Our Most EXPENSIVE car wash situation 

Hope you guys enjoy! If you're interested in the course use the code 'expensive' for like $40 off. Use code soon as I generated a limited number investmentjoy.com/course

go to your local dog parks and research how many locals own dogs before you do a dog wash. You may be spending money excessively to create a dog wash. only to get a low return. Always do your due diligence.

I worked at a place with a pet wash, they are a giant pain. Ice vending would be much easier

The often times overlooked part of business. The upkeep and overal general maintenance. Good video!

Make a spot for oversized vehicles on the end.

Hey, I remember subscribing to you when you were just a little channel and you just had the laundromat, I found your channel again and this is amazing!

The Bay's need a good degreasing and scrubbing also. Offer job's of cleaning to your church youth group for funding for there Trip's.

In Florida with car washes, the vending machines that dispense car care products are a hit. I think a car care vending machine and a drink machine would make the best money.

The go pro style videos are awesome to see the actual work being done. Stay safe!

I like the fact that when you buy a business you spend time cleaning it up. A dirty, messy business is generally a reflection on the owner. I would much prefer to work in a clean and tidy environment, rather than a chaotic mess.

I’m so excited to see how the car wash looks in a few months

Wow! The side of your building facing the Dollar General is SCREAMING out for signage!

Do you have a tire inflation machine? If someone is going to clean out their car i'd think it would get use.

Hey, when you put text on the screen, either outline it in black or throw a background behind it with low opacity for readability, love the videos, good luck with everything :)

If you haven’t already maybe a complete pressure wash down of all the dirt and grime on the brick walls of the bays to make them look cleaner. Loving the content and thanks for sharing

I'm so glad that at 2:02 you talked about using devices to improve your time; folks really miss that nugget. Also, I'd say go for the ice vending machine, especially if you can use the same devices for accepting money and credit, and if you can use the same water supply (assuming its treated before making ice) as the car wash. BK

My local place had two dog wash bays and they have been shut down for years. The constant cleaning, dog hair on the drains, smells, and just general yuck..... go for the ice mashies, low maintenance, high profit (as Seinfeld said “All you need is water, cold and time !!!”).

I love the concept of fixing something up and breathing new life into it! I hope I am able to do this for myself in the future! Cheers from Bulgaria!

Love the video. I run my own lawn care business and my wife runs a preschool at our house. No one ever sees the time spent repairing the house or cleaning the yard or maintaining mowers and equipment where we really don’t make money. Because of you we bought our first vending machine this weekend. The unfair covid restrictions in California have really hurt our businesses and we are looking for new ways to diversify. Thank you so much for the inspiration and information.

This is great. Showing people about maintenance, care and real goings ons behind the scenes of running a business. Business owners are firefighters, always putting out fires or solving problems.

Ow man the open ness is appreciated and makes this addicting to watch!

Buddy, you are doing a great job. Take your time. Step by step. Focus on the general maintenance and good-looking of the bays. What about a suggestion box for the clients leave their comments? Or the can text you. Hearing the customer is a must. Plans for the near future: vending machines (snacks, soda, car amenities). Stay safe!

i love seeing the work you're putting into it! I can't wait to see more remodeling videos and then see how it looks when you finally get everything done. i enjoy seeing this side of having to get a business back up and running properly and not just the easy money collecting.

You literally started my drive and desire to earn money.

Build a soft cloth wash, Many people do not like the no touch washes as they do not always remove a 1-2 weeks accumulation of road grime even with the best pre-soak chemicals on the market. When when I say soft I mean Micro-fiber, not the outdoor carpet crap or the foam pendulum side wraps. A great feature to add to any wash is a 90-150 PSI undercarriage cleaner. Most convey system use what amounts to a garden sprinkle but many self serve /auto bay locations like yours can really benefit from a high Pressure system such as I described.

I own a self service carwash and it can be challenging to keep everything 100%. It keeps you busy for sure. Winter time can be even more crazy but thats when you make the fat stacks!

That wall on the side looks like a great spot to paint something to bring people from the dollar general over! Good space to put a nice sign or somthin up to attract someone who peers over from the dollar general! Just an idea! Loving the series! So informative and inspiring.

