Premium wash park

Thanks to the Christ washing technology, car cleaning at the Car Cosmetic car wash park in Roth, Rhineland-Palatinate, becomes an experience — of course without any limitations on the cleaning result.

"At Car Cosmetic, I offer high-end vehicle detailing and, of course, I also have the same requirement for premium quality at my car wash park. That's why I chose Christ: Customers achieve the optimum cleaning result in the VEGA roll over wash unit and are therefore happy to pay more for the wash. The same applies to the four self-service wash bays and the self-service vacuum areas. Word has spread throughout the region. Now, drivers come from a 20 kilometre radius".

- Sascha Grobe, Manager of Car Cosmetic

Sascha Grobe's passion is cars. In addition to his work in an independent workshop, the car mechanic set up the Car Cosmetic vehicle detailing business as a sideline in 2008. "At the beginning, people said: 'Now the mechanic is cleaning cars'. But of course, vehicle detailing consists of more than just cleaning up vehicles. The business went so well that I have been concentrating exclusively on my company since 2010," says the 46-year-old, who became the German champion in car polishing in 2017 and whose employee Stoyan Krastev defended the title two years later.

Due to increasing demand, the rented hall next to the workshop of his old employer was soon no longer sufficient. Thus, in 2018, Grobe bought an area of about 3000 square metres a few hundred metres away in the industrial estate in Roth, 50 kilometres south of Koblenz. In addition to the workshop for vehicle preparation, detailing, paint finishing, window replacement and vintage car repairs, the property offered enough space for a wash park. And of course, those who offer premium vehicle detailing do not want to compromise on car washing. "There are plenty of standard car wash parks and, unfortunately, the driver sees this in the result," believes Grobe and adds: "I wanted to create a professional offer where the customer gets a high-quality wash and then continues on his way satisfied".

In search of the right partner for the washing technology, Grobe found what he was looking for at Christ. For the roll over wash unit, the entrepreneur opted for the new VEGA model, which, with a height of 2.80 metres, is also suitable for vans. "The technology in combination with the striking lighting concept with a lot of show-effect impressed me from the very beginning. This has the psychological effect on customers that they feel the system washes their vehicles even better than others," explains Grobe. A typical design feature of VEGA is the LED lighting inside the BLADE housing. The moving programme display shows the customer which washing stage the program is currently at and thus provides guidance.

In addition to the show effects, the latest technology ensures the right wash result: The jointed side brushes adapt to the shape of the vehicle using a special sensor system, so that they are always washed with the correct pressure. The roof drying system uses four kilowatts instead of three kilowatts, which guarantees the best drying on the market. At the same time, the developers ensured that the noise emissions remain as low as possible. Optimum rim cleaning is ensured by the 4-D Wheel Master with an enlarged wheel wash brush and a new trim structure. In the event of particularly heavy soiling, the PREJET pre-wash equipment is available in front of the roll over wash unit. The guidance of the high-pressure hose via the ORBIT boom system makes it easier for customers to reach the vehicle from all sides using the spray lance.

If you have a little more time and like to clean your vehicle yourself, you can choose one of the four self-service wash bays with the Christ BUBBLE GUN. A colour system guides the customer through the programme steps so that at each cleaning point, they know which of the three foam guns is active. Unique in the region is the two-metre-high gallery, where customers can easily wash trailers, mobile homes, camping caravans, delivery vans and buses. For interior cleaning, Grobe opted for the self-service BLADE Premium vacuum cleaning system. There are four vacuum areas and, thanks to the hose guide, drivers can reach even the smallest corners of their vehicle. The Christ CAR-MAT mat cleaner with dry and wet cleaning is also available for cleaning the floor mats. It effortlessly removes dirt from carpet or rubber mats. The wet cleaning is activated with an extra button.

Payment at the self-service bays and at the VEGA roll over wash unit is possible via chips worth one euro each or with the Premium Carwash customer card. The chips are available at the Vendor payment terminal. The customer card can be topped up with a desired amount at the terminal. As the top-up balance increases, Grobe grants a discount. For example, if you deposit 50 euros, you will receive an additional bonus credit of five euros. In addition to cash, debit and credit cards are also available as payment options. A payment app is currently being planned in cooperation with Christ and is scheduled to be implemented later this year. The prices for a car wash range from 9.50 euros for the Silver Express programme to 24.50 euros for the Ceramics Special for coated vehicles. According to Grobe, the wash most often selected by customers is the Diamond Wash for 19.50 euros.

After the opening of the wash park in May 2022, Grobe himself spent three weeks at the self-service bays explaining the technology to customers. In addition, videos on the social media channels of Car Cosmetic demonstrate the operation. "Our wash park is very popular in the region. From car lovers who come several times a week to the housewife who washes her car once a quarter, the catchment area is within 20 kilometres. In addition, the combination with the workshop creates synergies," says the entrepreneur. Thus, Grobe may be a car mechanic who now also cleans, but he is a successful one.