Tire Dressing unit putting black goo on wheels

[Axxlrod]

We installed a Motor City tire shiner about 6 weeks ago, and have had some difficulties getting it dialed in. The distributor came by a few days ago, and removed the pads and soaked them in tire dressing chemical. Now the coverage is great on larger tires, but on low profile tires on smaller cars, it is putting a black goo all over the wheels. It really looks horrible. We are a hand wash, and also don't have online tire brushes either. Distributor said it looks like dirt from tires have gotten on the pads, and is mixing with the chemical and leaving brown goo on the wheels. Which is possible, but I'm also wondering if the tires are depositing some black rubber on the pads also. I'm almost at the point of taking the unit out.

Anybody else have this problem? Any ideas how to fix it?

 

[Greg Pack]

Run your fingers along the bottom of the pad and you will likely find this goo. They need to be cleaned Would also help to make sure the wheel/tire is cleaner when it hits the pad.

 

[robert roman]

Tough problem to analyze on the forum.

1) Are you throughly cleaning and rinsing tires and wheels before applying tire shine?
2) Are you using the factory recommended chemical product or have you or your distributor substituted for a solvent-based chemical?

 

[Axxlrod]

Tough problem to analyze on the forum.

1) Are you throughly cleaning and rinsing tires and wheels before applying tire shine?
2) Are you using the factory recommended chemical product or have you or your distributor substituted for a solvent-based chemical?

We hit the wheel/tires with our prep guns, and we have wheel blasters.

We are using Blue Coral online tire dressing in the unit.

 

[robert roman]

The carwash production process has one output that is influenced by four controllable factors and one uncontrollable factor. The controllable factors are input ratios, pressure, temperature and time. The uncontrollable factor is the condition of the vehicle.

The carwash production process is characterized by machine, material, measurement and method. The effects of machine on output are mostly related to preventative maintenance and water temperature control. The effects of material on output are mostly related to the quality of the product water and chemicals. The effects of measurement on output are mostly related to the calibration of equipment. The method of cleaning can also have an effect on output.

Since every effect has at least one cause leads me to believe that you are doing something wrong, otherwise, you would not be experiencing a ?goo? problem.

For example, in terms of machine, you may not be doing enough preventative maintenance. In terms of material, you could be using the wrong chemical. In terms of measurement, the equipment may not be properly calibrated (i.e. applying too much chemical). In terms of method, you may not be cleaning the wheels and tires effectively before you apply the tire shine.

Consequently, this takes you back to the factors that you have some control over that can have an influence on output, namely, input ratios, pressure, temperature and time.

Hopefully, this sheds a little more light towards helping you resolve your problem.

Bob Roman
www.carwashplan.com

 

[Greg Pack]

The prep gun is not enough. Tire shine should only be applied if the wheel & tire is clean. Find a good, effective product to apply at low pressure that will emulsify dirt on the tire before the use of a prep gun. if you don't see dirt emulsify on some tires (turning brown) then it is not the right product. I use Warsaw 560 WTC at about 8:1. Every chem rep should have a suitable product.

I cleaned my pads at least weekly with High pressure.

 

[Chiefs]

We use Black Magic from Ecolab with our Sonny's Tire Shiner and have no buildup problems. We also put it on every car we wash and thus are only spending 18 cents per wheel. We also do not use tire washers per se. However, we do use a CTA as well as a pre-soak, followed by high pressure, followed by two sets of side washers and one set of wraps. The tire shiner is between the fianl rinse and the first air dryer, so the pads remain moist. Also, check how much product you are putting on. Distributors love to set your pumps higher in order to use more product. If your wheels are not getting clean, then you need to clean them by hand as well - at least for those getting the tire shine.

 

[Danny]

As a general rule if you can rub the tire with your finger lightly and get black/brown it is too dirty to apply dressing to. Some chemicals will work with a tire in this condition but not to the product's full potential. The black/brown on the tire will also soil whatever your applicator maybe shorting its life and ability to function.

 

[petitemoose]

It also sounds to me as if you are applying dressing to a dirty tire. The goo you are getting is the grime the dressing is removing when being rubbed onto the tires. Clean the tires before application and you'll get much better results and a "goo" free car. I can attest to the results of the Warsaw 560 Tire cleaner. We use it in our tunnel and the brown grime starts running off the tire immediately upon being applied. Zep also makes a good tire cleaner but it is Considerably more expensive.

 

[Bioshine]

Could be that you are applying tire shine to a tire already saturated with silicone. The emulsifier in the water-based tire shine you are applying is partially removing the silicone/carbon black residue and transferring to the cloth on your applicator. Since the Motor City unit has stationary cloth (i think), the "goo" would be scraped off the tire and collected. May find some deposits of goo under the cloth as well.

Reasoning: you state you are a hand carwash so you have no other source of friction (and appropriate chemistry) to clean the tires before applying your dressing. High pressure (from any source) will not remove heavy deposits of silicone. Many of the retail oil-based dressings are using a cheaper, more viscous silicone fluid in their formulations hoping that once the carrier solvent evaporates, the residual silicone film will be too "sticky" to sling off. A combination of friction and chemistry will remove excess silicone in friction washes. You can usually see the resulting discoloring on the first piece of friction that touches the wheel.

 

[pitzerwm]

Doesn't some tire manfu. say that the warrantee is void if you use silicone on their tires?

 

[MEP001]

Doesn't some tire manfu. say that the warrantee is void if you use silicone on their tires?

No, but at least one recommends no tire dressings other than their own, which contains silicone. I believe it's Michelin.

 

[buda]

Tire Shine GOO

What type of dressing are you using? A water-based silicone product or a solvent base silicone product?

Solvent based dressings tend to mix with the carbon black in the tires and create what you call a "brown-colored goo."

When hand applied in a detail shop or at a car wash this goo can and does sling off on to the body of the car. On light colored, painted plastic parts you will experience a permanent stain as the solvent penetrates thru the clear to the base color.

Does not sound to me like dirty tires, it is moreso the mix of dressing and what is in the tire itself.

Bud Abraham

 

[Axxlrod]

Black Magic from Blue Coral. I believe it is water-based silocon dressing.

 

[rph9168]

When solvent based dressings come into contact with water based ones it usually produces a "goo" My guess is that for some reason your pads became contaminated with solvent based dressing possibly by coming into contact with several tires that had it on them. The brown coloration is definitely what we used to call "tire blush" from the chemical reaction of the tire with solvent dressing. I would say the if you inspect the pads daily to see if there is a build up and thoroughly clean them when those signs appear the problem should be alleviated.

 

[TheDoc]

there are many factors that can cause the "goo" problem.

1) Too much product used
2) Too much application pressure
3) Not cleaning the tires
4) Using the product incorrectly
5) Poor maintenance of the unit

Make sure you have the application time "dialed in" for the viscosity of the dressing. Just because the manufacturer says it should be one thing, doesn't mean that there aren't variables.
You don't want to "crush" the material against the tire, this cause the dressing to be scraped off of the application fingers by the wheels or rim guard tires (low profile/high end wheel/tire) and causes the drips.
By the time most customers are back for a wash, the tire has accumulated dirt where the dressing is applied, without proper cleaning, what would you expect?
Is the product designed for use in an automatic unit? If not the viscosity can work against you.
Are you taking the time to inspect/clean/maintain the unit as described by the manufacturer?
Cleaning weekly is a HUGE help for any wipe on unit!

Feel free to contact me directly for more help. Email throught his website.

Thanks and have a Happy 4th everyone!

 

[MEP001]

God, such a vehicle converted Have you seen?

Such a clear spambot I have never before seen.