A Guide to Washing Your Car

Being in this business, I take for granted that everyone understands why they need to wash their cars (as well as why they should wash them at a professional facility and what services they need to purchase when they stop in). Then I talk to a few customers and realize I’m completely wrong.

It makes sense, really. The topic of “car washing” is not one of those exciting discussions that seem to generate buzz around the water cooler (like, say, Lindsay Lohan’s latest escapades, government healthcare, the NFL weekend, or Jonathan Franzen’s newest novel). But still, we “car dudes” have feelings too. And since we’re passionate about the importance of our business, I thought I’d take this opportunity to briefly give you some information on (1) why you should wash your car, (2) why you should use a professional car wash, and (3) what services you should select on your next visit. It won’t be too painful, I promise. And you really might learn something.

First, let’s address why you should wash your car. The truth is: it’s more than just about looking good. Aside from the fact that a clean car says a ton about your image (that it greatly enhances your sex appeal and that it will more than likely help you get promoted in your career), it really is a low cost form of auto maintenance that will prolong the life of your car.

In most basic terms, there are just a lot of things out there, every day, that are degrading your vehicle’s paint. Bird droppings contain acid that burns through your clear coat and causes damage that can’t be repaired; brake dust actually eats into your wheels and then becomes baked-on in the heat; road oils and other pollutants can permanently dull your car’s color if allowed to sit for extended periods of time. It’s all much uglier than most people realize. And by simply regularly washing your car, you can remove these factors and insure that the look of your car will stay bright and protected for a long, long time. And that can mean more money to you at trade-in, or when you decide to sell it.

Next, there are also a lot of good reasons why you should wash at a professional car care facility (we personally believe Metro Car Wash is the best, but any of them are better than washing at home).

Now it’s possible, of course, that you have nothing better to do with your weekend than wash your car in your driveway. You’re someone who hates to go to a barbeque, you dislike sports of any kind, you detest kicking up your feet and drinking iced tea or beer, you shutter at the thought of relaxing in a pool, and you feel that two hours of your time under the beating sun is the perfect way to spend the precious moments away from your boss. But even still … you shouldn’t do it.

There are two basic reasons professional car washes are better than your driveway. First, when you wash in your driveway, the run-off goes into the storm drains, which does not go to a sanitation plant. The soaps you use, as well as the oils, brake dust and pollutants you remove, get washed into the lakes and rivers and the general environment. At a professional car wash, this polluted water runs through a sanitary sewer system and is ultimately processed in a sanitation plant. Second, by using a professional car wash, you’re saving a lot of water. Studies have shown that washing an average car, with a typical garden hose, will use about 116 gallons of water (seriously). An average full-service car wash, however, will only use about 40 – 60 gallons for every car (at Metro in Tucson, we can get lower than this due to our use of reclaim water). So think of it this way: using a professional car wash is actually your duty as a respectable member of society!

Finally, let’s discuss what service you should get the next time you come in.

Of course, every time you pull onto a car wash lot, a salesperson is going to try to sell you something expensive. But the truth is: there are times you need to spend the extra money, and there are times you don’t.

The question we get asked the most is: How often should I wax my car? And the answer is: it depends.

The sun’s UV rays are a major source of damage to your vehicle’s paint. And on newer cars, they’re now using less paint and less clear coat (to save cost), which means less paint protection. In other words, the more your car is out in the sun, the more you need to wax your car.

If you’re lucky enough to have covered parking throughout the day, then you may only need to wax your car every 4 -5 months. If your car is out in the sun all day, however, we suggest you get a wax at least every 3 months.

And one more point while we’re on this subject. If you regularly wash your car (2x per month) and regularly upgrade to a package wash with spray-on paint protection (like our Metro Wash), then you can also prolong the time between spending money on a complete wax.

So keep track of when you purchase, as well as what you purchase. And don’t get talked into something that you just don’t need.

Hope this information helps. Hope you haven’t been bored to tears.

Until next time, stay clean my friends!

--DJ DripDry

Meet a Metro Employee

When we started this blog, we said we wanted it to be different. We didn’t want to blog about car care, or something industry related (just a little boring, if you ask us). We thought we had a unique perspective of Tucson, because of our customers and our employees, and we wanted to share those with our readers. So in keeping with that spirit, I’m going to (every so often) sprinkle in a brief biography of an employee, or a customer, I think you should know about.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Juanita, one of Metro Car Wash’s best employees, and one of the nicest, friendliest people you will ever be lucky enough to meet. And since you are likely a Metro Car Wash customer, you’ll have every opportunity to look for her and say “hi” at your next visit to our Speedway location.

I picked Juanita to introduce, because I think her story (and her character) are inspiring and a great example of hope (in a somewhat depressing era).

Juanita applied for a job with Metro Car Wash three years ago. At the time, she had just immigrated to Tucson from Equatorial Guinea, one of the smallest countries in Africa. As it so happens, it’s also considered one of the world’s most corrupt governments (we’re talking torture and unlawful killings by security forces, no freedom of speech, and extreme poverty for most of the nation while the government big-wigs collect American oil money … not a great place to be).

Juanita’s father had actually been a Spanish-educated dignitary for the country, but under the corrupt government he was imprisoned while Juanita was just a child. After his release, the family moved to Gabon, a neighboring county, because of ensuing death threats against him. The family lived in Gabon for 13 years, but was in constant fear. Eventually, the US Embassy convinced the family to leave Gabon for the United States for their safety. When the family arrived, Juanita was pregnant; the father of her child had not been able to come with them. She spoke no English. She had never driven a car. And she had never had a job.

