loops 

Do-it-yourself car wash. How to make a car wash: tips, tricks. Do-it-yourself pressure washer: fiction or reality Homemade car wash

Washing your car with a rag and a bucket is fine, but it's somewhat outdated. Have you ever seen such an old-fashioned way to clean cars at car washes? If so, then don't go back there. They obviously save on quality and neglect their employees. So, in this article we will talk about how to do a car wash with your own hands. The piece is very interesting and useful.

High Pressure Car Wash Features

We can say that such equipment is not a luxury. Today it is already a necessity. The thing is, that's the only way to get it right. engine compartment, bottom and body of the car. But most importantly, it does not require almost any effort. All you need is 20 minutes of attention.

The main components of a car wash

Although we will assemble the equipment ourselves, that is, in our workshop, we will need purchased parts, which, unfortunately, are often not possible to find in our garage. The first thing we need is a high performance pump. It must create a pressure of 100 to 200 bar. Such equipment will be quite productive and perfect for the implementation of our goals. When choosing a pump, you need to pay attention to what material it is made of. For example, the piston group is metal or ceramic alloy, and the block heads are brass. Of course you can go alternative way and instead of a pump high pressure use a compressor. It will be cheaper, but the system will be less productive.

Motor selection

We can't do without good engine. It makes sense to stop at a single-phase motor of low power. By the way, you can find it in your garage or remove it from an old washing machine or similar equipment. In general, the power of 200-300 watts is quite enough. A single-phase motor is an order of magnitude safer than a three-phase one in terms of connection and somewhat more economical, so we will focus on it. But whether a condenser and a gearbox will be provided in your car wash is up to you. Such equipment can extend the life of the system, but significantly complicate the design. In addition, these elements are not mandatory at all, everything will work fine without them. In any case, do-it-yourself car wash is not so difficult. Let's move on to the practical part.

DIY high pressure car wash

Before proceeding directly to the assembly, you must acquire additional elements. We need a coupling to connect the pump and the electric motor together. It is best to take the so-called soft coupling, which will compensate for the slight misalignment of the shafts.

Another important element is the water tank. In this case, the ideal solution would be a plastic tank. It is easier to carry than metal, and in terms of durability it is not inferior to the latter. It must be connected to the water supply network so that there is always water in our container. At the outlet of the tank, we install a fine mesh that acts as a filter. It will protect the pump from damage by foreign bodies. Well, now let's see how a do-it-yourself high-pressure car wash is assembled.

Construction assembly

In general, there is nothing complicated here. By the way, it is desirable to install a performance regulator. This element is optional. The fact is that an automatic unloading valve is supplied with it, which, in which case, relieves pressure and relieves the load from the pump. The regulator is necessary in order to change the pressure in the system. Therefore, you can set it to the maximum - and the jet will be very powerful - and to the minimum - in a weak mode of operation.

A metal frame is used as a single base for all assembled parts and assemblies. An electric motor, a pump and a gun with a nozzle are fixed on it. All this is interconnected with the help of high pressure hoses. Pay attention to the quality of the connections, as they will be subjected to serious stress during operation. After the structure is assembled, the mini-car wash is ready to go. Check it out. If everything is in order, then you can use it. In case of insufficient pressure, we check the tightness of the connections and the operation of the pump.

Homemade car wash and its features

We have already figured out that it will be much cheaper to buy all the parts and assemble them yourself and get the finished equipment. But I would like to note that a homemade car wash has a number of features. Firstly, its repair is greatly simplified. In particular, we are talking about the replacement of failed nodes. Secondly, you can use any nozzle. If you need to get a concentrated jet, one type will do, if a scattered one, another.

Many people make mistakes at the stage of connecting the sink to the central water supply. The fact is that the length of the hose should not exceed 7 meters. This will eliminate possible pressure surges. If you neglect this requirement, then nothing good will happen. In the case when the mini-car wash is powered by a tank, you need to carefully choose its volume. It is advisable to take a container of at least 30 liters and equip it with a check valve so that during operation it is possible to build up pressure. If you frequently wash a heavily soiled car with low temperatures ah, you'll need a homemade car wash foam maker. The price of purchased equipment is about 5-9 thousand rubles. Agree, the amount is rather big. It can be made from a conventional plastic sprayer, which is then connected to the sink.

Need to take into account

In general, we figured out how to make a car wash. There is nothing complicated, as you can see. But there are a few simple rules that will help extend the life of such equipment. Periodically it is necessary to check the reliability of connections, including threaded ones. If they are loose, don't forget to tighten them up. Since the tank has a filter element in the form of a mesh, it will gradually become clogged. If it is not cleaned, then in the end the permeability of water to the pump will decrease. Do not forget to periodically inspect the filter, if necessary, change or clean. Well, when assembling the structure, use the popular drawings of car washes, one of which you can find in this article. They will help you navigate what's what, and carry out the installation correctly.

Conclusion

Do-it-yourself car wash is easy. How much longer can you sit and think: “Why don’t I do the sink myself?” If in the end you take it and start, then the assembly work will end in a few hours. In any case, it makes sense to remember that the paintwork of your car is not eternal and needs to be carefully monitored. By the way, many car enthusiasts do not recommend using car washes with a pump that creates a pressure of more than 200 bar. If such equipment is used at full capacity, then there is a chance of damaging the paintwork of the car. And the loads on the engine and working bodies of the units increase significantly. Even if it becomes necessary to create a high pressure, use it in short-term modes. In principle, this is all that can be said about how to build a car wash.

