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Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

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Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#101

Post by michaelt »

notanormalnerd wrote: post #28
bluefirebrand wrote: post #5

In my city you're not allowed to wash your car in your driveway I guess it's too hard on the storm drains to have soap and dirt and stuff going down them Or maybe city council is just in some kind of racket with car wash owners or something But either way, that's why we have so many car washes here... And it sucks ass

It is mostl due to the oil and other hazardous materials potentially going into the ground or the city sewer. They can't or won't clean that and it is contaminating in even small amounts. E.g. one drop of oil contaminates 500l of water. At least for Germany.

Doesn't any oil on the road etc end up in the sewers next time it rains anyway?

Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#102

Post by cush »

brevitea wrote: post #94

Money Laundering.

Walter White is dead. More likely that most people with cars no longer own driveways and car washes have been completely automated, so they’ve become a good, economical choice over the years. It’s a lucrative business now.

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/car-washes/

Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#103

Post by kuchenbecker »

nytesky wrote: post #7

I would have assumed its from the rise of gig workers using private cars. Uber/Lyft need to keep cars pretty clean to not be dinged stars, and even package and food delivery can create more mess which may require cleaning (but mostly taxi service I think). I skimmed the article and don’t see mention of that?

When I worked at a carwash half the cars came from the local car dealerships.

Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#105

Post by compootr »

myself248 wrote: post #81
babas wrote: post #6

I've been thinking about this same phenomenon. I reside in Norway, where, interestingly, five different car washes opened in 2023 within a 2 km radius of my local neighborhood. Remarkably, four of these are clustered within a 300m stretch inside a commercial park. Our local area has a population of roughly 5,000 to 7,000 people. Each car wash is operated by a different entity, offering unique apps and subscription pl…

...did you say 'apps'?

I hate the trend that everything must be an app

Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#106

Post by Antip0dean »

This is a big thing in the UK, too. The official narrative here is modern slavery with undocumented migrants. It's the same with sex work, with which is harder to separate between conservative propaganda and reality.

I expect the main difference between the US and UK versions are that the latter are typically set up in disused urban plots with pop-up tents and temporary chain-link fences rather than having any investment.

Either way, if you're getting 3-5 people washing your car for a tenner, the people you're handing you money to are probably receiving minimal pennies on the dollar.

Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#107

Post by bdcravens »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #5

In my city you're not allowed to wash your car in your driveway I guess it's too hard on the storm drains to have soap and dirt and stuff going down them Or maybe city council is just in some kind of racket with car wash owners or something But either way, that's why we have so many car washes here... And it sucks ass

I can wash my car in my driveway, but last summer when my city implemented water use controls (due to drought conditions), they didn't allow it. Oddly enough, they didn't restrict commercial car washes.

Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#108

Post by fragmede »

diogenescynic wrote: post #13
malfist wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like storage units?

Absolutely. I can think of a few storage units that are in prime real estate locations that make no sense--like right across the street from Oracle Park in San Francisco. Has to be some of the most expensive real estate in the entire city/state and it's being used for storage units...

How about in the heart of San Francisco at Otis and 13th? Then again, the Walgreens at 16th st Bart is still sitting empty, as well as the burger king next door to it, so there's something fucked with incentives and regulations and zoning that means we're not making use of some of the most lucrative real estate in a highly desirable market. Calle 11 on 11th is another that's sitting unused for unknown reasons.

Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#109

Post by popcalc »

xenospn wrote: post #67
diogenescynic wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought that was what all the mattress stores were for.

Mattress stores and Psychics. Seriously, there’s thousands of both all across the United States - and I’ve never seen anyone set foot in either.

Psychics are lucrative. They prey on people in the most desperate times of their life and often make off with their life savings. That's why there's one right next to the Louboutin store in Beverly Hills.

Re: Why are there suddenly so many car washes?

#110

Post by krupan »

bee_rider wrote: post #83

1) Who is spending $20 a month on car washes? 2) If the problem is that subscription users aren’t paying local sales taxes, why not charge property taxes? (or, Land Value Tax!)

In winter where I live there's a ton of salt on the roads and you don't want to leave that stuff caked on your car
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