To Charles Knight and his son, Scott, the carwash business is nothing new. Charles has been distributing carwash equipment for 33 years and operating carwashes for 12. Scott worked at his father's carwashes during his college years and now shares ownership with Charles and manages the Rain Tunnel Express.

Located in Granite City, IL, the Knights' tunnel wash is the only carwash of its kind in the area.

"The express concept is fairly new in the midwest," says Charles Knight. "Granite City is a town of about 35,000 people with no other tunnel carwashes of this type, so we saw a very definite demand for it here."

The Knights placed the carwash in a strategic location. A Quik Trip convenience store/gas station is next door and a McDonald's restaurant is in walking distance.

"We're located at a very busy intersection. Quik Trip's driveway is right next to ours," says Charles.

As a result, customers can shop, get a bite to eat, fill their gas tanks and get a carwash -- all at one stop.

Low Labor Factor

According to Charles, the low labor factor is one of the reasons the express tunnel wash is becoming popular.

"The express tunnel is capable of washing 100 cars per hour with only two employees present," he says. "We are then able to pay considerably above minimum wage to keep good people with us."

The Knights run the carwash with two shifts of two employees each during business hours (7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.). Employees prep the front and rear end of each car that enters the wash. They also position the cars on the conveyor and send the customers through the tunnel.

Charles says that because they use a spot-free rinse, there is no need for hand-detailing at the exit of the carwash.

Packaging

Three kinds of washes are offered at Rain Tunnel Express. The $3.50 Flash Flood includes a front and rear prep, wash and spot-free rinse. The $5 Downpour offers the basic wash along with an undercarriage blaster and sealer wax, while the $6.50 Monsoon adds a clearcoat protectant to the package.

When the Knights first began the business in May, they distributed 10,000 free carwash coupons in the first 30 days.

"We mailed and handed out the free carwashes to establish our base," says Charles. "The response was very good. We're getting a lot of the same people in every week and sometimes two or three times a week."

Another aim of their marketing strategy is to implement professionalism at the carwash.

"Our employees are all young and attractively attired," says Charles. "They wear colorful, collared Polo shirts and beige slacks or shorts -- and smiles on their faces."