If there are drainage systems on public roads, then somewhere deep in the project. If they worked as expected, then there would be less problems with dirt or not at all. As, for example, in agrarian Holland. And the chernozem is greasy and the clay is sticky, and the cars are clean. Although it may not be a matter of drainage, the problem remains and it needs to be solved somehow. A huge amount of dirt and silicon dissolved in clay sticks to cars every day, and in order to get smeared, it is not at all necessary to make a tour of the collective farms of the Oryol region. It is enough to travel in a large city for several hours after the rain, and you won’t go to the garage without a car wash. The service is not as cheap as we would like, but you need to wash it. Therefore, when calculating how much it costs to use the services of a car wash, a crazy idea comes to buy a mini pressure washer, or even better, that is, cheaper, to make a mini wash with your own hands.

What should be a car wash

There is no need to talk about the advantages of a mini-wash over a bucket wash. A high-pressure jet will perfectly remove dirt from fender liner, bumpers, rims, and a good foaming nozzle will complete the job. The body will be clean and tidy until the next rain or trip out of town. It is possible to assemble a sink with your own hands, only you first need to know what indicators the design should have in order to have at least some sense from it. You need to come to terms with the fact that you won’t be able to build a Karcher 7-series, but you need to strive for this if you really want to save 7-8 thousand on a workable reliable unit. When planning the design of a home-made sink, you need to focus on the best branded models, so we will become equal to them.

Do-it-yourself minisink. Looking for easy ways

The main figure in washing machine the compressor remains, which makes a high-pressure washer out of a garden hose with a nozzle. The engine for the drive is the tenth thing. The main and most difficult task is to decide on the compressor and its type. You can go the easy way, as many do. Assemble the device according to the principle of a portable foam concentrate. For some reason, the famous Monsoon can serve as an example. The device is schematically a cylinder or any container, and in the case of Monsoon, a plastic cylinder into which air is pumped using any portable compressor. A blowing agent is not a high-pressure apparatus by definition, so wanting 180 bar output from it is pointless. Firstly, you still need to look for such a household compressor so that you can pump up a lot of pressure, and secondly, find such a cylinder so that it does not shatter to pieces.

Video on how to choose a pressure washer

Now about the price of the enterprise. Monsoon costs about 2.5 thousand rubles, and this is only a foam generator. It includes a cylinder, a hose, valves and adapters, seals, sprayers. The foam generator operates at a pressure of up to 5 atm maximum and cannot be called a high pressure washer. It can create a good foam (which then needs to be washed off somehow), with its help it is convenient to wash the engine compartment and disks of a simple configuration. You can increase the pressure, but to reasonable limits. The manufacturer of Monsoon carefully hints that it is not worth raising the pressure above 4 atm, and this is indicated by the restrictive valve. The configuration is normal, as for a foam generator, it works from the Aggressor pump, so you can’t jump above the ceiling. From this we can conclude.

You can assemble a pengenerator with your own hands, and this will not require mind-boggling costs:

  • a plastic canister is needed, the more the better;
  • flexible hoses, low pressure can be used;
  • wheel inflation compressor, Berkut R20, Aggressor;
  • fittings, gaskets, sealants clamps in place.

To make the device mobile, you can use Automobile compressor that runs on a cigarette lighter. For example, K50 at 12 volts can provide legal 2 atmospheres. You can inflate them with a nipple fitting from a tubeless tire. Thus, cheaply and cheerfully, you can assemble a foam generator with your own hands. But this unit is still far from a high-pressure washer.

Important features of the pressure washer

The performance of the device is not the most important indicator, but if a home-made mini-sink will take water not from the water supply, but from its own autonomous tank, then it is advisable to save water. On average, when washing a car using a bucket-rag method, 40-60 liters of water are consumed. Less will not work. From here you need to calculate the approximate volume of an autonomous cylinder. Branded sinks consume from 5 to 15 liters per minute. That is, if in a home-made sink the capacity of the cylinder is 25 liters, then water must be added every two minutes.

Pressure is a sore point. In sinks of the middle price range, Karcher or Stihl, high-pressure axial pumps are installed. Buying such a unit, in principle, is possible. Only it will cost from 40% of the cost of the entire mini-wash. Therefore, the profitability of the invention of the bicycle is rather unsteady. You can not accelerate to such pressure, but take the path of least resistance. Take the pump from the fuel system of any car, you just need to consider that it will not work for a long time. Gasoline is its only lubricant, and water is a lubricant of dubious quality, so it will die after the first major wash, and its repair is impossible. In this case, we will lower the pressure even more and install a 12-volt pump from the glass washer of any car.

Even with such a weak pump, we must not forget about the filters. Each model of a branded mini-wash for a car is equipped with an introductory filter. Firstly, because a rather large fraction can float in the water and it will damage the pump. And if it doesn’t hurt, it will clog the foam nozzle or spray nozzle. Secondly, it can get on the paintwork and leave a new scratch. The filter is necessary, but it is better to abandon replaceable cartridges in favor of a filter that can be washed.

Nozzles and additional nozzles offered by well-known brands are relevant only if serious pressure can be achieved. If the pressure of a home-made mini-wash is at the level of 1-2 atm, then only one spray nozzle will be enough to prepare the surface. There is no point in using foam nozzles, since such a device itself is by and large a foam generator.

  • News
  • Workshop

New generation Ford Fiesta: already in 2018-2019

The appearance of the novelty will be made in the style of the larger Focus and Mondeo of the current generation. This is reported by OmniAuto, citing sources within the company. Based on the information received, the publication's artist also created an image on a computer showing what such a car could look like. Mondeo-style headlights and grille aren't the only things...

