D&S IQ 2.0 Experience (vs. Razor vs. Kondor)

[Roz]

Does anyone have experience with a D&S IQ 2.0 Touchfree in-bay automatic? I have a short (28.5' inside number) automatic bay with a low ceiling (10') so I am limited in the machines I can install. Based on initial conversations with various equipment reps the best/only machines I can consider (without getting into a new building) are Razor, Kondor, and IQ. I see a lot of good feedback on Kondor and Razor but not much info on D&S.

Any operators have experience with D&S equipment? Thank you.

 

[soonermajic]

I think this could be a great thread...

 

[hathajay]

Well, I can't give you much info on the D&S (other than the old machine in my small town's car wash), but I can discuss the benefits of the Kondor all day. Full disclosure: I work for Belanger and write ads for our machines, including Kondor

 

[soonermajic]

ok, tell us a few things. Pros & Cons

 

[hathajay]

Well, I'll start with a con, though I am a bit biased and honestly do not recognize many weaknesses in it. However, I personally prefer a friction system over a touch-free--especially since practically everyone's closed-cell foam is so much safer than the soft cloth. If a customer is drawn to a large, powerhouse look in a TF machine, the Kondor may disappoint, as it's designed with the opposite in mind--creating an airy, spacious aesthetic inside the bay.

Among the pros, I love the operator-centric features: remote access (of course), auto-resetting arms, and 4x2 wash package programming. Of course, the lights are a big thing with our machines. The LED Navigation System uses the lights in the arms to guide the driver in (red, green, blue), and they cycle through 6 colors to market the site after dark. It really does draw the eye. It definitely got a lot of attention at NACS a couple weeks ago. I had a lot of people stopping by to simply look at the lights.

Again, I personally prefer friction (I'm super-spoiled with virtually unlimited access to our test center's SpinLite system, which is unbelievably effective), but I understand the market and I think Kondor cleans as well as any TF while offering other benefits centered around owner/operators.

 

[mac]

As a distributor, I looked at selling them a few years ago. Met the rep at a machine thought it was run of the mill unit just way overpriced.

 

[DiamondWash]

http://dscarwash.com/iq-touch-free-shorter-bay-lengths/

 

[bhoaglin]

Roz, The D&S IQ TF Short Bay will fit inside the footprint you have listed. We can fit into a 28' bay and still do a complete wash on an F350, crew cab, standard bed truck. We only require 10' in height as well. If you have any questions, I can give you some names of customers that have our new short bay design installed.

 

[Roz]

Would like see the short bay in action so the names would be helpful and appreciated. The proposal needs to be competitive to the Razor and Kondor too. Definitely will kick the tires on the machine even though the other brands have higher name recognition.

 

[best damn]

see PM bhoaglin

 

[bhoaglin]

I messaged you back sir.

 

[Roz]

Bill. Thank you for your time and insights!

 

[Roz]

So most IBA seem to rely on weeping and vinyl doors in the winter to prevent freezing. The Razor rep says that doors are not necessary with the Razor if you get the cold weather option.

Anyone have experience with the Razor in a cold climate? Using doors or just the cold weather package to keep things from freezing?

 

[gearhead]

When we first opened our wash with 3 PDQ M5s we ran them with no doors. They have weep and we were able to make it through the winters. But not without extra work and worry. To this day the best money we ever spent was on doors, hands down. Keeps the bays free of ice(if you have heaters or floor heat), and its WAY better do maintenance during those cold winter months. The customers really take to the "warm" bays. But you can go door-less if you have to. Just my 2 cents...