Validators for self serve bays

[Panos Iakovidis]

What is the best Validator for the self serve bays?

 

[MEP001]

Mars.

 

[soapy]

Mars. I would wait for Randy to reply because he is up all the new things related to validators more than anyone else on this forum.

 

[Randy]

If your bound and determined to install validarors in the bays go with the Mars validator. But be forewarned they'll make your coin boxes a target for the thieves. I got 8 in this morning that had been vandalized, 3 or 4 of them might be repairable.

 

[Greg Pack]

Yep, doing a refurb and not doing the bill acceptors.

 

[Earl Weiss]

So far, knock on wood only 1 of 8 vandalized in several years. They didn't get the $. One of the reasons I went with separate box for this was if they trashed it the coin acceptor box which goes to a vault would still work. Later that Bill acceptor box was good place to mount swipers. I got the coinco vantage because at the show Etowah was squirting water in it. Seems like they need annual repairs. I don't think they make a 24 V anymore.

 

[mjwalsh]

Just to add to Earl's post. I like the separate box also for servicing in case a simple ratty wet bill gets stuck in the validator. In that case ... the person in the bay can wash via dollar coins inserted while just unplug the molex & cycle or whatever easy repair needed. All the while no danger of shorting anything out. I did this exact process this afternoon ... the customer was happy I did not have to move him to another bay ... especially with the overhead doors needed to be closed on this -15° F windchill day. I was happy because I did not have wait until he was done to get another repair behind me. Both my co-workers were gone at the moment also!

 

[mjwalsh]

This is getting to be an older thread .... but not too long ago SUZOHAPP & COINCO merged. Anybody notice that as a possible improvement in terms of proper support?

 

[KleanRide]

If your bound and determined to install validarors in the bays go with the Mars validator. But be forewarned they'll make your coin boxes a target for the thieves.

No way I’m putting bill acceptors in the bays after one got surgically removed from my coke machine last month.

 

[OurTown]

No way I’m putting bill acceptors in the bays after one got surgically removed from my coke machine last month.

Beverage and snack vending machine validators look crazy vulnerable. If you have meter boxes like these they are probably your best bet. I can guarantee someone can get into them but there will be more work involved than most of the ones I have seen.


https://www.carwashsuperstore.com/Product/1162/Meter-Box

 

[MEP001]

Beverage and snack vending machine validators look crazy vulnerable.

They are, some of them leave the entire plastic bezel exposed, and all it takes is a crowbar shoved through it to gain access to the bills in the stacker.

 

[mjwalsh]

Like Earl pointed out having a separate box just for the bill acceptor helps. We have had zero vandalism to our over 10 verifiers that we keep in operation. Also ... those of us who have a way of closing off our facility (like our 8am-10pm) more practical hours rather than 24/7 makes a difference.

I am not so sure that homeless are causing the problem ... considering I notice some walking during our summers at all hours of the night. It does not seem to correlate to more windows broken & other types of breakins. Here in Bismarck, ND we have a much worse homeless problem than it used to ... now vs 15 years ago ... that is what I kind of what I am going by.

By much worse I am sure it is not nearly as bad as like what Randy in Seattle area & others have. My most recent most intense local Car Wash competition seems to be making 24/7 work ... year round ... even in the winter time ... maybe he has a super dooper alarm system ... who knows?

I am pretty sure 100% cashless ... no coin or bill acceptance ... is not the answer to any breakin - vandalism incidents. Having to deal with quirks of cyberspace processing can be even more stressful IMHO!

 

[Randy]

Beverage and snack vending machine validators look crazy vulnerable. If you have meter boxes like these they are probably your best bet. I can guarantee someone can get into them but there will be more work involved than most of the ones I have seen.


https://www.carwashsuperstore.com/Product/1162/Meter-Box

Those coin boxes that you posted a link to, I can open those in less than 30 seconds. Vending machines and soda machines are super easy to get into.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Those coin boxes that you posted a link to, I can open those in less than 30 seconds. Vending machines and soda machines are super easy to get into.

Randy, I think the right guy with the right knowledge and equipment can defeat a lot of stuff fairly quickly . Any boxes out there you think would take you several minutes?

 

[OurTown]

If you have a monitored alarm system (loud siren too) with sensors on each meter box then there might be a chance that they would run after breaking open the first one.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

During this change crisis we are having wouldn't bill validators in the bays benefit from this majorly, example people come wipe out the change machine then your customers can still throw in a $10 bill in the meterbox and keep on washing vs leaving all together bc the changer is out of service? Or am I just totally wrong. I wish I had bill validators or is that really that stupid.

 

[MEP001]

Customers love the bill acceptors in the bays and will often overpay with a $5 or $10 and leave time on the meter, but I don't think it's worth the risk of break-in. You're right about having the changer down though, when I worked for a distributor a customer we'd built a car wash for came in practically in tears because someone broke in and destroyed his changer, he couldn't afford to replace it out of pocket and it would likely be a month or two before his insurance would do anything. Luckily the guy I worked for was smart enough that we kept one of each model changer on hand and we had him back up and running that afternoon. This was even before anyone was putting bill acceptors in the bays. He was so upset when he came in and so happy when he left, looking back on it he probably thought he would have lost the wash being without a changer.

 

[Flex- Wand]

Nice , it did seem like distributors carryed more on hand in the 90's or use to.

 

[JGinther]

Nice , it did seem like distributors carried more on hand in the 90's or use to.

A major reason for this is that warranties don't carry from the distributor sale date. They are only recognized from the day the item leaves the manufacturer. Why would a distributor take the risk on not selling an item, and then take the risk on having to cover a warranty claim when the manufacturer denies the claim because it is out of date according to their records. If manufacturers would solve this issue, stock quantities would increase. But they don't.

I ordered a set of doors last year around this time. I wasn't sure I could keep the old doors working for another year and the parts were not available because the manufacturer was out of business. Well, I made it through the winter and did't end up installing them. I'm installing them now. So if there's an issue, I'm pretty much SOL.

 

[MEP001]

Some manufacturers extend warranty to the sold-by date. Dixmor is very accommodating on that. But most of them don't, and don't even go by the date THEY sell it.