KamAZ banned employees from swearing in social networks

This became possible thanks to the introduction of network etiquette and the adoption of a document called “Temporary procedure for providing information to the media about the activities of PJSC KamAZ”, reports the corporate publication Vesti KamAZ. As the head of the press service of KamAZ, Oleg Afanasyev, explained, the new document is a revised order on the provision of information to the media, ...

Princess Diana convertible to go under the hammer

The price of a car produced on March 7, 1994, and having covered 21,412 miles (34,459 km), is estimated at 50,000 - 60,000 pounds sterling (approximately 55,500 - 66,600 euros). The Audi Cabriolet was an open version of the Audi 80. The car was green, ...

The Mercedes-Benz E-class coupe was spotted during tests. Video

The video featuring the new Mercedes-Benz E Coupe was filmed in Germany, where the car is undergoing final testing. The video was posted on the walkoART blog, which specializes in spy footage. Although the body of the new coupe is hidden under a protective camouflage, we can already say that the car will receive a traditional appearance in the spirit of the Mercedes E-class sedan...

Russian trolleybuses will get Argentine residence permit

The corresponding agreement of intent was signed by the Russian manufacturer of trolleybuses Trolza and the Argentinean company Benito Roggio Ferroindustrial, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports. An assembly site could be set up near Córdoba, Argentina. Now companies need to receive a government order for the assembly of trolleybus networks. There are at least 15 cities in Argentina that have prospects...

Moscow traffic jams will win with the help of markings

Mainly, we are talking about narrowing the lanes by several tens of centimeters, increasing the number of lanes, as well as changing the traffic pattern, Kommersant reports with reference to the head of the Moscow TsODD Vadim Yuryev. Already this summer, the TsODD plans to apply several point solutions. For example, on the section of Altufievsky highway towards the center in front of the Vologda ...

MAZ has created a new bus specifically for Europe

This model was originally created for the EU countries, the press service of the Minsk Automobile Plant notes, therefore it is maximally adapted to the requirements of local carriers. MAZ-203088 is equipped with units familiar to European mechanics: a 320-horsepower Mercedes-Benz engine and a 6-speed ZF automatic. Inside - new workplace driver and interior: all protrusions and edges of rigid structures ...

Video of the day. What is real rural racing?

As a rule, Belarusian drivers are law-abiding and measured driving style. However, among them there are those who are able to surprise not only local traffic cops. Last week, Auto Mail.Ru wrote how in the Brest region a chase with a patrol car was arranged by ... a drunken pensioner on a walk-behind tractor. Then we published a video of the persecution of a drunken Gomel resident, ...

Entrances to suburban courtyards will be blocked with barriers

According to the Minister of Transport of the Moscow Region, Mikhail Oleinik, the authorities will not allow the courtyards of residential buildings to turn into park and ride, m24.ru reports. According to Oleinik, the most problematic areas in terms of parking are located around houses near railway or metro stations. One of the options for solving the problem, the head of the regional Ministry of Transport sees ...

Two cars per family - a new era in South Korea

If in 1970 there were only 46 thousand cars in South Korea, then in April 2016 there were 19.89 million units, and in May - 19.96 million units. Thus, as experts explain, a new era of motorization has begun in this Asian country. This was reported by RIA with reference to the Yonhap agency.

WHAT you need to know to take a car on credit?, how long to take a car on credit.

What you need to know to take a car loan? Buying a car, and especially at the expense of credit funds, is far from the cheapest pleasure. In addition to the principal amount of the loan, which reaches several hundred thousand rubles, you also have to pay interest to the bank, and considerable ones. In the list...

What did the stars drive in the 20th century and today?

It has long been understood by everyone that a car is not just a means of transportation, but an indicator of status in society. By car, you can easily determine which class its owner belongs to. This applies to both the common man and pop stars. ...

Which sedan to choose: Camry, Mazda6, Accord, Malibu or Optima

Powerful story The name "Chevrolet" is the very history of the formation of American cars. The name "Malibu" beckons with its beaches, where numerous films and television series were filmed. Nevertheless, from the first minutes in the car "Chevrolet Malibu" one can feel the prose of life. Pretty simple stuff...

A do-it-yourself pressure washer can be created from inexpensive parts. Such units are widely used. With the help of the device, you can wash the terrace of a house or cottage, wash a car and do many other operations that require the presence of high pressure water. Anyone who has the simplest tool skills can do a wash. In appearance, a home-made unit looks like a portable suitcase small size or polisher. Its body is made of silumin or plastic.

How does a car wash work?

An electric motor is installed inside the unit, the shaft of which is connected to a plunger inclined washer. The plunger during movement describe a reciprocating trajectory. On the upper and lower sections of this curve, the valves open alternately: suction and high pressure. Through these devices, water enters the hose, and then into the sprayer. What kind specifications at a similar sink?

To determine the required power of such a device, you need to know how often you plan to use it. With a high frequency of work with such a sink, its power should be increased - the performance of the device increases along with an increase in the pressure of the water jet. The efficiency of the entire device is 75-85% dependent on the flow rate of the liquid. The required amount must be supplied to the unit, otherwise the sink may fail.

The temperature of the water used must be within the operating range applied in the pump device. Usually this indicator has a spread within 55 degrees. Creating such a sink does not take much time, saves money and finances. The advantages of creating such a homemade unit are as follows:

  1. There are no components of increased complexity in the device.
  2. It's simple to use.
  3. The efficiency of such a unit is on par with samples purchased on the construction market.
  4. Low probability of damage to any treated surface.
  5. Possibility if necessary self repair devices.

