Ladder Racks!

I am not sure why some people would think that it is OK to take a truck with a ladder rack through a brush machine. We used to have racks on our Astro vans and that was not a problem. This evidently was a problem. Thankfully it is very rare to see something like this! The good news is the tech had the wash up and running with less than 12 hours work!!!! The owner was VERY happy to be back in business the next day.

holy cow!

What a disaster! I thought I had problems this weekend when my shear bolt broke sending the wash arm flipping up against the wall in my bay, pinning the gantry door closed and blowing the fuse for the spray bar rotate motor. I had it EASY!

These photos make me think "TOUCH FREE RULES!".

I understand why you would think that touch free rules, but this car wash is over twenty years old and has ran almost every day of those twenty years. The owners have several sites and have tried a couple of different touch free washes. The last install that we did for them was to remove a Mark7 that was installed at the same time we installed a soft gloss down the street. We reloaded the Mark7 with a OHD and threw the Mark7 away after about 5 years! The softgloss down the street continues to run. The wash in the picture is a "Ultra Clean Mini Tunnel" which is a PLC based on board dry machine. Another advantage to the brush machine is the chemical usage. The chemical usage of this machine is almost zero compared to a touch free. Done properly, a brush machine will out clean, outlast and make more money than any touch free wash. The brush machine is also more environmentally friendly (less water and chemicals down the drain).

This wash was barely even broken, the rear brush shafts were replaced, the boom rewelded and a couple of the lower brush sections replaced. Not bad for a twenty year old workhorse!

The rectangular black part sticking up in the air is the part of the ladder rack that hung over the cab!

Rykopro

I understand and respect your opinion. But I honestly think that demographics and customer perception have alot to do with the volume of any IBA. Touch Free still WAY outnumbers cloth IBA style car washes nationwide (85% touch free, 15% cloth brushes according to latest survey #'s). I have many customers who will come to my IBA and tell me they don't want anything touching their car. If I had cloth, I'd have an attendant, period. If it makes alot of $ and saves on chems and water/sewer, there's absolutely no reason to run a wash like this unattended!

I know cloth can clean better, but you must admit that my IBA would've gotten this particular truck cleaner than this friction wash did!!!

ps. It missed an oak leaf on the windshield. Just kidding:)))

Do you mean cloth brushes or brushes in general? We service/install VERY few cloth machines (mostly foambrite).

The tide has started to turn back to the brush machines. Most data supports a 60% brush to a 40% touchless preferance when the customer is given the choice of side by side IBA's.
You would be surprised to learn how well these washes will run without an attendant.
I too have heard the customer who does not want "anything touching their car". I explain to them that acid and/or alkaline must be COMPLETELY washed off their car to avoid paint damage. I also explain how 1200 PSI sprayed at a right angle will damage wheel bearings and other suspension parts and seals.
We sell both brush and touchless washes and this is not a normal problem. I shared this photo because this is SO RARE. I have not seen anything like it in 16 years of service. Less than 5% of our call are about a wash damaging a car.

We just need to level the right front arm a bit to get that leaf....

I'm a detailer first and foremost, so you don't have to convince me about friction washing; I've been hand washing since 1985!

I like the idea of friction. But all those moving parts scare me a little.

They may run fine w/out an attendant, but I'd have one if I had friction.

I fully understand your apprehension. You must realize that I have repaired and installed hundreds of brush washes and that it is the norm for me. Do not get me wrong we have our share of touchfree too, I just personally prefer the brush washes. If you ever have a chance to familiarize yourself with a good brush wash, most of your fears would go away.
I think an attendant is a good idea for any wash because many people need help and most people like attention.
As far as my own cars go,I am with you, I hand wash all but one (the conversion van).

Waxman,
Why is there a moon eyes symbol in the bay? I hope it does not get ruined.

Good eye! The mooneyes sign is a porcelain coated sign that I put a good coat of wax on before installing.

I put it in there because I want the wash to have a cool, somewhat retro, automobile enthusiast theme. More signs are on the way, and I have one in each ss bay, too (a Willy's and 'last chance garage'). The photo is some diamond plate I installed behind the spray wand in the SS bay cause I thought it looked cool. So far it's holding up good.

The signs probably will get ruined. I'm finding that everything in the bays gets lots of wear, and fast!!

I like the idea of retro signs and other little additions to the wash. I have a similar ceramic sign on my pole barn. They make a clear coat in a spray can, it is cheap and may help preserve your signs. You would want to clean the signs with lacquer thinner first and you could apply wax after the clear coat cures.