About Car Wash Wire

Car Wash Wire reads the car wash industry news so you do not have to. Each weekday an editor goes through company announcements, municipal and state records, public-company filings, supplier notices and trade-press reporting, picks what matters to people who own, run and supply car washes, and writes it up in our own words. Every item says why it matters and links to whoever reported it first.

Every Monday morning the best of the week arrives in one email, The Last Pass. It is written for owners and operators of independent and chain car washes, site and area managers, equipment and chemical suppliers, lenders and the people who advise them.

What this is, and what it is not

This is a trade publication. We cover the business: what a roll-up does to an independent’s sale price, what a wastewater rule does to a site plan, how a membership program’s economics move when pricing changes, what a financing change does to a tunnel build. We do not publish consumer car-care advice, detailing how-tos, “best car wash near you” lists or product reviews written for drivers. Other sites do that and they are written for car owners.

Where we cover

Car washing is a North American trade with strong regional rules. Canada has its own section at /region/canada/, because water, zoning and winter operations differ, and every story says which state, province or municipality’s rules apply. We also cover operators and suppliers elsewhere where they change what North American operators face.

Who edits it

Car Wash Wire is edited and published by Christopher Ross, a Canadian web practitioner based in Fort Erie, Ontario, who runs thisismyurl.com. The editor is accountable for what runs here.

The publisher’s own business advertises on this site; see interests we disclose.

How it works

We use software to help read and sort the day’s news and to check drafts against their sources. Every story is checked against its sources and against our written standards before it is published, and the checks it has to pass depend on what kind of story it is. We do not publish unchecked machine output.

Tell us when we get something wrong. See corrections and contact.

Common questions

Short answers live on the FAQ.