This might be a bit controversial.

[68BabyBlue]

I'd say that being a barber is a better all cash business.

Mine would agree, but his social security benefit is about a third of what I get.

 

[68BabyBlue]

I never ran the Peterbilt through a truck wash in the 16 years I owned it. Used a wash brush and running water. I skipped detergent, because of the number of batches it would have taken. Original paint was still good when I made my last run in 2022.

 

[themechanic]

I never ran the Peterbilt through a truck wash in the 16 years I owned it. Used a wash brush and running water. I skipped detergent, because of the number of batches it would have taken. Original paint was still good when I made my last run in 2022.

View attachment 1925138

Was that the truck that tried to kill Dennis Weaver?

 

[68BabyBlue]

Was that the truck that tried to kill Dennis Weaver?

If I recall correctly, the Peterbilt in Duel was a 196l model. Mine was a 2000, but same basic unit.

 

[Ron H]

I rarely go to an auto wash with my daily drivers, part of it is taking the drive to get to one. I rinse them off at home sometimes using a light power-washer I have and will do a good washing in spring and fall including waxing. For my old ride I wash it about twice a year when I want to apply wax. Use CA duster in between. Where I live is dusty around farm fields and a ¼-mile long crushed asphalt driveway so want to be careful having a clean dust-free surface before waxing it.

 

[Dennis H]

I hand wash my stuff with exception. Problem here is the water. Minerals and nasty. 70 degrees, light dry breeze in the shade of the carport sounds ideal, but it can’t be dried quick enough. Water spots are worse than anything else. Bought a poor man’s water purifier for the final rinse. Haven’t used it yet.

I paid for this one due to the fancy (Ionizer?) they use. and to look at the *** of the Honey.

 

[Ron H]

If I recall correctly, the Peterbilt in Duel was a 196l model. Mine was a 2000, but same basic unit.

Was a great movie. I thought how nice it would have been if Weaver had a BB mopar or what Kowalski had. Not that many years after that flick came out, my first job out of college provided a company vehicle as 70% of the time used it for the job. Puny ’78 Malibu with the 6 motor, later a Volare, Firenza, etc. All 4 or 6’s. Thought if I would have to outrun anything, even a mad-dog I’d be toast, lol.

 

[themechanic]

I hand wash my stuff with exception. Problem here is the water. Minerals and nasty. 70 degrees, light dry breeze in the shade of the carport sounds ideal, but it can’t be dried quick enough. Water spots are worse than anything else. Bought a poor man’s water purifier for the final rinse. Haven’t used it yet.

I paid for this one due to the fancy (Ionizer?) they use.

View attachment 1925206

Try a pump sprayer and some distilled water. I heard it works but haven't tried it.

I hand wash in the cool of the morning.

I use my Ego leaf blower to speed the drying process.

 

[SlingLow]

How so?

Very few of them see cash today. It's not like it was before everyone carried and used a debit card.

My friend Mike has owned a really nice car wash for 20-years and my friend Clark's family has been in the laundromat business for 60-years.

They both complain about the lack of the, Good Ole Days where they could really skim the cash off.

Actually, what you're talking about is skimming - kind of the opposite of laundering. In the classic money laundering scheme, the owner already has the cash - from an illegitimate source. Now he needs a legitimate business to run the cash through to make the cash legitimate. The car wash is an excellent choice as there is no direct tracking of the number of customers through cost of goods sold. So, the business does a huge cash business with no customers and the regular business mostly through debit/credit/zelle/paypal/whizbang/hoohaw payments. This gets the illicit cash on the record and in the bank. Anyway, I read about this in a book...

 

[Dennis H]

I usually mist it with detailer while still wet, then use blower, then blot the rest. Thinking of washing a section at a time. Roof/glass, hood, trunk horizontals. Then the rest. Wheels first. They are a pia.

 

[DynaBro]

I don't even wash my truck. It got one spot of rust waaaaaaay too early and broke my heart so I just decided to drive it into the ground and not care.

