Which cars don't you allow into your brush machine?

[JustClean]

Hi all,
I'm thinking of replacing my old Washtec with a WW Profile. Currently I only can wash sedans, station wagons or anything with large wall areas for the machine to not get damaged as it doesn't detect any parts protruding from the vehicle.
I would like to get a feel of how other machines handle those cars that have bits and pieces that are "not normal."
How is it with your brush machine? What signs do you have?
Do you let any car in?
How about antennas?
Are you shutting it down at night for this reason?
More or less I've been babysitting my machine for the last 14 years and I'm sick of it.

Mac, I understand that you're the distributor of Istobal, which is very similar to a Washtec. Can that machine detect flat bad pick-ups or antennas?
Cheers Justclean

 

[washnshine]

Hi all,
I'm thinking of replacing my old Washtec with a WW Profile. Currently I only can wash sedans, station wagons or anything with large wall areas for the machine to not get damaged as it doesn't detect any parts protruding from the vehicle.
I would like to get a feel of how other machines handle those cars that have bits and pieces that are "not normal."
How is it with your brush machine? What signs do you have?
Do you let any car in?
How about antennas?
Are you shutting it down at night for this reason?
More or less I've been babysitting my machine for the last 14 years and I'm sick of it.

Mac, I understand that you're the distributor of Istobal, which is very similar to a Washtec. Can that machine detect flat bad pick-ups or antennas?
Cheers Justclean

I don’t own a friction IBA, so as far as what particular machines can and can’t wash, I cannot say for sure, other than there are videos of pretty much every modern machine washing a huge variety of shapes and sizes of vehicles on YouTube/manufacturer websites etc. - and they clean way more than what you are doing with your washtec. You can see them cleaning roof racks, pick ups, vans, some/most can even do duallys, so the possibilities these days are very broad. You won’t have to turn much away, unless it is pretty unusual or way oversized.

I do operate friction tunnels, however, and my signage clearly states that:
-Antennas must be lowered
-Open pick up beds must be empty
-We hold no responsibility for non factory/aftermarket items
-Loose chrome/trim/items of any type, or previous damage to vehicles is not our responsibility.

We have an extremely low damage complaint rate, and 99.9% of the complaints that do occur are denied, and without any contest due to one of the above mentioned conditions that is clearly outlined on our entrance signage.

We are attended, so we do have “eyes” on all the cars before they go through. I understand that may not be the case with an IBA, but proper liability signage, size restriction markers and the versatility of the modern machines will go a long way.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I had a Wesumat/Washtec. I could wash anything but a dually. No problem with pickup beds. No significant issues of damage claims. That being said, the machine was a total piece of garbage and I wouldn't have had another one if it was free. I was kind of happy when it was crashed out of service.

 

[mac]

The machine knows when an open bed on a truck goes through. On antennas it doesn't detect them but only washes the top up to the windshield going forward. It even turns off the blowers when over the bed.

 

[soonermajic]

WashNshine & others are correct. Knowing where you are would help to. Oasis i5, WW Profile, Istobal & Ryko all make awesome friction washes. PDQ makes a good one called SurfLine.

 

[Legends]

I have a roughly 5 year old Tandem and I wash anything and everything that goes in the bay. 8 foot bed dually, no problem. I've had 1 antenna claim. Never a scratch complaint. I'm 24/7 365 on that bay and it's unattended at least 18 hours a day.

 

[DPD36]

This guy comes through my Profile once or twice a week. Makes me nervous.

 

[washnshine]

Doesn’t look high risk - I’m assuming the spoiler is factory. I like having cars like that at my wash - it shows confidence.

 

[JustClean]

What do you think about those pickups? Would you allow them in? Would the rear bar or the snorkel be a problem for the top brush?

 

[soapy]

When I had a friction machine I found repeated problems with POntiac Grand Prix of the late 90s and their plastic front mirrors.

 

[cooll903]

I don’t own a friction IBA, so as far as what particular machines can and can’t wash, I cannot say for sure, other than there are videos of pretty much every modern machine washing a huge variety of shapes and sizes of vehicles on YouTube/manufacturer websites etc. - and they clean way more than what you are doing with your washtec. You can see them cleaning roof racks, pick ups, vans, some/most can even do duallys, so the possibilities these days are very broad. You won’t have to turn much away, unless it is pretty unusual or way oversized.

I do operate friction tunnels, however, and my signage clearly states that:
-Antennas must be lowered
-Open pick up beds must be empty
-We hold no responsibility for non factory/aftermarket items
-Loose chrome/trim/items of any type, or previous damage to vehicles is not our responsibility.

We have an extremely low damage complaint rate, and 99.9% of the complaints that do occur are denied, and without any contest due to one of the above mentioned conditions that is clearly outlined on our entrance signage.

We are attended, so we do have “eyes” on all the cars before they go through. I understand that may not be the case with an IBA, but proper liability signage, size restriction markers and the versatility of the modern machines will go a long way.

even if it is an unattended IBA if you have cameras to see the cars before and after, that will solve a lot of those issues

 

[soonermajic]

What do you think about those pickups? Would you allow them in? Would the rear bar or the snorkel be a problem for the top brush?

View attachment 3811
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Absolutely NO on all 3

 

[JustClean]

Absolutely NO on all 3

I agree. This makes it very difficult in a 24/7 operation...

 

[thecasino5]

I don’t own a friction IBA, so as far as what particular machines can and can’t wash, I cannot say for sure, other than there are videos of pretty much every modern machine washing a huge variety of shapes and sizes of vehicles on YouTube/manufacturer websites etc. - and they clean way more than what you are doing with your washtec. You can see them cleaning roof racks, pick ups, vans, some/most can even do duallys, so the possibilities these days are very broad. You won’t have to turn much away, unless it is pretty unusual or way oversized.

I do operate friction tunnels, however, and my signage clearly states that:
-Antennas must be lowered
-Open pick up beds must be empty
-We hold no responsibility for non factory/aftermarket items
-Loose chrome/trim/items of any type, or previous damage to vehicles is not our responsibility.

We have an extremely low damage complaint rate, and 99.9% of the complaints that do occur are denied, and without any contest due to one of the above mentioned conditions that is clearly outlined on our entrance signage.

We are attended, so we do have “eyes” on all the cars before they go through. I understand that may not be the case with an IBA, but proper liability signage, size restriction markers and the versatility of the modern machines will go a long way.

so for my 4runner i was able to have them install a factory approved roof rack... would that be considered okay or is that aftermarket? same with some cars like the broncos can come with brush guards and winches installed in factory? does that violate the aftermarket/no factory clause?

 

[thecasino5]

Absolutely NO on all 3

how would you word that on a sign to restrict those kind of cars in a car wash?

 

[JustClean]

how would you word that on a sign to restrict those kind of cars in a car wash?

This is NOT factory installed. It is DEALER installed. Big difference. So NO.

 

[washnshine]

how would you word that on a sign to restrict those kind of cars in a car wash?

Factory installed means “when it rolled off the assembly line at the plant”. Anything other than that is aftermarket.

 

[mac]

Good topic as there is no one correct answer, and people don’t read signs anyway.

 

[washnshine]

Maybe we need to put up a sign that says:

“Not responsible if you don’t read the signs”

Wait - I forgot - nobody would read that.

 

[thecasino5]

Factory installed means “when it rolled off the assembly line at the plant”. Anything other than that is aftermarket.

ahhh okay got it... not tryna be a smart azz at all but there are cars that have special editions like the bronco everglades and the 4 runner venture edition that come with brush guards, winches, and roof racks... could you still argue with that or no? i just thinking of worst case sceneraio in case a karen comes after me