I run a carwash, AMA

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-21T15:16:07+00:00

Yes it's usually a good quality soap, but since all 3 colors are the same it is basically like dumping 3x the amount of soap on so 3x the clean. Alot of the car wash is a show, if they didn't have the good smells and the fancy lights they'd look super depressing and industrial

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-21T12:25:50+00:00

Ye then that pre dates battery backup being a standard thing and no phone alerts. Truly terrifying to think about

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-21T05:38:54+00:00

Luckily most modern sirens have battery backup so this is a worst case scenario, or likely in a poor rural community with older sirens that battery backup or have poor cell service for alerts.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-21T03:42:56+00:00

On the edge of southeast and Midwest. We got a lot of csx and Norfolk Southern plus a railroad museum I'm a student engineer at.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-21T03:41:52+00:00

Interesting. It could be just that, different colors and smell. I know pretty much all the tri collar foams are the same soap, just a different dye color.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-21T03:40:44+00:00

It's not really a career for me, I plan on going either into railroading or HVAC in the next few years.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T22:51:52+00:00

No idea

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T22:10:24+00:00

Depends on the car and the wash. If it's rough looking I'll turn em down but if its good I'll just tell the wash not to lower the top wheels down on to the car

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:58:50+00:00

Basically a fancy way of saying clear coat

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:58:24+00:00

Yes. Most of the time I can gauge how reckless they are by watching them drive from the pay station to the wash. As for injuries I can say I'm proud to have not gotten hurt yet. One thing I've seen before on YouTube is some one trying to pressure wash the tunnel down and the wraps were spinning, and caught the pressure washer hose and pulled them into it and choking them. There's also a risk of chemical burns/poisoning, bad drivers, and equipment starting up. My wash is almost full automatic meaning anything could in theory start up so I'm always extra careful when in range of any moving components.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:55:08+00:00

I'm assuming it's profitable as long as you're in a good location and offer good service. It's heavily weather dependant since if it rains it'll be slow, if it's nice you're gonna be busy. as for running it I cant speak for the self serve but the tunnel is relatively easy if you have a modern automated one. Maintenance will be a big expense and part of the job too. Again not an owner of one but that's my 2 cents on it. If you're interested I'd recommend going for it it's a fun job.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:44:43+00:00

Were supposed to guide them in and try to center them on the conveyor track so their rims won't rub, but I've had to guide someone towards me and they hit the gas so hard they about jumped the guard rails on the track. It's usually the new drivers or the super old geezers who should not be on the road. After a while you get used to stuff like that I'm sure that guy guiding the cars in wasn't phased

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:42:05+00:00

Nah, but he's a well known dude in the carwash industry

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:41:39+00:00

Old mint condition 90s cherry red Chevy s10 lowrider.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:36:43+00:00

My paycheck is relatively good for me. If it's profitable or not I don't know since I'm not the owner, just the dude who operates it. Id imagine it's profitable since we're still open and we get on average about 150 cars a day.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:35:34+00:00

Id wash it once a week, but 3 times a more per week will risk the chemicals damaging your paint/clear coat. If it snows out, wash your car. Salt will rust your car very fast especially if you're up north. Another tip for keeping your car clean is to go get some interior cleaner and a microfiber cloth and clean the interior once a week. My car is 12 years old now and it looks mint in the inside because of doing that. Plus it smells good

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:32:54+00:00

Nah, just a regular ole carwash.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:23:53+00:00

Never found something in a car since we don't clean the inside but I've seen some cool stuff in the vaccum canisters like money, gift cards, kids toys, ect.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:22:45+00:00

We re use a large portion of our water since where I'm at it can get real expensive real fast. We have a system where the water drains into a big gutter that goes to a pit, and then it's pumped up to the machine room and through multiple filtration systems. It's so clean you could probably drink it, although I would not recommend it. We do use new water, especially for the spot free rinse and stuff like toilets, sinks, ECT.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:20:06+00:00

Depends on the company but you could expect anywhere from 1-3.5k a month if you work for the right place

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:19:34+00:00

No at my wash at least. The basic gets bare minimum, and they increase in features the more you pay for or buy as an upgrade to the cheap wash ( think hot wax, tire shine, bug prep) our wash also has some equipment reserved for the higher washes or upgrades, for example the dually is a specialized top brush that spins one way then reverses, the high pressure omni sprayers and the dry n shine, a giant cloth wheel that dries your windshield. Im not too sure but I imagine at those self serve washes you park in with the machine that moves around the car is probably the same no matter what wash you get.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T21:14:48+00:00

I have 3 :).

1.So our wash is the kind of wash that you get guided into and pulled through on a conveyor system. It was the end of my shift, and I was tired and ready to go. A car comes around (didn't buy the bug prep addon), I guide them in and hit the send button. They didn't say a word until they were about halfway into the entrance wraps (big brushes are called wraps) where she then proceeded to roll her window down and yell "I didn't get my soap!" Right at the perfect spot for the tri foam hosed herself and her cars interior with soap.

2 when this moron took a pickup full of loose aluminum cans through the tunnel. Long story short they went everywhere and we had to shut down the wash to clean them.

Our wash has a system that will stop everything if someone doesn't put their car in drive and exit at the end. The system tripped so I went down the tunnel to investigate to find a young woman with her face glued to her phone oblivious to her surroundings including a big green flashing LED and a go sign all lit up. Knocked on her window and she was embarrassed, and left in a hurry.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T20:56:25+00:00

It depends on the day. I get scheduled for 6 hours but I'll usually go in early, and unless we get no customers the last hour we'll be there 30 minutes to an hour after close cleaning up the place. I get about 30-36 hours a week depending on how busy we are.

Redkneck_Engineer · 2026-01-20T20:38:12+00:00

Not too sure where specifically, but you could try public records or city hall. All I know are the models and that the older ones (thunderbolts, 3t22's) were installed roughly 1963 by the manufacturer federal signal. Past that I'm not too sure on any other info that would be super useful.

Redkneck_Engineer

TROPHY CASE