‘Spas for cars’ cleaning up

Press, 30 July 1986, Page 51

‘Spas for cars’ cleaning up

By

JOHN PINE

of Reuter NZPA Costa Mesa California It all started in California, where the car is king and social status determined by the model you drive. Now super cleansing car treatments, employing toothbrushes and cottontipped swabs, have proved more than just a passing fancy for the rich and famous.

Spas for cars at SUSISO ($270) a session have become a fast-growing business.

There are now about 4000 such shops throughout the United States, and a young pioneer in the field has plans to export his techniques to Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia.

, Mr Steve Marchese, aged 34, a Californian whose passion for a 1972 Porsche started him in

the business eight years ago, has two partners now. Five months ago, they began selling franchise rights at $U545,000 ($81,000) each, winning 90 deals.

Demand has been so strong that talks with a Mercedes dealer from Malaysia, and entrepreneurs from Saudi Arabia, Britain, Australia and Canada have been deferred until 40 to 50 of Steve’s new shops can open across America this year.

"Business couldn’t be better. We are going flat out with the United States market, but we are still looking to close the foreign deals by the end of the year,” Mr Marchese said.

“We think Europe, where there is a tradition of respect for fine automobiles, is a natural market”

In Mr Marchese’s main shop, athletic-looking

young men are armed with the usual hoses, sponges, vacuum cleaners and electric buffers.

They also wield some unusual weapons in the battle against grime. Toothbrushes, cottontipped swabs and tongue depressors bought from a dental supply house are combined with special leather and vinyl cleansers and waxes to chase out the dirt. A nonabrasive polish restores the original lustre of an expensive paint job. After up to 10 hours, the car gleams inside and out and under the bonnet, where the engine is given a toothbrushing. Mr Marchese says only the first visit costs up to SUSISO. Regulars, some of whom bring their cars in every two weeks, pay less because there is less to clean. Steve’s also does a simple hand washing for SUSIS ($27). "We won’t turn away

any car, but we are looking mainly at the upscale market: the guy in the Rolls-Royce, the Mercedes, the Porsche, who looks at his car as a long-term investment, and can afford to maintain it in peak condition,” he said.

The franchise fee includes training, management consulting, a closely guarded operating manual and territorial rights to use the company name. Franchise owners can lose their rights and initial investment if they do not maintain exacting standards.

Mr Marchese says SUSS or $lO neighbourhood car washes can do more harm than good. Many assembly-line washers use abrasive brushes and detergents which eat into the finish by making tiny scratches in the paint.

Those who advertise as being brushless, the experts say, are doing little

more than rinsing off dirt. Mr Marchese says detailing began with classic car buffs who worked for hours preparing their vehicles for shows. Used car dealers were the next to use the technique, raising the price of a vehicle by as much as SUSIOOO ($1800) with a one-day treatment. Mr Marchese refused to entrust his Porsche to anyone else after constantly finding nicks in the finish when he did. Word of his skill spread, and he soon moved his operation out of his garage into his first shop in nearby Newport Beach. One of his first customers, Chuck Tilden, is a partner in the master franchise venture, as is a Texas multimillionaire, Bill Mead.

“Mr Mead also just bought the rights to Texas,” Mr Marchese said.