madscientist
Member
anybody had any issues with these cars in your automatics? just wondering if the boom hose on my laser 4000 will get kinked because the car is so not long. mini coopers seem to work fine.
Car Wash Forum
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Smart Fortwo
- Thread starter madscientist
- Start date
raisetheprice
Member
Just set your mid limit flag as far back (toward the entrance of the bay) as possible. It won't look for the rear of the car anyway until the midlimit is passed. So...the rear of a smart car will be about 6' to 8' from the spray arch when it goes across the back. A price they pay for saving the environment...or trying to. I wouldn't worry...they probably use the waterless carwash in a can.
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madscientist
Member
now that's funny.....almost as funny as the fact that the fortwo only gets about 36 mpg!
MEP001, you have that right on. You can go out and buy a nice used Lincoln that gets maybe 15 mpg, ride in sumptuous luxury, listen to a wonderful sound system, enjoy greatly improved safety because of the cars mass, and buy enough gas for many years. And you have not contributed to global warming because of the production of the new car. The only reason anyone buys a Prius is because they want everyone else to notice how eco friendly they are. Pure bunk.
raisetheprice
Member
heck a Honda Civic gets that good!
I.B. Washincars
Car Washer Emeritus
Heck, in the last few years I have owned a late 90s Monte Carlo and a Grand Prix. Both had the 3.1 V-6 and got about 27 MPG. I can go out and buy five of them for about 5K each and split the extra gas tab with my four friends that I am riding around and have four more of assorted colors sitting at home in the driveway.
RykoPro
Technician/Manager
My mom has a hybrid van and it only gets around 27 in the city and even less on the highway! When she first told me this I thought she had it backwards but that how it works. The electric motor is used more during city driving. It is very hard to get used to turning the key and not hearing the engine start!
I think I have found a happy medium between luxury, mileage and performance. We have a 2002 Saab 9-3 SE convertible with the high output turbo (HOT) engine. It gets 31 MPG and was purchased for a very reasonable price (less than a third of the original sale price) due to the above average depreciation of these vehicles. We have had it over 3 years and because I bought it at the proper time in its lifespan, I could resell it now for more than I paid.
I think I have found a happy medium between luxury, mileage and performance. We have a 2002 Saab 9-3 SE convertible with the high output turbo (HOT) engine. It gets 31 MPG and was purchased for a very reasonable price (less than a third of the original sale price) due to the above average depreciation of these vehicles. We have had it over 3 years and because I bought it at the proper time in its lifespan, I could resell it now for more than I paid.
Waxman
Super Moderator
Sorry, guys, but I've got you all beat pretty decisively.
Just bought a 97 Saab 900 for $500. High miles, standard shift. Decent enough to last at least 5 more years.
Right now I am getting 29.5 mpg!!! All I've done is clean it and air up the tires. Imagine if I changed the oil or <GASP> install new sparkplugs!!!
Sorry to veer off topic.
Back to topic; is anybody besides me excited to use less water, chems, time and electricity to wash all the smaller vehicles coming our way?
Just bought a 97 Saab 900 for $500. High miles, standard shift. Decent enough to last at least 5 more years.
Right now I am getting 29.5 mpg!!! All I've done is clean it and air up the tires. Imagine if I changed the oil or <GASP> install new sparkplugs!!!
Sorry to veer off topic.
Back to topic; is anybody besides me excited to use less water, chems, time and electricity to wash all the smaller vehicles coming our way?
MEP001
Well-known member
I bought a 2000 Monte Carlo SS on eBay two years ago for $6,200 - almost immaculate, super nice ride, fully loaded and leather, and I average 29 MPG if I can keep my foot out of it. All I've done to it in two years is oil changes, a K&N air filter and a set of brakes and tires.I.B. Washincars said:
The Smart is one of the slowest cars on the road and it gets terrible gas mileage if you don't drive it like a granny.
MEP001
Well-known member
I haven't seen a Smart in a self-serve bay yet - I'm pretty sure it's too short for our Vector. If the front and rear sonars don't both detect a car when the treadle is activated, it thinks the car has pulled forward too far with the rear wheel on the treadle and triggers the BACK UP light.Waxman said:
bighead
Member
Well guys, its not the subject but I have to chime in 
I'm driving a 2006 chevy impala right now, not even mine (its a car-broker buddy's of mine) it has a 3.5L V6 and I've gotten 28 MPG pretty religiously, but then I've just started running Lucas Oil's Fuel treatment/upper cylinder lubricant in the gas tank and now I'm averaging 30.5 for the last several tanks... Not to say all of you would have an improvement, (it may have more to do with the crappy E10 gas they sell here in oregon than it does anything else)
I think its about time to start selling that stuff in my lube stores...
I'm driving a 2006 chevy impala right now, not even mine (its a car-broker buddy's of mine) it has a 3.5L V6 and I've gotten 28 MPG pretty religiously, but then I've just started running Lucas Oil's Fuel treatment/upper cylinder lubricant in the gas tank and now I'm averaging 30.5 for the last several tanks... Not to say all of you would have an improvement, (it may have more to do with the crappy E10 gas they sell here in oregon than it does anything else)
I think its about time to start selling that stuff in my lube stores...
RykoPro
Technician/Manager
I was just working on a Vector last week and at first I misinterpreted your statement. I was thinking there was no way the front sonar would not detect the vehicle because the bay plate is directly under the front sonar, but like you stated, the rear sonar may end up being behind the car ( I did not realize you said BOTH sonar's must detect the vehicle).
None of the Ryko washes will have a problem with short vehicles. Ryko uses a different vehicle detection method that will allow any Ryko model to wash any small vehicle no matter how short they get. With the rumors of 6.00 per gallon gas in the near future, I think vehicles will continue to get smaller and smaller.
We've had Smart cars up in Canada for about 3-4 years now and they are very popular and incredibly safe to drive. Our PDQ G5's had a heck of a time with them at first. The machines would go too far past the vehicle and just spit product onto the floor until the pumps timed out.
Luckily my local distributor was able to work with PDQ and the technicians upgraded the SAU boards and now the system is working 95% of the time. We still get the odd smartcar issue but it could be driver error.
Luckily my local distributor was able to work with PDQ and the technicians upgraded the SAU boards and now the system is working 95% of the time. We still get the odd smartcar issue but it could be driver error.
