Eco car wash’s worldly polish

An Australian waterless car wash franchise is now operating in seven countries.

Ecowash Mobile, which operates in Brisbane and throughout Queensland, has opened its latest franchise in Las Vegas with the Southern Nevada Water Authority agreeing to promote it on their website.

After opening their first international franchise in the Middle East in August last year, Ecowash Mobile is also now in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and France with director Jim Cornish exploring other overseas locations.

“We now have 42 franchisees across Australia and have made our first venture into the US market,” said Cornish.

“To have moved into seven countries after starting out as a two-car operation back in March 2004 with Stewart Nicholls is a quantum leap.”

Since it was launched, Ecowash claims to have saved 28 million litres of water at a rate of about 315,000 litres a week.

The Ecowash team was on hand during our Carsguide Car of the Year testing at Wakefield Park in Goulburn, south of Sydney, to keep the cars glistening for the cameras.

That was no easy task with testers taking to surrounding countryside, caking the cars in a fine talcum-powder-consistency dust and swatting thousands of bugs with the cars' grilles.

However, the waterless system seemed to work well without scratching the lustrous paintwork of the 11 awards finalists.

Ecowash uses a 2-in-1 wash and polish technique with a polymer compound that is claimed to lift the dirt from the surface of the paint and wrap it in a lubricant. The dirt is then removed with a soft cloth.

What's left is a fine layer of polish which is removed with a clean cloth.

Prices range from $35 for a basic Ecowash to $170 for an “extreme Ecowash”.

Besides using no water, ecowash mobiles products are completely bio-degradable.

Ecowash Mobile has scored a Smart Approved Watermark and has won a 2007 Australian Business Award and a Franchise Council of Australia Award for Emerging Franchise System of the Year.

For more information, visit: www.ecowash.com.au