Shortly after their arrival, Juanita had her child. And because she was younger, and more capable of work, she set off to find a job while other members of her family watched her son. Metro Car Wash was lucky: she came to us first.

While Juanita didn’t speak English, she did speak Spanish. We were able to communicate with her, and while we understood that she had no work experience, we were impressed by her great smile, her courage, and her willingness to learn. When people are good people it shows, no matter what the language barriers are.

And so here is what Juanita did: She started learning English immediately. She started going to school and is earning her GED. She learned everything she could about the car wash business and her job responsibilities. She learned to drive (standard and automatic). She began to excel at every position we gave her … began training others, began noticing when there was a problem, began coming to manager meetings (Saturday at 6:00 AM) and began participating with good ideas to make our business better. She was promoted. Then promoted again.

I’m proud to know that Metro gave Juanita an opportunity. But most of all, I’m proud of Juanita herself. In a world where too many people make excuses for why they’re having problems, or why they’re in some kind of a jam, Juanita is a great example of what can be accomplished with a positive attitude, hard work, and determination.

The next time you’re at our Speedway location, look for her. She’s hard to miss. She’ll have a huge smile on her face, and she’ll probably shout out “hello” to you. She is Metro’s shining example of what we want our employees to be: hard working, friendly, and in fact charming. I once overheard Juanita tell a customer: “I don’t care if I’ve only met you once. I’ll treat you as if I’ve known you forever.”

From our perspective, we hope we have her as an employee of Metro Car Wash forever.

Until next time … stay clean my friends.

DJ DripDry signing off.

Metro's New Scholarship Program

Consider this a follow up to last week's blog. Last week I mentioned that we were going to be launching a Metro Scholarship for at least one graduating Tucson high school student per year. This week, I thought it would be good to follow that up with a post from our upcoming press release on our one-of-a-kind fundraiser for the cause: Metro's Zombie Car Wash.

The press release is below. If you are a graduating high school student, are the parent of one, or just know one, be sure to pass this information along. We're really excited about this.

Haunted Car Wash promises thrills … and a scholarship

Haunted Houses are so yesterday. In today’s world of multi-tasking, why not get your car washed while you’re getting your Halloween haunting fix? At least that’s the idea local business Metro Car Wash has come up with in order raise money for their Metro/Harkin Scholarship Fund. They’re producing Metro’s Zombie Wash, which will be running on the five evenings leading up to Halloween from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM at the Company’s Speedway location.

The Company is utilizing over 40 volunteers to create a zombie-themed thrill ride. Patrons will remain in their cars, and as they are shuttled through the car wash (their vehicles receiving a professional cleaning), they’ll be treated to a veritable assault of ghastly zombies, the supposed result of a terrible government experiment gone wrong. Or something like that.

“A haunted car wash is something we’ve wanted to do for years,” said Sean Storer, co-owner of the Metro Car Washes in Tucson. “Now that we’re raising money for our Scholarship Fund, it seemed like the appropriate time to finally roll up our sleeves and make it happen.”

The scholarship is the Metro Car Wash/Harkin Scholarship, founded by the owners of Metro Car Wash, Sean Storer and Craig Celentano, and Jeremy Harkin, a high school English teacher at Sahuaro High School and Tucson’s 40 Under 40 Man of the Year (2009). Both Metro and Harkin have long been involved in the community and local charities. When Harkin, a Metro customer, and Storer began discussing their passion for education, they teamed up to form a unique Scholarship Program that will provide a minimum of one graduating high school student per year with the funding for at least one full year of tuition at Pima Community College.

“The extent to which the scholarship will reach,” said Harkin, “depends on the amount of money we raise. At a minimum, we will fund one student’s full-time course load for a full year. If we raise additional funds, then we’ll be looking at additional scholarships. We’ll also be looking at funding a second year of tuition for those scholarship recipients that do well in their first year at Pima.”

Application for the Metro Car Wash/Harkin Scholarship is open to all Tucson graduating high school students. Information and application instructions can be found at www.metrocarwash.com, www.metroscholarship.com, Pima Community College Foundation, or at either of the Metro Car Wash locations. Information on the Scholarship will also be available at the Zombie Wash.

“Ultimately, we’re hoping this event is something we can do every year,” said Storer. “Our intent is to keep sending students (who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity) to college year after year. With that being the goal then, we’ve really put a lot of work into making sure this Zombie Wash is a hit.”

The Zombie Wash opens on Tuesday, October 26 at 7:00 PM at Metro’s Speedway facility (located at 5150 E. Speedway Blvd., between Swan and Craycroft). It will run nightly until 10:00 PM through Saturday the 30^th. The cost to ride through the wash is $10 per car (cash and credit cards accepted). From the safety of your vehicle, you’ll then be treated to a car wash, as well as a good-old, hair-raising zombie attack. In addition, there will be a live DJ, refreshments, costume contest, raffles, and more. Further information on Metro’s Zombie Wash can be found at www.metrocarwash.com, www.zombiewash.com, or by calling Metro Car Wash at 520-795-9600. Proceeds from the event will go to the Metro Car Wash/Harkin Scholarship Fund, which will begin sending students to Pima Community College in 2011.

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