Now You're Looking Like A Genius: The 2015 Carwash/Fast Lube Survey Breakdown

March 27, 2015
Isn’t it funny how life is full of twists and turns? One instance that came to mind was my husband, Jason’s, fantasy football team this year. He has been in a league with friends for several years now. If you are in a fantasy football league, you know there’s always one in the bunch who is never quite satisfied with their team — they’ll make 60 or 80 add/drops or trades during the season. Well, that’s Jason.During a trade early in the year, he ended up with Tom Brady on his team, so I endured a couple weeks of,

Isn’t it funny how life is full of twists and turns? One instance that came to mind was my husband, Jason’s, fantasy football team this year. He has been in a league with friends for several years now. If you are in a fantasy football league, you know there’s always one in the bunch who is never quite satisfied with their team — they’ll make 60 or 80 add/drops or trades during the season. Well, that’s Jason.

During a trade early in the year, he ended up with Tom Brady on his team, so I endured a couple weeks of, “Brady isn’t doing any good. I think I’m going to cut him,” and “What am I thinking? I can’t cut Tom Brady!” Fast-forward 12 weeks, and boy did life take a turn. Jason had made a trade, got Tom Brady as a bonus and won his fantasy league with the Super Bowl MVP. After hearing this story, a colleague inquiring about fantasy football exclaimed, “Well, now he looks like a genius!”

Yeah, life is funny that way. You have something that’s great, but still admire what others around you have. Do you have a fast lube? A fast lube/carwash combo? Are you wondering what it would be like if you were in someone else’s shoes? We’re going to help you realize if you might have a Super Bowl MVP on the trade block by breaking down the numbers of the 2014 Fast Lube Operator Survey. We’re taking a closer look at how fast lube/carwash facilities compare to fast lube only facilities, as well as the national average.

Here are a few interesting points:

• Fast lube/carwash facilities are servicing more vehicles per day (43 vs. 35.1), and their bay times are faster (12.8 minutes vs. 19.1 minutes)

• Ticket averages are higher at fast lube only facilities — $71.05 vs. $70.85 for combo facilities.

• Fast lube/carwash facilities charge more for a standard, full-service oil change ($40.87, compared to $34.61 at fast lube only facilities); however, 40 percent of combo facilities offer a low-cost LOF service, with an average price of $25.94.

• Customers visit fast lube only facilities more often than fast lube/carwash combo facilities — every 4,563 miles for fast lube only vs. 4,688 miles for combo facilities.

• Fast lube/carwash facilities have more yearly sales per store than fast lube only facilities — $735,760 vs. $681,694 — however, combo facilities have a lower net profit percentage than fast lube only facilities. Net profit is 12.9 percent for fast lube/carwash facilities and 17.6 percent for fast lube only facilities.

I encourage you to take a look at the rest of the numbers, and you can decide for yourself who’s looking like a genius.

Click the image below to see the full report: