Genesee County Tweetup at Mojo’s

Hey everyone!

Tonight we are going to have the first Genesee County Tweetup of 2010. We are going to meet tonight at 6:30 at Mojo’s on M-15 in Davison. They have some pretty good wings and they are on special tonight!

Come on out and say hello, we will be handing out some car wash goodies and spending some time getting to know the great people from in and around Genesee County!

Hope to see you there!

John

P.S. If you want more information or need directions, give me a call at 810-658-7949.

DEEEETROIT BAASKETBALLLLL!

To help kick off our 2oth anniversary, how would you like to win 4 tickets to a Sunday evening Pistons game courtesy of Bubbles Galore Car Wash? It’s our way of starting off 2010 with a bang, and what better way than to show all of our fans how much we appreciate you guys for sticking with us and helping make us the best car wash in Davison!

All of our fans on our Facebook Fan Page have the chance to win tickets to the Pistons Friends and Family Fun Days! This package includes:

• 4 tickets  to the Sunday, February 21 game vs.  the Spurs
• 4 hot dogs
• 4 sodas
• 4 t-shirts

Here’s how to win….

If you are currently a fan of our facebook page you have already been entered into the drawing, any new fan to the facebook fan page between now and January 31st will also be entered into the drawing. Pretty easy, huh?

Want more chances to win?  Once you are registered on the facebook fan page, come and visit us on Irish Rd. in Davison and use your Visa/MC to wash in our Super Bay.  Each time you visit Bubbles Galore Car Wash and you use your credit card throughout the month of January, you will receive an additional entry in the drawing.  Your chances of winning increase every time you wash in our Super Bay!

WASH THE PLANET!!!

John

We’re a Google Favorite Place!

We got some great news right before Christmas. I opened the mailbox up and look what I found!

Not sure what we’re talking about? Here is an excerpt from the Chatty Kathy Blog on what this whole thing is all about.

“Google is grabbing headlines left, right and center today with a bunch of new Googley stuff announced. In addition to real time results and a new visual search feature , Google is (snail) mailing a bunch of barcodes to businesses across the US, branding them “favorite places.” Smartphones equipped with specific apps and a camera will be able to scan the decals, linking directly to the business’ page in Google Local Business Center. The slightly Yelp-like feature should be a great thing for non-chain businesses, who rely more on word of mouth to provide foot traffic.”

Based on some very particular search criteria that Google put out, Bubbles Galore Car Wash was identified as one of the 100,000 businesses that would be receiving the window decals to be placed at their place of business! Check out this link to see some of the other rockin’ businesses that we have joined in being part of Google’s Favorite Places!

To see how it works, all you have to do is scan the unique QR code with your phone to read reviews, star the business as your own favorite and much more. What is QR code you ask? Well, thankfully Google didn’t leave us hanging as to how best to utilize this somewhat new technology (I had no clue at first either). Here’s an excerpt from the Google Page on QR codes:

This unique bar code on the lower right of the sticker (known as a QR code) lets customers – and potential customers – instantly learn more about a business, by visiting a mobile version of the business’ Place Page on any supported phone. Here’s more on how it works and what you can do with it:

1. Make sure your phone can scan a QR code with its camera, either with an application that you download or via software that’s already installed on your phone. To find out what application to use for your phone, we recommend doing a Google search for the model of your phone along with “QR reader”.
2. When you see a QR code, use your phone’s application to scan it. If you’re scanning a QR code on one of the window decals that we’ve sent to thousands of U.S. businesses, you’ll quickly be taken to that business’ mobile Place Page on Google, where you can:
   
   1. Read reviews to see what other users think about the business
   2. Find a coupon that the business has posted to their Place Page
   3. Star the business to remember to check it out later, or to remember to visit again
   4. Leave a review right after you leave the business. What’s a better time to write what you think, than when you’ve just visited?

I did a quick google search for “mobile QR reader” and found plenty of different choices. If you have a fairly new phone, it should be fairly easy to find and install an app for reading these QR codes. If anyone has a particular favorite that they have been using, please share!

All in all, we are really excited to have been chosen to be one of the first 100,000 businesses to be called a Google Favorite Place. Next time you are up at the car wash, don’t forget to pull out that mobile phone, scan the code and leave a review letting everyone know the best place in Genesee County to get their vehicle all shined up!

WASH THE PLANET!!!

John

P.S. Here is a quick video that kind of shows you how the whole process works!

 

What’s that bar code?

