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    Bill acceptance in the bay, was it a game changer?

    Certainly, times are changing in the retail industry. A good part of our bay customer demographic is under 30, that necessitates, we need to keep up with the changes. That just makes Tap easier to introduce. We need to accept all forms of payment bills, coin and card. I confess, that my least...
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    Bill acceptance in the bay, was it a game changer?

    Yes, twenty years ago. It changed the idea of a self-service carwash from quarters to dollars. Now Tap is the wave for those under thirty.
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    Full service high labor costs

    The last post is the truth. One of the reasons that Express wash with free vac has come so for is because of the difficulty in proving full service. Likely there will always be place for some full-service washes, but the customer has to pay the higher price. Reducing full-service hours is a...
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    Survival; Just bought a car wash, Now tunnel opening a block away

    I agree with what Waxman said. Concentrate on your making your self Service and the Laser great. They are your strength letting you offer something different and better. I remain uncertain of the value of a Wash club for an In Bay. Wash Clubs work great for conveyors but In Bays are...
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    Full service high labor costs

    That certainly could be a good answer depending on circumstances and competition. Another idea would be to limit the full service hours, perhaps on a Sunday shut it after 1 pm or when football comes on. The traditional full service has been evolving upscale into more of a higher priced luxury...
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    Diagnosing chain slipping off sprocket on Belanger dura trans XD conveyor

    The chain itself being worn, and or worn sprockets and or the sprocket assembly, and or sprocket bearings. also, there are two tensioning air cylinders one may not be working. In summary get an experienced service tech familiar with Belanger. He can better diagnose what has to be fixed today...
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    PECO Hydrolic Proportioner

    My practice is to use Hydraulic oil on the conveyor and water base on everything else. Check with Peco to see their recommendations.
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    PLEASE HELP issue w/ PLC & I dont know how to fix it

    Most conveyor carwash Point of Sale system suppliers offer Tech Support. It does cost a monthly subscription fee but is invaluable. Consider it in the same category as your Business Insurance. Expensive but necessary.
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    dryers

    Over 15 years ago I added a VFD panel for my 6 Sonnys Dryers. Best move I made. The cars are just as dry and when I made the change, I saved over $300 a month in electric bills. Today's electric rates are higher and trending upward. Soft start panels are almost as much as VFD's, so Id rather...
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    Conveyor chain damage

    Regardless of what we do as operators, this is going to happen. Fortunately, most conveyors are Hydraulic drive which has more "give " plus the chain tensioning spring or air cylinders also cushion.
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    Getting 24VAC transformers in phase sequence

    I tied the 24 VAC white common for all bays together, years ago.
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    Please wait equipment not ready???softgloss max5

    THANK YOU . Tremendous help. I have had a similar issue with a 5 year old Soft Gloss and my Auto Sentry. Mine was intermittent with the Wash busy signal staying on, so the Auto Sentry would not admit a paid car. I replaced a PIO board on my auto sentry never solving it. Several days...
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    finding an attendant

    on site signage, usually works
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    Full Service Headache's And Solutions

    Thank you for your corroboration. An important part is pricing accordingly. Individual service always costs more I think an analogy of fine dining as compared to an Applebee's or Fridays. ----- I do not include Full Service in a club. I charge $15 on top of the regular wash or club for the...
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    Full Service Headache's And Solutions

    There is a real desire on the part of consumers for Full Service car washing, regardless of how we do it, flex service or traditional. The question is whether customers will pay the price. Many issues. Part of the problem ( price ) is staffing and greatly variable traffic depending on...
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    Tunnel Wash Competition

    I am at the 3-year point after the opening of a deluxe one 1/2 mile away. Nothing good to say about the experience. Prior to its opening I spent over $100,000 on new equipment & signage and upgrades at my express conveyor. That helped a little and kept me viable. This summer I am going to...
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    Tunnel Wash Competition

    I had one over 15 years ago. What has brought traction is a dedicated salesman at the Entry Kiosk.
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    Tunnel Wash Competition

    I had one open up 1/2 mile away about 3 years ago. A very nice one with indoor Vacuums. I have a 4 bay self-serve with an express tunnel. Your customer base stabilizes after about 2 years. there is nothing good to say about the experience. You just have to change. About a 35 % loss in...
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    Deal or no deal

    In car washing every market is different. I tend to be pessimistic about overly competitive markets because of unhappy personal experience. At the heart of the matter is your location siting and how good of a job you do. I would add in local weather to the mix, above average clouds & rain...
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    Deal or no deal

    A significant issue is the distance between you and any other carwashes and what type of wash. A car count dip from 116,000 to 88,000 could be a sign of another carwash entering your market. A town population of 36,000 is sort of thin to support 2 express washes.
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