Car Wash Kit

Note admins, this is NOT a selling post so don't ban me for trying to sell something to forum members and I'm not a "vendor," I'm just looking for some input.

Some folks here know I operate a coating and correction business part-time, others don't. Regardless, I've been working the numbers on creating car wash kits for my coating clients ONLY. I have an info brochure I give out to clients I've coated with aftercare instructions and product recommendations. It's gotten to the point where I still get contacted frequently enough with product and wash process questions that I've done my homework and come up with a car wash kit solution. The breakdown will be for forum members here so don't tell anyone the numbers lol. Of course I'm looking to utilize wholesale discounts/savings to profit from them, but I'm looking for some input from both experienced detailers on this forum (@ToyoMafia @briarpatch @Fotnot @War Machine @Prostar 190 @AZBoatHauler probably missed some, sorry!) and someone that could put themselves in the client's seat.

Below is a list of the included items in the kit:
· Two wash buckets with grit guard inserts (Turtle Wax brand, 3 gallon, you may laugh but at the volume we do, my three Turtle Wax buckets have been going for 3 years strong lol)
· One Autofiber Wash Monster washing pad
· One Autofiber Dreadnought XL drying towel
· One Autofiber Korean Plush 470 GSM edgeless microfiber towels
· 8oz Undrdog Soap (pH neutral, coating safe)
· 8oz Undrdog Quick Detail spray
· 8oz Optimum No Rinse ready to use “rinseless” wash

I have several thoughts about the kit, but at $100 per kit, the projected client savings is a little under $35 before taxes and shipping become applicable (so real savings are more). You're also looking at the convenience factor of it being all in one spot and ready to use. Without getting into the real nitty gritty, the profit margins produced by wholesale accounts, membership savings, or reward points being utilized (I have a lot stacked up all across the board on detailing sites) allow profit margins of 82%.

All liquid products will be in individual private label bottles done in house with quality sprayers or dispersing caps. Towels are top quality products that I can get at discount for wholesale or membership pricing. Enough soap for up to 4 washes. The Detail Spray will last forever for a consumer. And the ONR is for spot cleaning in between washes (bird poop, bugs, etc). Two buckets for obvious reasons, smaller 3 gallon oblong shape good for easy storage in a cabinet.

Each kit will include manual with a full run down of products, process for conducting a two bucket wash method, other products I think they should pick up, YouTube videos for those who are more visual, etc. That manual is already typed up. I ended up running the numbers and including stuff for wheels/tires (consumables, tools like brushes, etc) and profit margins significantly decreased due to tool costs and lack of my access to savings at initial purchase points. I'm not going to do this if it isn't cost effective to me, but I'm also not looking to gouge a client.

I believe this kit is a great start for coating clients and in reality, helps them maintain and prolong the duration of what they came to me for....a coating for their paint. Wheels/tires, glass, trim dressing, etc is all an afterthought that while I'd like to include, I just can't work the numbers to be favorable. I chose more expensive Autofiber towels because they're good quality. They eat into profits however I believe the tools in washing can make or break a good detail, not necessarily the consumable products. Give me dawn dish soap and a bucket with some quality tools and I can crush a detail. Give me high end, expensive products and a terry towel and I may as well be grinding gravel on your paintwork lol.

I'm looking at you folks to help me gauge the value of this kit, if I should ABSOLUTELY include anything else, or just overall input. In short, I'm putting together 4 kits now with one of them already being sold before I've even had a chance to put it together lol. Thanks folks

 

I think this awesome. The products are on point but the part I like the most is the service and making it easy for clients to get what they need to do it right.

 

That's the secondary push. First is cost savings for them. Second is convenience factor. And if I can make a sizeable profit...we all win. Then I know they're using what they should be instead of makeshift Walmart products.

 

While our opinions might differ on some of the products, everything in the kit will work fine. I'm a huge fan of CarPro Reset for coated vehicles, but I understand that keeping things bundled within product lines makes it straightforward. It strikes me that it is a great wash kit for anyone, even though you're marketing it specifically to your coating clients.

 

Yeah this approach helps everyone.

 

Now we open this thread for discussion lol. I don’t use foam cannons never really saw the point in it.

 

Idk I gave my foam cannon to @Fotnot lol

 

I really like Reset, but with the cost of it and for the sake of what you mentioned of keeping within a product line, then couple that with being able to purchase UD products with the massive amount of store points I have accrued....it made sense to utilize UD as they do work well.

And yeah I'll obviously sell to anyone that wants one, but my thought process is if someone is just having us do a wash/wax, they probably don't care for a wash kit as they typically just call us to come back out to do it again. So I'll market specifically to coating clients but leave the option open for others to purchase if they wish.

 

I’m all about reset but I think UD suds will get the job done just fine.

 

These I have noted in the manual. UD soap works for foamers too quite well. But I couldn't find a way to bulk order foam.cannons when you can get one off Amazon for $20 and it be just fine. I have a specific one listed in the manual should they purchase separate. Plus not everyone uses a PW so that would alienate some from purchasing.

 

Poking the bear. Its like brushing teeth for me at this point lol...creature of habit.

