Tunnel Equipment

[chewy007]

Hello, I looking for opinions from existing operators on which brand of tunnel equipment they like and have had good experience with, I have been researching it for about a year now and it seems the operators I have talked with really like the McNeil equipment and to myself seems to be the best in the industry, on the other hand I have heard to stay away from Mark 7 tunnel equipment. I own several of there IBA softwash models and I am happy with them but I guess they don't do tunnel equipment very well.... any input is appreciated.

We are looking to build a brand new site with a 125'-175' express tunnel, touchfree IBA, self-serve bays, and central vac islands.

 

[Earl Weiss]

FWIW I like the simplicity and ease of serviceability of AVW stuff.

However, a lot should depend on who serices what and parts availability in your area.

 

[Mr. Clean]

Unless you are heavily into the mechanical side of the operation, absolutely consider the reputation and proximity of the installer/service provider.

Due diligence is imperative. Visit existing sites with a variety of equipment to see and hear pros & cons from operators and see how well things are holding up. Everything looks impressive in the catalog or on the exhibit hall floor.

Good luck.

MC

 

[robert roman]

Many carwash owners are holding off on upgrades and the building rate of new washes is pretty soft. As a result, it has become a buyer's market and conveyor equipment is increasingly being sold on the basis of price.

With smooshed margins, distributors are having to rely more on selling services and parts (and chemical), just like automobile dealerships are doing, to make money.

This means that distributors are looking to get and keep all of your business rather than just selling you the equipment.

Consequently, I would place more emphasis on determining who would make the best partner in your area rather than the make of equipment.

 

[DavidM]

The advice about the supplier is solid. If you are new to car washing you will need great support.

Assuming that you have a good Macneil distributor, they make excellent equipment. I strongly recommend them.

 

[Washmee]

Peco makes rock solid, well engineered and simple to work on tunnel equipment. Good luck.

 

[wood]

you handicapped it well. macneil is the ticket.

any engineer could tell you it is very sound equipment. any operator who has used their equipment in the last 7 years (when their growth began) and previously used other equipment will tell you about minimal replacement parts, and costs vs the others.

good luck,
wood

 

[chewy007]

Thanks for all the replies, I have grown up in the industry so I am fairly technical with the equipment although maintenance is not my main role in the company. We currently operate 5 touchless IBA's and 3 new softwash Mark 7's at 5 locations all having self serve 3-5 self serve bays connected to the IBA's.. So I guess you can say I am pretty familiar with this business model but not at all familiar with the tunnel express exterior market.

Business has been very good the past four years, up around 60% mostly due to all locations being completely renovated.

 

[chewy007]

So here is what we are considering building, I am looking for some feed back please.

125' Tunnel with all McNeil equipment
A touch free IBA
4 bays of Self Serve
Covered central vac system with 6-8 stations
tunnel will have ICS dual lane system installed with RFID
IBA will have an ICS single pay station with RFID
self serve with have the ICS touch'n clean video displays
Auto Vac Central Vac system

ICS equipment for this job is very expensive but I believe it has the demographics to support it.

This business model is different from, say just your tunnel location with free vacs, or a self serve and IBA business model. our thinking is that the customer can use the IBA and the SS 24 hrs. and the tunnel would be open from 7am-9pm and design the site to convert into a flex serve if the market demands arise.
total investment will be around 1,400,000

 

[Washmee]

I would do a good comparison between ICS and DRB for your POS system. DRB might seem more expensive, but with the amount of $$$ you are going to spend, its just a small %.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I have a location with a tunnel and 8 SS bays. No IBA. Pay Vacs.

A low price EE will suck some demand from the bays. One guy in Chicago and some in the burbs have the SS, IBA and EE combined. It's all about demand and demographics.

I think the issue with tunnel equipment is not simply what mfg, but what equip.? single wraps, Double wraps, Double or triple mitters. How much HP, How much drying horse power.

Available bells and whistles like Rain X, Tire shine, Triple foam Soap, Triple foam wax. Etc.

Similarly SS is also about bells and whistles. Triple foam, Tire Brush, Rain X, In Bay Dryers etc. If I did it from new, I would eiher have 4 booms per bay or allow for easy ad on later.

 

[chewy007]

Can you tell me what you like about the DRB in your experience, I have looked at them at the shows but that is about as far as I have taken it. I guess I really started look at ICS because they have the Self Serve controller and I thought it would be a good way to advertise. Although we may end up nixing those due to very high cost, but once you add a nice SS meter box and Credit card you are looking at around 2500-3000 more for the ICS touch'n clean.

