Car Wash POS & Check-in
A car wash POS and check-in system that tracks every car, from gate to collection
Every car that enters your yard should leave a record behind. CarwashManage gives your counter a simple car wash POS: check in the vehicle by number plate, pick the service, assign a washer and take payment. You see every car on one screen, from the moment it arrives to the moment the owner drives away.
When the book at the gate is your only record, money walks away
Most car washes start with an exercise book at the gate. A cashier writes the plate, the service and the amount. On a quiet Tuesday that works. On a Saturday morning with ten cars in the queue, lines get skipped, numbers get rubbed out and pages go missing. At the end of the day the book says one thing, the cash box says another, and nobody can explain the gap.
You also lose sight of the yard itself. Which car is still waiting? Who is washing the white Probox? Did the SUV that left at noon actually pay? If you are not standing there, you only have the word of whoever was on shift. That is hard on you and hard on honest staff, because they get blamed for gaps they did not cause.
What you get
Every vehicle gets a record
Each check-in captures the plate, vehicle type, service and washer. A car cannot be washed and driven away without leaving a trace in the system.
Plate photo scan at the gate
Take a photo of the number plate and the system reads it for you. Your attendant confirms it and moves on, which keeps the line moving on busy mornings and cuts typing mistakes.
A live queue you can see from anywhere
Cars move from checked in, to in queue, to washing, to ready, to collected. You and your manager see the same board, on a phone at the office or a tablet at the counter.
Prices set per vehicle type
Set different prices for a saloon, an SUV, a pickup, a matatu or a boda boda. The cashier picks the service and the right price comes up, so there is no guessing and no 'special rate' for friends.
Before and after photos
Snap photos of the car before and after the wash. When a customer says 'you scratched my door', you have proof of how the car arrived. It also shows the job was really done.
Carpets priced per square metre
Carpet cleaning is recorded as its own job and priced per m². Big and small carpets are charged fairly, and they do not get lost among the car washes.
How it works
Step 1: Check the car in
At the gate, scan or type the plate, choose the vehicle type and the service. If the customer has been before, their details come up straight away.
Step 2: Assign a washer
Pick the washer or team who will handle the car. The job lands in the queue and the commission for that wash is linked to the right person.
Step 3: Move the car through the queue
Staff update the status as they go: washing, then ready. Anyone at the counter can tell a customer exactly where their car is.
Step 4: Take payment and hand over
Record cash, card or M-Pesa against that wash, print an 80mm receipt or send a digital one, and mark the car as collected.
Built for the way Kenyan car washes actually run
CarwashManage was built with and for a working car wash in Nairobi before we opened it to everyone. That is why the check-in screen is short. Your gate attendant is often standing in the sun with a phone in one hand. They need to capture a car in a few taps, not fill a long form.
It suits a single roadside wash with three washers just as well as a busy town-centre wash, a detailing studio that spends two hours on one car, or a wash attached to a petrol station. It runs in the browser on phones, tablets and PCs, so you can start with the phone you already have. You can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app.
Because every wash is recorded with a time, a washer and a payment, your daily records are ready when you need them. That helps when you sit down with your accountant, apply for a loan, or simply want to know which day of the week is your busiest.
Car Wash POS & Check-in: questions
Do I need special hardware to use the car wash POS?
No. It works in the browser on any smartphone, tablet or computer. If you want printed receipts, you can connect a common 80mm Bluetooth or USB thermal printer, the kind you see in most Kenyan shops.
How does the number plate scan work?
Your attendant takes a photo of the plate at check-in and the system reads the characters automatically. The attendant checks that the plate is correct and confirms it. If the photo is unclear, they can simply type the plate in.
Can I set different prices for matatus, SUVs and motorbikes?
Yes. You build your own price list per vehicle type, so a saloon, an SUV, a pickup, a matatu and a nduthi can each have their own price for the same service. You can change prices whenever you need to.
Can I try it before paying?
Yes. There is a 14-day free trial and you do not need a card to start. Plans start from KES 2,500 a month after that.
Ready to run your car wash with less stress?
Start your 14-day free trial - no card required - or try the live demo first.