torque and no capacitors to burn out .

Hydraulic hose and fitting cost more but last almost forever

Nobody wants to pay anybody and people have moved on to other work. Seems like your old payment thing could be replaced with an app. You pay, you get a code, enter the code to start the wash.

Hi, love the videos. I'd redo the system room to have a drain in centre of the room with metal grate. Also you can get leak smart water sensor and also get smart fire sensor. Create metal casing around pipes and everything, with drain holes at bottom. If leak it will go downward into drain. OK but if f about but it will stop this happening again and causing you big dollars. Do this when you do panels. With the collection of coins, get a metal worker to make you sqaure bin that slots into wall. Like hanging. All the best From Bill in the UK.

Do you have a contact that has an install time on it? If so what are the terms? Some will have daily penalties until the work is completed. Until then use that property for something else to generate income until the car wash is completed. I recently started to allow Food Trucks to come on my business property and we do a weekly "Food Truck Roundup" The food trucks will pay me for a spot which includes electrical and internet hook-up and access to a covered table area. Not only do I generate revenue from the food trucks but it also generates foot traffic for my business, not to mention the free advertisement I get from all the food trucks advertising where they are going to be but also the city and county advertises it as a "Community Gathering".

i would have for sure gone after the ppl who gave me time frames then i would have gone after the others

I’m hearing similar comments from my clients regarding projects they’re trying to get done. I try to avoid legal as much as possible it’s never good for anybody. I would have a serious come to Jesus meeting with all suppliers having trouble, inform them in the meeting that payment will be withheld moving forward until they finish and also provide them written notice. I would search for alternate suppliers and inform them of the situation and ask if they’re having the same troubles. You never know what wonderful relationships can be formed during such adversity. I would remain blatantly honest and upfront with all parties and tell them enough is enough and you’re losing money at this point. Legal recourse would only be an option if it is determined the supplier was lying or negligent in some way.

To me it seems like the workers are purposely dragging it out as long as they can... You could get everything finished within a week with the right team No enthusiasm and meh people... Or try a few new people who know their stuff All the best 👍 ❤

Get legal onto your problems and charge companies. Think you need to get these companies to sign contracts. All these problems will go away with a call from a solicitor.

Find an alternative manufacturer and get their time frame, You need to issue original company a drop dead date if they can’t meet it, have the new company do it. Nothing incentivizes a company like being able to bad mouth a rival because they couldn’t get a job done.

Keep after them let know if they do not get done you can not make money to pay the payments

availability of finished goods will never recover.

Did the hose physically break apart or did it come disconnected? We use very similar appearance 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 red hose at my place of work where they are energized to 95 psi and I can't recall any hoses busting, but what we have had is connections fail. We now have dix lock connections with a locking collar and they work great.

Take them to court for the money you are losing with it not working

Just curious and a possible thought on the high pressure hose. Can you use a hydraulic hose ? It would cost more than a garden hose but well worth it

What you do now depends on how committed you are to your investment. I'm sure you already know what the projected cash flow from this investment will generate. It would be nice to hold those contractors to their commitments and getting a discount or rebate from them for being late, but that's wishful thinking. You really have to press ahead and finish it out so the car wash can start paying of your loan.