New automatic question

[coincarwash.ca]

I am thinking of putting an automatic in my 12 bay self serve.
I have 6 tandum bays and I am planning on taking out one of the tandum bays.
I have a friend that put in a Mark v touchless, however I want to put in a system that will be touchless or touch to give the customer a choice.
What would you put in?
I want a system that does not need an operator on duty all the time, the more automated and customer friendly the better.
I am looking for a system that will stand out compared to the oil company car washes.
My bay size is 14' x 50'
any input would be great.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Seems a little tight on the width for a friction unit, but I am not speaking from experience, I only have self serve bays.

 

[Bill Manke]

MarkVII Choice Wash with stand alone dryer. I have 2 of these in 50 ft bays. Not sure on the width. Paystation Standard XP With 8 selections. I only use 6 and cover the other 2. Works pretty good this way.

 

[mac]

I was kind of thinking of a short tunnell with your bay size. You could get a lot of cars through on a busy day.

 

[Reds]

In adddition to gathering opinions on this forum (which is a good idea) you would be wise to meet with distributors, get line item quotes, and visit sites where their equipment is installed and running. You should visit these sites with and without the distributor and get a good feel for the complexity of the equipment and how well it cleans. Also talk to the owners/operators of the washes. You have a lot of homework to do. Keep in mind that the dist. will try to sell you "the works", and check out multiple brands.

 

[rph9168]

I would only consider a short tunnel if you are ready to have it attended at all times. You might want to look at those extended IBA set ups like Oasis or Autec and a few others offer where you can process two vehicles at a time and include a tire shiner as well. In most cases 14 feet is going to make anything a tight fit.

 

[packerscw]

Keep it a short tunnel for sure.

 

[packerscw]

IBA's weep a lot of water too.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I personally think a good IBA with a tire shine unit would do really well...but it all goes back to what your competition has to offer.

 

[bigleo48]

Coin,

14' wide is narrow for sure. As mentioned, talk to distributors for their input on width. Also, mentioned before, I think you should select the machine based on the distributor and the support that you can get.

When choosing a machine, remember you are in Canada and that there are some differences with the US market. For example, you want a paystation that has a Canadian version (like Unitec WSII).

To differentiate yourself from big oil, you just need to do a better job. So you get a good machine installed properly, good chems and water and setup correctly. Maintain it right and they will come.

Also note that revenues from an IBA should be about what half you SS bays do or better. Likely better once you've built up your clientèle.

Cheers...Big

 

[robert roman]

" I want a system that does not need an operator on duty all the time, the more automated and customer friendly the better."

You could have this with a mini-tunnel (small-scale conveyor) but most owners generally like to have at least one person, on-site, to help ensure a smooth operation.

"I am looking for a system that will stand out compared to the oil company car washes."

If you want that, you would need something that is faster and more marketable than what you typically find at a gas site. If so, I would consider something that has the capacity to produce over 25 top package washes an hour like an express in-bay.

Notable models include Oasis Ecplise, Istobal Express on Wheels and Autec EV-I in-bay express.

"My bay size is 14' x 50'"

This is a potential problem. You might be able to squeeze a touch-less in 14' but most friction machines need at least 16'. Most in-bay express models recommend a 60' long bay.

Seems as though you have some more homework to do.