Thank you Brandon for a great video again i have been watching almost since the beginning but have been studying what it takes to do these things and am completely amazed by your content

I greatly appreciate the time you put in to your content. That day you got pulled 10 different directions and you still spent the time to update. Business is not all counting money, there is a lot of hard work. Of course, we'd rather count than sweep but sweat equity is important when you're coming up the way you are. Hope you make it "over the hump" soon so you can get back to counting. I'll buy the course Friday since so you can get yourself a McChicken 😅

I love the carwash videos. It really is a very interesting business and I bet once you do your upgrades, the maintenance will not go away but will be greatly reduced. Putting in credit card readers creates easy access, reliability, and creates more time for you. I think as viewers we can tell that the previous owner really did just give up. A lot of up front costs for you, but something that will create value.

Once it's all fixed up, the amount of time required will drop very rapidly, keep it up!

love the gopro stuff, gives a realistic outlook of day to day things. It's nice to watch as you talk about other things

I thought your auto car wash would be like ones with the big rollers, but its a newer type I have never seen before. Do the roller ones even exist anymore, I can't remember the last time I seen one? As a 1980s kid I used to love going to the car wash and sitting inside the car as these huge rollers buffed the sides then rolled over the top of the car. They must have done a great job as there was always loads of soap and water, and those rollers used to spin super fast as they moved over the car. They used to be really common here in the UK, even small family petrol (GAS - USA) stations used to sometimes have them. I own a few websites, but you have definately got me thinking about doing more 'real world' business, more hassle, but more fun. I was well impressed when I watched the vid when you were talking about the local NEWSPAPER you own!

hey Brandon. your doing a great job. car wash is looking so much better. keep up the great work. i really enjoy watching your videos and seeing how all your projects are coming along.

When you get it to a point where most everything has been upgraded/cleaned/installed/replaced, will you do a video or two showing the contrast between "before" and "after"? It would be great to see the differences... Just a thought I've implemented at my laundromat.. if there's any risk of water/critter infiltration.. you may want to pack that inventory in locking, plastic totes for (long-term) storage.... I'm with you.. .These businesses have tons of hours of physical labor to get upgraded. Another great video. Thanks for sharing!

Wow, I really like this series! A few questions for you: Do you plan on adding blowers/dryer(s) to any of the bays or a standalone for all the bays to use at some point? What is the average cost profit per wash after taking out materials costs to get the soaps and whatnot? Have you started looking at your options for touchless systems and do you have any you like or are potentially interested in putting in? Is it true that monthly unlimited car wash passes do not make any money/end up losing money? Recommendation: Air pump for filling tires. Might not make you any money at all if you offer it for free usage, but its the little things that might get you more traffic perhaps. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing your progress with not only the washes but your other businesses.

For polishing stainless steel don’t use a wire brush get stainless steel cleaner that’s in a spray can and use shop towels or paper towels. It works wonders to properly clean and season the stainless so it doesn’t corrode

I’ve been doing carwashing a long time and I’m excited to meet new investors. Can’t wait to see you at the conference this year.

Here in California most self service car wash doesn’t give change back instead it gives tokens can be used only in that carwash , also they started adding credits card readers to give you continuous time to wash your car and it stop when you select finish , I think they are making more money with these tricks.

I don’t even have a job and I love watching thess

I would suggest getting some caulk. The kind that's mad for your tub, and sealing anywhere inside your change machines that water can get in. You would be surprised how much that will help. You can also put some dielectric grease on any electrical connections in the machines or coat them with some sealer. Check with your local electrician or hardware store on sealer for the electrical connections, they can tell you what to use that won't cause a problem.

Install a compressed air gun for vehicle drying. External mounted coin mech. Timer actuated. Running air lines from equipment room isn't too expensive or difficult. Less maintenance than dog wash. Advertise as better then chamois drying. And quicker.

I like your way of pushing for efficiency. Hard work in the beginning for less work and a more lean process later. Just a tip for the stainless. When using a drill the scratches can get too deep and collect dirt. Try to use a skotchbright pad instead. Even a handheld makes all the difference.

The maintenance in a car wash never stops. The bill changer will fail many more times when the customers put an old bill, or when it doesn’t simply want to work and requires a reset. The equipment in your wash looks rough. You also need a part time person to simply clean up and be there on weekends to make sure things go smooth. Don’t do a pet wash, hair will clog up the drain and customers damage and mistreat everything. I removed it on my wash for that reason. Good luck!

Here in Portugal, car washes started to deploy the car wash system with washing clothes! All in the same space! While cleaning the car the woman will wash and dry the clothes! I do not know if it will be badly thought for you considering that it is already inserted in the 2 markets! Here's the tip! Big hug from Portugal

I would like to see all new graphics, decals, signs and labels, and I would pressure clean and paint the entire structure, specially the car bays

My buddy owned/leased a wash for a few years. I helped him man it for a year or so. That place attracted the scum of the earth. Vandals. Thieves. Drug users and sellers. I don't miss that place at all. He made money. But it took so much time to keep up. The automatic bay was great when it works

Idk how comfortable you feel about a vending machine out in the open like that, but I would put up a vending machine that sells car stuff.... air fresheners, wipes, small little bottles of spray for tire shine.... things like that.

