Shell dealer Goran Raven has seen a 7% uplift in his valeting business since installing a car mat washing machine at his Raven’s Budgens Abridge forecourt in Essex.
And he says interest in the equipment, which has been in place for three weeks, and which he has showcased across social media, has “exploded” with over a million interactions.
@ravensbudgensabridge Mat cleaner at Abridge. Free to use. Keep the inside as good as the outside #valeting #carclean #carwash #matclean #fyp ♬ Car Wash - Rose Royce
Raven says that he was initially inspired by a customer who asked him to fit a washing line next to his jet wash so that he could knock the dirt out of his mats.
He says that by installing the £4,000 Istobal unit, which offers a cleaning and drying cycle, he is attracting more valeting customers to his site.
Although he is offering the service for free, many of the people using the equipment will go on to use his jet wash, or two air, vacuum and screenwash towers, and he expects it will pay for itself in three months.
In fact, he plans to purchase a second car mat cleaner once he installs a second jet wash, which is currently going through planning.
And he believes that other dealers might get on board with the idea, with followers interacting with his social media posts calling for others to follow suit.
One of his followers tagged Hawtree & Sons Riverside Garage saying: “One of these would be great to complement your car wash.”
And another told Highland Group that “you need one of these”, at its St Ives site in Cambridgeshire.
Raven says that installing a car mat machine, which needs water, electricity, drainage and minimum groundworks, is a no-brainer for operators with valeting hubs.
“I’ve been looking at it for quite a while,” says Raven. “The Car Wash Association has done such an amazing job in getting rid of illegal hand car washes that they have left a wide open market for us guys, and we should all be making the most of the opportunity,” says Raven.
“Having these machines gives motorists another reason to wash their vehicles at our site. I’ve had so much positive feedback, and I’m amazed that more operators are not doing this.”