 

[Washmee]

Can you tell me what you like about the DRB in your experience, I have looked at them at the shows but that is about as far as I have taken it. I guess I really started look at ICS because they have the Self Serve controller and I thought it would be a good way to advertise. Although we may end up nixing those due to very high cost, but once you add a nice SS meter box and Credit card you are looking at around 2500-3000 more for the ICS touch'n clean.

DRB offers 24/7 support. Do a search of this site and see what others think about the level of support offered by both companies. These POS systems are very complicated to set up correctly, if you plan on using all the bells and whistles it takes a lot of support.

 

[DavidM]

I also recommend looking closer at some other entry stations. ICS needs improvement. If you want to be able to combine your equipment under one gift card and RFID system use something like WashCard.

 

[chewy007]

I have a location with a tunnel and 8 SS bays. No IBA. Pay Vacs.

A low price EE will suck some demand from the bays. One guy in Chicago and some in the burbs have the SS, IBA and EE combined. It's all about demand and demographics.

I think the issue with tunnel equipment is not simply what mfg, but what equip.? single wraps, Double wraps, Double or triple mitters. How much HP, How much drying horse power.

Available bells and whistles like Rain X, Tire shine, Triple foam Soap, Triple foam wax. Etc.

Similarly SS is also about bells and whistles. Triple foam, Tire Brush, Rain X, In Bay Dryers etc. If I did it from new, I would eiher have 4 booms per bay or allow for easy ad on later.

Thanks for the reply,

Can you tell me more about your business? In this demographic where the new wash is going there are no good self-serves for 4-5 miles the tunnels are old and require quite a bit of manual prep and are relatively antiques, the market has been left alone due to the high cost of land, I think and sewer tap on fees.

Pricing I am thinking is going to be

Tunnel
5.00
8.00
11.00

IBA not sure maybe 0.50 less per wash
Vacs will be free metered meaning pay stations will dispense a coin for the vacs giving them a free 3-4 minutes then would be required to pay

Self serve
think would be 2.50 to start for 4 minutes

One operator I know in GA with this exact setup told me his tunnel counts for 75% of his revenue.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Thanks for the reply,

Can you tell me more about your business?

One operator I know in GA with this exact setup told me his tunnel counts for 75% of his revenue.

I am not sure what you are looking for.

I also don't know about the guy in Georgia and his numbers. But we can look at rough published industry averages for SS and IBA which I think are higher than what is "Average" if coupled with an EE Tunnel.

Bays $1500. per month per bay. IBA $6000.00 So a 4 +1 would be $12,000 per mont for the SS and IBA. With a $6.00 ticket average with the pricing you list that is 6000 cars a month in the tunnel is $36000.00 or 75% which certainly is a realistic comparison.

Around here the touchless IBA are actualy priced higher than the tunnels they are attached too.

 

[my2cents]

IMO the companies that excell in roll-overs and in bay automatics do so at the expense of the tunnel side of the market. The same is true for tunnel manufacturers dipping into the automatic side of the pie. I agree that the local distributor along with a well known brand is the key for success. The brand will always be there if the distributor fails and in the past 10 years a lot of distributors big and small have come and gone. If buying equipment from outside of this country is not a concern then MacNeil is a fine choice. If you want a more robust material for the tunnel consider stainless steel for long lasting good looks or galvanized steel for strength and durability. Aluminum would be my last choice because it does pit, it is hard to keep clean and not as strong when it comes to wash abuse. Customer support after the sale is important too. Does the manufacturer have a website where you can buy parts direct and get technical information on your smart phone? How about electronic/mechanical support in addition to what you pay yearly for DRB or ICS?

 

[Boogie]

ICS support is excellent. I wish I could say the same for DRB, but I would never buy another system from them because of their support.

I love McNeil as well. We have four McNeil tunnels and have absolutely no regrets. We've also had three different types of tunnels in the past, but I won't call them out because they weren't bad. They just weren't as good as McNeil.

 

[Emerald in NJ]

This is my first time posting here. About 5 months ago I bought a 16 year old full serve wash with an 80 ft tunnel and 100 ft conveyor. I am in the process of replacing/repairing many things so this thread caught my attention right away. The first piece of tunnel equipment I replaced was the conveyor. I bought a PECO conveyor and I am very pleased with it so far. I am now looking to replace my blower/dryer. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I am looking at Belanger, PECO, Motor City, and McNeil
Thank you
Rich

 

[Stlcarwashguy]

I can also show you a location in St Louis we installed with ICS, and you can talk with the owner, I agree with the other comment that you should look at other systems like DRB, and see what you get with each. Happy to help there as well.... Don