This unique bar code on the lower right of the sticker (known as a QR code) lets customers – and potential customers – instantly learn more about a business, by visiting a mobile version of the business’ Place Page on any supported phone. Here’s more on how it works and what you can do with it:

1. Make sure your phone can scan a QR code with its camera, either with an application that you download or via software that’s already installed on your phone. To find out what application to use for your phone, we recommend doing a Google search for the model of your phone along with “QR reader”.
2. When you see a QR code, use your phone’s application to scan it. If you’re scanning a QR code on one of the window decals that we’ve sent to thousands of U.S. businesses, you’ll quickly be taken to that business’ mobile Place Page on Google, where you can:
   • Read reviews to see what other users think about the business
   • Find a coupon that the business has posted to their Place Page
   • Star the business to remember to check it out later, or to remember to visit again
   • Leave a review right after you leave the business. What’s a better time to write what you think, than when you’ve just visited?

My Marriage with Twitter

I read too much….

I stumbled across an article written by some social media experts (insert sarcastic look) about how best to utilize twitter for your business. They said things like: “only use your account for tweets relating to business.” I was thinking to myself that don’t they call that spam? They also said, “don’t tweet useless banter.” Twitters biggest catch phrase is “what are you doing?” I didn’t lend much to the article, but for some reason it stuck with me and has been making me question some of my twitter tactics.

After a few days of deliberating what I should do, I decided it might be best if I were to separate my personal tweets from my business tweets. Being true to my friends on twitter, I let them know that I was thinking about separating my accounts. Within mere minutes, I had some of my best friends on twitter telling me not to do it! Amazed, I read all these tweets coming in from all over Michigan, New Jersey, Florida, Arizona, California telling me that it would be a mistake to set up a separate account.

One thing my friends here on twitter realized that I had lost sight of was the fact that I “am” Bubbles Galore Car Wash. Each day I pour every ounce of myself into that business and it shows. I live and breathe that place and they could see that passion that I had somehow lost sight of. There is no way that I could separate myself from that business, so why should I separate myself from the twitter account?

Will you see some “useless banter?” Yes! You will see it because I am still a human being that wakes up and goes to work and lives life just like everyone else. Will I “promote my business?” Yes! I think Bubbles Galore Car Wash is the best car wash around and I want to show you that.

You might hear about how much I love my wife, my love and need for caffeine, my crazy dog, definitely about the happenings at the car wash, but rest assured knowing that I am a real person that actually enjoys talking to his friends on twitter and not just thinking of them as customers.

John
@bubblesgalorecw

Guest Blog – Product Reviews

On our Facebook Fan Page, we offered up some free vending products to anyone that would be willing to write a review of the products for our other customers to see. Matt readily agreed and I knew he would put both of these products to the test under some extreme conditions, and that’s exactly what I wanted!

Not only did he put these products to the test, he also wrote up a great review chronicling his experience with both of them. Take a read and decide for yourself, but if they can hold up to his driving, I’ll bet they will cover yours!

Disclaimer: Neither Matt nor I are affiliated with Green Earth Technologies or Rain-X in any fashion. These are products that have been purchased for sale in the vendor at the car wash. These are new products being offered for sale at Bubbles Galore Car Wash and we make no warranty to their usefulness. Enough of that mumbo jumbo, onto the review!

First let me start off by saying that this review is long overdue but I wanted to thoroughly test both of these products before commenting on them.

A little background on the vehicle I used as my test subject. I drive a 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with a mild suspension lift and 33″ BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2 tires. It gets dirty, really dirty and gets used and abused in all kinds of weather.

I have used products in the past that were supposed to help bead rain off the windshield and have been completely unimpressed with them. Streaks, reduced visibility, haze and not working like they were supposed to so when I was offered the opportunity to test the Green Earth Rain Repellent I went into the whole thing with a not very optimistic attitude. Let’s cover the basics first.

The product is easy to apply. Make sure the windshield is clean, dry and streak free. A good glass cleaner and some elbow grease will take care of this step.

Spray the rain repellent on the windshield and wipe with a clean, dry paper towel. I highly recommend if you are doing this in cold weather to run the vehicle for a few minutes with the defroster on to heat the windshield up, it makes things easier.

Wipe the excess off the windshield. If there are any streaks then use a damp paper towel to remove them.

That’s it, easy steps. The big question is does it work.

Having used similar products in the past I was skeptical of this product holding up very long and working as advertised. I tested it by pouring some water on the windshield and it immediately ran off much faster than before it was treated. It looked promising.

I started my drive to work 2 days later in a light rain and noticed I didn’t have to use the wipers as often, the rain was beading off. I found that the heavier rain I drove into and the faster I was driving the less I had to use the wipers. Without getting into physics and math equations here it is a matter of bigger drops having more mass and therefore more momentum when they start moving. I was thoroughly impressed with the product at this point but curious how it would hold up in the long run.

