Trouble with Air Shammee hose

[edredtop]

Has anybody had issues with the hose on the Air Shammee scratching customer's paint?
I used the dryer with a new/clean hose on my personal vehicle and it scuffed the paint pretty good.
Never thought about the potential for paint damage by lightly pulling the hose around the car to dry.
Now I'm thinking "liability"....
Thoughts?

 

[DiamondWash]

Had this genius at the wash the other day, he went through our WashWorld Profile after this, I was waiting for a "your equipment scratched my vehicle" call.

 

[Greg Pack]

It as well as the vacuum hose can scuff the paint a bit. I keep a bottle of polish and some clean microfiber towels on hand for issues like this.

 

[Kimberly Berg]

We use Kleen-Rite's brand vacuum hoses and they don't scratch vehicle paint. I tested it myself. It may leave a temporary plastic scuff, but it buffs out easily with a microfiber towel. I had a guy tell me a couple months ago that it scratched the bumper of his black truck, which was already covered in scratches and rock chips. I showed him the mark that the plastic dryer hose can leave, and wiped it off with a microfiber towel. At a SS wash, signs are priceless! It's called "self-service" for a reason. Customers are responsible for how they use your equipment. I updated Diskin's signs with my own liability claim. Use at your own risk!

 

[Roz]

You cannot fix stupid. We had one joker tell us that the SS wand scratched their vehicle as they were washing their car. Fortunately those nuts are very rare and their motive is clear.

 

[OurTown]

Had this genius at the wash the other day, he went through our WashWorld Profile after this, I was waiting for a "your equipment scratched my vehicle" call.

I see that often and Mrs OurTown thinks it is because they are used to using the arches at the EEs.

 

[HeyVern]

I see that often and Mrs OurTown thinks it is because they are used to using the arches at the EEs.

They do the same thing with the arches.

 

[Here2Wash]

Yes you cannot fix stupid. I often show customers how to use the Shammee and I don't let any part of the hose touch a thing. One arm holds it and the other arm holds the hose.

Not to get off topic, yet has anyone switched from the OEM Air Sham gun?! If you haven't you need to buy the Air Logic ADH SWIVEL Nozzle For Autodry Self-Serve Dryers. It has no parts that can be broken as it is a solid piece of plastic and the airflow is much more powerful.

 

[edredtop]

Greg and Kim nailed it!
Used a microfiber towel on the scuffs and they're gone.
It does still trouble me that there may be customers that have gone home, discovered the scuffs and their perception is that we were the cause of "damage" to their vehicle.
I wonder if a 6 or 8' cloth sock with elastic at both ends would eliminate it.

 

[edredtop]

You cannot fix stupid. We had one joker tell us that the SS wand scratched their vehicle as they were washing their car. Fortunately those nuts are very rare and their motive is clear.

I remember being a 17 year old kid and taking my freshly painted, Midnight Blue, 64 Mercury Comet to a SS that didn't have tip protectors (this was in the 80s so they probably weren't even a thing yet?) I ignorantly let off of the trigger while washing and the counterforce I was applying to keep the gun in place "poked" my fender giving me a nice big chip .
I've never forgotten that and replace tip protectors regularly.

I try not to think of customers in the terms of being "stupid" but unfamiliar with our equipment and try to be a step ahead of them. Whoever created the tip protector is my kind of operator. With that said, I have seen some pretty stupid stuff at the washes

 

[Kimberly Berg]

Greg and Kim nailed it!
Used a microfiber towel on the scuffs and they're gone.
It does still trouble me that there may be customers that have gone home, discovered the scuffs and their perception is that we were the cause of "damage" to their vehicle.
I wonder if a 6 or 8' cloth sock with elastic at both ends would eliminate it.

Unfortunately, adding a cloth sock would increase the likelihood of scratches as it would now hold onto the grit/dirt/sand in the wash bays. And as the dryer hose dragged across their paint, would surely scratch it! I just hope that your customers would give you the benefit of the doubt, and not jump to conclusions about the perceived "damage". All the more reason to have a PT attendant to help educate customers and intercept any issues.

 

[DiamondWash]

Not to get off topic, yet has anyone switched from the OEM Air Sham gun?! If you haven't you need to buy the Air Logic ADH SWIVEL Nozzle For Autodry Self-Serve Dryers. It has no parts that can be broken as it is a solid piece of plastic and the airflow is much more powerful.

Yeah, that is a common change-over involving the gun from Diskin to Air-Logic