detail survey jan08 - carwashmag.com · average number of cars detailed annually competing detail...

T H E V O I C E O F T H E C A R C A R E I N D U S T R YT H E V O I C E O F T H E C A R C A R E I N D U S T R Y

Results from the Auto Laundry News

2014

Detailing Survey

Detail Survey Cover:Detail Survey Cover 12/24/13 10:45 AM Page 33

35AUTO LAUNDRY NEWS JANUARY 2014

58%

2013 INCOME LESS THAN IN 2012

16%

he 2014 Auto Laundry News Detail-ing Survey was conducted through amailing of questionnaires to a ran-

dom selection of subscribers who providedetailing services at their car care business-es. The information contained in this reportresults from an analysis of data provided by126 respondents from across the UnitedStates. This is the first of five industry-seg-ment survey reports that will appear in AutoLaundry News in 2014.

RREESSPPOONNDDEENNTT PPOOOOLL PPRROOFFIILLEEFor comparative purposes, respondents are,

on occasion, separated into three main cate-gories: freestanding detailing shops (Freestand-ing), detail shops run in conjunction with a carwash (Car Wash Combo), and mobile detail services (Mobile Services). A fourth category,detail shops run in conjunction with a businessother than a car wash (Other Combo), such as agas station, fast lube, etc., is employed when

relevant. The categories break down as follows:Detailer Type % of TotalFreestanding 45Car Wash Combo 38Mobile Services 12Other Combo 5

PPEERRFFOORRMMAANNCCEEIn every survey since our 2011 report, the

percentage of respondents, overall, reportingimprovement in their business over the previousyear has grown. That trend continues. In the cur-rent survey 58 percent of participants, overall,report such progress. That compares to 53 per-cent who recorded improvement last year and 40percent who did so in 2012. Mobile Services putin the best performance with 80 percent ofrespondents in this category reporting improve-ment compared to 57 percent of Freestandingshops and 50 percent of Car Wash Combos.Overall, the percentage of respondents whoexperienced reversals in business fortunesremained unchanged from one year ago at 16.

SSEERRVVIICCEESSAll Freestanding shops offer their retail cus-

tomers both separate and combined interior andexterior packages; they don’t afford wholesalecustomers the same choice. While 77 percent ofFreestanding shops do complete interior/exteriorwholesale packages, only 63 percent offer whole-sale customers the option to choose either an interior or an exterior packages. For Mobile Services this gap is even wider: 40 percent versus20 percent. Car Wash Combos, too, exhibit thisdisparity: the figures for this category are 77percent and 70 percent.

FFUUTTUURREEOverall, 15 percent of respondents plan expan-

sions in the next 12 months. Detailers are stickingto detailing while Car Wash Combos are lookingat both wash and detail opportunities.

OPERATOR PROFILEINCOME

COMPARED TO LAST YEAR

Freestanding Detail Shop

Mobile Detailing

Full-Service Conveyor Car Wash

Exterior-Only Car Wash

Self-Serve Car Wash

In-Bay Automatic

Oil Change/Lube

Gas Station

C-Store

12%

12%7%

2%9%

1%4%

2014Detail Survey

WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL

PERCENTAGE OF DETAIL BUSINESS DONE BY SEASON

BY REGION

PacificAlaska-California-Hawaii-Oregon-Washington

MountainArizona-Colorado-Idaho-Montana-Nevada-New Mexico-Utah-Wyoming

MidwestIowa-Kansas-Minnesota-Missouri-Nebraska-North Dakota-South Dakota

CentralIllinois-Indiana-Michigan-Ohio-Wisconsin

KEY

0 10 20 30 40 50

South CentralAlabama-Arkansas-Kentucky-Louisiana-Mississippi-Oklahoma-Tennessee-Texas

SoutheastDelaware-Florida-Georgia-MarylandCarolinas-Virginia-West Virginia

Mid-AtlanticNew Jersey-New York-Pennsylvania

New EnglandConnecticut-Maine-Massachusetts-New Hampshire-Rhode Island-Vermont

ResultsFrom The Auto Laundry News

45%

29%

Pacific 21 17 46 16Mountain 15 31 30 24Midwest 14 19 47 20Central 15 32 32 21South Central 21 23 33 23Southeast 30 26 23 21Mid-Atlantic 13 31 32 24New England 17 32 24 27

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2013 INCOME SAME AS IN 2012

26%

2013 INCOME MORE THAN IN 2012

DETAIL SURVEY JAN14.qxd:DETAIL SURVEY JAN08.qxd 12/24/13 12:54 PM Page 35

36 AUTO LAUNDRY NEWS JANUARY 2014

FREESTANDING CAR WASH COMBO MOBILE SERVICES OTHER COMBO

5.0 HOURS 3.7 HOURS 4.9 HOURS 4.5 HOURS

CHARGE FROM A FIXED-PRICE MENU

47%

41%

CHARGE ACCORDING TO PER-CARESTIMATE

USE BOTH METHODSFREESTANDING 1,552

CAR WASH COMBO 2,420

MOBILE SERVICE 1,113

0

1

2

3

4

5

MORE THAN 5

3%19%14%

17%5%

NUMBER OF COMPETITORS OPERATORS REPORTING

AVERAGE TIME REQUIRED TO COMPLETE STANDARD DETAIL PACKAGE

AVERAGE NUMBER OF CARS DETAILED ANNUALLY

COMPETING DETAIL SHOPS IN AREA

DETAIL SERVICEPRICES

FULL

PARTIAL

NONE

10%

70%

20%

EMPLOYEE UNIFORMS

2 0 1 3

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

29%

13%

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12%

DETAIL SURVEY JAN14.qxd:DETAIL SURVEY JAN08.qxd 12/24/13 12:54 PM 6

37AUTO LAUNDRY NEWS JANUARY 2014

RENT

CHEMICALS (incl. soap, wax, compound, etc.)