 

I believe it's a good idea and potential market considering you're clients. I believe the UD wash is good to do since you have experience with it, but also there is something to say about chemical compatibility. 2 things I'd say to consider, but not a deal breaker.

1. Give more soap to do more than 4 washes. UNLESS....you're leaving it open for them to buy more from you in a bigger bottle. This opens up potential for higher markup and a lil higher gross profit.
2. I think details of how to care for the vehicle are HUGE! My boss just coated his himself and the details I've given him made a huge difference. He's asked multiple people that have coated and he called/text me many times because of the details I gave him and why. I'm not near your level, but good, detailed instructions make a difference on the quality of the job...even just a wash.

Overall, it seems like a good idea with a little extra cash to come at ya. Especially at an 82% profit margin.

 

Yeah I offer larger bottles from a wholesale account so that was my thinking. 4 washes..say 1 a month. They'll hit me back in a half a years time for more.

 

Welp, everything showed up today. Packaged and labeled. Ended up adding a second Korean 470 in there so they'd have two. Eats some cost, but two plush microfibers are better than one. Also 32oz from UD is actually about 38oz (odd). So for soap/QD the bottles hold 9.5oz filled up to the top. The rinseless I diluted exact for 9.5oz of solution with distilled water. Sold 1 of the 4 already on a coating client set for next month and another 1 sold to the Lexus RX350 we coated last week. In the green! Two more to go. Looks like I'll be ordering some more supplies...

 

Love the labels....did you print them? If so, what software did you use? Where did those buckets come from...they are unique

 

Amazon. Search printable stickers. Made the design in Gimp and loaded over. Downside is they're paper (if they get soaked they're done for). Next go around I'll use vinyl and printable ink.

Buckets are Turtle Wax 3 gallons with grit guards. Target buy. Large enough for a single truck, but skinny. I use them as our business buckets because their shape fits perfectly in the trailer in between some shelves. They work great.

 

A little late to the thread since the last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy for me. I haven’t used the Undrdog soap, but all of the other products you have are very solid.
One question: Is the ONR diluted already or is it in its pure form?

 

I know we’ve discussed it before, but I definitely think there are benefits to using a foam cannon.

It really helps to use one to pre-soak and rinse a vehicle that’s filthy with a lot of caked on dirt. A lot easier to then rinse it off before doing the actual wash.

It’s also very helpful with a vehicle that doesn’t have any protection on it. It’s a pain to wash one with no sealant. Letting the foam dwell on the paint for ten minutes while you do the tires and wheels makes it a lot easier to do your final wash. It’s maybe another five minutes for this step that saves time overall.

Of course if you stay on top of your washing and protection it’s a waste, but most people don’t. I almost always use one when doing someone else’s vehicle due to that. I also use it frequently on my own vehicles that haven’t been at the house in quite a while.

 

Makes sense.

 

Cool idea. 82% profit margin is very good. This is considering overhead cost?

How are you shipping these out? What is that going to cost your per package? Depending on the weight/distance this may bring down your margin. Is shipping included in the price or buyer pays freight?

Some ideas:

Create an automatic reorder membership program. Every month (or 2 months) you send out new towels/soaps. Make it easy for people to opt out.

Create an elite package that has some of the higher end items you mentioned but obviously charge more.

Use Survey monkey to get feedback and revaluate your packages, get new ideas.

Inside the box offer a small discount coupon code for referrals. 10%?

Create website (if you haven’t already) with a very easy to use layout (desktop/tablet/mobile). Squarespace?

Use free social medial platforms. I wouldn’t pay for any advertisements or SEO at this point.

Have a domain specific email address so it’s more professional. Godaddy?

 

Yup, diluted with distilled water to something like 17.25ml to 9.5oz was the calculation I made (awful at math, but it'll work lol).

 

Yup 82% is after everything is said and done. No shipping currently, offering to local and current/prospective clients...mostly as an upsell to coatings. Folks are paying anywhere from $1100-$1600 for a correction/coating so what's another $100 lol.

My business is a very small time (myself and my brother) deal where he covers regular vehicles during the week and we both handle coatings and corrections on weekends. So, all those ideas are great, but for how small we are and the unknown of if these things are going to be worth the upfront cost to try and sell, I'm sticking to word of mouth and hand-to-hand sales right now. We frequent cars and coffee in Annapolis and I actually cold sold one to a GT3 owner last week.

Website is operational via Wix (see under by name in my bio), but Wix just upped subscription services and it's a silly price so my brother is currently in the process of rewriting it as a standalone under a similar domain name. I'm actually pretty good at SEO/Google script so the Wix site is currently optimized for my location and what I want to push (coatings and corrections). Currently working on tabbing in this as a product on the website. I agree with the email domain. @gmail is just bleh to me but I can't fathom paying $XX.XX amount a year just for @fouroneodetailing.com.

 

Awesome, keep it up and you'll business will grow.

 

As cheap as ONR is, in the future you may consider including it in concentrated form with dilution ratios listed. It can be used on glass, interiors, etc so it’d be like covering a couple more areas with one product.