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An In-Bay Automatic (IBA) carwash system, also known as a rollover, rolls back and forth to provide an exterior-only wash while the vehicle remains stationary in the wash bay. IBAs can be touchless, friction or a combination of both. The customer typically selects the wash and pays at an unmanned kiosk (also called an entry system, teller or coinbox). IBAs are commonly combined with multiple self-serve bays at a carwash-only site to offer the customer a choice of how they wash their cars. They are also the typically found at gas station/convenience store sites.
- Requires roughly the same amount of space as a self-serve bay
- Has the potential to generate revenue 24x7
- Typically requires 2.5-6.5 minutes per wash, depending on the wash package purchased (self-serve typically averages 10 minutes per vehicle)
- Increased opportunities for marketing promotions
- Ability to offer touchless, friction or combination of both to meet market demand and counter competitors’ offerings
- Minimal labor costs
- IBAs represent about 43% of total carwash systems
- Purchases are impulse driven
- Operators washed an average of 38,568 vehicles
- Average daily street traffic count: 28,278
- Median gross revenue per car $6.66
- 64.6% of customers paying with cash vs. 28.9% with credit card
- 59% of In-Bay Automatic sites reported yearly profits of $50K or more
- Most successful when coupled with other profit centers
| 5.2% |
| 14.3% |
| 5.2% |
| 3.9% |
| 70.1% |
| 13 % |
- New technology allows for easier, remote monitoring of financials, service alerts, and weather
- 1 IBA = 7,000 square feet
- 2 IBAs = 14,000 square feet
- 2 Automatics + 2 SS = 18,000 square feet
- 2 Automatics + 4 SS = 22,500 square feet
- Low-to-moderate total investment ($800K-$1.4M)
- Short learning curve
- Short time to positive cash flow (usually 3-6 months)
- Little or no labor required
- Low liability exposure
- Requires a “B” location or better
- Low-to-moderate revenue potential
* Source: 2007 Professional Carwashing & Detailing In-Bay Automatic Carwash Operations Benchmarking Report
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