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Coin-Operated Dry Mat Cleaner

C

CheetahExpress

Active member
Am curious about putting one of these on our site in our vac area, but don't know much about them. Are they profitable? Are they secure? Can they be broken into easily? Any advice you may have would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I don't have the mat cleaners at my car wash, but like you have been curious about them. My mind always thinks about the liability factor. If the machine malfunctions or jams and ruins their mats, just another thing for customers to complain about. And, I would probably be responsible for damages. I prefer the DIY model, where the customer washes and cleans their own mats. In the bays, we have 4 mat holders they can use to wash their mats. On the vacuum island, I have a pedestal Carpet Shampooer from Fragramatics.
 
mt nephew had one at his tunnel and a friend has one at his wash, both see them as added benefit for customers but, not real profit centers.
 
HeyVern said:
mt nephew had one at his tunnel and a friend has one at his wash, both see them as added benefit for customers but, not real profit centers.
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The only time I've seen them in use they were free for customers to use. The guy said it brought him a lot of business.
 
I have a coin operated Dralco since 2005,no maintence issues since then.It is not a money maker,its the only one in town of 10,000. My wash is attended most of the time and in the beginning I demonstrated a lot to customers,free of course. I do charge $1 for 2 minutes and customers are amazed by the results.I caution to others to try machines out ,look for rug beater that releases or able to pull out mat if machine runs out of time . I tried another brand that didn't, and sent it back to factory.
 
I have a JKO big brusher model BBX that is free in my vacuum area. It's definitely a hit with the customers but it's free. I'm not sure that I would be used nearly as much if I were to charge for it. It's pretty reliable and is not much of a problem to maintain. I do occasionally have to remove jammed mats but that is not a common occurrence. Your wash demographics I'm sure would play a role. If I was going to charge for a mat cleaner I'd get a mat washer, like the rhino models. But a lot of the express washes have those here for no charge also.
 
Thank your for all your comments. Ours is an unattended IBA; and I can't imagine spending over $6,000 for the machine, and not charging for it. Our vacs are not free; we charge $1 for 4 minutes and they are heavily used. Might have to think on all this for awhile.
 
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