[govigov]

This is one of the things that apartment / flat makers ought to incorporate. I stay away from home on the weekends and do not have a space to clean the car on weekends, where i stay in a flat/apartment. I wish these people incorporate an area with pressure washers and and a ramp to inspect / clean our car on a weekly basis. We have to rely on a fire hydrant / hose and with the entire road / common area wet, when we wash cars. If i were in the market to buy a flat, i would most certainly like on which has car self cleaning centers, which can also incorporate an air pressure gauge. Sadly, I am yet to see such an apartment.

If the cost is so less, and requires only a few cars lengths, what is stopping the apartment makers from incorporating such a thing?

[mmxylorider]

^^^ The first thing that will happen is that jealous neighbours or people with nothing else to do with complain to authorities about the gross wastage of water that is happening with all and sundry washing their cars. Never mind if all these people go to the neighbourhood car wash center where same amount of water will be used.

We had this problem when we were draining the complex swimming pool after the rains.

To an extent - I agree with one thing. The car wash people have an efficiency that takes practice. A DIY person would end up using more than what is required. Nothing stops you from purchasing your own preferred/branded car shampoo and get it done by the car wash people. Don't we have people getting their own engine oil and getting it changed from local garagewala for about 100K?

[paras211]

I really wouldn't want to pay to wash the car my self.
Reminds me of that Seinfield episode where Kramer opens a pizza place where you actually make your own pizza. Including the dough.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by prasadee

Also the soft water provided in DIY centers stop the hard water stains.

Wow... didn't know they used soft water!

Good point about the "eco friendliness" too.

In India, it seems that washing your car on a public street is some kind of offense : related thread

Originally Posted by prasadee

I use Mr Clean auto dry car wash, it is simply the best invention ever.

Invention? I always thought it was just another product. Even the video posted doesn't really explain anything.

Could you give us a brief overview on whats special / different about it?

Originally Posted by paras211

I really wouldn't want to pay to wash the car my self.

Tell that to Mr. Pagani...

Originally Posted by paras211

Reminds me of that Seinfield episode where Kramer opens a pizza place where you actually make your own pizza. Including the dough.

Seriously though, I would imagine that the off-road crowd would really enjoy power-washing all the muck off their machines themselves. I guess it doesn't necessarily hold a universal appeal!

cya
R

[paras211]

I am sure he didn't pay for it.
I wash my car when I wax it. But I do it in my building compound .
I doubt us off-road guys have the energy to do a car wash after. At least me, I just crash into bed after a hot bath, the 4x4 can bathe later.

[Pedaltothefloor]

I wash my car only on weekends. since it is an apartment, I am not allowed to waste water or create a mess as there is no designated washing area. I tried a few Rinseless washes like ONR, UWW etc but I noticed they don't clean as good as water and cause minor swirls & scratches. I wish there was a good and economical place to get the car washed. One of the perils of living in India, I guess.

[kutts]

The biggest worry I would have as a potential investor is how to prevent people from mishandling the equipment (read: banging it on the floor or tampering or even stealing).

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by kutts

The biggest worry I would have as a potential investor is how to prevent people from mishandling the equipment (read: banging it on the floor or tampering or even stealing).

The equipment is usually hidden and the lances are roof-mount. There is hardly any chance of banging the equipment.

Manual or DIY car wash, we still need to have a person to man things. The Core labour cost is saved which will be close to 75,000/- per month incl salaries and auxilliary costs(tea)

[prakash_ajp]

I will give you an example of the way things work in India: I work for a software company in Bangalore. And the front door to the office closes automatically when opened up to 80 degrees. But if opened all the way (90 deg) it remains open and you have to close it yourself. I have noticed several times that people open it all way on their way in/out and just don't bother to close it back. Being an air-conditioned office, it must remain closed at all times and guess how the management tackles it ? We have a security personnel right by the door to take care of it!

Now why don't the supposedly intelligent people notice the nuisance they are creating. As far the management is concerned, it's easier and less expensive to just employ someone to do this instead of educating the employees, isn't it? If the people of India (a majority of them i.e.) can't even properly open/close the door after, how can they fill fuel themselves, let alone using the washing utilities? No chance!

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by prakash_ajp

I will give you an example of the way things work in India: I work for a software company in Bangalore. And the front door to the office closes automatically when opened up to 80 degrees. But if opened all the way (90 deg) it remains open and you have to close it yourself. I have noticed several times that people open it all way on their way in/out and just don't bother to close it back. Being an air-conditioned office, it must remain closed at all times and guess how the management tackles it ? We have a security personnel right by the door to take care of it!

