The new car smell. A clean washed and waxed vehicle. Sun gleaming of freshly shone rims. Everyone loves a clean car.
It makes the car owner more relaxed and feeling satisfied. It’s the perfect end to a great service visit. The trouble is that many car dealerships still don’t make car washes a priority.
The service department isn’t the cleanest place in the dealership, even for those who make it routine to tidy up on a daily or weekly basis. Greasy fingerprints can happen from time to time, and there can be antifreeze, water, or oil that might errantly squirt onto cars. Even though customer understand that things can get dirty in the shop, they don’t want to see it on their car.
To a new customer as well as your faithful followers, a simple car wash goes a long way. It makes a statement about the car’s value and theirs as your customer. It won’t be easy refuting the fact that everyone loves a clean car.
Scrub Up Higher Earnings with a Simple Service
A common argument against washing every service car is the cost. Good quality equipment isn’t cheap, and cheap isn’t good. A commercial-grade pressure washer is a must. The soap, degreaser, wash mitts, brushes, and chamois are also an added expense. But when the cost is spread over the number of vehicles that are cared for, it should work out to less than $2 per car. With the staff you employ in the wash bay, it may be $5 or $6 per vehicle.
But the cost can’t be looked at alone. Lost revenue plays a huge part in NOT washing every car in your service department. Since car washes are a tool for customer satisfaction, it’s fair to assume that another shop could capture your customers because they provide the small but satisfying service.
You don’t need to invest in an automatic drive-thru car wash, although many dealers might choose to do so for convenience and productivity. What you want to see at the end of every service visit is the customer falling in love once again with their clean, shiny car.
From Inner Circle News