Which touch-free machine would you say is the best today?

[Fatboy769]

I have owned a WW razor for a year after owning two Laser 4000. Hands down WW razor.

Wash World has a very good machine in the Razor and from what I've been told, awesome customer support. However, trying to compare the Razor to the Laser 4000 is like night and day. A true comparison IMO, would be the High Velocity to the Laser 4000 and the Razor to the Laser 360.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

I would still say that thats not even a good comparison bc the razor is that much better than the 360. I have several guys in my area that have the 360 1st year owning them, and last winter they all suffered to freeze ups and more downtime than they had with there 4000's and regret putting them in and the razor is all stainless piping very simple design and the 360 is aluminum and plastic looks so cheap sitting beside a razor.Even the pump stations are awful vs WW with all stainless and that big cat 3535 sitting in there so pretty lol. like a basic ford work truck sitting beside a (GMC) God Made Chevrolet in comparison. I just hope we have helped this guy steer him in the right direction at least.

 

[WikiWash]

I like what I am hearing about the WW Razor and its welded stainless steel construction. Along with its stainless steel track unlike the 360s aluminum track. The WW Razor is built to last and is really designed for longevity and the owner/operator in mind.

 

[soonermajic]

look how many Laser 4000's are for sale vs. WashWorld machines. Of course, there are a lot more Lasers in operation, but an inordinate amount for sale.
But...many are for sale on carwashconsignment.com, & good luck using their website to email anyone who is wanting to sell.

 

[WikiWash]

look how many Laser 4000's are for sale vs. WashWorld machines. Of course, there are a lot more Lasers in operation, but an inordinate amount for sale.
But...many are for sale on carwashconsignment.com, & good luck using their website to email anyone who is wanting to sell.

Soonermajic, what is your point you are trying to make?

 

[soonermajic]

If it looks like there are a lot more Laserwashes for sale, one might surmise that more people are trying to get rid of them, because perhaps they may not be satisfied. However, there may be a large % of them that are simply upgrading to new PDQ systems.
On carwashconsignment: I have tried numerous times, unsuccessfully, to email potential sellers. YOu can go through the owners, who are willing to help, but that is tedious. It simply needs to be streamlined, & more user friendly. The website is a novel idea.
hope you can understand that...as I'm not an English major. lol

 

[DavidM]

I recently sold a Lasewash 4000 and I believe the reason there are so many for sale is because PDQ sold a ton of them over the last 25 years, they can still be updated with current features and options and they are solid machines. That is also why WashWorld copied the design for their High Velocity. If I had a lower volume site I would probably still be happily running a 4000.
Most of the units for sale have alot of washes on them, I don't believe they are being sold because the owners were unsatisfied.

I prefer the inverted L design to a gantry, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the design that would make a gantry clean better.

Just my .02 cents, probably worth less

David

 

[soonermajic]

After thinking about it further, I believe David is correct. There are probably just more Laser 4000's, & therefore more of them to sell. Those guys seem to be mostly updating to 360's, so they must like PDQ & their suppliers & distributors.

 

[WikiWash]

What does anyone think of the Istobal Tracer OH1 (Inverted L)? Has anyone seen the Tracer OH1 in action? What is your opinion on Istobal is it a good company? How are they on parts and service? Thank you in advance!

 

[rph9168]

From what I have seen it does a good job. Since Istobal established a plant in Bristol, VA the parts are easy to get. Not sure how they compare pricewise but I would consider it comparable to the other inverted L's on the market.

 

[JustClean]

I've owned a WW Razor now for 2.5 years. No problems so far. I would buy it again - no question. It's all stainless which I think is important in a harsh environment like this. At the same time when I bought mine another wash put in a PDQ 360. Most of their machine is is alloy. We both use the same chemicals but mine just looks so much better.

A nice benefit of the inverted L is that the customer doesn't have to remove or lower the antenna.

 

[robert roman]

I don’t believe a “best” touch-less is possible because it would have already emerged.

Consider the comments, there is no consensus. There is never consensus on this subject.

The reason is people have different priorities and preferences.

For example, one operator wants affordable, fast and easy to work while another wants to clean lots of trucks in a tough environment while another wants longevity and built with the operator in mind. What operator?

For example, the primarily market for most in-bay OEM’s used to be oil companies. Now it’s c-store owners. C-store owners want a service network and longevity is less important. The reason is in-bays are only built to last between 5 and 10 years.

Moreover, if water/sewer cost increase and/or the area is subject to drought, restrictions, etc., touch-less would increase investment ownership and business operating risks.

Mitigation is reclaimed water but it’s difficult to make this work with touch-less only.

 

[rph9168]

Have you decided to consider only touch free? The market seems to be going toward friction more and more. I believe the reason may be the emergence of EE's and short tunnels. It is very hard to compete with either of those with a touch free.

 

[WikiWash]

At my location I have 3 IBAs, 1 of my touch-frees got hit by a vehicle and is in need of replacing due to its bent frame of the gantry, the second one is a friction, and the last one is a gantry touch-free. The one that got hit has a clearance of 7'6" which cleaned smaller vehicles better than my other touch-free which is set at 8'. The reason why I am replacing the touch-free 7'6" with an inverted L is so I can clean the smaller vehicles ( cars, sedans, hatchbacks, smaller suvs etc...). Also I am unsure if my insurance company will let me replace the damaged touch-free with a friction unit. If I would have to pick an inverted L it would definitely be a WW Razor.

 

[WikiWash]

The questions now are, should I put in another friction because it is doing really well or put in a reliable better cleaning touch-free to see what my customers really like as far as friction vs touch-free?

 

[Jeff_L]

Fwiw - I sell more top packages on my friction than I do on my touch less.

 

[BBE]

Fwiw - I sell more top packages on my friction than I do on my touch less.

Same here.

 

[WikiWash]

My top packages on both of my friction and touch-less are my most popular. I also get a couple bucks more on my friction top package bc it has hot wax. The downside of going with another friction is, I can't fit the length of full size trucks such as an extended cab 8 foot box pickup. In addition to, if I have vehicles with roof rack accessories they would have to go into my 8 foot clearance touch-less. Smaller cars dont wash really well bc the top nozzles are so far away from the vehicle.

 

[aca carwash 2]

Good stuff, now I am really confused......,.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I don't know what autos Wiki has, but most will wash a full-size 4 door long bed truck. I have Mark VII and Wesumat and no problem. My only exception is one wash I have has just 34½' inside length. The bay is the restriction, not the auto.