The average per bay revenue per the ICA is closer to $1500 per month, while IBA is more like 10k per month. I believe it is time to upgrade your IBA. It’s ancient my friend. The new models are dazzling and command much higher package price. 100k to 150k all in but they can do soft touch and touchless wash packages in one unit. Also offering unlimited memberships is crazy easy with sites like Everwash. That’s the next level Great sites, great dedication to improving your business.

Polishing the metal use wet sanding it will rlly help smooth out the metal makes it look nice.

Keep it up man, great to see a hardworking person living the American dream and getting that 💸

Coin Changers in a car wash are always a pain in the ass! I ran a coin op car wash for years. Bill validators are the most trouble prone part. Yearly you have to take them apart and clean them. I don't know where you are but I'd assume somewhere south as I did not see doors on the bays. Our Carwashes hare have doors and heated floors. Here in MN we NEED the heated validators. Make sure that when you change out the bays you DRY the quarters before they go in the changer. THis prevents them from sticking/freezing together and jamming up the machine.

I like the follow the progress as you go on upgrading the place! I prefer the step by step, take the time footage but overall, Good job! For me the card payment is a must. I really hate the coins, speciali when i run out of them! Beeing a 5 dogs owner we do go To the dog wash booth ocasianly. One thing to consider is A. Lots of hair will flap all over the place. Specialy when you use air dryers. B. Hair and mud will greate a bigger chance of blockage of the drains. C. I would not go to a dog washer if it was open bay and cars ran by all the time. If a dog escapes ore something.. the need to be contained. Good luck with the carwash!

you can add vending machines but what you MUST add is an inventory for accessories and utilities, like car wipers, and windshield fluid, air refreshers, steering wheel covers, etc.. whatever you can think of and is convenient to sell to your customers, this is a no brainer and thing that sell themselves once a customers comes

I think a pet wash is a good idea. I bet it will be a lot more profitable if it is on the sunny side of the building. The video looked like it was shot in the afternoon and the wall you pointed out was in the shade. What does the south side look like? I think sunlight would be so appealing to pet owners (and shade so unappealing) that it might be worth higher installation cost. Good luck and I hope you are very successful.

There is a really neat pet wash unit at a gas station near my house. We take both of our dogs there at least once a week, considering they are pretty big dogs, it costs about 20$ since we need to purchase extra time for drying them. Unit has several modes: shampoo, conditioner, flea wash, dry high, dry low, rinse, etc. It’s a great unit and we checked the price of them online, it’s about 9-10k depending on how new it is and the condition. I know it’s profitable, low maintenance, and will certainly be used if you know people have pets and there is demand for it. Unit also has a complimentary sanitization mode, which you turn on to wash all the hair out of the tub once you’re done. The place I go to also provides a few towels which you just put into a dirty towel bin, but it’s not really needed.

I work at a 4 bay car garage that hasnt seen any love in over four years. the three employees (including myself) have taken full advantage of slow days to make the shop look more presentable one day at a time. its fun to clean when everyone else is pitching in.

I knew a guy who worked at a place that engineers ice machines. He said once they're installed, they practically print money. This is Coastal NC though.

1st off, I love your videos and appreciate the time you take to show the real side of owning a business. I have a few opinions/recommendations that I understand not everyone would agree with and that's OK. 1. Appearance is everything, and in this case for me I am referring to cleanliness. Or at the least the illusion of cleanliness. For me as a customer, when I want to go clean my car, I want to go to a clean establishment. Currently the signage is old and faded, the walls inside the bays have the appearance of mildew everywhere and the brick is literally falling apart in some places. For me, I would probably drive up, take one look at the place and drive away. Obviously you have many customers who are overlooking that aspect and may not even care. But I guarantee that if you were to fix those items, you would gain your customers trust and see an increase in patronage with new customers. A clean place makes me feel comfortable, and I bet there are many others who feel that same way. I am sure you have an idea of what I am speaking about and probably have a plan in place, I figured I would offer my point of view and what I expect when looking for a carwash. The pet wash station sounds great, there are automatic ones now on the market that would probably bring alot of business. One thing I don't see alot of car washes have are car mat cleaners. I would look into a car mat beater to beat the dirt out and then one that actually cleans the mat as well. This would help keep the cleaning one from getting clogged with dirt. Anyways, hope this helps as far as suggestions go. 😀

