What's the Grossest Car Ever Washed at Waves Car Wash?

As customers came and went getting their vehicles vacuumed, detailed and washed, owner Adam Korngold answered a few questions.

Patch: Why did you want to open a car wash?

Korngold: People always ask why a car wash? Why not open a car wash? I was in business school (Babson College) and I wanted to have my own business and I saw an opportunity that there weren’t any car washes in Dedham, or many car washes in the area. I thought it would be a good location for a business and a fun business to run.

Patch: Do you get more business from Dedham or West Roxbury?

Korngold: I get slightly more from West Roxbury. About 80% comes from West Roxbury and Dedham, but also Hyde Park and Roslindale, Chestnut Hill.

Patch: Have you ever gone through the car wash without a car?

Korngold: It’s not a good idea while it’s running. I don’t recommend it. It’d probably rip your skin off under the high pressure arch. I’ve definitely gotten wet while in the tunnel while repairing something or looking at a piece of equipment.

Patch: Have you seen anyone go through the car wash without a car?

Korngold: Not customers. Some employees. And I don’t recommend anyone do it. The view is better from inside the car.

Patch: What is the most common question you get asked about the business?

Korngold: People ask me if they can wash their car in the winter because of the cold. I explain to them that the winter is our busiest time, which surprises a lot of people. Winter is the busiest time because people can’t wash their cars themselves and because of the salt on the road.

Patch: When you drive by car washes being run by kids or schools do you think about sabotaging them?

Korngold: Do I think about sabotaging them? I think about offering the people whose cars don’t come out clean a carwash. I don’t see them as competition because my car wash has 110 feet of equipment and 20 car professional staff, and three types of soaps. For the local Girl Scouts with their hose and two hours of training…

Patch: Do you think the song “Car Wash” speaks to the truth about the car wash industry?

Korngold: I’ve actually blocked the song out of my head.

Patch: Do you prefer the original song or the remake with Christina Aguilera?

Korngold: I have not heard the remake. I do like the Rose Royce one. But I will definitely check out the Christina Aguilera song. I know a lot of mechanics who use the song as their ringtone.

Patch: If you could change one thing about the business what would you change?

Korngold: I think the business (in general) is headed to being more environmentally-friendly by using less water and less electricity and I hope that many other carwashes adopt similar technology to what I use, which include high efficiency LED lighting, and .

Patch: What’s your favorite thing about owning a car wash?

Korngold: I enjoy speaking to customers, meeting people. I was a fairly shy person when I opened up the business, I really enjoy seeing people I recognize and making new friends and having my friends visit me while I’m working.

Patch: You’ve got massaging chairs while you wait, was that your idea?

Korngold: Not my idea, it’s been about two years since I used them. It’s a nice feature to keep people busy and not thinking about how long it takes to clean their car and distracts them from waiting.

Patch: What other out-of-the-box ideas have you brought to the business?

Korngold: I developd a pay-per-month model where customers pay a fixed amount and can wash their cars as often as they want. A few competitors are moving to a similar model.

Patch: What is the dirtiest car you’ve ever seen?

Korngold: The dirtiest car I’ve seen had a mouse nest in it with mice under the carpets. The person went away for four months and left some food in the car and when they returned there was no more food but mice inside. It took us about six hours to clean. If you go away for extended periods of time do not leave food inside your car.

Patch: How clean is your car?

Korngold: I detailed my car for the first time in six months (the other day). I am often embarrassed to have people look at my car because it’s often not as clean as I’d like it to be.