I meant wheel/rim brush machine.

[carnut2]

Express/Exterior car wash. Is a wheel/rim brush worth it? We have wheel blasters, but don't get the rims as clean as we would like.

 

[KwikClean]

1 or 2 sets of cta's? Where are they placed in the wash prior to the high pressure rinse? Also if 2 cta's whats the set up? Alkaline then an acid? Acid , acid? What's the strength of your wheel cleaners? 10 drops? 20 drops? What spray tips are you using in the Cta's?

 

[Earl Weiss]

FWIW, I am EE and have been experimenting with different stuff. I think good chemical and plenty of HP will do the job. It's very difficult for cnatct stuff to get in the nooks and crannies. I am still experimenting but having some success by switching rocker panel brushes to filament ands wel as the lower sections of high side wheels. Also experimenting with some Erie Sine wave wheel brush configurations. With filament on wraps. lower details and side wheels the results are passable. Small nooks and crannies are an issue.

 

[RykoPro]

Earl may be one of the first people I have heard recommend Filament brushes! All the machines I serviced my first 10 years as a car wash technician used QUALITY polypropylene brushes. They do a great job!

 

[Earl Weiss]

Earl may be one of the first people I have heard recommend Filament brushes! All the machines I serviced my first 10 years as a car wash technician used QUALITY polypropylene brushes. They do a great job!

And, if properly lubricated in the same manner as cloth and foam need to be are just as gentle on the car if not more so in some cases. (Filament breaks if caught on trim.)

 

[buda]

Here in Portland exterior car washes do not use tire brushes as the operators do not like to cut the conveyor rails for fear of cars jumping the conveyor as many of the washes here run at very high speed.

With a good chemical; blasters and 4 passes with Rocker Panels the washes get a very clean wheel. Perfect? Not in all cases, but at $5.00 a wash you are not selling "perfection" you are selling value.

You might take a look at Kaady Tire/Wheel/Body chemical, it is a multi-purpose chemical that does a great job on wheels.

When I operated Cuzzin's Car Wash, a 100' exterior wash we had only high volume side blasters; 4 rocker panel passes and used TWB and got very good wheels. At least we never had anyone complain about the wheels and I know it had a lot to do with the chemical we used.

Regards
Bud Abraham