Which car washes are we talking about? Self service manual washes, or something more akin to a light detail that includes a hand wash?
In the US, you can drive up and pay $1~/min and spray your car yourself w/ soap and water. You can also do the drive-thru option for about $10. On the upper end, you can pay $50~ for what might start as a drive-thru, but then someone comes out and does a manual touch up where the machine might have missed a spot, and then they will vacuum and wipe down the interior.
At $100+, you're looking at a hand wash and detail, potentially going up to hundreds of dollars for different aftercare options. Detailing can be very lucrative if you get a good referral network established.
At $100+, you're looking at a hand wash and detail, potentially going up to hundreds of dollars for different aftercare options.
It's also worth mentioning that you've jumped from menial to skilled labor at this point. There's a big difference between hosing off a Prius for the owner's commute and detailing a McLaren for an auto show. The latter is far more satisfying work.
Why is it a McLaren? I have a BMW and it’s around $80 for a quick vacuum, hand wash and detail. It’s not at all skilled labor and if I had a hose (I live in an apartment) I’d do it myself.
Those polishing cars for auto shows are quite a bit in a different realm and not what’s being discussed here.
Yeah, I definitely wouldn't consider someone who washes/details cars as having a "skilled" labor job. Every job requires training, but I can give someone a checklist and one day of training and set them free after that.
I agree that detailing supercars is a different league.
I don't really know exactly what a 'full service car wash' means but I do know that car washes with optional polishing and interior cleaning are available here in Norway because I see signs for them in the next town to where I live. I imagine that they are much less common than in the US simply because wages here are high. But they do exist.
And of course we have the kind where you wash the car yourself using a high pressure water jet in addition to the drive through kind (both those with and without brushes).
This is simply not true, at least in the more densely populated parts of Norway. They are simply very expensive.