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Wobble head foam brush handles.

coincarwash.ca

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I just ordered 9 wobble head foam brush handles. I was going to order just one to try, but decided to take a chance on all 9 bays of one of my washes. I hope they work and don't upset the customers at the same time. I should have them next week sometime....I will post my take on them. I am sick of these free weep water brushers!
 

JustClean

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Let us know how it went, please. I considered it but then I chickened out as I would have been the only one doing it.
 

GoBuckeyes

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Exactly how much were those things? It's an interesting concept. I can't wait to see how they work, how your customers perceive them and how they last? I have a feeling they need to last a long time for what they cost.
 

mac

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I see the wobblers as a solution in search of a problem. Time will tell. Let us here know how they work for you. I see many regular customers use the foam brush after the time runs out. See what those ones think.
 

mjwalsh

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At one time our car wash had more pressure on its usage --- in other words we tended to actually have people waiting to get in much more than now. For those car washes with loss of business from too much free usage --- I say then it could make more sense.

From our experience with the bucket washer mindset --- they will start keeping their own non wobbly brush in the trunk or go somewhere else. Of course the latter is what some of us would prefer depending on how much time they continually monopolize while we lose our better paying customers.

It will be interesting though if you actually do have a positive experience. It is very possible in some areas there will be enough gain to justify the extra expense. Your shared watchful eye on durability will also be of value to us.

MJ
 

coincarwash.ca

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The wobbleheads arrived today...they look great. I will install one tomorrow to test it before installing the other 8 of them.
 

TurboJet

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Keep us posted. Looking forward to hearing how these actually work in the real world. Customer reaction? If they start bring their own brush, etc?

Are these the answer for those days with lineups in the winter? Back to the viagra brushes during summer? Interesting?
 

Kevin James

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How much do these "Wobble Head Foam Brush Handles" cost? Do they come with a hogs hair brush head?
 

MEP001

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The "wobble" handle is $150-ish and doesn't come with a brush head.
 

coincarwash.ca

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I installed three of the wobble heads today....had problems at first and it was driving me crazy. The bay I was testing it in had a problem with the solonoid and I couldn't get the soap to foam properly it had too much air and not enough product. I waisted a ton of time only to figure out it was that particular bay that was giving me a problem. I ended up putting the regular brush back in that bay....the other two seemed great. It was getting late and I will finish testing and calibrating the foam brushes tomorrow.....from what I can tell they foam more than my regular brushes do and I have to adjust for that.
Also the handles are thicker than my standard ones and I had to take a grinder to my foam brush handle holders and remove one of the red rubber wheels for it to fit( I use the ones from KR with the red rubber wheeles)
From what I can tell they seem to work great, but I need to set all of them up and get my air and product set properly. They are made very well and I like the thickness of the handle.
I will post my results in the next few days. I don't want to jump the gun with any comments yet. If all goes well I will order for my other two washes and a few of my friends washes as well.
 

coincarwash.ca

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The "wobble" handle is $150-ish and doesn't come with a brush head.
The price may be well worth it for a wash in the colder climate. it will stop the weep washes from tying up a bay and washing for free. It will also extend the life of the brush itself. I will be posting my test results in the next few days.
 

coincarwash.ca

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I have installed Wobbleheads in all 9 bays and it was a busy day today. Everything worked great and they did exactly as they are designed to do. I had zero complaints from customers...I was not there all day so I need a few more good days to give them the final ok!....from what I can tell as an operator they are excellent so far.
 

Kevin James

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I don’t really see weep water washing to be a major problem. Our weep water has been running about non-stop since about the first of December and I don’t recall seeing anyone washing with a foam brush that wasn’t foaming. By the time you add the fittings and brush you’re going to have over $200 in the foam brush handle that someone can come in at night and steal. I’ll keep the ones I use now from KR. We lose a lot of them during the year.
 

TurboJet

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I must have cheap customers. I've seen guys take twenty minutes to rinse their car with the trigger pulled using just weep water pressure to save a couple of bucks.

Weep Mizer has definitely helped, but when it gets colder and the weeps are on 50% or more, they will still use the wands or the brushes.

Still get the taxis in the middle of the night, I think they have figured out the weeps cycle longer due to the colder temperatures late at night.

Really I can handle the late night taxis, but what really bugs me is lost revenue on those days when you have line ups. Guys tying up bay time rinsing with weep water, or pushing foam around or washing with a brush with time expired.

I gotta admit this WobbleHead idea is very ingenious. Still wonder how it works. I'm assuming it must need a certain amount of pressure and volume from the supply line to work. CoinCW has alluded to that. I am amazed it can firm up enough to allow someone to wash with the brush.
 

MEP001

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Here is their video if you haven't seen it. At the 4:58 mark he steps on the handle pretty hard and the "wobble" portion doesn't flex noticeably.

I agree that it's a great idea, but I don't think it will suit all operators or areas. It doesn't get cold enough here for the weep to be on more than a few hours a year, but when it does everyone tries to rinse with it. I've even seen people hold the wand in one hand, scrub their whole car with the brush in the other and never spend a single quarter. If the weep was on for two or three months a year I'd have to try these handles.
 

coincarwash.ca

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I also have a huge problem with weep washers using the brush for free. They waist a lot of bay time while paying customers are waiting for a bay on a busy winter day. The cab drivers are the worst, they sometimes don't spend a penny and take up the bay for 10 to 20 minutes. These wobble heads will get them paying and on there way faster.
 

MEP001

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If you can do it, I'd like to see a video of an actual customer trying to use the limp wobble-head, realizing it won't work and depositing some money. It should be good for a laugh.
 

Indiana Wash

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If you can do it, I'd like to see a video of an actual customer trying to use the limp wobble-head, realizing it won't work and depositing some money. It should be good for a laugh.
Or more likely, trying to use the limp wobble-head, realizing it won't work and depositing a complaint that the handles is broken!
 

coincarwash.ca

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My dvr is hard to access right now to post a video, but they do work well. You still get some trying to use the brush, but it has been cut down alot.
 
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