IBA Breakdown

Short of going through and reading every post about who sells the best IBA, is there anywhere that has a side-by-side comparison? I have talked with Mark VII, Hydrospray(The Cobra), Autec, Cyclone. I know that there are a lot more out there. My wash is in serious need of an IBA, I just want to make sure I get a decent one.

Thanks

P.S. When I talked to Mark VII, they told me that I would be spending close to $160,000 just for their equipment.

We run the Belanger Vector - there are machines that clean better, but some of them cost 50% more. Our Vector has been a workhorse with practically no downtime in the last four years. Overall it's very easy to work on, unlike several machines that require a service call for even the most minor problem.

There are other things to consider besides "the best machine." As I mentioned, service is a big one. How well is the distributor going to take care of you, and how fast? Will you have to call them out once or twice a month? That will eat up most of your net profits.

It feels like we are the only ones talking on here =). Anyway, when you say that there are others that 'clean better', I assume that yours still cleans pretty well? What made you choose that one specifically? How many other companies did you approach about their IBA's? I agree with you when you say that you don't want to have a service tech out there once or twice a month. Thanks for all the input.

BG

It definitely cleans well, but it doesn't perform well as the machines that have spinning or oscillating nozzles. On the plus side, there aren't nearly as many moving parts, which is why downtime and service costs are so low.

I wasn't involved with the choice of the Vector, but I'd certainly do it again. Next door there's a C-store with a Laser that's down a lot, and I've seen people pull out of that one because it didn't clean and use ours to get the job done.

That sounds like a pretty decent one. I did a little research on it last night. From what I could tell, it runs on a set of overhead rails, right? When I initially started looking for an IBA, it was basically information overload. I am trying to narrow it down to about five right now just so that I can focus more on the specifics. Do you have any recommendations for any other ones that I should look into?

Thanks,

BG

Mr Good,
We just put in a Ryko Radius in Montrose, MI. The customer also has a Vector in Clio. In Montrose, we used his old coinbox and modified his old dryer. We even service the Vector for him. Let me know if you would like a qoute from our salesman (I am the service manager). I am sure the owner would not mind you looking at either site or answering questions.
Thanks,
Mark

I appreciate the offer, I just might take you up on that. Whereabouts is the one in Clio? That would be fairly close to me. If you would like, please e-mail me any information you have, and I will set up an appointment with you.

Thanks,

BG

I had two vectors for a short time (about sixty days). Mine were not reliable, but these units were six years old and had been poorly maintained since day one. I belive the trench drain design in my bay was incompatible with the sonar and caused caused issues, too. I thought Belanger tech support was world class.

Guys up north seem to do well with inverted Ls. We have really tough road film here. I don't think L's can clean as well as gantry units. In my metro area of 1 million, there there are only four lasers, one vector, and two ryko inverted Ls in operation.

The one reason I really like the Ryko's is because I am doing a conversion of a ss bay. My maximum width is 16', my length is about 26'. One other company I was looking at is Hydrospray, they are in the Kleen-Rite catalog. They have the Cobra, which seems like it would be compatible with my bay.

Besides the dimension problems, I need to be able to jump three bays to get all of my hookups. The wash is set up in a particular manner so that I basically have one option of putting in my IBA.

There are two other IBA's in my area. They are both cyclones, which is a local company here in Davison. From what I have seen and experienced in both of those washes, I am not real impressed with the quality. I think that offering a different option would help bring in some of the fussier customers in the area.

BG

We operate a multiple in-bay facility, consisting of a Oasis XP touchless unit and a Autec AES-415 soft touch unit. As mentioned already service is the most important issue. How well is the distributor going to take care of you. Keep in mind, like a wise man once stated, "that a good distributor can make a good machine run GREAT, but a bad distributor can make a great machine run BAD and put you right out of business." You could e-mail me, if you have any further questions.

Which unit do you like better as an operator? Which unit do you like better distributor wise? That is really the meat and potatoes of what I want to know. I have thought about a friction unit, what kind of split do you have between the two automatics?

Mr. Good,
I sent you a message with my email address. Please let me know if you would like a quote from our salesman.
Thank you,
Mark

Thanks Rykopro, I appreciate the contact. I will let you know once I get the keys to the wash. See my post in the general forum to figure out when that might be.

BG

Bubbles, IMO something you should consider: brake dust removal. some of the units you are considering do not have that capability. I think that feature is very important.

Do you mind giving me an example of some? I know that the Mark VII had the friction wheel scrubbers on it. Are there other units out there that have other options beside the friction? I would assume that someone must market a chemical that would be strong enough to get the brake dust off.

Thanks for all the input,

BG

There are several that apply a tire cleaner chemical during the first presoak pass and then come back with a pass of high prsessure dedicated to the lower part of the car. I couldn't give you a complete list, so I kinda hesitate to name any. There are a few touchless units (mark VII, Coleman)and many friction units that offer wheel brushes as options on their IBAs.

Many IBAs offer high pressure before chemical application. That's fine for snow,ice, or mud but will not remove brake dust.

Most chemical mfgs use a very strong alkaline for combo wheel/tire cleaning in IBAs. I haven't seen one yet that is perfect. Many do a decent job with wheels and tire if they aren't too bad. But if the wheels are black with baked on brake dust, they won't come clean.

I think you are right about the tire cleaner, that is a big aspect alot of washes dont think about. I will definitely have to look at that a little bit closer. Is there anything out there that will clean the grime off without having to resort to friction?

BG

Other than hydrofluoric acid cleaners, which are extremely hazardous, there's no magic no-touch cleaner out there. I've been mixing a powdered tire cleaner with a liquid tire cleaner which together does an amazing job - with friction it will get even the worst wheels clean.

Bubbles Galore , I welcome you Visit our website and hit the contact us button , I'll send you info on The New Cobra Being produced out of the New Hydrospray wash systems inc. Located in Clearfield Pa

Our Cobra model has tire cleaner and rocker blaster on the tower. applies tire cleaner on presoak then has dedicated pass for rocker blaster/tire cleaner...with rotating wand

I will definitely contact you. I will be shopping pretty heavily through the winter and look to make a purchase in the spring. Does the Cobra need a utility room next to it, that is my biggest concern right now.

BG