Building a New Express Tunnel — MacNeil vs. Sonny's vs. Other Manufacturers: What Would You Buy Today?

[LuxCarWashandAutoSpa]

I'm researching equipment for a new express tunnel car wash and would really appreciate some firsthand feedback from experienced tunnel owners, operators, and maintenance technicians.

My background is in commercial construction and mechanical systems, so I'm comfortable with equipment, controls, pumps, motors, and maintenance. However, I'm new to the car wash industry and want to make an informed decision before investing in a complete tunnel system.

I'm considering a 120–150-foot express tunnel with premium wash packages, unlimited memberships, and a strong focus on wash quality, reliability, and minimizing downtime.

I've been looking at MacNeil, Sonny's, AVW, H2O solutions and other manufacturers, but I'm interested in hearing what operators think after actually running these systems for several years.

A few specific questions:

1. MacNeil vs. Sonny's: Which would you choose for a new express tunnel today, and why? Are there other manufacturers I should seriously consider?
2. Conveyor systems: Which conveyor designs have proven the most reliable and easiest to maintain? Belt versus traditional chain-and-roller conveyors?
3. Wash equipment: Which manufacturers have the best-performing wraps, mitters, top brushes, and wheel-cleaning systems?
4. Dryers: Which dryer systems provide the best drying performance without excessive noise or energy consumption?
5. Controls and automation: Which tunnel controllers and vehicle-tracking systems are the most dependable and user-friendly?
6. Maintenance: What components tend to fail most often, and which manufacturers make repairs and preventative maintenance easiest?
7. Parts and support: Who has the best parts availability, technical support, and response times when equipment goes down?
8. Water and chemicals: Are there particular reclaim systems, chemical delivery systems, or undercarriage wash setups you would recommend?
9. Mixing manufacturers: Would you purchase a complete turnkey system from one manufacturer or mix equipment from different manufacturers to get the best results?
10. Long-term ownership: After operating your tunnel for several years, what equipment would you buy again, and what would you never purchase again?

I'm especially interested in feedback from independent operators who have worked with more than one equipment brand.

I understand that installation quality, maintenance practices, and local support can make a big difference, but I'd like to know which systems have proven themselves in real-world operations.

My goal is to build a premium wash with excellent cleaning performance, dependable equipment, manageable maintenance costs, and minimal downtime.

I'd appreciate any recommendations, comparisons, or lessons learned from those who have been operating tunnels for years.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Earl Weiss]

was in Tunnel business for 37 years. Had equipment from Sonny's AVW, Belanger and others now long gone. AVW Mitters by far the winner. Circular mtion was quiet and aside from cloth replacement Went a decade or more with no maintenance. Sonny's 901 Mitters Greta cleaning but loud slapping an always something.. Drive Arrn, Pitman arm, electric motor, gearbox, etc. Pendulum style wraps from Sonny's and AVW were comparable. Did not have air controls or retracts. No need . More to go wrong. Blower reliability change over the years. Inherited a place with 10 HP - never felt they did the job and replaced with 15 HP. Got a really dry car with 7 Blowers. at 180 CPH Line speed. Been to places with 14 and car is not any drier. Had triple miitters and 2 sets exit wraps and cars were clean. . If you leave room, and plan you could always add more equipment easily if needed.

 

[LuxCarWashandAutoSpa]

Earl, thank you very much for the info. I am leaning towards an AVW conveyor so we can get dually rigs through, AVW mitters and then not sure on best options for cleaning sides and rear/front. I've been in touch with AVW and H2O and both have been great to talk with. Not sure how to best mix and match components in the build yet, still working on how best to do that. Seems like it could be difficult. AVW supplies all equipment and a team to install, so not sure they would install other components. Not sure yet on H2O solutions, have not gotten that far into talks with them.

 

[liftheavy]

me and my equipment distributor was talking couple years back about what the optimal length of a tunnel was (we were talking in specific about buccee's) and i remember him laughing and saying there's absolutely no reason the conveyor length should be more than 125ft... anything longer than that is just a pissing contest on who can spend the most money, only to get pissed off on the maintenance cost later on.

in regards to sonny's vs macneil, it depends. sonny's will allow you to fit more equipment in tighter space -- you can fit 2 wraps, a rocker brush, tire brush, and a top brush in a small footprint -- and are generally easier to work with, but macneil top brush and their superflexx wraps are top tier... and macneil is cheaper, and probably easier to find used equipment part for.

if you're just buying brand new, disregard... but you can grab a decent conditioned macneil top brush or superflexx wrap for ~10k/ea pretty easily if you look around... all you gotta do is change the bearing, air cylinder, and the motor as needed during installation and it's pretty much brand new. since its modular, it's just easier to acquire than a whole sonny's combined system. buying new or refurbishing if you know how to can be difference of about $300k or more.

conveyors... it really doesn't matter if you go with any major manufacturer, but my personal experience ive seen a coleman-hanna conveyor going strong for over 20 years despite terrible maintenance job. lots of people in the industry really like motorcity works. personally any time we acquire a site requiring a new conveyor, we've gone with macneil xr-1000 and haven't really had notable issues.

dryers... i would say sonnys because of the nozzle configurations, but NCS's IDC black widow lineup has the same nozzles now including the mammoth nozzles so whichever is cheaper... i heard lots of good things about motorcity works too.

tunnel controller i've always gone with laguna. great company, any issues i can't resolve i can get answered within an hour. their team also tries to teach you so once you learn how to troubleshoot once, you'll always know how to do it. easy to figure out too.

dont be too afraid of mixing manufacturers... it's really not much to it. grab a manual for each piece of equipment and then go to the manufacturer's website and order replacement part as needed.

any major manufacturer -- sonny's, ncs, coleman-hanna, avw, motorcity works -- will yield good result if you just give an iota of a damn... grease your bearings, monitor your air pressures, check for leaks, check the timing, look out for strange noises, etc daily and you'll be fine.

 

[washnshine]

If you go with AVW, give Tom Hoffman Jr. call or better yet a visit it some point. He has about 32-33 washes in New York State, uses a lot of AVW stuff and also makes some of his own equipment. Great guy, great operator and shared this video for all to see.