Selecting the Perfect Car Wash Location: Factors to Consider

• Traffic Count – This data can be obtained from your state highway department or city. Traffic type (local, commuter, suburban or commercial), traffic count, traffic flow, speed limits and customer access should be analyzed. High local traffic with speed limits of 40 mph or less is an ideal site. Extremely heavy traffic in urban areas especially near intersections may not be a good choice.
• Competition – Map the location of each competitor within a 5-8 mile radius of your site. It is assumed one in-bay automatic vehicle wash can be supported by as few as 5,000 to 7,000 people within a 3-miles radius.
• Zoning – Local zoning ordinances need to be reviewed. Obtain a water, sewer, electric and gas availability letter from local utility authorities.
• Site Planning – Individual property size requirements are unique to each wash site. There are a number of factors that impact the size of the property. Some of the factors include the number of planned wash bays, length and width of wash bays, length and width of equipment room, whether or not an equipment room is required, access to the property, adjacent properties, local zoning ordinances and equipment choices.