Hey Brandon, How about having a sub-series where you just post the raw/trimmed down footage of the go-pro from the clean-up and restoration projects that you are undertaking? I think it would make for some great content, even if it's just sped up and set to soothing music. Easy video to edit, upload and it would increase your video output! Also, for the bill exchangers, how about adding a spring-loaded flap/cover for the openings (with some kind of a rubber gasket)? I feel like that would decrease the amount of moisture coming in and rusting/shorting them out.

paint the building. it'll last for years and it'll grab the attention of people more than the signs. Do a fun bright color scheme to go with your signs. mention that it is under new ownership, maybe? loving the videos!

If your town doesn't have one, You might add on a Truck Wash bay for Larger Trucks+RVs instead of a Pet Wash, Assuming the location is not far off a main road and truck friendly it could be pretty lucrative.

What i understand from car washes is when you buy an old one youre just buying the building And most people who run them would rather build a new shiny one than remodel the old ones

depending on how much the pet wash makes. but i would go with the vending option. car wash near my house has an ice machine and it makes bank. just keep improving the car washes and make them look nice. appearance means a lot to customers. and this was a great video. i’m so intrigued

I think a pet wash would do great! I would also invest in Painting the old tile inside the bays and outside. A fresh coat of paint goes a long way to make the customers know you care and are making improvements.... Also maybe go to a sign printing place and get a canvas banner that says under new ownership to hang outside plus you could re-use the banner for other businesses you start

High pressure fittings use blue thread lock not teflon tape. Can use immediately and won’t leak. Something I wish I had learned 3 years ago.

Be careful with a pet wash, unless fully enclosed. Someone blowing out a thick under coat next to my newly washed, but still wet car... I'd be furious if I was upwind.

The local carwash like yours had me for a while go go each bay in the summer about closing time and would leave tokens for me and I’d was the walls and floor for the next day, and then sweep the floor in the office. Appearance in any business is important, like a huge one is light bulbs being out or light fixtures not working and cobwebs.

As a young teenager I used to work at a carwash very close to my house when it comes time to clean out those catch basins on those self service bays and also on the automated Bay's you make sure you pay your employees a little better that day that job is nasty. We used to have d bag carpet cleaning businesses which would dump their tanks. RV owners too. Soooo gross

do both to cover both areas, add vending machine and add a section for pet wash. It will be an interesting concept. Also if their is a lake where people take their boats. Maybe a section for people to wash their boats too.

Great video no dog cleaner but electric mat cleaners look at what your closest comp. has get what they don't & yes vending machines. Clean the vacuums yourself you'll be amazed at what you'll find ie change, jewlery etc. See if you can get an auto detailer on spot w/ set hours.

I would suggest using the outdoor real-estate for larger / Commercial vehicles where there will be no height restriction. (with the assumption the property is large enough for access.) You may be amazed how many truck drivers would like to hose off their rigs after a long trip. Also I believe vending would probably be a better option provided your area does not have a high vandalism rate , having a Dog wash may be convenient for some but what will it do to your bottom line when it comes to additional liability insurance in the instance of , What if someone gets bitten (hopefully not very likely)

Instead of a pet wash, add a high clearance self serve truck wash. Put up signs at the highway or near distribution centers. Truckers love these.

Not sure what you are planning for the pet wash but the “K9000” is a self service dog wash machine that wouldn’t take up much space. Could be pricy though. Love to see your progression since starting the laundromat! Motivation.

Pet wash great for quick service but if you do it right you'll loose drive thru of one bay if you want to have it I enclosed and heated but you have to deal with pet hair clogs in draining and fecal matter as well just be informed

Instead of a drill, get yourself an angle grinder with a knotted while wheel and wire wheel attachments for the polishing of the stainless. Also I would suggest a vending machine (like a snack machine) for products like air fresheners and cleaning products.

i like watching the fixing process of the car washes and others you have, pretty cool to see it getting done, almost like one of the reno tv shows

Love watching the ins and outs of other peoples businesses! Keep up the great content sir

Hey! At my local car wash here in Switzerland they have a vending machine with car accessories like brake cleaner, air fresheners, cleaning wipes, Chewing gum, drinks and snacks! Always half empty due to high use.

Great video! Love all that you’re doing! Pet wash sounds great. Line that wall up with vending machines. Maybe have a sign painter come in and paint some advertising on that large wall. Great work!

