What's the age of your automatic(s)

[DiamondWash]

As I was checking over our automatics this morning I realized that alot of things need replaced on them, but I also remembered that they are 7 years old and both are up to the 80,000 washes per bay my question is how long do you hold onto equipment until you replace it? do you go off the wash count or like a car once over 100,000 miles or washes time to replace them? I know it's not cheap replacing old equipment with new systems especially in this economy today so what do you do hold on to it as long as possible taking care of it the best you can or bite the bullet and install all new equipment?, just curious what is your wash count per bay and how old is your equipment?

Mine:
Ryko OHD Car Count: 82857 7 yrs old
Ryko SoftGloss XS Car Count: 79843 7 yrs old

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I don't have an automatic, but I find it intruiging that your numbers are pretty similar per auto. Interesting.....

 

[rph9168]

Personally I believe it depends a lot on the type of maintenance that has been done and somewhat on the type of machine. I have seen some of the old Ryko Voyager brush units with over 200,000 washes and still doing a decent job. While regularly planned maintenance is important I also think an operator has to take into account wash counts as well. An IBA doing 800 vehicles a month or less has a lot less wear and tear than one doing 1,500+ on a regular basis. I like to compare it to oil changes. Most auto manufacturers base their recommendations on mileage rather than specified time periods. Without getting into brand specifics my own unofficial philosophy is that the more moving parts and functions on an IBA the more babysitting and maintenance required. While none are perfect there are certainly some that are "less perfect" than others.

 

[Waxman]

once you've replaced major components they are new and therefore 'renew' the machine.

why replace what ain't useless? maybe for more speed, but if wash quality is good, give the machine a facelift and keep it in service. i've been to carwashes where folks skip an empty vector equipped bay to use a southern pride that doesn't size the car!

for comparison; my honda civic has 234k and yes a couple cylinders are low on compression but it starts every day and gets me to work w/36 mpg. why mess with that even though a new car would be super.

i would upgrade my auto only to make more money with it or if competition dictated my site needed improving. otherwise, i fix what i got. besides, new machines need repairs right out of the gate, too!

 

[Gabriel]

Brand and Automatic wash type selection are a huge factor in this equation. Preventative maintenance is also important also. Regardless, the previous post is more than correct. All Automatics are not created equal.

 

[mac]

I think you'll find answers all over the place on this one. It's not only the machine but its location that matter. I've torn out four year old Power Rain units in FL that were simply falling apart. They had less tha 40,000 washes on them I've also seen two touchless autos aver 20 years old that are still doing 40 to 50 cars per day.

 

[MEP001]

I wouldn't replace an automatic due to age or wash count. If it still works well and looks good or can be cleaned up to look good, if it's still reliable and parts are readily available, and if it still suits your needs, why just replace it unless it's to change to something better? I've run several vehicles up over 300,000 miles, maintained them properly and did most of whatever work they needed myself. My last truck is a good example of when and why I would replace something: it was becoming unreliable and it would have cost much more to bring to a "like new" condition than I ended up spending on a new (to me) one.

 

[rph9168]

It really isn't that subjective. When you IBA no longer does the job and is possibly in need of expensive repairs why repair something that doesn't do the job regardless of age. On the other hand, if it is still producing a clean, dry vehicle after many years and needs some upgrading or repairs do it.

 

[Tom Thumb]

Have 2 WW 1.0. 2002 vintage, have over 90000 cycles on both and are doing the same job since day one, as others have said the preventive maintenance is the life of any machine in my opinion.

 

[washnvac]

Have a Nu*Star soft touch at five years old with 110,000 washes. PM is a priority. No major issues with the machine; still runs like new. I just put in a second one at this location.