To my surprise I found that not only did rain slide off the windshield but so did the typical road grime and mud that I subject my Wrangler to on a regular basis. I was surprised to say the least! Not only did the product work as advertised it worked BETTER than advertised. I am sold.

Just to double check and make sure my results were not a fluke I treated the 2003 Tracker that my wife drives and she reported the same results. This is definitely a product that we will be keeping around and purchasing in the future.

It worked so well that I treated my rear window, my headlights, fog lights and my 4 6 inch off road lights with it as well and they stay a lot cleaner now. Not only is it more convenient than having to get out and wipe them off on a trail run it is also a huge safety bonus on the trail at night.

The only down side that I can find is that when you get your vehicle as dirty as I do that it needs to be re-applied every couple of weeks after hard use but that is a very small price to pay. However most people aren’t scraping their windshield with large amounts of mud, tree branches and various other items found on the trail.

As for the Anti-Fog there is really not much to say. It simply works. Clean the inside of your windows, wipe it on and you are done. I also used it on the inside of my side windows and rear window and find that I don’t use the defroster very often now. I also tried it on my rearview mirror and worked very well in that application as it no longer fogs.

I give both products 2 thumbs up and suggest using them in combination for great visibility.

Thanks again Matt! With the precipitous Michigan winter weather coming up, these might be just the products that you need to keep you driving safe all winter long! Check them out today at Bubbles Galore Car Wash and tell me what you think by sending me over an e-mail here.

Excuse me, please pass the salt…

Here is a great article that I found online that talks about the steps needed to take care of your vehicle during these harsh winter months. In case there were some of you that needed convincing from someone other than a “car wash guy”

Every winter drivers should take active steps to protect
their car from road salt.

Road salt is necessary for safe transportation when snow and
ice accumulate on roads and highways and cause dangerous
driving conditions.

Salt was first used in the 1930’s in snow and ice control to
make roads safe and passable by creating a lower freezing
temperature of the water. It is the most available and
cost-effective de-icer. It is easy to store, handle, and
apply.

Some 15 million tons of de-icing salt is used each year in
the U.S. and about 4-5 million in Canada.

Salt keeps snow and ice from bonding to the pavement and to
allow snowplows to remove accumulations quickly and
efficiently.

Studies show that salt use reduces accidents by 88%.

Washing your car during wintertime is one of the best things
you can do to maintain the value of your car. Mud, salt,
rain, sleet, and snow can damage your car’s clear finish.
Mud and salt caked on the undercarriage promote rust,
especially in older vehicles, and can also affect how well
your car drives.

To prevent winter damage, it is recommended that you wash
your vehicle every 10 days. Wash your vehicle whenever the
temperature is 40 degrees F. and above. Do it during the
day so that it dries completely before freezing evening
temperatures begin.

Immediately after washing the vehicle, open and close all
doors, the trunk, and other parts of the car with locks
several times before parking it to prevent locks from
freezing.

Always wash your car right after a snow or rain shower.
Rain and snow collect pollutants in the air and drop them as
acid rain which can damage the cars protective finish. Snow
and sleet also include the corrosive road salt.

Wash the underside of your car often during the winter
months in car washes that do not use recycled water.

Avoid driving through large puddles of standing water which
is saturated with road salt.

Any paint chips that are larger than the tip of a pen should
be taken care of immediately.

Wax your car at least every six months. Put a good heavy
coat of wax on your car before the winter storms hit. This
heavy coat will protect your paint from the corrosive salt
and cold temperatures.

More frequent waxes are needed if your car is red, black or
white because these colors are more susceptible to acid rain
and UV rays.

When spring time rolls around, treat your car to a good wax
job again. Be sure to remove all road grime and salt off of
the car before you begin waxing.

For more information:

http://www.apluswriting.net/gasmiles/5starshine.html

About the Author

Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

 

Makes sense to me! Don’t let your car go through another winter being neglected, take care of it at your hometown car wash in Davison!

John

Car Washing and the Wife.

This past weekend I began another undertaking here at the car wash. I began to paint one of my car wash bays to try and brighten it up a little. Lo and behold, I got in over my head and ended up needing a little help. Since my trusty handyman (the father-in-law) was out of town, I gave my wife Jessica a call. With a little convincing and a promise to take her out to dinner later, she joined me up at the wash to give me the helping hand that I so desperately needed. 2 days and about 18 hours later, we finally finished up “our” little project.

At the end of the weekend, she was exhausted, covered in paint, behind on the housework she wanted to get done and I’m sure a few other things that she didn’t bother to tell me about. At the end of it all, as tired as she was, she still had a brilliant smile for me. We were definitely working hard, but we had the privelege of spending quite a few hours together enjoying each others company.

