Auto Repair and Car Wash Business Plan

The facility will be a standard coin-operated car wash with an attached building to house the other auto repair bays. The attached building will have nine bays with a customer service area and restroom/break area. Each bay will be designed for a specific type of repair work. There will be four types of bays:

1. Car wash bay: Standard car wash equipment (spray guns, soap brushes, etc.).
2. Auto Body/Paint bay: Special ventilation and other environmental controls needed to create an appropriate place to paint auto parts. Additional special equipment is needed for these bays (compressors, painting equipment, etc.).
3. Wheel Lift bay: These bays will have a drive-on lift. Used for repairs not requiring the wheels or suspension to be free.
4. Frame Lift bay: These bays will have a lift designed to pick up a vehicle by the frame, allowing the wheels and suspension to hang free.

There will also be a customer service area where the customers will originally check in, and they are assigned the appropriate bay at this time. Later, customers check tools in and out as needed, and finally, they check out and pay. In addition, we will provide resources like Chilton’s Manuals and online pages that provide DIY instructions and advice.

During the check-in process, the customer will complete a form with general information including name, address, phone number, method of payment, type of repair/maintenance to be performed, and expected time of completion. This form will have a disclaimer relinquishing DIY Wash N’ Fix from any liability resulting in the customer’s inability to perform the repair, lost or stolen private property if the customer leaves their bay unattended, and other issues as suggested by private and insurance carrier legal counsel. DIY Wash N’ Fix does expect to be liable for broken or faulty tools that are rented by mistake, but will not be liable for injury resulting from the misuse of a tool.

The customer will be given ten identification tags that can be traded for tools. A customer must give up one tag for each tool he wishes to rent. This process will accomplish several things. It prevents any one customer from accumulating all the tools, which would limit other customers’ access. It also prevents a customer from accumulating a large number of tools and attempting to steal them, thus limiting our risk exposure to any one customer. This system also makes check out easier. If the customer returns less than ten tags at check out, it is immediately obvious that all the tools have not been turned in. As tools are passed out in exchange for tags, the customer’s check-in form will be marked to indicate the type of tools being utilized. The price to rent the tools will vary. The life expectancy and replacement costs for the tools will be taken into consideration when developing a pricing strategy.  If the method of payment chosen by the customer is credit card, then the number will be recorded prior to service, which will serve as further protection against stolen tools. If the customer wants to pay in cash, then the customer must either leave a credit card, drivers license or cash deposit before the ten tags are issued.

When a customer has completed his work, he will finish the check-out process prior to removing the car from the repair bay. The customer will return all of the identification tags, or the tools he received for the tags. Once the tool account has been reconciled, the completion time will be recorded and the receipt will be prepared. The receipt will provide an itemized list of costs to include: bay rental fee (based on time and type of bay), tool rental fee (based on the category of tools rented), miscellaneous charges (computer printouts of repair instructions or explosion charts), and taxes. After payment is made, the customer will be allowed to remove his car from the bay.

Government regulations that need to be rigorously adhered to are the safety standards of the hydraulic and other lift equipment, because this is a dangerous part of the automotive business. Additionally, the environmental regulations dictating the proper disposal of the drained auto fluids (oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, etc.) will have to be posted and enforced. The drainage system will have to be appropriate for containing accidental spills.