Which brand new touchless?

[Greg Pack]

Wash12 I see you brought a post back from the dead. I know you've been battling wash quality for a while, let us know what chemicals you settle on. I used triple XXX for a while and you could see how over the longer term it could cause some issues with deterioration. It's not like things were going to erode overnight though. I'd rather deal with having to repour a floor in 10-15 years than not cleaning. For me, it wasn't the magic bullet I was hoping for so I went back to the phosphoric based low ph product.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Ok, for what it's worth, here is my 0.02 worth. With touchless machines, ANY of them, it is not so much about the machine as it is with the chemicals. I have one customer with a 20 year old touchless that goes around on a circular track. He is killing it because we know how to set up his chemicals. He is turning out clean cars. If you do not have a chemical rep that knows what he is doing, then do with a friction machine. I'm serious. For the actual machines I really don't care for any of the inverted L machines. I mean they were around when Carter was in office. I sell the Istobal touchless that has a top spray bar that profiles the car or truck. It has oscillating nozzles. I cleans faster than an L machine because it doesn't need as many passes. And all of the comments about the distributor are right on. I don't trust the people who sell direct. I want someone local with skin in the game.

What Mac said.

 

[wash12]

Wash12 I see you brought a post back from the dead. I know you've been battling wash quality for a while, let us know what chemicals you settle on. I used triple XXX for a while and you could see how over the longer term it could cause some issues with deterioration. It's not like things were going to erode overnight though. I'd rather deal with having to repour a floor in 10-15 years than not cleaning. For me, it wasn't the magic bullet I was hoping for so I went back to the phosphoric based low ph product.

Im going Hi dwell 8 seconds Hi dwell 15 seconds at 50 drops with blend co but its costing me about a buck a car on 2 passes, cleaning pretty good probably best I have had it but long term not cost effective. May drop to 35 or 40 drops and see if that produces similar results, guessing I would save close to a quarter per car doing that. Your right i have been battling this for over half a year, frustrating to say the least! Come to the conclusion touchless just can't clean every car.

 

[Greg Pack]

May drop to 35 or 40 drops and see if that produces similar results, guessing I would save close to a quarter per car doing that. Your right i have been battling this for over half a year, frustrating to say the least! Come to the conclusion touchless just can't clean every car.

My experience is there is a "line" of alkalinity that you cross somewhere. It is at the point that the chemical is doing all that it can do and the chemical is not going to work any better at higher strengths. I found this out one time when I put in a wrong tip many years ago in my hydrominder draw line. The alkalinity was triple was I was typically running, yet it still wasn't cleaning much better, if at all. My guess is that Blendco at 35-40 drops is probably 95% as effective as 50 drops.

You're right, touchless can't clean everything, not in my area anyway. But in a big enough market the regulars find you and you can still have a successful wash. I tell customers that if they don't wash 2-3 times per month touchless is not their best option. I have tons of customers that wash weekly though and it does a fine job for those folks.