At the rain’s mercy

Deirdre Newman

Like the beach area that needs the sun’s warm rays to thrive during

the summer, car washes are at the mercy of Mother Nature in the

winter.

That’s why many local car wash owners are praying that there won’t

be a heavy rainy season later this year.

“We need good weather and pray to God we don’t get too much rain,”

said Furat Singh, owner of Angel’s Auto Spa in Costa Mesa.

And if it does rain, when it rains is key.

“If it rains Friday or Saturday -- the really busy time -- it

really impacts the business, because large percentage of the business

is done on weekends,” said Leon Saitowitz, a carwash broker with

Allied Brokers of Newport Beach.

For employees, rainy days mean no pay because most employees work

part-time, Saitowitz said. Owners, though, can reduce their costs

because they don’t have to worry about expenses such as utilities if

they close because of inclement weather.

Just the threat of rain can scare people away from getting their

car washed, Saitowitz said.

“If it’s reported in the news that there’s a 10% chance, it

dramatically affects business,” Saitowitz said. “The threat of rain

is enough.”

But even worse than rain can be cloudy days, Saitowitz said. The

uncertainty forces carwashes to stay open, but typically keeps

customers away.

Usually, before the rainy season, carwashes offer customers a rain

check so that if it rains the day after they get their car washed,

they’ll wash it again when the sun comes out, Saitowitz said.

Luckily, Southern California doesn’t have to worry about the

deluges that can pound cities such as Seattle and Portland. But in

those cities, people are more rain-tolerant and will get their cars

washed anyway, Saitowitz said.

“In Seattle or Oregon, people still wash their cars even when it

rains or they want to have the salt removed that gets on streets when

it snows,” Saitowitz said. “Here, when it rains, people make a big

deal out of it.”

Patrick Shea, president of Beacon Bay Enterprises, which operates

a carwash in Costa Mesa, said it’s pretty much a slam-dunk decision

on how to deal with rain.

“When it rains, we close,” Shea said. “That’s about all I can say.

We try very much to do as well as we can on the days it’s not

raining.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.