An automatic car wash in Lavington, Nairobi. Many motorists are
attracted by the speed and services offered. PHOTO | DENNIS OKEYO |
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Car wash operators in the upper middle and upmarket areas of
Nairobi are facing an increasingly challenge from a new penchant for
luxury treatment of cars.
With the country witnessing
huge demand for luxury vehicles due to an improving economy, car owners
are spending a fortune to pamper their “rides”. What would otherwise be a
soap and water affair is turning into spa treatment for expensive
machines.
As a result, roadside manual car washes are
fighting to stay alive in affluent neighbourhoods due to a surge in
automated car washes. From the coverage they previously enjoyed in all
sections of the capital, they are now largely confined to lower income
estates. Few are still operational in the affluent areas.
Many
motorists are attracted by the speed and services automation offers
their cars like deodorising, shampooing, waxing, steaming and buffing.
Indeed, car washes cum salons are fast becoming trendy because of the
extras they offer.
From just one such service in 2012,
the number has risen to close to a dozen in just three years, with more
being installed. The number of cars they wash per day, despite their
hefty price tags, is surprisingly high.
In Karen,
Kleansway Automated Carwash says it washes over 150 cars a day on
weekdays. The number doubles on weekends when many cars are brought in
for extra services. The cars are cleaned at the rate of one per minute.
Geco
Carwash in Lavington, 200 Degrees in South B and Eclipse Motor Salon on
Koinange Street say they wash a similar number a day.
Most
of these “salons” charge between Sh1,000 to Sh6,000 per wash, depending
on the type of services required. This makes the average Sh200 charged
for manual washes look like a drop in the ocean.
Car
owners say that despite these high charges, the special treatment
offered in these spas prolongs the life of their expensive cars.
“At
roadside car washes, I realised that the detergents used, type of water
and the manner my car was being washed were the reasons the body paint
was wearing off my previous car. The scrubbing material used also left
swirl marks,” said Mr Dickson Kilonzo was was waiting for his car to be
finished at Eclipse Motor Salon.
“A Range Rover is a beautiful car. It would be unfair to treat it the way you would a Sh200,000 vehicle,” he said.
American
car owner Aaron Devante said the automated car wash service saves him a
lot of time in the morning when he is in a hurry to go to work. In
addition to making the car look and feel good, automated carwash centres
help conserve the environment, he said, because they use less water.
“The
reason people spend a lot of money buying cars is to get recognition
and admiration. Getting the car professionally detailed and cleaned
keeps the admiration well stoked,” he said.
“Lots of
water is wasted in manual car wash joints, which is not good for a
country that is water deficient. Automated carwash centres recycle most
of the water used, so in a way we are contributing to environment
conservation.”
REMOVE DUST
The automated process begins in a pre-wash area where shampoo is applied to remove dust.
“The
driver then approaches the washing area and aligns the car to a
conveyer belt, engaging neutral gear. The conveyer belt takes the car
through soaping, rinsing, waxing and drying processes. These take about
55 seconds,” according to Mr James Kimani, the owner of Kleansway
Centre.
“If the owner wants other services, such as
interior cleaning, he takes it to a designated area for about 15
minutes. The combined time taken is still less compared with a manual
wash, which needs a minimum 20 minutes.”
Some customers prefer a hot water bath for their cars, saying it invigorates the vehicles.
“Hot steam technology injects moisture at 200C, and extracts 90 per
cent of the moisture, hence a shorter drying time. The hot water also
kills germs,” said Robert Okubo, who runs the 200 Degrees Centre that
has branches on Mombasa Road and in Lavington.
A report
released recently by the Kenya Motor Industry Association (KMI) shows
that new vehicle dealers sold 17,499 luxury units in 2014. This is 20.3
per cent more than the previous peak of 14,542 units in 2013.
The
report said dealers in luxury cars such as Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and
Ranger Rover recorded the highest jump in sales, at 58.4 per cent, to
move 393 units last year.
Most of those who can afford
such vehicles live in upmarket areas and make up the segment that
automated carwash operators are targeting.
“We have a
manual car wash unit which is still operational. But after noticing a
decline in customers, we opted to import an automated system to woo back
customers who had started taking their cars to Lavington and other for
cleaning,” Kimani said.
Owing to the high number of
customers on weekends, these car spas —just like hair salons—have turned
into hangout joints. A number of customers use the waiting time to
socialise and network, which has led to the establishment of eateries
and drinking joints nearby.
Most operators declined to
say how much it cost them to import the machines that have already made
their mark in Western countries.
But websites of various manufacturers put the average price at $45,000 (about Sh4.05 million).
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