Why do I tell you this story? I for one am guilty of assuming that Jessica is sitting around and waiting for me to give her something to do, even though I know it’s not true. I think that most anyone can dig deep and find that they too are guilty of that same thing with their respective partner. I want to encourage everyone who reads this, be thankful for those people that are around to help you when you need it most. A good friend told me, it’s the small immeasurable things that make up a lifetime, cherish them.

Anti Fog, Rain Repellent and Old Trucks

We just received a new shipment of products from our supplier! Woohoo! It’s like Christmas time One thing that I stand firm on is that I try out every product or service that we offer. In this shipment we received the normal batch of little trees and towels and such, but I decided to try out a few new products since we are heading into the fall/winter months. The first product that I wanted to try out was the Anti Fog wipes from Rain -X

Here is the manufacturer’s description of their product: “…Cleaners, reduces interior fogging and removes smoke residue.” Not the best product marketing I have ever seen, but it gets the point across. I decided to try these out on my 98 Chevy W/T with 260k miles on it. Seeing as how my old truck has been around the block once or twice, the defroster doesn’t always work as intended and these wipes (if they work as advertised) could possibly be a life saver (mine)!

The other product that we got in from our supplier that I wanted to try out is from Green Earth Technologies and is called Rain Repellent. This manufacturer came up with a little better description than Rain-X did: “…is a patent pending hydrophobic glass treatment made from American grown base oils that now puts the power of nanotechnology into the hands of the consumer. G-GLASS™ Rain Repellent’s nano-sized particles penetrates deep into the windshield and forms a chemical bond, repelling rain, ice, snow, bugs and road grime for months. Best of all, G-Glass™ Rain Repellent does not rinse off…eventually it wears off during the wiper cycle lasting up to 6 months.”

A little wordy, but a much better description than what Rain-X came up with! The Rain-X is intended to be used on the interior glass to prevent fogging, whereas the Rain Repellent is used on the exterior glass as a protective layer. Let’s visit my 98 Chevy W/T with 260k miles on it again. Sometimes the truck can be a little touchy and when I turn the windshield wipers on, they don’t always come on like I would hope. Thankfully, I had this on my windshield this past weekend when I drove through a rainy patch and my wipers were being a little touchy

As it began to rain, I reached to turn my wipers on and big surprise they didn’t work. After a quick moments panic, I realized that I wasn’t having any issues at all with trying to see out of my windshield! Awesome! I can and will vouch that this product works as intended, I give this one 2 thumbs way up!

For those of us that are vehicularly challenged, these types of products can keep us from getting into all sorts of trouble. It doesn’t matter whether your vehicle is old or new, “challenged” or not, both of these products can make your day-to-day driving experience that much more enjoyable! Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Wash the Planet!

John

//

Trick or Treating!

Jess and I spent a few hours up at the wash on Saturday night handing out candy to the ghouls and goblins that stopped by. We had such a great time and handed out a ton of candy. The weather wasn’t real cooperative, but we still had lots of people come up and everyone was smiling.

It’s these times that we can forget about all the day to day craziness and just enjoy spending time with our friends and families. Even if you have to dress up a little silly

Wishing you and your family all the best!

John

 

Giving back however we can

It’s Sunday evening and I’m sitting here enjoying this beautiful August evening. I’m thinking of all the things that I’ve experienced in the 27 years I’ve been alive and how thankful I am for what I have. Jessica and I have been very blessed and while I sit here and think about that, I can’t help but let my mind wander to the people I know that have been affected by things outside of their control. This issue has been something that has weighed heavily on my mind in the past few weeks.

Those of you that frequent the fan page have seen my request as of late for non-profits in and around Genesee County. When you actually take the time to look around and see how many people out there need help, it’s staggering. For me, it’s been a truly humbling experience. I look and see all of the good that could be done, people just need to be reminded of how good it feels to give back.

By this time, you’re probably wondering “what in the world does this have to do with me?” Well, here it is, for every new fan we get on the Bubbles Galore Car Wash fan page, Jessica and I will donate $2 to a local charity in Genesee County. The only stipulation is that for your $2 to be donated you must reside in Genesee County. We welcome and appreciate fans from all over also. For every fan that joins our page that does not reside in Genesee County, we will donate $.25 to a national charity.

I see so many people that will become a fan of anything on a whim. We want you to know that you are making a difference when you become a fan of our page. I could sit here and write about our new specials or some of the new innovations that we are doing, but it all seems empty when you stand back and look at the needs of those around you. As I write this, the unemployment rate  in Genesee county is nearly 18%.

I hope this post will inspire even just one person to donate. If all you have is time, then there are several organizations that would love to have some help one afternoon, feel free to send me an e-mail and I can get you a list. If you can write a check, sit down and write it. You really have no idea how good you will feel by doing this.

I look forward to hearing some of the great stories from all you.

John