LABOR

ADVERTISING & PROMOTION

INSURANCE

CAR WASH TODAY

CUSTOMER CLAIMS

EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES/MAINTENANCE

OPERATING COSTS AS PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE

UTILITIES (incl. water/sewer)

74% – Retail

3% – Taxi/Limo

21% – Auto Dealers

2% – Other

17%– New (under 1 yr. old)

21%–1-2 yrs. old

36% – 3-5 yrs. old

26% – 5+ yrs. old(Fleets,BodyShops, Etc.)

CUSTOMER PROFILE RETAIL VEHICLE PROFILE

62%

10 mile

s or l

ess

40% 8

mile

s or l

ess

35% 5 mile

s or l

ess

17% 3 mile

s or

less

8 % 2 mile

sHOW FAR DO CUSTOMERS COME?

(% from within 2-mile radius, 3-mile radius, etc.)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

13.3%

7.6%

38.1%

5.7%

6.4%

0.8%

3.5%

4.1%

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TYPE � PERCENTAGE UTILIZING

HI-SPEED BUFFER

ORBITAL WAXER

VACUUMS

WET/DRY VACS

CARPET/UPHOLSTERY EXTRACTOR

STEAM-CLEANING MACHINE

PRESSURE WASHER

CARPET SHAMPOOER

OZONE MACHINE

MICROFIBER CLOTH

DETAILER’S CLAY

SURFACE PREP TOWEL/PAD


95%

68%

87%

21%

87%

79%

30%

44%

76%

48%

YES90%NO10%

44%56%

MALE FEMALE

FREESTANDING CAR WASH COMBO MOBILE SERVICES

29%YES 59%

YES

20%YES

71%NO

41%NO 80%

NO

OFFEREXPRESSSERVICES

RETAIL CONSUMERPROFILE

EMPLOYEETRAINING

IN SAFE CHEMICALHANDLING

STANDARD EQUIPMENT

FREESTANDING $14,282CAR WASH COMBO $12,295MOBILE SERVICE *

AVERAGEMONTHLY

GROSS INCOME(DETAIL SERVICES ONLY)

0 20 40 60 80 100

87%

40%

90%

52%

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* TOO FEW RESPONSES

PAINT THICKNESS GAUGE


AUTO LAUNDRY NEWS JANUARY 2014 41

COMPLETE INTERIOR/EXTERIOR DETAIL $187.07 $188.09 $181.43

INTERIOR DETAIL ONLY $98.46 $102.26 $104.17

EXTERIOR DETAIL ONLY $106.79 $107.65 $97.00

FREE-STANDING

CAR WASHCOMBO

MOBILESERVICE

MONDAY 17 15 12

TUESDAY 18 12 13

WEDNESDAY 18 16 13

THURSDAY 20 15 19

FRIDAY 20 21 23

SATURDAY 7 16 20

SUNDAY 0 5 0

FREE-STANDING

CAR WASHCOMBO

MOBILESERVICES

COMPLETE INTERIOR/EXTERIOR DETAIL $128.33 $142.37 $130.00

INTERIOR DETAIL ONLY $72.37 $81.76 $75.00

EXTERIOR DETAIL ONLY $75.26 $85.29 $82.00

FREE-STANDING

CAR WASHCOMBO

MOBILESERVICE

PERCENTAGE OF DETAILBUSINESS DONE

BY DAY OF THE WEEK

AVERAGE PACKAGE PRICES

10% PAID MINIMUM WAGE

37% PAID $10.00 to $12.00 PER HOUR

33% PAID MINIMUM to $10.00 PER HOUR

20% PAID OVER $12.00 PER HOUR

AVG. WAGE PER HOUR PER EMPLOYEE

LABOR COSTS

RETAIL

WHOLESALE

87%

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5,000-10,000

10,001-20,000 21%

30,001-40,000 12%

40,001-50,000

More Than 50,000

$14.87

AVERAGE NUMBER OF CARSWASHED PER MONTH55,,776633

HAND WAX

MACHINE WAX/BUFF

CARPET SHAMPOO

UPHOLSTERY CLEANING

LEATHER/VINYL (INT.) DRESSING

VINYL/RUBBER (EXT.) DRESSING

DEODORIZING

PAINT TOUCH-UP

PAINTLESS DENT REMOVAL

WINDSHIELD REPAIR

EXTENDED UPHOLSTERY PROT.

EXTENDED PROT. PAINT SEALANT

HEADLIGHT RESTORATION

ENGINE CLEANING

WINDOW TINTING

PINSTRIPING

SERVICE PERCENT OFFERING AVERAGE PRICECAR WASH COMBO

11%

A LA CARTE SERVICES

AVERAGE GROSSREVENUE PER CAR

(CAR WASH SALES ONLY)

DAILY TRAFFIC COUNT

74%

63%

73%

74%

60%

47%

49%

29%

21%

14%

30%

29%

61%

64%

13%

OVERALL FREESTANDING

20,001-30,000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

17%

$69.96 $59.80

$106.04 $72.71

$54.75 $42.29

$52.95 $37.90

$29.69 $25.28

$18.66 $19.86

$46.67 $34.10

$45.67

$99.50

$66.25 $50.00

$45.50

$111.10 $118.67

$52.65 $54.25

$32.75 $37.14

$204.17

$57.86 $70.00

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

14%

6%

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33%

$60.00

$60.00

$50.67

$179.00


detail survey jan08 - carwashmag.com · average number of cars detailed annually competing detail...

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