What does a homemade mini-sink consist of?

You can make a sink from such details as:

  1. High pressure pump.
  2. Electrical engine.
  3. A special coupling that connects the first two positions.
  4. Tank for water and detergents.
  5. Main frame.
  6. A pistol equipped with a nozzle.
  7. High pressure hoses.
  8. Various nozzles.

This unit operates on following principle: after the unit is connected to the water supply network, the water passes into the container, where it is pumped by the pump. Then it is fed to the hoses and through them is sent to a gun with a nozzle, through which any surface is cleaned, for example, the hood of a car.

What parts are needed to assemble such a device?

First you need to buy a pump. This is the main detail of home-made units of this type. It should have a sufficiently high performance at a pressure of 0.1-0.2 kilobar. Particular attention should be paid to the material from which it is made. It is necessary to choose a model in which the head on the cylinder block is made of brass, and the pistons of the pump itself are made of high-strength steel or ceramics. The duration of the created sink depends on this.

The other main part of the unit is the electric motor. With an increase in its speed, the performance of the washing pump also increases. For such devices, electric motors with a power of 2-3 kW are best suited at a shaft speed of 1.5-2 thousand revolutions per minute. To ensure the reliability of starting the engine, it can be equipped with starting capacitors.

The coupling must be soft: if the pump or electric motor is jammed, it will play the role of a fuse.

The water tank can be selected from 5 to 22 liters. At the outlet of this vessel, it is desirable to put a filter. Usually this role is played by a fine mesh. It traps unwanted particles that enter the water and prevents them from entering the pump.

The frame is the base on which all elements of the sink are attached. Most often it is made from curved pipes. On it you can fix the emphasis and wheels, which will make it possible to move the sink. The frame has handles for carrying it around the work site.

For hoses, plastic and rubber sleeves with reinforcement inside are best suited. Their thickness is selected with an average diameter. All their connections in the unit must be tight and made of a material that is not afraid of corrosion.

A pistol with a nozzle must be chosen so that its trigger works smoothly, without jerking. Tips are bought ready-made. The sink can be equipped with several nozzles that will create the desired jet shape.

How to properly operate a homemade sink?

In order for the unit to work for a long time without breakdowns, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of the following nature:

  1. Before work, you should always check all connections and fasteners for reliability.
  2. If there is a filter device at the outlet of the water tank, then it must be cleaned every day after work from particles and dirt.
  3. It is not necessary to frequently use the washer in the maximum power mode, as this dramatically increases the load on the pump and can cause it to fail.
  4. To protect the sink from power surges, you can equip it with a battery.
  5. In the working position of the apparatus, the gun must always be in the operator's hand.
  6. It is better not to allow children to wash: this can lead to an accident.
  7. Water jets must not be directed at people or animals.
  8. This machine must not be used at temperatures below zero degrees Celsius.

If you need repairs, you can do it yourself. But this is the case if the design of the sink is known. Most often, wear occurs on the seal in the pump itself. This can lead to a sharp drop in its performance. In this case, it is necessary to disassemble the pumping device and replace all gaskets.

In some designs of such devices there is a pressure regulator. When its seals (rubber rings) are worn out, the water pressure decreases and the density of the liquid jet decreases.

To fix this problem, you just need to change the seals in the pressure regulator.

Technological process of device assembly

Tools needed for work: tape measure, electric drill, hacksaw, spanners, bolts, nuts, washers.

The main point in creating the structure is the grounding device. To make it, you need to use a flexible cable with three cores. It must be double insulated. Then it must be connected to a plug with a grounding terminal. After that, you can connect the device to the main ground loop.

Then proceed to the installation of the sink on the frame. The sequence of operations is as follows:

  1. Install an electric motor with a starting device. This is done using bolts inserted into the corresponding holes on the frame.
  2. Install the electrical cable.
  3. They put the pump and mount the coupling on the motor shaft.
  4. The nozzle gun is attached to one of the high pressure hoses that extends from the pump outlet.
  5. Attach the water tank to the frame. Make sure that all connections are tight.
  6. Finish the installation by installing all high pressure hoses.

Now comes the stage of checking the operation of the device. To do this, the sink must be connected to the main water supply using a hose, which should be 7-8 meters long. Open the faucet and draw water into the tank. After that, turn on the electric motor. The pump should pump water through the hoses to the gun. They press its trigger and see if the density of the outgoing liquid jet satisfies or not. If everything is in order, then you can, using nozzles, get different types of jets for cleaning various surfaces. If the water does not come out in the volume that was supposed to be obtained, then you need to check all fasteners and seals and then repeat the check again.

It is possible to use a car wash for cleaning dirt from a car and other similar operations, provided that the operating rules are followed.

A homemade sink, if properly handled, can last a long time.

A business like a car wash needs no special introduction. Many books and articles have been written about it, because this is a very promising and profitable area for small businesses, with low competition in the regions and constantly growing demand. The high demand for the car wash service is provided by changes in weather conditions and the constantly growing number of cars in use by the population.

In this article, we will talk about the most important thing - how much it costs to open a car wash and how much it costs to build a car wash from scratch, as well as give approximate prices for the required equipment.

What you need to open a car wash or where to start

First of all, you will need to collect a huge amount of all kinds of documentation, which can take several months!

First you need to get a resolution from the city administration, in which they will inform you that they have nothing against opening your enterprise in a certain area of ​​​​the city.

