Profile and center of the bay

[Roz]

For Profile owners. How do you help customers drive down the center of the bay?

We have blue pucks on the ground and traffic poles at the entrance yet some people pull to the driver’s side of the bay about once a day. Profile then stops for the car safety at the beginning of their wash after the presoak pass.
We issue rewashes for those customers as I can verify with the emailed fault message.

Wondering how we can help guide them to drive down the center of the bay. Anyone have a proven solution?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Wondering how we can help guide them to drive down the center of the bay. Anyone have a proven solution?

"Guide" rails. They are always going to veer left, and have done so since Hitler was a mall cop. Rails are the best for guiding them, but even the determined will climb them eventually.

 

[CheetahExpress]

For Profile owners. How do you help customers drive down the center of the bay?

We have blue pucks on the ground and traffic poles at the entrance yet some people pull to the driver’s side of the bay about once a day. Profile then stops for the car safety at the beginning of their wash after the presoak pass.
We issue rewashes for those customers as I can verify with the emailed fault message.

Wondering how we can help guide them to drive down the center of the bay. Anyone have a proven solution?

Frankly, I believe it's impossible. We have colored highway markers in our Profile Bay, and the instruction sign at the entrance states: "Please center your vehicle within the yellow guides." We still get idiot drivers who are too far over one side or another, usually driver's side. We also give them a rewash and when we point out to them that they were too far over, they become childlike and apologize, admitting they were clueless. If it wasn't so pitiful, it would be funny.

 

[Good Moody]

I wonder if there is a different approach not including guide rails??

 

[cbchevy4x4]

I do not have a profile, i have a razor and have the same issues always driver side. I placed cones front and rear of the bay even with my blue reflectors and has seemed to moderately help. I have contemplated trying to engineer a laser guided system that will shine a laser line down the entire length of the center of the bay so they could line it up with the rear view mirror so to speak. Anybody done anything like this with success?

 

[traveler17]

After hearing these responses I don’t think there is a way. I don’t have a profile but 2 mark vii’s on the property. I have guide rails. Just the other day this lady stopped where she was supposed to but her front passenger tire was resting on the rail which faulted the machine as soon as it started the process. The profile was the next machine I was looking at because of the open floor space , but it sounds like you have the same issue every now and then. I guess there’s always going to be that “small percentage “ that can’t / don’t read etc..

 

[Rodj]

Off brand, but on Ryko systems with CMD's and newer Oasis systems, they both have options to have a message/light come on that says to steer left/right. Anyone know how this is accomplished(to replicate on a different system)?

 

[HeyVern]

You could use photo eyes or lasers tied to directional lights to help guide them in. Should be fairly simple to install. Could also become a hassle to maintain.

 

[Blanco]

Off brand, but on Ryko systems with CMD's and newer Oasis systems, they both have options to have a message/light come on that says to steer left/right. Anyone know how this is accomplished(to replicate on a different system)?

They use a sonar out in the bay. It cant be integrated into other wash systems. It has to be in the programming. Cant speak for Ryko but thats what Oasis uses.

 

[washnshine]

I think I’ve posted this before, but 30 years ago, they used to hang a cloth strip cut into the shape of an arrow pointing down - either at the entrance or somewhere before the machine and had a sign that said to line arrow up with the center of the hood or rear view mirror as it passed over the windshield. More hood ornaments in those days to help with that too.

 

[Roz]

Appreciate most of the efforts however those with Profiles know the challenge that prohibits rails, the low to the ground photo eyes which help with the wheel detailing. We had rails with our Istobal. The rails made it more challenging for drivers to drive inside the bay but did give some feedback to adjust their car before the machine started.

In the meantime I spoke with WW and another Profile owner. I turned off the setting that cancels a wash upon a fault. Supposedly the machine will continue the program but just use HP functions on the side where the brush does not have adequate room to spin. The Razor arm can adjust for bad driving hence we rarely see wash faults with those machines. Overall customer feedback is clearly for the Profile over the Istobal.

 

[washnshine]

Frankly, I believe it's impossible. We have colored highway markers in our Profile Bay, and the instruction sign at the entrance states: "Please center your vehicle within the yellow guides." We still get idiot drivers who are too far over one side or another, usually driver's side. We also give them a rewash and when we point out to them that they were too far over, they become childlike and apologize, admitting they were clueless. If it wasn't so pitiful, it would be funny.

You’d almost need conveyor style guide rails (like in drive through tunnels at rental agencies) that keep the driver side of the car true to a fixed distance. An extra wide opening and correlator would be necessary.

 

[Roz]

I thought of a tape arrow on the front panel but then the drivers would not watch the pull forward/stop sign. No easy solution today, hope that WW figures out a sonar solution as the machine makes a nice 2D image of the vehicle on the first pass.

 

[washnshine]

hope that WW figures out a sonar solution as the machine makes a nice 2D image of the vehicle on the first pass.

I think D&S has that on their IQ soft touch wash.

 

[Roz]

Yes. D&S makes an image of the vehicle too

 

[washnshine]

I thought of a tape arrow on the front panel but then the drivers would not watch the pull forward/stop sign.

I understand wanting to keep the eyes on the sign, but do you think the voice prompts would help? Just a thought, you know what the customers respond to better than I would - I don’t have a Profile. I do know there is not an easy solution - I have a tunnel with an employee signaling to customers left, right, forward and stop and some still have trouble!!

 

[Roz]

I hear you. I help customers at the terminal when I am at the wash. Even with guidance to go down the middle of the bay they can get off center by a lot. I just wonder what other trouble they get into when driving on the shared roads. Seems to be a greater challenge with the profile than the razor next door. Odd.

I may have resolved the issue with the profile for now with the system settings. Hopefully a better solution will happen with a future software update or maybe a new type of brush that is thinner.
Finally the weather is cooperating for a weekend in December.

Wishing a happy and healthy new year to all!

 

[DavidM]

Are your "Forward, Stop, Backup" signs on the left or right of the bay? I have a theory that some drivers focus on the sign on the left wall and turn towards it without realizing they are doing it.
When the sign is on the right wall, it seems to lessen the behavior.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Are your "Forward, Stop, Backup" signs on the left or right of the bay? I have a theory that some drivers focus on the sign on the left wall and turn towards it without realizing they are doing it.
When the sign is on the right wall, it seems to lessen the behavior.

That makes total sense. Also, with the sign on the drivers side, there are a few obstructions (side mirror, a-post, equipment in bay, delineator posts, bollards, whatever). With the sign on the passenger side, it would be pretty much unobstructed.

 

[Nathan@Washworld]

For Profile owners. How do you help customers drive down the center of the bay?

We have blue pucks on the ground and traffic poles at the entrance yet some people pull to the driver’s side of the bay about once a day. Profile then stops for the car safety at the beginning of their wash after the presoak pass.
We issue rewashes for those customers as I can verify with the emailed fault message.

Wondering how we can help guide them to drive down the center of the bay. Anyone have a proven solution?

Ross,

Washworld does offer dryer cover with instructional lights. We find that people tend to drive towards the signage. With the signage in the middle of the bay it does help with keeping customers centered. Also if you haven't already there is a setting that can be changed to give you a larger wash envelope, Program menu> Wash Setup>General options>Settings tab on the right side of the screen>FT Zone setup, change FT Zone from .10 to .01. If you have any questions or need help changing this setting please give tech support a call. Phones seem to be working today, AT&T in our area has had issues the last few days so if you don't get through try again.