What Surf Thru Express Car Wash does

Surf Thru Express Car Wash (Surf Thru, Inc.) is a privately held, California-domiciled express car wash operator co-owned by Todd Gall and Scott Howry, headquartered at 11837 Bolthouse Dr. Ste 400, Bakersfield, CA. The company owns and operates more than 40 conveyor-based exterior wash locations across six U.S. states—California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Oregon, and Washington—serving primarily individual vehicle owners and, secondarily, business fleets of 20 or more vehicles. Revenue is generated through four streams: recurring monthly unlimited memberships (subscription), single-wash purchases (transactional), prepaid Share Cards, and B2B fleet subscriptions with consolidated billing and barcode tracking.

The core product is a four-tier monthly unlimited membership—Express ($13–$19.99/month), Epic ($17–$26.99), Ultimate ($25.99–$35.99), and Graphene Extreme ($32.99–$44.99)—with each tier bundling progressively richer chemical/feature packages including ARMOR ALL Ceramic Seal, Rain-X Complete Protection, Triple Wave Foam, Wheel Cleaner, Undercarriage Power Wash, and a Rain Guarantee. Members are issued RFID windshield stickers that raise the gate automatically for frictionless re-entry. Underlying wash technology combines a reverse osmosis purification system (claimed to remove 99% of minerals for spot-free drying), on-site water reclamation capped at 40 gallons per wash, and solar-power generation installed at more than half of locations under the 'Powered By The Sun' positioning. Free on-site amenities—vacuums, air blowers, dash wipes, coffee, lollipops, dog treats—supplement each wash. The company holds WaterSavers certification for environmental compliance and water conservation.

Surf Thru's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer retail at its own sites, supplemented by online membership purchase at surfthruexpress.com and direct sales for fleet accounts. The chain has grown from approximately eight California and Arizona sites in 2016 to 40+ across six states by 2019, with a publicly disclosed 'Coming Soon' pipeline of 13+ additional sites in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon, signaling continued greenfield build-out. Marketing relies on on-site signage, a mobile text club, community food-drive partnerships (with Community Food Bank affiliates in Fresno and Tucson), and word-of-mouth, with no disclosed paid digital advertising or franchise activity. No external equity, debt financing, or M&A activity is documented in the available record, indicating growth has been funded internally by the co-owners.

Name

Surf Thru Express Car Wash

Legal name

Surf Thru, Inc.

Website

https://surfthruexpress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Privately held, Bakersfield-headquartered express car wash operator with 40+ owned locations across six western U.S. states, offering tiered monthly unlimited memberships, single washes, share cards, and fleet programs for vehicles, with a focus on water conservation and solar power.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices46 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Monthly Unlimited Membership Subscriptions: Recurring monthly subscription plans (Graphene Extreme, Ultimate, Epic, Express tiers) that provide unlimited washes per month. Auto-renews monthly with credit card payment. Memberships are per-vehicle and include RFID sticker for automated entry.
2. Single Wash Purchases: One-time car wash purchases at varying price points depending on wash package selected. Prices start around $7-$8 for basic washes and increase for premium packages with additional services.
3. Share Cards: Pre-paid cards offering multiple washes (up to 5 washes per month) that can be shared among family members or used for any vehicle. Available in Graphene Extreme and Ultimate tiers with discounted value versus individual purchases.
4. Fleet/Business Accounts: Discounted monthly plans for businesses with 20+ vehicles. Includes barcode labels, consolidated monthly billing, and fleet-specific management features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Surf Thru Express Car Wash operates conveyor-based exterior express car washes that complete a vehicle wash in under 5 minutes. Its core offerings are tiered monthly unlimited wash memberships (Express, Epic, Ultimate, Graphene Extreme), single wash purchases, prepaid share cards, and a fleet vehicle program for businesses with 20+ vehicles, all using reverse osmosis spot-free rinse, water recycling, and RFID-enabled member entry.

