Touchless ss bays. What are your thoughts

[carwashireland]

I am loiking into installing a number of touchless self service wash bays. I have visited some different sites and the concept seems to work well and clean well even without a foaming brush. Has anyone else operated like this?

 

[chaz]

Why? I have FB and customers can choose to use it or not. I’d rather they use my brush (with timer running), then to use their own brush in my bay!

 

[mac]

Touch less can do a good job cleaning, but only if done right. You have to apply the correct chemical and then rinse after the proper dwell time. Well since most of the general public should not be driving, procreating, or voting, I can’t see how you can train them.

 

[Randy]

I think you’d be regressing back to the early 80’s before the age of Foam brushes. It can be done if you use a high quality presoak and high pressure soap. But like Mac as said the motoring public pretty much can’t figure it out at least not here in the US but maybe in Ireland.

 

[MEP001]

My first thought is that you CAN safely clean a car with good presoaks and high-pressure soap. My second thought is that the foam brush is probably the cheapest function to run, so why would you want to eliminate it? You'll only increase your costs and/or lower your income.

 

[carwashireland]

Thanks for the feedback gents. It seems you are overwhelmingly in favor of keeping with the foam brush!

 

[Earl Weiss]

Thanks for the feedback gents. It seems you are overwhelmingly in favor of keeping with the foam brush!

The issue is only partly what will clean. The other issue is what will customers use, an use longer since they are paying for time. An operator once said to me: "The more toys you have, the more they will ply with. This would include not only the regular FB but also a second for wheels. Other stuff like a separate boom with compressed air line or hand held dryer, underbody unit etc.
If you don't do it all now to save costs, then at least future proof by having enough cable strands to add functions. You could also experiment / save $ by only having all the toys in a couple of bays.

 

[carwashireland]

Thanks Earl

 

[Greg Pack]

There is a chain/franchise operation that once was big in the midwest U.S. called superwash. IIRC they were touch free, offering no foam brush services. I have seen several people over the years here on the forum comment they bought an underperforming superwash location and installed foam brush systems. IIRC revenue growth was positive and the foam brushes were a hit.

JJ wrote several articles on them in the 90s in SSCWN. I've only seen one superwash in my life in Nashville years ago and even the freshly built location looked way behind the times in aesthetics and technology. Perhaps someone more familiar with superwash can comment on whether they ever implemented them.

 

[MEP001]

I've seen quite a few Superwash locations in Texas. One owner who had his from the beginning said it was like a franchise and as long as it was under some sort of contract they couldn't alter anything, including adding foam brush or spot-free, and he was locked into their chemicals.

 

[pgrzes]

Not sure I understand why you would not want to have an extremely high usage high profit item? I overwhelm my customers with triple foam brush soap heavy and thick. Oh yeah then it takes much longer to remove that shaving cream from the car. I just dont understand the rationale here??

 

[Jerry]

Not sure I understand why you would not want to have an extremely high usage high profit item? I overwhelm my customers with triple foam brush soap heavy and thick. Oh yeah then it takes much longer to remove that shaving cream from the car. I just dont understand the rationale here??

Exactly what he said here. At a self serve, you aren't selling a clean car. You are selling time. Anything you can do to make the customer insert more money for more time is a win. Extra foamy foaming brush soap is a must since it will take them an extra few quarters to rinse it off. And it really looks like you are providing the customer with tons of soap which the customer sees as value.

 

[washregal]

Would you also add Triple foam? how much % of time do you think triple foam adds to a users wash experience? How much revenue per week per month could be gained out of a bay with triple foam?

 

[Waxman]

You want more things for the customer to use in the bay; NOT LESS! Is this even a real question?? Come on.....

 

[washregal]

You want more things for the customer to use in the bay; NOT LESS! Is this even a real question?? Come on.....

It is a question and a real question.. too many things confuse customers.. not to mention the expense of the install / overhead to keep it running.. more chemicals more pumps more issues... This comes from a person with REAL experience in this business.. just trying to get the opinion / general consensus of others relative to what people are seeing relative to payback..

And I do understand keeping customers in the bay.. True business needs to also rationalize the concept of time value of money.

 

[MEP001]

Waxman wasn't replying to you directly, he was replying to the OP regarding a wash build without foam brush. You necro'd a two year old thread.

 

[jprb]

I just changed out my Triple Foam Wax guns to Wheel & Tire Cleaner brushes. I used a foam brush handle & round head brush. Biggest improvement and ADDED USAGE I've seen in a while. Lots of people are using them, and rarely saw the triple foam wax guns being used.
I simply T'd the low pressure tire cleaner (flojet pump) into the TriFoam wax gun system, and changed the labels on the meter.

JPRB

 

[washnshine]

Agree with everyone who says keep them. Also - you’ll always have those cars with a film on them that you can’t get off in the touchless automatic or with a touchless self serve wash - maybe certain colors or after the rain or neglected finishes - lots of reasons. The foam brush becomes the go -to tool for these cars and makes it possible to take care of those cars and satisfy the customers. Without it, they will realize your wash is not equipped to take care of this type of soil/conditions and will probably go somewhere else where they can get it done.