Now why don't the supposedly intelligent people notice the nuisance they are creating. As far the management is concerned, it's easier and less expensive to just employ someone to do this instead of educating the employees, isn't it? If the people of India (a majority of them i.e.) can't even properly open/close the door after, how can they fill fuel themselves, let alone using the washing utilities? No chance!

I am curious to know which company that is . I am surprized why no one proposed a cost cutting here, which is typical of any IT company. Is not easier and cheaper to have that auto door close mechanism or have a stopper at 80 degrees to prevent the door from opening beyond 80 degrees? Door Stopper costs in 5000 one time and say couple of 100s per annnum to oil / grease and maintain. Reputed Agency Security Guards charge almost 25,000 per month.

Fuel dispensing is "prepaid", which means, we swipe a card and the depending on the amount of fuel dispensed, our card is charged a.k.a USA. The petrol pump owner get the money, whether the amount of litres dispensed goes in to a fuel tank or wasted on the ground.

Similarly, DIY Car wash is also prepaid. The center has got the money. How well the time is used depends on the individual.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I'm fairly sure it's more in the $10 region! (Though I guess it depends on how much time you use the machine for).

Yup. The last I used this was in 2005. At that time, a Shell Pump near my place had a free basic wash if you fill 8$ of petrol. And few dollars more you could add soap/shampoo whatever. If you didn't fill petrol at the pump, then you had to pay full price and even then the highest grade wash wasn't more than 10-15$.

These automated washes were visited mostly by people who had the low and mid-range cars (i.e. up to Honda Accord etc). The people with the expensive cars always took it to 'Hand Wash' places.

[prasadee]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Invention? I always thought it was just another product. Even the video posted doesn't really explain anything. Could you give us a brief overview on whats special / different about it?

Some one needs to comeup with the idea, invent the basic material before it becomes a product right? This is basically a water gun with 2 compartments one for a special purpose water filter made by Pur(invention), and another for a special polymer soap (invention). The gun has 3 settings - Soap, spray/rinse and auto-dry rinse. When I use the auto dry rinse. The filter removes the minerals and impurities in the water that cause water to get together into beads. Water either rolls off or evaporates without a residue.

It works like a charm for the kind of dust/dirt we get in california. Certainly would not work on a car with a lot of muddy water splashed by monsoon rains.

[samarth.bhatia]

As someone from the cleaning equipment industry, it has been often when I have tried to make a client understand the benefits of utilizing cleaning equipment - as compared to manual labour.

And this debate goes on even today, after 30 years of being in this business.
Professionalism, even in cleaning tasks, is extremely important. And it's certainly less expensive to go in for mechanized cleaning, as compared to manual cleaning.

A basic high pressure washer, along with a wet and dry vacuum cleaner are more than sufficient to have your very own DIY station at home. And costs involved could be as low as INR 30,000k to have both the machines. But the question asked by clients is why do we even need it? Why not just use the household help? Give them a garden hose and a cloth, and the car cleaning will be done.
And yes, this still applies even after 3M and other Car Care Centers try and educate people on the benefits.

People today would still use a garden hose (even though it is illegal in various regions - Delhi for example) to clean the car exteriors. And a DIY is completely out of the question for most. It's the household help doing that job. Or the driver, maybe.

The market for DIY cleaning jobs in India is still under-developed.

The good part though is that via the internet, the knowledge is slowly but surely growing.

Just my 2 cents.

Sam

[carboy]

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

As someone from the cleaning equipment industry, it has been often when I have tried to make a client understand the benefits of utilizing cleaning equipment - as compared to manual labour.

Are you referring to vacuum cleaners for home use?

If yes, having used vacuum cleaners for quite a long time, I think having a maid broom and wipe the floor beats a vacuum cleaner rather badly. This is both in terms of quality and convenience. I can't imagine why there would be a market for vacuum cleaners in India except as a secondary fall back device.

OTOH, if something like the Roomba becomes even better and cheaper, things may change.

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by carboy

Are you referring to vacuum cleaners for home use?

If yes, having used vacuum cleaners for quite a long time, I think having a maid broom and wipe the floor beats a vacuum cleaner rather badly. This is both in terms of quality and convenience. I can't imagine why there would be a market for vacuum cleaners in India except as a secondary fall back device.

OTOH, if something like the Roomba becomes even better and cheaper, things may change.

No, I am referring to professional vacuum cleaners. The domestic vacuums are not at all reliable. Professional ones last much longer, without any issues.

For home cleaning purposes, a professional wet and dry vacuum cleaner, couples with some manual tools can ensure the level of cleanliness is much higher. I'd be happy to elaborate, but I think it might get too off topic for this thread.

Ofcourse the same vacuum cleaner would be very useful for car interiors as well, coupled with a spray bottle. I do not recommend spray extractors as the value addition when compared to a wet and dry vacuum is very little, while the price is much higher.

Sam