The analysis that follows is based on data obtained from Auto Laundry News’ annual operator surveys for the years 2013 through 2024. Context is provided from information in our internal files.
Full service is a type of conveyor car wash where the customer exits the car at the starting line, and the employees do the work at the finishing line. The exception to this is when the business provides a dedicated express entrance lane where the customer stays in the car for an exterior-only wash.
As shown in Figure 1, full service can range from a very small site with limited features to a very large site with multiple profit centers.
Most operators classify their wash as using a friction cleaning process (Figure 2). During the study period, the percentage of operators using foam cleaning material versus cloth trended upwards from 12 percent to 31 percent.
Full service generates sales revenue directly by selling exterior car wash services and assisted services, including interior cleaning and express detail services.
The additional profit centers most common at a full-service wash are a detail shop (80 percent), oil change center (20 percent), and gasoline sales (10 percent). Historically, the most common non-auto profit centers have been gift cards, coffee bars, and ATMs.
On an annual basis, there are considerable regional differences as to the busiest time of the year. In the Pacific and Mountain regions, most business is done in the summer. In the Southeast, most business is done during winter and spring, and the least amount is conducted during the summer. In the Central and Southcentral regions, an increased amount of business is done during winter and stays consistent during other seasons.
However, regardless of region, operators report that more than 50 percent of business is conducted on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. During the study period, 80 percent of full-service operators were open for business on Sundays.
We have observed a positive trend in average annual wash volume (Figure 4). The trend in volume is 63,650 (median) and average daily traffic is 33,750. Unlike an express wash where almost everything is automated, full service requires manual labor to perform many tasks.
Full service typically consists of eight workstations that require a total of nine employees:
1. Customer service advisor/greeter
2. Vacuum
3. Drive-on person
4. Cashier
5. Drive-off person
6. Finish line
7. Customer service representative
8. Detail manager
9. Site manager
Although the average annual volume for full service varied considerably during the study period (46,700 to 66,900), the number of staff employed did not. The average number of full-time equivalent employees was 14, with a low of 13 on weekdays and a high of 19 on weekends, or an estimated average of 800 hours of labor per week.
Another factor that hasn’t changed much is how far customers are willing to drive to a full-service car wash. Here, the data suggests roughly 70 percent come from five miles or less from the site.
Although full service requires the largest number of employees of any type of car wash, the sales revenues generated can be considerable. Between 2019 and 2024, the average gross revenue per car (wash sales only) varied considerably from a low of $17.62 to its current high of $23.34.
Average detail prices have been steadily increasing and are currently at more than $200 followed by oil change at $70 and $62 for hand wax (Figure 5).
Full service has a retail cost structure including cost of goods (COG), operating expenses, and capital cost. The variable cost includes credit card processing fees, chemicals, utilities, fuel, equipment maintenance, and customer claims. The principal operating expenses are advertising, insurance, wages, payroll expense, building maintenance, interest expense, and property tax (or rent).
There has been a notable increase in utility costs as a percentage of sale revenue, which has trended upward from five to 10 percent (Figure 6). Adding in credit card fees and winter fuel use, we find that most full-service operators have variable costs of roughly 25 percent of total sales.
In Figure 7, we see that labor is by far the single greatest expense that full-service operators face, currently trending at 40 percent of each sales dollar. The principal reason for this is wage increases. During the study period, average per-hour wages trended upward from $9.78 to $16.50, or an increase of 69 percent.
According to the most recent ALN surveys (2023 and 2024), 47 percent of operators describe recruiting employees as difficult and 30 percent as very difficult.
Operators indicate that the full-service business remains competitive with most operators reporting between one and three competing conveyors in their area (Figure 8).
A surprising trend is the percentage of full-service operators who report advertising and promoting their businesses. This dropped from a high of 91 percent in 2014 to a low of 57 percent in 2024 (Figure 9).
During the study period, there was an upward trend in social media use (75 percent) and website operation (71 percent) and a downward trend in direct mail (50 percent) and newspaper ads (42 percent). Somewhat falling off the charts has been the use of Yellow Pages, TV, and radio advertising (Figure 10).
The full-service segment continues to evolve as the industry increasingly embraces low-labor models. However, there will always be a place for the full-serve operator, provided they consistently meet customer expectations and continue to innovate and invest in experience-defining strategies and technologies.
Bob is an industry consultant with more than 25 years of experience and is a former operator of car wash, oil change, and detail businesses. He can be reached at 727-723-9474 or bobr427@protonmail.com.