If you decide to build a car wash from scratch, you will also need to submit a petition to the same city administration to allocate a plot of land for the construction of a car wash. Car wash OKVED code: 50.20.3. And in order for the administration to give its consent, you need to provide a sketch of your construction project and coordinate it with the municipal services: firefighters, architects and the sanitary and epidemiological station.

Having received a positive response from the mayor, you can proceed to the development of a building project. You send the received project for examination to the sanitary and epidemiological station and coordinate it with the nature and labor protection services. And only at the end, after all these actions, the state will be held. Examination of your project and in case of a positive decision, you will be issued a construction act and instead of the question “what is needed to open a car wash”, you can devote yourself entirely to the question of whether it is profitable to open a car wash at all.

How much does it cost to build a car wash from scratch

The construction of a car wash for 2-3 boxes will cost at least 2-3 million rubles. It all depends on the city in which you are building and on the selected materials, from metal structures and corrugated board to expanded clay concrete and foam blocks. See examples of car wash construction costs here. If you do not have such a high start-up capital, then you should forget about building a car wash from scratch and how much it costs and look towards renting a box or buying a mobile mobile complex, which will cost several times cheaper.

By the way, there is a third option - a self-service car wash business plan, but read more about this in a separate article.

How much does it cost to open a mobile and modular car wash from scratch

A mobile car wash is good because it can be placed in any convenient, and most importantly, profitable place. At the same time, its price is several times less than building from scratch, which makes it very attractive for many entrepreneurs.

And one more very important detail - manufacturers of mobile car washes can provide you with a package of documents, which includes most of the permits and certificates for equipment. This will significantly reduce paperwork time. If suddenly the prospect of paperwork and huge financial costs have tired you a little, then it’s better to try your luck in breeding laying hens in the country and other agriculture.

As an example, we will give 3 options for mobile car wash complexes and consider how much it costs to open a car wash to calculate possible investments and decide whether it is profitable to open a car wash in your city.

  1. KIT-set of car washes AMAR-1. The average price of a KIT-set, which is distinguished by a huge set of possible equipment, for 1 post and with a complete set is 700 thousand rubles.
  2. Mobile car wash with inflatable tray. This type of car wash is ideal for those who just want to try and evaluate the profitability of the business in practice. The range of complexes of this company is characterized by the so-called seasonality, their simplest car washes are designed to work only in summer (not suitable for low temperatures) and cost from 200 thousand. rub.

The peculiarity of the models discussed above lies in the set of equipment, which includes an inflatable tent. All necessary equipment fits easily into an average truck and, if desired, is easily transported from place to place. Installing a car wash in a new location takes only a few hours, and considering how much it costs to open a car wash from scratch, at this price it is a great option for a profitable business with little investment.

  1. Modular car wash for 1 house. Such a car wash is a light metal structure, which is very quickly mounted on a pre-prepared ground (5-7 days). The peculiarity of this design is the ability to work autonomously from sewerage and water supply systems. In addition, if your business goes uphill, you can further develop the car wash by purchasing additional modules and eventually turning it into a real car service.

How much does car wash equipment cost?

The complete set of equipment at different car washes is slightly different. However, we will show how much the basic car wash equipment costs:

  • Washing vacuum cleaner - up to $ 2,000
  • Heated pressure washer - up to $6,000
  • Unheated pressure washer - up to $2,300
  • Water purifier - up to $7,000

We hope that the answer to the question of how much car wash equipment costs did not shake your determination too much!

2 Comment.

1. Car wash as a business. Advantages and disadvantages

So, you are thinking about opening a car wash. I don’t know what exactly prompted you to do this - an old dream, a desire to start your own business, a lucky coincidence, or a desire to invest money securely. But whatever it is, you look in the right side. A car wash is a simple, stable and profitable business that you can get into regardless of whether you have experience in entrepreneurship or not. And so that you clearly understand what's what, let's talk in more detail about all the pros and cons of the car wash business.

Car wash is a guaranteed demand

You yourself have probably seen queues at car washes, so there is no need to convince you that you will always have customers. One of the most common mistakes start-up entrepreneurs is that they want to find some magical idea. Such that there are no competitors and that you can single-handedly row money with a shovel. This is a crazy position. You can give out a hundred various ideas business where you have no competitors. Well, for example, open the production of square wheels for cars. I guarantee there will be no competitors. But who will buy them from you?

The best strategy for starting your own business is to see what people already willingly buy, and sell them exactly that. In no case should you reinvent the wheel - it's expensive and unpromising. Why do so many people spend their time searching for the magic business idea? Yes, simply because they are either afraid of the word "competition", or they consider themselves smarter than others. Competition is good. This means that people are already used to buying something and you don’t need to explain why they need another incomprehensible crap.

Now in the car wash business expanse. There were no commercial car washes in the USSR, because there were few cars. And over the past 15 years, not so many free enterprise car washes have been created. And today the country simply does not have enough car washes to wash everyone.

Take, for example, my hometown of St. Petersburg. Today, about 350 car washes operate in St. Petersburg (this number also includes "garage" car washes). On average, there are three posts per car wash (in garages - most often one post). In a day, about 20 cars can be passed through one manual washing post (this, by the way, is from 3 to 8 thousand rubles in revenue). At the same time, the city has more than 820,000 officially registered cars that need to be washed at least once a month, and most people want to wash their car much more often.

