Thoughts on Friction Machine

[APW]

I have a stand alone IBA (Razor) that does well and I am thinking about adding onto my building and putting in a WW Profile. I have a few questions maybe some of you can help me with.

Are your friction machines attended?
What if a muddy vehicle goes in, will it scratch the sides of the car by grinding in the dirt? What about the car right behind the muddy vehicle?
What number of CPY would you consider adding another machine?

My Razor cleans cars the best a Touch Free machine can but I still have a lot of customers that won't come through because it doesn't clean as well as a friction or hand wash. I see the local hand wash guys with lines of cars and would like to offer a better option than Touch Free if that is what the customer wants.

 

[CheetahExpress]

I have a stand alone IBA (Razor) that does well and I am thinking about adding onto my building and putting in a WW Profile. I have a few questions maybe some of you can help me with.

Are your friction machines attended?
What if a muddy vehicle goes in, will it scratch the sides of the car by grinding in the dirt? What about the car right behind the muddy vehicle?
What number of CPY would you consider adding another machine?

My Razor cleans cars the best a Touch Free machine can but I still have a lot of customers that won't come through because it doesn't clean as well as a friction or hand wash. I see the local hand wash guys with lines of cars and would like to offer a better option than Touch Free if that is what the customer wants.

We have a Profile Max in our single-bay IBA in a small rural town in South Texas. A good part of our clientele are muddy trucks from farms, ranches, construction, hunters and oilfield. The soft-touch brushes on the Profile are made in Europe and the foam material is non-absorbant, almost like teflon -- the dirt and mud from each vehicle just slides right off. We have no problem whatsoever with mud/dirt/grime transferring to the next vehicle. We also have WW's PowerTower that gives the sides of the vehicle a high-pressure blast when it enters the wash and this takes off alot of the existing grime before the wash cycle even starts. It's a great advantage and we offer the Power Tower blast on our middle and top washes. Our wash is unattended, but we watch it all day on video and are only an 8-minute drive to the site.

 

[Jeff_L]

As with anything there are pros and cons and I'm sure you can figure them out. I have one each of touchless and friction and loyal customers to one or the other. Friction washes really well, but it is harder on your pocketbook with maintenance. Just so many more moving parts that break, get wore out, etc. There's also the concern of somebody pulling in with a damaged vehicle, extra muddy, or a pickup with stuff in the truck bed that can get flung out. Mine are pretty much unattended, but for the friction I shut it down automatically in the evening and have it reopen in the morning. I don't need some knucklehead using it overnight and causing a problem. I'd probably have a riot on my hands if I ever took it out.

 

[slash007]

We have a Profile Max in our single-bay IBA in a small rural town in South Texas. A good part of our clientele are muddy trucks from farms, ranches, construction, hunters and oilfield. The soft-touch brushes on the Profile are made in Europe and the foam material is non-absorbant, almost like teflon -- the dirt and mud from each vehicle just slides right off. We have no problem whatsoever with mud/dirt/grime transferring to the next vehicle. We also have WW's PowerTower that gives the sides of the vehicle a high-pressure blast when it enters the wash and this takes off alot of the existing grime before the wash cycle even starts. It's a great advantage and we offer the Power Tower blast on our middle and top washes. Our wash is unattended, but we watch it all day on video and are only an 8-minute drive to the site.

If someone backs up while the top brush is behind the vechicle, would it just break off, or is there any safety measures that would help. I've had several people move back and forth during a wash in my soft gloss and at least the brushes just move out of the way.

 

[22MVR22]

If someone backs up while the top brush is behind the vechicle, would it just break off, or is there any safety measures that would help. I've had several people move back and forth during a wash in my soft gloss and at least the brushes just move out of the way.

The Profile monitors the brush amperage, if a vehicle moves during the wash, the brush amperage would spike up and adjust or stop them because the vehicle would no longer be where the Profile measured it.

 

[Greg Pack]

Get a friction, a lot of your customers will appreciate it. Damage claims on a modern high tech friction unit with torque sensing will be minimal. You will have some occasionally but it won't be much. You will spend less on chemicals and that will more than make up for it. Attendants aren't really necessary- just make sure your signage is good and you have cameras.

 

[MEP001]

You will spend less on chemicals and that will more than make up for it.

Much less on water too.

 

[The Car Wash Fanatic]

You should definitely add a friction bay. It’ll be nice for the customers to have a choice. Once I build my wash, I’ll do the exact same thing.