Product overview

Surf Thru Express Car Wash operates as an eco-friendly, high-end express car wash providing exterior vehicle cleaning services. The company offers a tiered monthly unlimited wash membership program with four levels: Graphene Extreme (premium with full protection suite), Ultimate, Epic, and Express (entry-level). Memberships use RFID sticker technology for automated entry. The company also offers fleet vehicle washing programs for businesses with 20+ vehicles, a Share Card Club for prepaid washes, and various add-on products including ArmorAll Ceramic Seal, Rain-X, Blue Coral Triple Foam, and Wipe-Out Conditioner. All washes include a spot-free rinse using reverse osmosis water purification, free vacuums and air blowers, and use WaterSavers water conservation practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Monthly Unlimited Car Wash Membership Recurring monthly subscription that gives members unlimited express car washes at any of 40+ locations, with RFID-sticker-enabled automatic gate entry. Offered in four tiers: Express (basic), Epic, Ultimate, and Graphene Extreme (premium with graphene protection, ArmorAll Ceramic Seal, and full protection suite); monthly pricing ranges from $13-$19.99 (Express) to $32.99-$44.99 (Graphene Extreme), with annual billing available at a discount.
• Single Wash Purchase One-time car wash purchase at any location, with pricing varying by wash tier: Express $11-$22, Epic $14-$20.99, Ultimate $18-$25.99, and Graphene Extreme $22-$25. Includes the same reverse osmosis spot-free rinse, premium cleaning products, and free vacuums and air blowers as the membership.
• Fleet Vehicle Washing Program Discounted monthly wash plan for businesses operating fleets of 20 or more vehicles. Provides barcode labels for each vehicle, consolidated monthly invoicing, and immediate discount off any of the four wash packages, removing the need for per-driver reimbursement and supporting professional fleet appearance.
• Share Card Club Prepaid wash card providing up to 5 washes per month that can be used on any vehicle, enabling shared use among family members or across multiple vehicles. Available as Ultimate Share Card ($36 for $100 value) and Graphene Extreme Share Card ($49 for $110 value).

Quantifiable outcome

• Uses 40 gallons or less water per wash vs 120 gallons for home washing or older facilities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Community Food Bank (Fresno, CA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 November 2016Partnership for Wash Away Hunger food drive events. Surf Thru provides free car washes to customers who donate canned or nonperishable food items. Community Food Bank is the region’s largest community-based, non-profit agency dedicated to ending hunger in the Central Valley, serving Fresno, Madera, Kings, Kern and Tulare Counties with 38+ million pounds of food distributed annually.
• The Community Food Bank of Southern ArizonaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 November 2016Partnership for food drive events in Tucson, AZ. Customers receive complimentary car wash for donating canned or nonperishable food items. The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity serving Southern Arizona with food access programs.
• WaterSaverscoreOthersWaterSavers is a certification program for car washes that use 40 gallons or less of fresh water per car wash and route wash water to treatment before environmental discharge. Surf Thru participates in this program as an environmentally friendly car wash facility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Club Car Wash: Mid-size regional express car wash chain with unlimited membership programs and conveyor systems, expanding in the central and southeastern U.S. Comparable service model though predominantly serves different geographies.
• ModWash: Relatively newer express car wash brand backed by private equity, expanding across the southeastern and midwestern U.S. with subscription-based unlimited wash plans. Comparable subscription economics though primarily non-overlapping geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• ZIPS Car Wash: Express car wash chain now part of the Driven Brands portfolio, operating conveyor-based washes with unlimited membership programs across multiple states. Directly comparable in tiered subscription structure and express service model.
• Go Car Wash: Private-equity-backed (Roar Capital) express car wash operator rapidly expanding across multiple U.S. states with unlimited membership subscriptions and conveyor-based washes. Closely comparable subscription model and growth-stage profile.
• Tommy Car Wash: Express car wash operator in the western U.S. with subscription-based unlimited wash programs and conveyor-based systems. Comparable in service model, customer segmentation, and eco-friendly positioning.
• Quick Quack Car Wash: Privately held express car wash chain operating hundreds of locations across the western, southern, and midwestern U.S. with unlimited membership programs, eco-friendly water reclamation, and aggressive site expansion. Highly comparable multi-state competitor.
• Take 5 Car Wash: Owned by Driven Brands (NYSE: DRVN), Take 5 is one of the fastest-growing express car wash chains with single-wash and unlimited membership models, conveyor systems, and aggressive multi-state expansion. Direct comparable in operating model and competitive footprint.
• Mister Car Wash: Largest publicly traded express car wash operator in the U.S. with a subscription-based unlimited wash model very similar to Surf Thru's tiered monthly plans. Operates hundreds of locations nationwide and serves as the closest public-market comparable for valuation benchmarking.
• Washman Car Wash: Express conveyor car wash operator with unlimited membership model serving markets in the western and midwestern U.S. Comparable subscription pricing tiers and eco-conscious positioning to Surf Thru.

Broad incumbents

• Driven Brands: Public parent company of Take 5 Car Wash, ZIPS, and other automotive service brands. Operates as a broad automotive-services incumbent whose car wash segment directly competes with Surf Thru's subscription and single-wash offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/surfthruexpress

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surf Thru Express Car Wash