A Woman’s Touch
Cars are vacuumed and prepped before entering the tunnel.
A large digital sign helps draw in the traffic for the centrally located wash.
Auto Butler’s tunnel sports decade’s old equipment, but customer cars come out clean and shiny thanks to the dedicated staff.
Five Sonny’s blowers help get cars dry before they roll off the conveyor.
Lisa and Gary are committed to providing a comfortable customer experience.
The lube center lobby sports leather seating, coffee, and a play area for children complete with a PlayStation.
The lube center desk finishes off the upgraded look of the lobby.
The husband and wife ownership team is not rare in the car wash business; in fact in many parts of the country it is commonplace. What is atypical is the family-owned wash that is primarily operated by a woman.
Lisa Heims-Stout handles the car wash operations at Auto Butler; her husband Gary Stout handles the marketing and community outreach, and he has very little to do with the day-to-day operation of the wash and lube.
Gary has been involved in the car wash business for over 30 years as a worker, distributor, and now owner. Lisa, on the other hand, is new to the world of car care, but that hasn’t stopped the rookie from placing her stamp on the wash and lube market in Alton, IL.
The husband and wife duo are quick to point out that the car wash, and more so the quick lube business, is increasingly becoming a commodity. Getting your oil changed is very much a convenience- and location-based decision. In order to earn loyal quick lube customers, operators need to find their niche; or become resigned to the fact that their customer base consists of those who happen to be passing by when they notice they are past due for a crankcase full of fresh oil.
When Lisa came on board as an owner/operator at Auto Butler in 2009 (Gary owned the wash since 2007 with another partner who has since left the business), her first order of business was to get the unused and out-of-date lube center located next to the full-serve wash up and running again.
Not only did Lisa want to get the lube center processing cars once again, she wanted to transform the space into an oil change destination — a place where the community could get its oil changed in a family-friendly environment.
“When I became a mother and had to maintain my vehicles I had to take my kids with me,” she says. “I absolutely despised going to the oil change and I tried not to take them along because there was nothing for them to do and they would be bored.”
In order to prevent boredom from setting in on their youngest clients and to keep their parents equally content, Lisa had a PlayStation installed for the kids and comfortable leather seating and a flat-screen television for the adults. The lobby is immaculately maintained so parents don’t have to worry about letting their children play on the floor.
“An oil change takes about 15 minutes,” Lisa says. “When you factor in another 10 minutes for the free car wash we offer with each service our customers are here for at least 25 minutes. If parents feel comfortable that their children are going to be entertained the whole time they are here they are more likely to pull into the lot. It is a much better atmosphere.”
Although, there was not enough room to give the car wash the same treatment as the lube center, the wash still sports comfortable seating for the parents and a gumball machine and plenty of views from the windows in the tunnel-length hallway to keep the younger set entertained.
The bathrooms in both the car wash and lube center are always spotless and sport upgraded tiles and fixtures to help complete the comfort-first philosophy at the site.
Auto Butler first opened its doors in 1989 and much of the original equipment still resides in the tunnel, including the conveyor, but Gary is happy with the quality the older-style equipment produces.
“We truly believe that when you purchase a wash you should get a clean, shiny car,” Gary says. “We have very good soaps. We do a good job prepping the car. We don’t spend a lot of time at the exit touching up the cars. The equipment does a good job. You have to treat the customer as well as you treat their cars. You are not going to get a repeat customer unless he is completely satisfied and confident with the service.”
Auto Butler offers four wash packages, and although they might be slightly more expensive than most, Gary is positive that his customers are getting their money’s worth.
“We don’t offer a low-end wash,” he says. “We will never be the cheapest car wash out there, that is not my philosophy. I believe in providing quality because that is what the customer wants.”
One thing every customer at every full-serve wash around the country expects is a well-vacuumed interior. Ninety-five percent of all cars vacuumed at Auto Butler are serviced with the crevice tool to help employees get into every nook and cranny.
Helping to ensure that every car pulls off the lot clean and shiny are 37 dedicated and highly trained employees, seven of which work in the express lube. During the week, 12 employees man the full-serve wash, and that number swells to 20-23 on the weekends. Lisa doesn’t just hire anyone to work at her wash and lube. In fact, each employee is required to sign a release for a drug-use background check. Lube employees are recruited from the local college’s mechanic program and are required to take an online course and pass a final exam before ever being allowed to work on a customer’s car.
The entry-level Paint Protector wash package costs $16.95 and includes an ultra sealer, rust inhibitor, and underbody wash. For $21.95 the Wheel Deal Plus adds tire shine, wheel clean, rust inhibitor, tire and white wall cleaner, and an air freshener. The Triple Coat Works adds triple coat protectant and ultra sealer for $26.95. The top wash package costs $31.99 and adds RainX.
In addition to the full-serve menu, the wash also offers some express detailing services including: hand wax, mat cleaning, spray and wax, and spray and shine. The spray and shine uses an air gun to uniformly distribute the interior protectant. Before implementing the spray-on system the product was applied with a sponge, and the wash received a lot of complaints due to drips.
Every car wash customer gets a 48-hour guarantee. They can return anytime up to two days after the wash was purchased and receive another wash free of charge for any reason. Currently about 1.5 percent of Auto Butler’s customers take them up on the offer.
Just as the name implies, customers at Auto Butler are treated like VIPs. Lisa and Gary are dedicated to not only catering to the needs of their
customer, but to providing the best results possible at the tunnel exit:
mission accomplished.
