What's new
Car Wash Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Ideas for upgrading my Older (small) SS Wash Bay Meter Box to accept credit card

buckeye3847

New member
Hi all! I have this Meter box below and need help with ideas on accepting credit card. I'm willing to consider Nayax or Cryptopay but prefer lowest cost approach to installing with the existing box.

Firstly just want to confirm I can add in a cryptopay swiper only to the wash bay into the meter box. then if I do and dont update the timer, does that mean I can only do count-down? and I would have to get a dixmore LED 6 just to be able to add count up mode correct? Anything cheaper than the dixmore led6 or is that the only option? I'm willing to consider count-down if that means avoiding upgrading the timer.

I know kleenrite sells the side meter boxes for mounting a nayax or cryptopay, but that adds $200 per unit and I would need 10 of them. So that would make $3k in 10 nayax readers become $5.4k. vs. 4.4k in cryptopay equipment (10 readers plus coordinator). and if I need to by dixmore timers, then thats another several thousand.

Also what about the vacuums. How would I handle those and can I do count up on those with either? can I put the cryptopay on the front face without any additional hardware?

Anyone know what brand coinbox and type of timer is in my SS wash bay meter box by chance?

Thanks in advance!


2023-10-03 10.13.09.jpg2023-10-03 10.08.17.jpg
 
Me personally don’t take this the wrong way I wouldn’t even think about credit cards yet. I would save my money up for some New or USED Clean equipment vacuums and Meter boxes your not quite yet there I don’t think. Whats the old saying don’t put the cart before the horse. Looks like you have some old southern pride vacs and equipment early early generation. I would be looking an entire equipment package for your wash

A led7 dixmor you can count up or down and you have to have digital timers to tie in the cryptopay equipment.

your timer to the bay is probably a IDX flat pack 411 timer in the equipment room in the control panel on the pump stand which are very old school you have the same timers in the vacs I am sure also there very inconsistent and burn up from my experience with them in the past.
 
Last edited:
Me personally don’t take this the wrong way I wouldn’t even think about credit cards yet. I would save my money up for some New or USED Clean equipment vacuums and Meter boxes your not quite yet there I don’t think. Whats the old saying don’t put the cart before the horse. Looks like you have some old southern pride vacs and equipment early early generation. I would be looking an entire equipment package for your wash

A led7 dixmor you can count up or down and you have to have digital timers to tie in the cryptopay equipment.

your timer to the bay is probably a IDX flat pack 411 timer in the equipment room in the control panel on the pump stand which are very old school you have the same timers in the vacs I am sure also there very inconsistent and burn up from my experience with them in the past.
I really appreciate the reply and feedback! Yes I agree the equipment is outdated, but I'm looking to stablize operations first and then do more significant upgrades in the future! What would be wrong with replacing the motors/gaskets/filters and keeping the southern pride vacuums? Thanks for identifying the Possible timer being IDX AT411. I checked the Cryptopay documentation and they say they DO support the IDX AT411. I assume this is just limited to count-down mode like others with older boxes have implemented.

So I could do it with count-down mode without updating the timer. It also seems like there are backup IDX AT411 timers on KR for $115 if they were to burn up so there are backup components available. Much cheaper than dixmor timers.

I read on this forum that others have had success with countdown (though probably not as well as count up) on their older coin boxes. So not ideal, but can be doable and more profitable than without cc readers.


IDX411.png
 
Nayax can be used in countup without interacting with the bay timer. There is a box available on KR to mount nayax on side of main box
 
Nayax can be used in countup without interacting with the bay timer. There is a box available on KR to mount nayax on side of main box
This is excellent news. Seems better than modding the face for a dixmor timer, then trying to squeeze everything in. Nayax plus the $145 side mount seems like the lowest cost approach and gets us tap and pay and more interactive features like timer and pricing all programmed into the nayax.
 
FWIW - to conserve costs I added Cryptopay to half the bays and did count up and made signs saying "This Bay Accepts Credit cards. (I did the 4 bays closest to the entrance because those were the busiest). I did count up. Within a few months of use I was convinced to do the other 4 bays, and then half the vacuums. Basically I think the extra revenue for the first few months funded the rest. Count up is a game changer - but first everything must work and look decent. Decals, paint and cleaning go a long way.
 
Those coin boxes look like they are from the late 70’s early 80’s. The easiest way to determine what timer you have installed would be to open up the coin boxes and take a look at what’s inside. I have to agree with Bill Capron, new stickers on the coin boxes, a little paint, clean the place up, run it for a while and slowly make your additions. Another option would be to put a credit reader on the front of your bill changer and dispense tokens from the changer. Customers like to see a nice clean-looking facility with fresh sticker/labels, not faded, torn stickers. Same applies to the bill changer, you want it to look nice and inviting. Not to long ago I was at a car wash to give them a estimate to repair/upgrade there DRS bill changer. While I was waiting for the owner I was looking at the front of there bill changer, the face panel was broken, duct tape was holding it together, looked pretty nasty. A customer walked up to the changer looked at it and said “this machine doesn’t look like it works, I’m going somewhere else” and he left. Presentation is everything, clean, neat and work every time.
 
I did this about a year ago on an old wash I bought (1998). I bought my own boxes & added cryptopay & dixmor timers. I also just did my busiest 3 bay (5 total). They paid for themselves in a few months & have only increased. I would 100% get new decals at minimum. A few dollar & a few hours would have it looking much better. Repainting would make it even better. It looks old & rundown at the moment vs just old.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2193.jpeg
    IMG_2193.jpeg
    3.4 MB · Views: 42
Back
Top