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Mister Car Wash sets IPO terms that values the carwash chain at about $5B

9 points by elsewhen 5y ago

whalesalad 5y ago
As a car enthusiast (and home detailing enthusiast) this is kinda insane to me. What are they doing differently? It's still the same shitty automated wash that will scratch and ruin your paint no matter what kind of coatings they spray at you. This is no different than the thousands of car washes scattered across the country.
- baybal2 5y ago
  > What are they doing differently? AI, chainblock, HTML5 supercomputer
  - reducesuffering 5y ago
    > HTML5 supercomputer Let this never be forgotten that it was said by the Founder/CEO of an at-one-point "$10B company"
- barnaclejive 5y ago
  Sounds like you haven't used them but also state it is no different than others, how did you come to that conclusion? EDIT: I missed the part about you being a home detailing enthusiast. Of course it can never compare to a real good hand wash/detail, but that is not the same market at all. I am a car enthusiast myself... one car I hand wash/detail, the other goes to Mister Car Wash.
randompwd 5y ago
> What happened? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. > Cloudflare Ray ID: 6615bbf72eawxyz • Your IP: 138.199.x.y• Performance & security by Cloudflare Wow, not even allowed view homepage if you're using VPN. edit: turns out they do allow VPN IPs. They just don't allow any connection from Europe (VPN or private residential) Good job team! /s
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- compsciphd 5y ago
  this is very normal. I have a raspberry pi sitting in my parents home in the US just for this very purpose.
adamfeldman 5y ago
I’m a very happy customer of their monthly subscription for the past 2+ years. It all started when I had to park nightly under a tree full of birds… $33/month for unlimited “platinum” exterior washes (the “best” available) – includes tire shine, wax, etc ($ equivalent to purchasing <2 “platinum” washes, there is no cheaper unlimited subscription). Windshield RFID tag gets you through the gated entry. Interestingly, the location I go to in Houston has felt like a good XaaS product: I have seen continuous physical improvements to the facility – multiple upgrades to the car wash tunnel equipment, and also a rebuild of the multi-lane check-in gates to improve car flow when there’s high traffic on the weekends. They even replaced a sulfur-smelling cleaning solution with one that smells delicious! Even with car air recirculate on the stench was real bad… There’s also a package for interior vacuum etc but it’s not useful to me.
barnaclejive 5y ago
While it seems easy to dismiss it as just another car wash, Mister Car Wash really does feel like they have invented a better mouse trap in old and stale market and I am not surprised at all at the valuation. I have never seen a touch-less version of a Mister Car Wash, but that is the only downside. For what it is, it is by far better than any other automated car wash I have ever experienced (which is a lot). I have been an unlimited member for 3 years (full exterior and exterior package) and bounce around a few locations in my area. Everything appears new and well-maintained and updated often, the staff are great, the facilities inside and out are clean, they are fast and efficient. The car wash actually cleans and dries you car very well. When I have the interior cleaned, they do a very good job at that too. Overall, the whole experience is so much better and cheaper than other options.

9 points by elsewhen 5y ago

As a car enthusiast (and home detailing enthusiast) this is kinda insane to me. What are they doing differently? It's still the same shitty automated wash that will scratch and ruin your paint no matter what kind of coatings they spray at you. This is no different than the thousands of car washes scattered across the country.

baybal2 5y ago
> What are they doing differently? AI, chainblock, HTML5 supercomputer
- reducesuffering 5y ago
  > HTML5 supercomputer Let this never be forgotten that it was said by the Founder/CEO of an at-one-point "$10B company"
barnaclejive 5y ago
Sounds like you haven't used them but also state it is no different than others, how did you come to that conclusion? EDIT: I missed the part about you being a home detailing enthusiast. Of course it can never compare to a real good hand wash/detail, but that is not the same market at all. I am a car enthusiast myself... one car I hand wash/detail, the other goes to Mister Car Wash.

randompwd 5y ago

> What happened? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. > Cloudflare Ray ID: 6615bbf72eawxyz • Your IP: 138.199.x.y• Performance & security by Cloudflare Wow, not even allowed view homepage if you're using VPN. edit: turns out they do allow VPN IPs. They just don't allow any connection from Europe (VPN or private residential) Good job team! /s

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
compsciphd 5y ago
this is very normal. I have a raspberry pi sitting in my parents home in the US just for this very purpose.

adamfeldman 5y ago

I’m a very happy customer of their monthly subscription for the past 2+ years. It all started when I had to park nightly under a tree full of birds… $33/month for unlimited “platinum” exterior washes (the “best” available) – includes tire shine, wax, etc ($ equivalent to purchasing <2 “platinum” washes, there is no cheaper unlimited subscription). Windshield RFID tag gets you through the gated entry. Interestingly, the location I go to in Houston has felt like a good XaaS product: I have seen continuous physical improvements to the facility – multiple upgrades to the car wash tunnel equipment, and also a rebuild of the multi-lane check-in gates to improve car flow when there’s high traffic on the weekends. They even replaced a sulfur-smelling cleaning solution with one that smells delicious! Even with car air recirculate on the stench was real bad… There’s also a package for interior vacuum etc but it’s not useful to me.

barnaclejive 5y ago

While it seems easy to dismiss it as just another car wash, Mister Car Wash really does feel like they have invented a better mouse trap in old and stale market and I am not surprised at all at the valuation. I have never seen a touch-less version of a Mister Car Wash, but that is the only downside. For what it is, it is by far better than any other automated car wash I have ever experienced (which is a lot). I have been an unlimited member for 3 years (full exterior and exterior package) and bounce around a few locations in my area. Everything appears new and well-maintained and updated often, the staff are great, the facilities inside and out are clean, they are fast and efficient. The car wash actually cleans and dries you car very well. When I have the interior cleaned, they do a very good job at that too. Overall, the whole experience is so much better and cheaper than other options.