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CardinaleWay encourages customers to save water

Jack Barnwell
jbarnwell@tahoedailytribune.com

With the drought in mind, CardinaleWay Toyota has joined other Northern California dealerships to encourage waiting on a car wash after a service checkup.

The effort, called “The Wash Can Wait,” has a goal of saving 20 million gallons of water in July and August.

For CardinaleWay that means saving more than 30,000 gallons over the time period, according to Parts and Service Director Chuck Jones.



“We have had probably 45 people that have opted out the car wash and just have their cars vacuumed and windows washed,” Jones said.

A car wash at CardinaleWay Toyota can consume between 30 and 40 gallons of water depending on the vehicle size.



Toyota Motor Sales Northern California got the program rolling toward the beginning of the month, with individual dealerships training their own staff.

The management group sees the program as another step toward sustainability, according to Steve Waddell, Northern California’s customer service operations manager and the campaign’s brainchild.

Waddell said Monday that approximately 75 percent of Toyota dealerships in the state have already reduced or eliminated car-washing operations.

“Once we found at that information, we thought if we could create an opt-out option for car washes, we could encourage our car owners and heighten water conservation at the same time,” Waddell said.

On average, CardinaleWay sees 25 people per day, he said. About 80 percent of their customers are opting out of the car wash, saving about 700 gallons per day.

Another proactive step CardinaleWay has taken includes a point-of-sale brochure that includes 10 tips to conserve or reduce water use at home.

“It’s pretty compelling when our owners are really jumping on board to help,” Waddell said.

For Jones at CardinaleWay, he said it’s a great program and has been well-received.

“A lot of people would like to have their cars washed but understand we’re in a drought,” Jones said, adding the drought is likely to continue. “We’re still going to be in a drought no matter how much it rains.”


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