But even if we take car washing once a month as a basis for calculations, St. Petersburg car washes can provide only 76% of the required volume of services. That is why there are long queues in front of car washes. And the number of cars is growing much faster, than the number of washes. And this trend will continue in the next 5 years.

Growth in sales of new cars in Russia continues. Record sales dynamics are registered annually. For example, in the first 6 months of 2008, about 1 million 400 thousand new cars were sold in Russia. Compared to the same period last year, car sales in Russia grew by more than a third, while the monthly sales volume exceeded 250,000 cars. And, as I said, car washes open much less than necessary with such a powerful increase in the number of cars.

Therefore, a car wash is a business that guarantees a stream of profits.

Liquidity and investment attractiveness

These are especially important qualities of a car wash during the economic crisis. Why? Everything is quite simple. You are probably already aware of what is happening in the United States and what shocks the American financial system is experiencing. The largest companies are going bankrupt, banks are bursting, there is a panic in the stock market.

And this is just the beginning of the crisis. What happens when the US defaults on its government bonds is hard to imagine.

The crisis has reached our stock market as well. Simply because the markets are closely related. And everything that could previously be safely invested in is becoming less and less attractive every day. Therefore, the main question that now confronts investors is: what to invest in? In bonds? It is very doubtful, because there are already cases of defaults on bonds. In shares? A very big risk. In mutual funds? Also a dubious prospect. In gold? But on the stock exchange they trade in "paper" gold, that is, they sell only receipts against gold.

All investments in "virtual" assets are now very risky. “Virtual” assets are those that, in fact, are not backed by real goods and, in fact, do not give real income after investments. All income from investments in virtual assets is derived from speculation. Bought a piece of paper cheap - sold more expensive. This is possible only as long as the notes are in demand and value, but when the wave of bankruptcies covers the largest companies and their shares are no longer worth anything, there is nothing to speculate.

Therefore, now, when the crisis is already on the threshold, the most reliable investment of money will be an investment in real production. That is, something that is highly likely to remain liquid no matter what happens. Because the "virtual" money that is on the account is much easier to reset than real liquid values. As in the 90s: a person had 5,000 rubles on his account, which could buy a car, and it became 5,000 rubles, which could buy a couple of loaves of bread. And if a person still bought a car, he would not lose his money. Therefore, money needs to be urgently invested in your own business, and in one that will have a guaranteed profit regardless of the crisis.

And this is true both if you have your own savings and if you are looking for an investor. An intelligent investor always tries to minimize risks and have guarantees to exit the project with a profit. By and large, the goal of many investors is to build a business and sell it profitably within two to three years. And what is the situation with the sale of car washes now?

It turns out that car washes are one of the most popular businesses for sale at the moment. Here, for example, statistics on requests to buy and sell a business from BizZONA.ru:

Buying a business:

Beauty salons - 14%;

Internet - 9.4%;

car washes - 6.5%;

Cafe - 5.0%;

Saunas - 4.2%;

Shops - 3.6%;

Dental clinics - 2.6%;

Flowers - 2.6%;

Recruitment agencies - 1.8%;

Baths - 1.4%. Business sale:

Beauty salons - 4.96%;

Internet - 3.28%;

car washes - 1.04%;

Cafe - 4.24%;

Saunas - 1.36%;

Shops - 11.6%;

Dental clinics - 1.04%;

Flowers - 0.32%;

Recruitment agencies - 1.04%;

Baths - 0.72%.

Thus, a car wash is a great investment. Especially if it is a newly built car wash. And if it’s on your own piece of land, then it’s generally excellent. In company Sonny's I was told such a case: in Ufa, after six months of successful operation of the first washing complex in Bashkiria, serious bankers approached the owners and offered a large sum for the assignment of the washing building to them for a new bank. Land, building - all this is liquid. A ready-made car wash business on a turnkey basis will be doubly liquid.

Transparency and ease of management

A car wash is a simple business. There are no complex technical processes, no strong dependence on suppliers, no big problems with personnel search.

The main profile of my activity is advising the owners of car services, so I have the opportunity to compare the complexity of these two businesses. Washing cars is much easier than fixing them. The technological complexity of washing a car is much less, and there are no such problems with finding personnel and equipment as when opening a car service. In general, in itself, this activity is quite simple, if you know what and how. You do not need any special technical education, you do not need to understand the design of machines, etc. It's like washing dishes in the kitchen, only more dishes. I am more than sure that everyone can open a car wash.

High profitability

The minimum profitability of a car wash is 30%. And you need to try very hard to make it so low. The normal figure is 50%. The main operating costs are salaries and taxes. Sometimes there is also rent and utility bills, but this already depends heavily on the specific case and the type of car wash (automatic or manual). On the different types washes different costs.

Ability to clone

Business cloning is a separate big topic, but I will say a few words about it.

If you opened one car wash, “fixed” all business processes and achieved stability, you will simply endless possibilities for the rapid expansion of the business. What is done and documented once can be easily repeated as many times as you like. There are several ways: creating a network or selling clones. In the first case, you can continue to open your car washes under a single brand, in the second case, you can sell "business in a box" to other entrepreneurs. We do not yet have networks of car washes as such, as well as offers for the sale of a “business in a box”. Moreover, the sale of a “business in a box” (in the West it is called business opportunity) brings in an order of magnitude more money than actually washing cars. True, there is one subtlety: there is a very tricky sales process. But if you fix it - it's a gold mine. By the way, there is another option: creating a franchise. But it is even more difficult, albeit profitable.

We talked about the obvious advantages of the car wash business, let's move on to the cons. Otherwise, it would have been a complete scam.

