Car Wash Forum

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  1. I

    Desperate, please help

    Your customers will love Tap N Pay more.
  2. I

    Damage claim concern

    Three common disclaimers on Conveyor carwash warning signs: Not Responsible for Non Factory Items, Vehicles over 7 years old, Vehicle Badging or Emblems If these were on your sign they might help in your situation. In the past 5 years all carwashes have gotten harsher and less friendly...
  3. I

    Purchase 4 Bay 3 self-serve 1 Touch free Car Wash in Southeastern US

    Location, location, location. Road Traffic count, future growth potential. 5-mile circle competition. Car washing is a business. Visit ICA show in VEGAS this weekend
  4. I

    Pay Stations - Hamilton vs ICS Auto Sentry vs other?

    I have used the ICS Flex for over 10 years at two different IBA sites, plus my tunnel. I have been pleased with them. You can dispense Free Vacuum Tokens, and there are good promotional capabilities, some are Time of Day pricing, wash codes bar coded or numeric, Coupons. Big Touchscreen...
  5. I

    opinions and recs please. Mitters/top brush/companies.

    When I opened, I had 3 mitters and over the years went down to just two. Then i replaced one mitter with a Top Brush and fell in love with it. I ended up a few years later replacing the last mitter with a top brush. I feel that the top brushes do a better cleaning job, and the tunnel has a...
  6. I

    Why do people hate Tokens SO MUCH?!

    I have been dispensing $1. Tokens only for over 10 years, I do give a bonus token for each $5.00 increment. Every Bay takes Card, Tokens, Quarters, bills. All vacs take tokens, quarters and bills and some vacs Credit card. I don't remember any problems when I shifted over. Customers have a...
  7. I

    Tunnel Wash Competition

    In reading through this topic and from personal experience, it seems that a new Express wash entering your carwash market will take 20 to 35 percent off the top of your gross. It seems that after 2 to 3 years you will start growing again. -- Judging from what I have been reading, Take 5...
  8. I

    5 brush units

    I have a 5-year soft gloss which replaced my Freestyler. I'd rather have the Freestyler back over the Soft Gloss, it was more reliable and had a much better Control and diagnostic and remote capability. My Soft Gloss was installed one month before they shifted to the Wash builder controls...
  9. I

    What would it take to upgrade from PDQ M5 to 360?

    I am looking at replacing a 5-year-old friction In Bay with a Laser 360 Plus. Friction does clean better but also breaks down more often. I would like to keep it longer but I'll make more money with an IBA with better reliability and remote management. It's time to go Touchless. I have a...
  10. I

    Sea urchins in my pit?

    I doubt it, but after 30 years I admit that I try hard not look at the pit mud .and avoid it.
  11. I

    Any good cheap coin sorters/counters?

    There are several clones of the Scancoin available. I have used a Cassida bought on Amazon for about 5 to 10 years . It works great
  12. I

    Tunnel Wash Competition

    I believe that a Touch Free would be in a slightly better position. The answer is. it depends. Some variables being: market size, saturation of market with carwashes, quality of your site traffic, quality of your carwash, level of community involvement. Finally, the ultimate wild card good...
  13. I

    Negotiating equipment purchases ?

    Relative to the discussion of price is if you already have a relationship and is it the same distributor who will service and maintain it for its lifespan. Look ahead a few years for when you have to call for service when the machine is broken. Our distributors have the same price pressures on...
  14. I

    Surfline Tandem

    I am thinking of adding a short tunnel or a nice friction In Bay next to my existing Laserwash . The age-old question is how many cars per hour can be hoped for and if the combination will future proof against Chain Express Tunnels . I am very pleased with the Laserwash.
  15. I

    FINALLY!

    AGREED, looks good so far. First carwash snow in over 3 plus years. But it must warm up a little and stay clear, NO rain.
  16. I

    Bill acceptance in the bay, was it a game changer?

    Certainly, times are changing in the retail industry. A good part of our bay customer demographic is under 30, that necessitates, we need to keep up with the changes. That just makes Tap easier to introduce. We need to accept all forms of payment bills, coin and card. I confess, that my least...
  17. I

    Bill acceptance in the bay, was it a game changer?

    Yes, twenty years ago. It changed the idea of a self-service carwash from quarters to dollars. Now Tap is the wave for those under thirty.
  18. I

    Full service high labor costs

    The last post is the truth. One of the reasons that Express wash with free vac has come so for is because of the difficulty in proving full service. Likely there will always be place for some full-service washes, but the customer has to pay the higher price. Reducing full-service hours is a...
  19. I

    Survival; Just bought a car wash, Now tunnel opening a block away

    I agree with what Waxman said. Concentrate on your making your self Service and the Laser great. They are your strength letting you offer something different and better. I remain uncertain of the value of a Wash club for an In Bay. Wash Clubs work great for conveyors but In Bays are...
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