The MOPAR gets all the extra care.

 

[SlingLow]

I wash my old truck by hand on even numbered years and Mom's old Subaru by hand on odd numbered years. Or is that the other way around?

 

[JackR]

I just sold the wife’s 2013 Toyota. Never saw one of those car washes and looked like new. The kids 2010 4 runner only gets washed at those. His 4Runner has scratches, clear coat dulling etc

 

[68BabyBlue]

Actually, what you're talking about is skimming - kind of the opposite of laundering. In the classic money laundering scheme, the owner already has the cash - from an illegitimate source. Now he needs a legitimate business to run the cash through to make the cash legitimate. The car wash is an excellent choice as there is no direct tracking of the number of customers through cost of goods sold. So, the business does a huge cash business with no customers and the regular business mostly through debit/credit/zelle/paypal/whizbang/hoohaw payments. This gets the illicit cash on the record and in the bank. Anyway, I read about this in a book...

Every place I drove a truck for skimmed me, it's part of the business model. When I drove a company truck before I went into management, I generated hauling revenue, and a transload fee when I took loads out of a rail car for transport in my trailer. The company paid me a published percentage of the haul, but deposited the transload fee in an account labeled "Mr. 8500." The manager left the file cabinet unlocked, and as a lawyer, I had the skill set to interpret the P&L statement. I was still the highest paid driver in the terminal, so I didn't care. Years later, my boss confided that I'd generated nearly 100% of the terminal profit with that slush fund. Paid off with the big corporate job down the road.

When I leased my truck out at the end of my career, the company owner's wife liked fancy shoes. She was able to buy a pair with every load I hauled for my two most lucrative customers, when she skimmed $150 of the top, before paying my settlement. Again, I didn't have a problem, just factored in the $150 when I set the rate. When I gave the boss notice in 2021, he asked me to stay another year. I said fine, need a 35% rate increase, and no skim off the top. Got what I wanted, but his wife still skimmed me on the filler loads. I told her if she didn't stop, I wasn't doing the year. She split the difference, and I left three months later.

 

[Cranky]

Actually, what you're talking about is skimming - kind of the opposite of laundering. In the classic money laundering scheme, the owner already has the cash - from an illegitimate source. Now he needs a legitimate business to run the cash through to make the cash legitimate. The car wash is an excellent choice as there is no direct tracking of the number of customers through cost of goods sold. So, the business does a huge cash business with no customers and the regular business mostly through debit/credit/zelle/paypal/whizbang/hoohaw payments. This gets the illicit cash on the record and in the bank. Anyway, I read about this in a book...

A furniture store that also does rentals is another good choice for skimming.....imo.

Anyways, when I recently remarried, the bride came with a 2022 Chevy pickup that's black. She was running it through a car wash like in the vid and it's still getting washed like that. She can get it dirty even when it's dry out and I'm not much into spending my life keeping it clean by hand these days. So far it still looks good. The interior is another story. Man, that women is ruff on interiors lol

 

[mmissile]

Goes thru the touchless wash, about every 3rd time I drive it....

Same with this one...

 

[OneWheelPeel]

I hand wash my stuff with exception. Problem here is the water. Minerals and nasty. 70 degrees, light dry breeze in the shade of the carport sounds ideal, but it can’t be dried quick enough. Water spots are worse than anything else. Bought a poor man’s water purifier for the final rinse. Haven’t used it yet.

I paid for this one due to the fancy (Ionizer?) they use. and to look at the *** of the Honey.



View attachment 1925206

View attachment 1925207

Let us know how those filters work out and how many washes you get.
I have the perfect storm of a dusty farm town, along with spiders that want to web everything, and really hard spotty water if I wash at home. So shiney cars get the drive thru.
Lately on the Coronet and Corvette which have $#it for paint, I've been wiping the dust off dry and then I clean the windows and call it done.

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

I always stop by a local place to get my wash.

Tom