Combos
- Thread starter rph9168
- Start date
soapy
Senior Member
Combo shampoo and vac, Combo touchless/friction IBA or tunnel, etc.?
washnvac
Well-known member
No matter how many signs you put up, most customers will get confused and choose the wrong wash. And you will get the ole "your brushes did not work" story. I would steer clear, imo. It is just too confusing. This business is hard enough without adding that hassle.
When customers look at one they think it is a friction machine so anyone that wants a touch free wash only usually pass them by but my biggest problem is that they don't really do a good friction or touch free wash plus they have maintenance issues as well. In addition they cost a lot more than a friction or touch free unit.
I have an Istobal M12 Combo and I have had huge success with this machine. When I was deciding on which and what kind of wash to purchase I didnt want to lose any customers. Quite a few of my touch free customers became combo customers at $13 a wash and most upgrade to Rain X at $2 more. Yes some people get confused but there are very very few and depending on how they act if and when they complain I will give them a free basic wash and if they are total jerks I tell them there are enough signs and they knew what they picked. I know it can seem harsh but some of those people are just looking for another wash for free. I also use an ICS Sentry Valet Teller and I have my combo wash in green and my touch washes in blue and touch free in red. If I was to purchase another machine tomorrow it would be the M22 which is the newer model. I will be extremely honest and tell you that I am in South Fl and it is out of season and I am averaging 70 plus cars a day. Of course the machine needs maintenance just like any other machine out there. I keep some Prox Switches and few motors and such in stock but this machine is a work horse.
If you have any questions please dont hesitate to ask.
If you have any questions please dont hesitate to ask.
Dcalhoun
Member
We have an Autec EV-1 hybrid (combo) machine. I am currently in the process of changing my wash packages and eliminating all of the touch free options. Customers get confused and angry because "the spinners" didn't do anything and very few people are able to admit they made a mistake. Also, it does a terrible job with touch-less washes. Less than 5% of our customers choose the touch free option so we are getting rid of them to eliminate all the headaches and angry customers. We will have 2 combo wash packages and 2 friction packages when I get done. Of concern are the trucks with ladder racks and the vehicles with cart racks on the back etc which we forced to use touch free.
Chemicals have a lot to do with cleaning but so does dwell time, water and ambient temperature and the strength and angle of the high pressure impingement. The problem with many combos is that they are basically a three brush system with high pressure rinse. While some do better than others it is usually the touch free wash that suffers the most.
washnshine
Well-known member
I know operators who have combo machines, but use them as friction washes with the HP cycles functioning as an auto prep on select cycles. For example, all wash packages use friction, but the top two have either hp or chemical and hp cycles added before the friction part of the wash. Basically, he is using the machine for either straight friction or combo (hp/friction) washes and does not have a completely touch free option programmed for any of the packages on the menu.
I guess that's one way to get more cleaning power out of the machine, but not have customers "confused" about the touch/touch free type of wash. When the hp is set up as an extra service in the higher packages, it is very noticeable for the customers to see they are receiving something extra.
Greg Pack
Wash Weenie
I've got one combo unit- the fusion X. It is slow, but does a good job washing. I offer two friction washes and two touch free washes on the menu. The other bay has a Water Wizard 2.0 which is of course all touch free. The fusion X is in the closest bay to the street and does slightly more revenue than the WW. However, a good many of the customers still purchase the touch free options ( I'm guessing 30%). As a result, the majority of washes sold on this site are still touch free. I can check some number on a typical period if this info interests anyone.
I have not had a lot of perception problems, but there are occasional customers who see the brushes and drive to the other one.
As you can imagine, the machine is much more complex than a touch free only unit. However, I will say of the combos I have seen the Fusion X offers a genuine quality touch free wash that rivals the water wizard and other good gantry units. It profiles the car and the oscillating nozzles do a good job of impingement on the surface of the vehicle. I will the put the touch free wash quality up against any inverted L I have seen to date and I think it will come out a winner. I have seen other combos that offer a half-assed touch free option. Then you hear the the owners of these machines complain that no one is using the touch free options. If the operator is serious about offering a quality touch free wash and the combo unit is capable of providing one I think it a combo is possibly a good decision.
Another related thought is I have seen several operators get a bit lazy with their touch free unit's chemicals when a friction unit is also on site and begin to offer a sub-par touch free wash. They develop a philosophy of "if it's not cleaning good enough, take it through the friction wash" I could envision this same problem developing with the owner of a combo unit. I think if that philosophy is adapted you will eventually see the touch free options used very little.
I have not had a lot of perception problems, but there are occasional customers who see the brushes and drive to the other one.
As you can imagine, the machine is much more complex than a touch free only unit. However, I will say of the combos I have seen the Fusion X offers a genuine quality touch free wash that rivals the water wizard and other good gantry units. It profiles the car and the oscillating nozzles do a good job of impingement on the surface of the vehicle. I will the put the touch free wash quality up against any inverted L I have seen to date and I think it will come out a winner. I have seen other combos that offer a half-assed touch free option. Then you hear the the owners of these machines complain that no one is using the touch free options. If the operator is serious about offering a quality touch free wash and the combo unit is capable of providing one I think it a combo is possibly a good decision.
Another related thought is I have seen several operators get a bit lazy with their touch free unit's chemicals when a friction unit is also on site and begin to offer a sub-par touch free wash. They develop a philosophy of "if it's not cleaning good enough, take it through the friction wash" I could envision this same problem developing with the owner of a combo unit. I think if that philosophy is adapted you will eventually see the touch free options used very little.