Hi.
I’m a new-old forum guy. I use to be on this forum many years ago, back in the early to mid-2000s. I think it’s the same forum. I actually met the guy that started this forum at a car wash convention. I can’t remember his name now. I built a seven bay self serve in 97 and added a touchless auto in 2001. It’s still running today. I bought a Wash World Hi Velocity. In fact when I bought it, they told me it was the third machine that they built. They actually started out rebuilding laser 4000s and selling them. Soon after, they started building new machines. They had not yet designed their own computer for them. So you bought a new machine minus the computer. You had to buy a computer from PDQ for a laser 4000 and install it in their high velocity machine. I guess I’ve got a high velocity – laser 4000 hybrid. They basically just copied a laser 4000. I’ve probably rebuilt this machine over the years. I still use the old treadle plate. Probably rebuilt it four or five times. But my customers are so use to it. I actually installed the machine myself. When I bought it, all I got was a machine. Not much technical help. There was a fella name Galen and I believe his last name was Haddock, who owned a couple of car washes in Missouri. He frequented the forum back then and help me out a lot while I was installing it. He was a good guy. In fact he sent me an owners manual, as he had a couple of laser 4000s.
I think he got out of the carwash business. The machine is absolutely wore out, but I keep fixing it. It’s paid for, many times over! Can’t justify installing a new one. I’m 60 years old and I’m too tired to do that. If I can keep it running a couple of more years I’ll probably be done. 90% of my problem calls are from the automatic. Pretty stressful keeping an automatic going for 20 years. Start to leave on a trip or go somewhere for the day, phone rings automatic is down. Don’t know how many times that’s happened! Or be on vacation and you’re hired helper calls and can’t figure out the problem. So you have to deal with it while you’re on vacation. In fact, the last two or three years when I go on vacation for a week, I just close the carwash down. It’s nice, I actually enjoy vacations without having to worry about the carwash or getting calls! Owning a carwash is like taking care of a child. You can’t leave it by itself for very long! I had to keep it going, my livelihood depended on it. That’s all I do for a living! It’s been a really good one. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this question, and you guys probably have two, or at least the ones that do it full-time. Is that all you do for a living? I just smile and say -yeah, that’s ALL I do! Just go by and collect the money! If people only knew!
I’m a new-old forum guy. I use to be on this forum many years ago, back in the early to mid-2000s. I think it’s the same forum. I actually met the guy that started this forum at a car wash convention. I can’t remember his name now. I built a seven bay self serve in 97 and added a touchless auto in 2001. It’s still running today. I bought a Wash World Hi Velocity. In fact when I bought it, they told me it was the third machine that they built. They actually started out rebuilding laser 4000s and selling them. Soon after, they started building new machines. They had not yet designed their own computer for them. So you bought a new machine minus the computer. You had to buy a computer from PDQ for a laser 4000 and install it in their high velocity machine. I guess I’ve got a high velocity – laser 4000 hybrid. They basically just copied a laser 4000. I’ve probably rebuilt this machine over the years. I still use the old treadle plate. Probably rebuilt it four or five times. But my customers are so use to it. I actually installed the machine myself. When I bought it, all I got was a machine. Not much technical help. There was a fella name Galen and I believe his last name was Haddock, who owned a couple of car washes in Missouri. He frequented the forum back then and help me out a lot while I was installing it. He was a good guy. In fact he sent me an owners manual, as he had a couple of laser 4000s.
I think he got out of the carwash business. The machine is absolutely wore out, but I keep fixing it. It’s paid for, many times over! Can’t justify installing a new one. I’m 60 years old and I’m too tired to do that. If I can keep it running a couple of more years I’ll probably be done. 90% of my problem calls are from the automatic. Pretty stressful keeping an automatic going for 20 years. Start to leave on a trip or go somewhere for the day, phone rings automatic is down. Don’t know how many times that’s happened! Or be on vacation and you’re hired helper calls and can’t figure out the problem. So you have to deal with it while you’re on vacation. In fact, the last two or three years when I go on vacation for a week, I just close the carwash down. It’s nice, I actually enjoy vacations without having to worry about the carwash or getting calls! Owning a carwash is like taking care of a child. You can’t leave it by itself for very long! I had to keep it going, my livelihood depended on it. That’s all I do for a living! It’s been a really good one. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this question, and you guys probably have two, or at least the ones that do it full-time. Is that all you do for a living? I just smile and say -yeah, that’s ALL I do! Just go by and collect the money! If people only knew!
