What's new

Wichita video shows car wash theft

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,667
Reaction score
3,937
Points
113
Location
Texas
In a lot of cities this kind of thing has gotten so bad that you have to show a valid ID to get money for scrap, and they will only pay by check.
 

mjwalsh

6 bay SS w/laundromat
Joined
Sep 7, 2007
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
172
Points
63
Location
North Dakota
Diana,

That is where a really good license plate camera recording could pay for itself just for one incident. Those grates are very expensive & are usually custom made up. We had to replace an approximate 2' square section recently & it was almost a $100. We checked into fiberglass grating & for our specific opening of our pits ... it would be too risky in terms of ... if a vehicle would ever drive in with their wheel driving over the grate area. That judgment on our part was based on the engineering specs & visiting with the fiberglass grate manufacturer technical department.

mike walsh http://kingkoin.com/USA_Deficit_Reduction.html
 

Ghetto Wash

Active member
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
611
Reaction score
42
Points
28
As my grates are stolen I have replaced them with fiberglass. They haven't taken the fiberglass ones yet.

The ones that I've replaced were 3'x3' and 2'x4'. I have driven right over the center of them many times without any problems. Oldest ones are probably 6-7 years old.
 

mjwalsh

6 bay SS w/laundromat
Joined
Sep 7, 2007
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
172
Points
63
Location
North Dakota
As my grates are stolen I have replaced them with fiberglass. They haven't taken the fiberglass ones yet.

The ones that I've replaced were 3'x3' and 2'x4'. I have driven right over the center of them many times without any problems. Oldest ones are probably 6-7 years old.
Any chance that you have a link to those specific fiberglass grates that can be driven over by possibly a much heavier vehicle than the average car etc.?
 

Randy

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
5,671
Reaction score
1,983
Points
113
When I had my grates stolen it would have cost me almost $2000 for new grates, they aren’t cheap. If the Washington State Patrol hadn’t stopped him for not wearing his seat belt they would have been gone, he was on his way to sell them when he got stopped. He worked at a scrapyard and each section of bar grate would have gotten him about $3.00 scrap. Luckily I got them back. The court system kind of pi$$ed me off, they didn’t do anything to the little puke.
 

mjwalsh

6 bay SS w/laundromat
Joined
Sep 7, 2007
Messages
3,133
Reaction score
172
Points
63
Location
North Dakota
Thanks Ghetto for the link.

They seem to be less than 1/3rd of the cost of metal grates. If the below supporting iron channels are within the chart's specifications ... it could very well work out. We sometimes get heavy skidsteers & even heavier loads in our 13' height bay ... I wonder if anyone else has done research on the worst case weight issue or has the expertise to give us more certainty when it comes to a potential unexpected extra heavy load? I notice the KR video does not show self service ... which is where I am concerned about because of the much greater potential of something straddling the center of the bay floor.

mike
 

tdlconceptsllc

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
1,032
Reaction score
371
Points
83
Location
NC
I just replaced one grate with fiberglass and only thing I do not like about it vs, custom metal or wooden ones is the clean up when washing down the bays you no longer have the big cracks for mud and debris for the pits and the fiberglass ones catch every little thing just my two cents.
 

Jeff_L

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
1,246
Reaction score
31
Points
48
Location
Missouri
All the fiberglass grates I've removed to clean pits have all had some type of support bar going across the pit. It goes right along the joint where two grates meet.
 

jjw

Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2008
Messages
33
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
Benton, Ks
Diana: I own 3 car washes in the Wichita area. The same low life stole 8 of mine @ Derby wash. Have him on camera but no tag had rag on it. Derby police have video. Strange, SE Wichita wash I have found 3 JEA coin boxes and security bars like new in field w of wash. Mine were all there. Last month found Coinco vending change maker in pit while cleaning @ west wash and 2 changers @ SE wash? All of mine are intact! Had front door distroyed in Dec and corners of dual changer pryed on last week. Halstead breakin guy was cought by police, he had tokens from wash with him, good police work, cop just didn't like the guys looks and pulled him over, small town @ 2am. Diana feel free to contact me, tkx
 
Top