Where I grew up there are outside Bay (area where you talking about pet washing) with no cover for washing oversized things on trailers such as big or muddy equipment (bobcats, backhoe etc), boats coming from lake and that sort of thing.

I think that wall can be used to have other companies promote their business like a billboard.

Man I love the ideas that you have about the car wash the pet wash I was pretty good the vending machines when you say vending machines do you mean just car washing supplies and air fresheners and things of that nature or was it about soda and snacks and such. You may want to consider adding a higher line of wash capability such as a person that actually waxes your car or fully details your car I live in Florida and that’s a big market here at some of the car washes is a more executive level wash you can say.The problem with that then is you’re going to have to have a waiting area to attract those more affluent type customers will there be a gazebo outside in the nicer months or a waiting area that’s glass thing with chairs and TV and coffee and such but I’m great work I love your videos.

If the demand is high enough I would do both. A lot of people clean vehicles for example before going to concerts and they need ice before leaving, but I would say more people are washing theirs after a weekend away. The pet wash could be a year round investment tho!

Personally I love the idea of having a pet wash area on the side of the building, ideally adding to the building so it's a sheltered potetentially even enclosed heated area, that'd also be a nice area to put some vending machines, like a vending machine that would sell dog wash supplies (soap, conditioner, towels, even some inexpensive brushes etc...) that would be the ultimate thing for a vanlifer for example who may just be passing through town, needs to wash their vehicle and also needs to wash their dog, handy situation.

Build a second automatic bay or a bay for larger trucks & suv... install a vending machine, air freshener machine and air compressors

Do you have a taller / larger bay for rv's and commercial vehicles, box vans etc? If not might be worth considering in that vacant spot on the end... always enjoy the vids - keep up the great work 👏 greetings from Spain 👍

Little tip for when you’re polishing with a wire wheel on your drill: make sure you use some sort of an aluminum Polish afterwords so the piece you’re tying to polish doesn’t rust

Having customers bug you while you are there is Great. They are the people paying you. 👍😁 Heard of an old guy / owner that sits in a chair to help his customers, dedicated. Just looking over his investment. 😁 You do great showing the good the bad and the ugly. Kudos.

I work at a car wash company that delivers chemicals along with making the machines that go into the auto bays. I would either suggest making a pet wash or have more self serve bays.

You should add on a soft touch bay. Its going do be crazy expensive but the new soft touch machines are really good. Also when you look at automatic equipment take a look at Washworld. I don't have first hand experience but after researching equipment they make the best in my opinion.

I use a commercial dog wash monthly, it's cheap as hell. For $25 I get 6 dog washes and they provide towels and I have never been there when another customer is there. You will chew up your profit with extra maintainence and the margin just doesn't seem like it's there. Vending machines seems far better to me.

i clean my tow truck in the manual car wash spots- the thing is about 45 ft long with bed extended wish the hose was able to go 3-5ft longer. Ive seen manual spots with a ramp on one side so you can wash the roofs of lifted vehicles easier. I wish there was a way to wash under a car at locations like these to get the salt off easier. The only car wash near me is falling apart and owner doesnt care much, people have recommended not to use the foam brushes in any bays because they have scratched their paint from it- so i bring my own haha; maybe ill attempt to buy it after i see how this goes for you. :D

You also need a guy you can trust who won’t steal your coins. To fix what ever is broken or jam stuck coins and replacement vacuum motors . It’s lot of work to keep Carwash running

I would recommend seeing about installing a standalone drier that people can pay an extra dollar to use. One self serve place near me does that.

If you're finding you need to polish stainless because rusting, make sure you put some kind of clearcoat or oil over it after or its gonna rust again very quickly, especially being around water.

We use those Hamilton validators in all of our auto cashiers. They just get sent in and rebuilt. Too bad you have to opt for a new auto. We just install and refurb a used one for probably less than a third, but then again, we do everything.

When cleaning your stainless steel try Lysol Rust Removing Toilet Bowl cleaner.. it'll get rid of the gunk. Then use metal cleaner with a buffer pad.. cleans em right up.. DONT use a wire wheel.. it just scratches the fool outta things!!

you should white paint all outside walls and give it a new nice looking attention logo. this thing looks so old it hurts by looking at it you think it falls down in itself. A nice paint job would really help a lot already. And maybe some nice lighting around the place. So its looking great in the night

ACE hardware is quickly becoming your best friend and your RU-vid channel is quickly becoming my favorite. 😀