AutoBrite Company

05/25/2026

Most people hear low pH and high pH presoak and assume one is stronger than the other. That is not how it works. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14. Seven is neutral. Below seven is acid. Above seven is alkaline. Each side has a job. One does not replace the other.

Low pH presoaks usually live in the 2 to 4 range. Their job is mineral based dirt. Hard water film, road salts, light rust staining, and that dull gray haze soap never fixes. Acid breaks the grip those minerals have on the surface so they can be rinsed away instead of clinging on.

High pH presoaks usually sit in the 10 to 12 range. This is where oils and organics get handled. Traffic film, grease, exhaust residue, bugs. High pH chemistry grabs oily soil, breaks it apart, and lets water carry it off the car instead of spreading it around.

The scale matters because too far in either direction causes problems. Acid that is too aggressive can dull trim, stain glass, and attack coatings. Alkalinity that is pushed too hard can dry plastics, haze paint, and leave residue behind. Effective cleaning lives in the working range, not at the extremes.

Low pH handles minerals. High pH handles oils. Understanding the number tells you what the product is meant to clean. This should give you an idea of where to start in your wash.

Now go wash lots of cars, have lots of fun, and make lots of money.

05/18/2026

Smaller build? We have owners come to us convinced they need a full tunnel.


On paper, it makes sense.



They have the traffic. They want the volume. And like most, the assumption is simple: bigger is better, more equipment equals a better wash.



The problem isn't the idea.

It's the site.



To make a full tunnel work, they would need more land, use bad turn-ins, or a tunnel shoved so far back you can't tell it is a car wash from the road. It fits on a drawing. It doesn't fit in the real world.

So we slow them down.

Instead of asking how big the tunnel should be, we ask different questions.

How do cars actually enter?

What does a driver see from the road?

What happens on a busy Saturday when traffic stacks up?



Once we start looking at that, the answers change.

They don't need a bigger tunnel.

They need a layout that works with their site.

This will avoid giant headaches in the future.

This is how we look at projects at AutoBrite.

Not bigger.

Not flashier.


But what works for you.

Go wash lots of cars, make lots of money, and have lots of fun,

05/11/2026

Booth 414 is ready to go for this year’s ICA The Car Wash Show!

Whether you’re looking to convert an existing space or build a brand-new site, AutoBrite™ is your mini-express car wash expert. Our compact footprint solutions are designed to maximize vehicle throughput and drive profitability , without requiring a massive property footprint.

05/04/2026

Five free ways to make your car wash better. Free is a great way to improve your wash. I know it's my favorite price.

As a good car wash owner, you are always looking at ways to improve your wash. The problem is that lots of them cost lots of money.

To break that trend, here are 5 things you can do to improve your wash today.

1. Take Pictures

Take pictures from the entrance of your wash and then analyze those pictures to see things you should be doing so your guests have the best experience as they come onto your lot. Smartphone pictures are good enough and cost you nothing since you already have one. The pictures will help you see your wash with fresh eyes. What do your guests really see?

2. Clean, Clean, and Clean some more

Stop passing those spots you know could be cleaner. You know the one we are talking about. That spot that you walk by and think I really should clean that, or wonder why it's there? Stop putting the task off. Get in there with some elbow grease and get your wash cleaner today.

3. Be Positive

Be happy, positive, and thankful to everyone you interact with at your wash, from your customers to your employees. Your employees allow you to scale and do other things besides being at the wash 24/7. Your customers give you money! Be a positive person around. Remember, they make your business work and feed your family.

4. Smile

Look happy to be at work. RBF may be your go-to, but it's not the image you want to portray. Get your employees to look like they enjoy being there. A simple fake-it-until-you-make-it smile could be the biggest differentiator between your wash and the one down the street.

5. Say Hi.

It couldn't be simpler. When you walk around your wash, say hi to everyone you come within 10 feet of. If they want to have a conversation, stop, talk, smile, and be a positive influence on that person's day. Positive interactions keep people coming back.

Do these five free things, and you will have a better wash.

Now, go wash lots of cars, make lots of money, and have lots of fun.

04/27/2026

What does a drip cost? Does it really matter?

As a car wash owner, you use so much water daily; does a leaking pipe matter? Yes, it can in two different ways.

AutoBrite has been in thousands of equipment rooms, and most of them have water on the floor. But is that water from someone doing work, or is there a leak?

Two reasons you should care about a small leak.

First, small leaks never get better. Leaks only get worse and will eventually lead to a catastrophic failure, requiring an emergency repair. Things always break on a busy sunny Saturday and never on a rainy Monday when sales are slow.

Second, the leak is costing you money. Most car wash owners don't think about it because their water bill is so high anyway. Wouldn't you like to save money on your already high water bill? Some quick math, the average leak at 1 drip per second, will waste over 3,000 gallons a year. Do you have more than one drip? Does it drip when the pump is off and run when the pump is on? Can you see how this can get out of hand quickly? But it's only a drip, right?

Save some money and time, and go fix that drip you've been staring at for a while.

Then, go wash lots of cars, make lots of money, and have lots of fun

04/20/2026

Have you made your car wash business pillars simple so all your employees and customers can understand and repeat it?

Here is an example of something you might design your car wash around.

Steal AutoBrite's idea, or come up with your own. But make it simple and repeatable.

If you say your pillars constantly, then your employees will pick it up. If your employees pick it up and start saying it, then your customers will do the same. You want word of mouth advertising at your wash, simple and repeatable is how you do it.

