Car Wash Operators: How to Maintain that Awesome “New Car” Smell!

Whether you own and operate a self-serve car wash or a full-service wash with detailing options, you will want to make sure to help your customers maintain that “new car” smell. There are several effective ways in which this can be accomplished.

The most important one is keeping the car clean inside and out. Full-service operators are already doing this by vacuuming out their customers’ cars and making sure the interior and exterior are sparkling clean. In addition, it is beneficial to wipe down all interior surfaces and clean the windows.
Dust and dirt can distract from the great smells you want your customers to remember. No car detailing is complete without using some type of car air freshener product. There are little tree air fresheners, can air fresheners, gel air fresheners, spray air fresheners and vent air fresheners.

What Exactly Is that “New Car” Smell?

New cars get their smell from everything inside being brand new. The smell is a combination of leather, wood grain, vinyl, cloth, and carpeting used inside the car. Each new car has its own specific type of smell, depending on the make, model, and manufacturer.

Even used cars bought from a car dealer will have an “almost new car” smell. This is because dealers spend time detailing every inch of a trade-in vehicle to eliminate any undesirable smells and odors. During this process, they also apply various fresheners just like you do at your full-service car wash.
When selecting which fresheners to use on your customers’ vehicles, look for ones that are similar to the “new car” smell. For instance, pine and citrus fresheners would not be the best fit for your customers that want a “new car” smell, which is often similar to the smell of leather and wood grain.

Do Not Overlook Vending/Point of Sale Opportunities

In addition to offering various fresheners applied during a full-service wash, you do not want to overlook other vending and point of sale opportunities. It can be beneficial to have a display of various car fresheners merchandised near the cash register where customers pay for their car wash services. Your cashiers should also be trained on how to upsell customers by offering them fresheners to keep their vehicles smelling great until their next visit to your car wash.

Self-serve car wash operators may not always be around to interact with their customers. Rather, the customers wash and vacuum out their vehicles themselves. One way to encourage them to get that awesome “new car” smell by educating them on how to correctly wash and detail their vehicles.
You could use posters, that you hang in each car wash bay, which provide step-by-step instructions and include buying air freshener products from your vending machine. You may even want to create smaller posters hanging near your self-serve vacuums with step-by-step instructions on the right way to vacuum and detail the inside of a vehicle.

To ensure your customers have access to a wide range of car freshener options, make sure to stock up on freshener products and other car wash supplies at wholesale prices from Superior Car Wash Supply. For further information or ordering assistance, please feel free to contact us at 800-554-9274 today!