Bureaucracy. Long term construction from scratch. Obtaining permits

If we talk about building a car wash from scratch, the main problem is to get land for development and coordinate the location of the car wash. In big cities, this is generally tight, and you will have to spend a lot of money. For example, in Moscow, renting a land plot from the city, building a manual car wash for four or five posts, and putting it into operation can cost from $500,000 to several million. In small towns, this is, of course, easier, but you also have to run. In the case of rent, everything is cheaper, there are no such huge expenses. Depending on the region, a car wash in a rented premises can be opened with even $20,000.

How long does it take to open a car wash?

There is no single answer to this question, it all depends on the specific city and the specific situation.

Sometimes land acquisition alone can take two years, sometimes a new built car wash can start operating as early as a year after applying for land. The biggest time investment will be on:

Land allocation - up to 24 months;

Project approval – up to 6 months;

Construction and commissioning - up to 3 months.

Again, these are all approximate figures. Very often, especially in small towns, car washes begin to be built without approvals, and all permits are obtained along the way. The same is with renting - the premises are being reconstructed and in the process they receive all the necessary paperwork. In large cities, this will not work, but in small ones it sometimes works if there are connections and acquaintances.

But the trends are such that they are starting to enforce regulations more and more strictly, and if you don’t want an already finished sink to stand dead because someone suddenly didn’t give permission, it’s better to do everything right away in accordance with the law. On average, the entire process of building a new car wash takes one and a half to two years. If you rent a room - up to one year.

What problems do you need to be prepared for?

If you are going to build a car wash from scratch, First of all, there will be a problem with the land. This problem is especially acute in large cities. By and large, it is because of this that so few new car washes are opened. If you do not own a plot, the only option to find land is to rent it from the state. But, as you understand, officials will not give anything to the first person they meet just like that.

Most often, the sale of leasehold rights to a piece of land takes place in the form of an auction. That is, at least serious money will be needed. The right to lease a plot for a small car wash in Moscow can cost several hundred thousand dollars. At the same time, of course, part of this money will go into the pockets of officials. Moreover, it is not a fact that you will get the site just because you have money. In this case, personal connections and acquaintance with the right people play a very important role. In small towns, prices are, of course, lower, but the factor of personal connections also plays a significant role.

The next problem is the approval of the construction of a car wash on the selected plot of land. In Moscow, for example, it is required to obtain more than 60 different approvals from many authorities. Moreover, if at least one of them does not agree on the project, you will not be able to build a sink. In order for everything to go smoothly, money will also be needed for “gifts” to officials. By and large, the costs of obtaining land and approvals exceed the costs of building a car wash itself.

Another problem that can “eat through” a huge hole in the budget is connecting to engineering networks: plumbing and electricity. It often happens that the cost of summing up communications exceeds the cost of construction.

If you would like to rent a space, Here, first of all, there will be a problem with finding a suitable room. In principle, if you try, you can find a room. After that, the main task is to obtain permission to reconstruct the premises for a car wash. Here, again, it will be necessary to coordinate the project and run through numerous instances.

Prospects for the development of the washing business

I am often asked the question: how to evaluate the profitability of a car wash? By and large, everything is quite simple here. The minimum profitability can be calculated by observing the already operating car washes. You can spend a few days and see how many cars come to car washes during the day. This will give you approximate download numbers. Here, of course, there is a dependence on the season and the weather, but these will be real numbers. After that, look at the prices of the current car wash and calculate the approximate cost of the average bill. Depending on the city and type of car wash, this can be 150–400 rubles. Multiply the number of customers by the average check and get the approximate amount of daily revenue.

To be honest, the results of your research will most often say one thing: a car wash is profitable. For example, a car wash for four posts in Moscow with an average bill of 300 rubles. brings about $30 thousand of profit per month. With a total cost of $ 850 thousand to open such a car wash, the payback will be somewhere around 2.5-3 years.

Of course, if you rent a room with a small initial investment, you can recoup the costs in a year. Here again, there is a dependence on the city, on the type of car wash, on the contingent of customers, on the number of cars in the city, etc.

Take, for example, a manual car wash with two posts. In a day, 20-30 cars can pass through one post. Total 40-60 per day. With an average check of 200 rubles.

it turns out 8-12 thousand rubles. revenue, of which about 35% will go to staff. Thus, the dirty profit will be 5200–7800 rubles. in a day. The figures, of course, are averaged, they do not take into account orders for dry cleaning and polishing, weather and season, but they give an idea. By the way, the problem of the low season is solvable - you just need to build the right marketing.

For example, I will give brief reviews of the car wash business in several cities.

Permian

There are currently about 50 car washes in Perm, most of them around the clock. The set of services is standard: full washing (internal and external), cleaning and dry cleaning of the interior, body polishing, engine washing, washing of rugs, thresholds, wheels, liquid wax, wiping the dashboard and plastic, lubricating locks.

Car washes in the city center have a large flow of customers and high prices, without differing good quality. And on the outskirts for less money you can wash your car better. What to do, demand exceeds supply.

The difference in prices at different car washes is up to 40%. Approximate price range:

Washing + interior cleaning - 200–250 rubles;

Interior cleaning - 80-150 rubles;

Body wash - 100–150 rubles;

Engine wash - from 150 rubles.

In general, the market is in its infancy, there is no competition as such.

Barnaul

There are about 65 car washes in Barnaul. There is no competition as such, demand exceeds supply, and in order to wash the car on the weekend, customers have to queue. Most of the operating car washes are located in residential areas. There is one non-contact gantry truck wash. One or two new car washes open in the city every year.