Not only is this example very simple, but if you do it and say you do it, everyone will notice, and you will grow your business.

The four pillars AutoBrite came up with years ago to run a car wash are: Clean, Safe, Inviting, and Consistent.

These four things are super simple... but not easy. If you did these four simple things, as seen in the eyes of your customers, your wash would grow. Which of these four is your wash weakest at right now?

Don't believe us, go try it. We dare you to go all in on these simple concepts and not grow your wash.

Now, go wash lots of cars, make lots of money, and have lots of fun

04/13/2026

https://youtu.be/8ODYqPegj7Y?si=bl4vCOjnFh4Ar-4e
It seems like we need a sign for everything at our car washes these days. For liability that 's always helpful, but what does it cost when signs don't work right for you?

The video above of the car driving out of the entrance through the door is one of those crazy things that happen. It might not be preventable. This is obviously the customer's fault, but if this happens at your car wash it will be a major pain and take a ton of time and effort to get fixed. And you probably won't get loss of revenue from the insurance company.

You look at the signs at your car wash every day and think, how could someone not understand? But you have the curse of knowledge. Of course, the car wash is one way. But what about someone who has never been to a car wash? Do they understand which way they are supposed to go? Do they understand what they are supposed to do?

Most washes I visit do this part very well. The site is set up intuitively to go one way, and the signs are easy to read.

The signs that I rarely see are what to do if something goes wrong. We all know that in a tunnel, if you honk your horn, you will get help, but do your customers know that? How would they know that?

In the video, the lady goes into an IBA bay the wrong way and then gets stuck when the doors close.

No one would ever put a sign on what to do once someone entered the wash going in the wrong way, but what about adding a general sign, if something goes wrong, do this.

Once you figure out your signs, go wash lots of cars, make lots of money, and have lots of fun

Sarnia police are looking for a suspect after a woman drove the wrong way into a carwash and then rammed her way out. Subscribe to CTV News to watch more vid...

04/02/2026

In observation of Good Friday and Easter, AutoBrite will be closing at 1pm on Friday, April 3rd. Have a nice weekend!

03/30/2026

I know this happens at your wash.... and it sucks.

Damage reports are the worst. You have a pi**ed off customer, and it might cost you a lot of money, time, effort, and goodwill in the community. Generally, if you do it right, it only costs you a lot of time, effort, and some money, but if you do it wrong, it can cost you more than you think.

What if you flipped the script? What if you could make this a positive interaction with the customer? What if your front-line employees could handle the report and make the customer happy with minimal effort on your part?

If this sounds good, think differently. Start thinking like Disneyland Parks and less like a car wash owner whose customer is trying to screw them.

Disney creates everything based on the "Guest" experience. How could this problem make them happy?

I found the following suggestions from an AutoLaundry article, "Damage Claims, Don't Let Them Damage your Business".

Most forms say "Damage Claim" in big letters, already suggesting there is a major problem with something in the wash. Does the name on the form make you happy? Your customers neither... Change it to something like "Customer Experience Report". Then change all the wording on the form to match a customer experience.

Here are a couple of quick bullet points from the article to make things run smoother for you and your customer:

- Put on top of the form expectations for the customer:
- We promise to listen to your experience completely, never interrupting you until you have told us everything that occurred, and we will determine a resolution in 72 hours or less.
- We will write an accurate report of the experience and provide you with a copy
- We will photograph your vehicle before leaving the property
- We will review your experience, and if the damage is shown to have been caused by improper action of either our equipment or staff, we will resolve the claim quickly and professionally (this is straight from the article, but I think you could put experience instead of damage and make this even better)
- We will provide you with a list of certified third-party shops that can perform an honest and free-of-charge estimate to repair any damages.
- Get a name and signature of both the vehicle driver and the employee taking the information.
- If you pay a claim, have the customer sign a document that you have fulfilled your responsibility and that by accepting payment, the customer holds you harmless for any future problems as a result of the experience.

This is one of the worst parts of our business. It sucks if a vehicle is damaged, and it sucks almost as much if someone claims there is damage even if there is not. If you can create a system that is non-confrontational and then let things sit for a couple of days, you can get tempers to calm down and solve the problem.

When you think about this process, set your intentions first. What do you want the outcome to be? How do you want to feel, and how do you want your customer to feel? Now make that happen.

Then, go wash lots of cars, make lots of money, and have lots of fun,

03/23/2026

Will the car wash industry follow the auto industry, or will car washes have to follow the Big Three?

Ford is working on vehicles that communicates with everything, including car washes.

It is nice to see automakers actually thinking about car washes. Maybe this is the turning point where automakers realize that people want their cars washed?

I do wonder how this will work, how we as the car wash industry will have to adapt, and if we ever will change if Ford charges us a fee for their communication. I also wonder if their communication will help us get the car cleaner, faster, and cheaper, or if the car will be just as clean without the technology.

Only time will tell. Check out the article.

Then, go wash lots of cars, make lots of money, and have lots of fun,

Future Ford vehicles may talk to automatic car washes about cleaning needs, which could be stronger in specific areas than others.

03/02/2026

I was on Wash Talk with Rich Dipaolo a while ago, discussing belts vs. chains. At the SouthWest Car Wash Expo last week, it is still a big question for new investors, owners, and operators.

If you are new to the industry, this might be a good place to start your education.

Shout out to Rich, one of the nicest guys in our industry, for setting all these up.

In this episode of Wash Talk: The Carwash Podcast, host Rich DiPaolo connects with Ben Branam of AutoBrite Company to explore the differences between belt ge...