Site Due Diligence Protocol
Car Wash Location Traffic & Civil Utilities Cheatsheet
🚗 Traffic Count & Ingress Demographics
- ✅ Average Daily Traffic (ADT): Minimum 25,000+ to 40,000+ vehicles per day on primary artery.
- ✅ Going-Home Side of the Street: Evening commuter side captures 60-70% of express car wash visits.
- ✅ Speed Limit & Stacking Lane: Max 40 MPH road speed with minimum 20-30 car stacking queue.
💧 Water & Sewer Civil Infrastructure
- ✅ Main Water Tap Sizing: Minimum 2" to 3" commercial water service line with backflow preventer.
- ✅ Water Reclaim System: Multi-stage settling pits to filter and reuse 70-85% of wash water.
- ✅ Oil-Water Separator / Sand Interceptor: Municipal environmental discharge compliance.
⚡ Electrical Power & Gas Capacity
- ✅ 3-Phase 480V Electric Service: Minimum 800A to 1200A 480V service to power high-HP blowers.
- ✅ Commercial Natural Gas Service: Minimum 1.5M to 2.5M BTU gas line for winter water heating.
- ✅ Variable Frequency Drives (VFD): Smooth motor start to reduce utility demand peak surcharges.
💳 Subscription Membership Economics
- 💎 Target Membership Ratio: 50% to 70% of total revenue derived from recurring monthly wash clubs.
- 💎 LPR (License Plate Recognition): Automatic RFID / camera gate arms for sub-5 second queue entry.
- 💎 Free Self-Serve Vacuum Islands: Minimum 16-24 dual-drop vacuum stalls to drive member stickiness.