Nizhny Novgorod

There are about 40 stand-alone car washes in Nizhny, not counting those that are part of gas stations and car services. The number of cars in the city is growing by 15% per year. According to the most rough estimates, the city needs the same number of new car washes, as there are queues everywhere. Most sinks are manual, automatic 5-6 pieces. The set of services is standard. The average check is 300 rubles. The monthly profit of a standard car wash is $4,000–8,000.

Generally speaking, all calculations should be reflected in the business plan on paper. If there are specific figures, we can draw specific conclusions. We will talk about how to create a business plan a little later, but for now let's move on to the topic of start-up capital.

The construction of a car wash is a promising business undertaking that allows you to return the invested funds in the shortest possible time. But, in order for the enterprise to be truly profitable, it is necessary to think through everything to the last detail.

The most voluminous items of initial expenses are the construction of premises and the purchase of equipment. Equipment must be reliable, functional and easy to maintain. There are no less requirements for the premises. A car wash simply must be spacious, bright, attractive, comply with fire, sanitary and environmental safety standards.

5 reasons to build a car wash from sandwich panels

Building a car wash from sandwich panels is beneficial for several reasons. The importance of location should be attributed to the features of the car wash business. “Favorable” places for washing: parking lots nearby office buildings, shops, shopping and entertainment centers and any other places where there is busy road traffic.

Get a plot in a suitable location with the right to capital construction it is quite difficult for a future entrepreneur, and sometimes even impossible. This is where the first advantage of sandwich panels becomes obvious - lightness.

Sandwich car wash - small architectural form fast-mounted buildings, does not need a deep and solid foundation. May be classified as a temporary structure.

A car wash is a place where anything and everything comes into contact with water. If the walls will not be directly exposed to water, then the constant high humidity will certainly affect their quality. Sandwich panels are not afraid of moisture! The water absorption rate for a panel filled with polystyrene foam is 1% per day by volume. Panel coating - corrosion-resistant galvanized steel with a polymer coating - also tolerates contact with water.

A place that is characterized by the presence of a busy flow of cars is certainly noisy. But sandwich panels can easily cope with this problem.

Expanded polystyrene has a fairly high level of sound absorption, reaching, depending on the thickness of the insulation, 24-27 dB.

Important for those who decide to build a car wash is its appearance. The use of colored sandwich panels allows you to choose any of the colors of the RAL catalog: blue, white, red, yellow, original shades. The profiled surface will provide an advantageous play of light and shadow. It is easy to care for the panels: it is necessary to periodically inspect the surface for violations of the integrity of the surface and eliminate contamination.

The last, and one of the most powerful arguments in favor of panel construction is speed. “Time is money” is a truth that applies to any business. The construction of a car wash using quick assembly technology significantly reduces the amount of time spent on construction.

Summarizing, the advantages of sandwich panels for the construction of a car wash:

  1. Ease;
  2. Corrosion resistance;
  3. attractiveness;
  4. High level of heat and sound insulation;
  5. Construction speed

The design of a car wash from sandwich panels, the price of materials and work

Structurally, a car wash made of sandwich panels is a metal frame made on the basis of a welded beam, sheathed with three-layer metal sandwich panels completely ready for installation. The area of ​​the building may be different, depending on how many washing posts are included in the project.

The cost of materials depends on which panel you choose as the main building material.

For a car wash, it is preferable to use panels filled with expanded polystyrene with a thickness of 80-100 mm.

The price of installation work depends on the complexity of the project, the size of the construction site, the availability of access roads, etc.

Read more about the factors that shape the cost of construction in the article:

NTK Digging is ready to offer high-quality three-layer metal sandwich panels for the construction of a car wash at the manufacturer's price, as well as design and construction services. Ask your questions to the manager of the company!

Often there are situations when the car is very dirty as a result of driving through polluted areas, but there are no facilities nearby to wash it well. For example, you went to the forest for mushrooms or berries, to the lake. Running into a pond with a bucket to douse the car, simultaneously rubbing the dirt with an old rag, is not an option. For such purposes, you can make a small mini-sink from the simplest tools at hand. It will be very compact and will easily fit in the trunk of any car without eating up extra space.

To understand how to make such a device, watch this video:

Necessary materials for the manufacture of a mini-sink:
- foot pump;
- capacity;
- union;
- quick disconnect valve;
- lid;
- fungus from a tubeless wheel;
- hose;
- watering head;
- rubber gasket;
- glue;
- adapter sleeve;
- sealant.


To get started, we take a container prepared in advance. It can be an ordinary plastic canister with a volume of at least 10 liters. Ideally, you need to use a large capacity container made of thick plastic or metal.

A fungus from a tubeless wheel is built into the container lid, sealed with a rubber gasket on glue. The gasket can be omitted if the hole for the fungus is made very accurately, which allows it to hold tight and tight.


A hole is made at the bottom of the container, into which, with the help of an adapter and silicone sealant fitting is attached.

The watering head is equipped with a quick-release valve that allows you to connect a hose. Also, such a valve connects the hose to the tank.


It is best to use a watering head equipped with five modes of operation: 3 rain and 2 simple jets. This will make its use more functional.


Principle of operation.
Using a foot pump, we pump air into the container so that the pressure is no more than 0.1-0.2 atmospheres, this will be more than enough. This creates excess pressure inside plastic canister, the air presses on the water in the tank. Now it will be enough to open the valve of the watering head for the water to flow out. Just do not overdo it with pressure so that your container does not burst.