Mark VII Softwash vs. Sonnys i5

[leverage]

I own a Mark VII that was badly damaged in an accident and I need to replace. I am considering either the Mark VII Softwash and the Sonnys i5. I am going to the manufacturer tomorrow for the i5, but I dont know much about them. I like the Mark VII, but would love to hear if anyone has any experience with the i5 and what you know about it. Thanks

 

[captain cw]

Don't know who your local distributor is, but I would also look at the Ryko SoftGloss. They wrote the book on rollover friction.

 

[Jimmy Buffett]

I would be very leery of a company just entering the friction business. I'm not sayin I'm just sayin...

 

[mac]

I am not an owner of either, but have worked on the Wesumat and watched a Sonny crew install one of their new machines. Here's what I see on both. The Wesumat does a nice job washing. The parts for it can be very expensive. The ones I've seen have a painted steel frame, not good for a car wash. It can take 7 minutes for a wash. The Sonny machine was fun to watch being installed. I was doing another job at the site. It took four people three weeks to install. The two factory people were on the phone many, many times every day to tech support/engineering. When they finally got it to wash, they realized they had installed the wrong umbilical support. The side brush was tearing itself apart on it. And for some god foresaken reason, it has eleven chemicals online for it. Eleven. My guess is that they are still on the steep side of the learning curve. I would also check out Magic Wands new friction rollover. It will wash a car in about 90 seconds, and do it well. Yes, I do sell them, but that's because they make machines that are easy to work on and operate.

 

[Waxman]

Which one is it?

http://www.magicwandcarwash.com/content/categoriesdetail.aspx?cid=27

 

[briteauto]

Waxman,

I don't think it is officially released yet - Mac wrote in an earlier post that he would post some pictures when it is up and running. I think he said some of the preliminary installs are being put in at the moment.

I'd be interested in seeing that machine too. That machine, the Ryko and Autec are on my short list for my next friction replacement.

 

[briteauto]

And for some god foresaken reason, it has eleven chemicals online for it. Eleven. My guess is that they are still on the steep side of the learning curve.

I checked the machine out online and they mention a low and a hi pH chemical pass. That makes no sense to me in a friction IBA. I understand some operators my choose a low OR hi pH chemical in their friction wash, but with friction, you should not need both covering the entire vehicle.

One of the upsides to a friction unit should be the lower consumption of chemicals. For me, a relatively mild alkaline for the main body shampoo has always done the trick in a friction unit. Can't imagine what a pass of low pH in addition to what I already have would do except decrease my profits.

 

[RykoPro]

I would be leery of anything new. The frame and many of the components on the newest version of the Softgloss (Softgloss Max) is over 15 years old dating back to the Voyager 2 (Velvet Touch). I have yet to scrap one of the washes, they just get rebuilt and sometimes reinstalled somewhere else. I installed our first Voyager 2 on 2-20-1995 and it is still running today with no talk of replacement anytime soon.

 

[Greg Pack]

Lo ph does benefit the wash process. It will help remove excess alkalinity from the cars surface. As a result, CCP products will adhere easier. Cars will dry better, and have a better shine. Chrome and glass are more likely to sparkle. Having said that, a lot of tunnel foamers/lubricants are lo ph based, so you could get your low there.

 

[LuvAWash]

Mark 7 all the way

I have 4 Mark 7 machines and love them. I have had some issue and Mark 7 corporate have been outstanding making sure they are getting resolved.

I would not even look at anything else if I had to replace a machine tomorrow

 

[pitzerwm]

Luv, you should go to customer Reviews and add your thoughts to their review.

 

[DavidM]

I don't know anything about Sonny's machine but I did recently discover that Mark 7 charges over $4000 just for the foam material on the top brush alone. Not only is that very expensive but it only lasts 40,000 cars. That is .10 per car going to top brush replacement.

For comparison, I know in my tunnel I can replace the Macneil top brush for about $1000 and they aren't known for being cheap either. It also has well over 100,000 washes and shows no sign of needing replaced anytime soon.