Car wash maintenance tips.
Industry-leading car wash owners understand that one of their primary responsibilities is to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the site and car wash maintenance.
Car wash efficiency
High up on the list of car wash operator best practices are closely monitoring equipment performance and completing all recommended upkeep tasks. Being vigilant ensures that owners, managers and employees can depend on machines and bays to function effectively and efficiently, especially on high traffic and rush days.
Now more than ever, the majority of car wash sites depend on various types of fine-tuned technology to generate profits. In the best car washes, each service works together harmoniously including the pre-soaks, chemistry, brushes and dryers. This technical teamwork allows even the busiest locations to quickly turn out clean, dry vehicles in addition to satisfied customers.
Superior results = customer satisfaction
One piece of vehicle wash equipment that definitely contributes to superior results, as well as customer satisfaction, is the latest generation of car wash brushes.
Modern brushes are now designed using an array of washing materials. These new media protect paints and clear coats while increasing a business’ cleaning ability and aiding in producing dry vehicles.
Since they have proven so important, how can car wash owners get the most life and the best performance out of modern brushes?
Car wash brush maintenance
When it comes to car wash brush care best practices, it is recommended that operators check the brush material frequently.
Brushes may require weekly, monthly and yearly maintenance steps. Further, if a check is done on the brush conditions and one is worn out, owners should not procrastinate and should replace it accordingly.
Next, the car wash operator must regularly inspect the equipment that utilises the brushes. Capturing this peak performance is what will allow the wash to deliver a clean and shiny vehicle to all car wash customers.
Another way car wash owners can boost the performance and longevity of their brushes is through the use of quality chemicals.
Quality chemicals work to break down the dirt on the vehicle and allows the different car wash materials to wipe any soils away. In addition, a quality chemical produces the lubrication essential for closed foam brushes, and it boosts both material longevity.
Brush replacement
For brush replacement, traditional media fills typically required an expensive and time-consuming reload when they began to break down. Car wash owners wishing to increase the longevity of their cleaning media should now look for a low-impact yet effective fill.
Fortunately, modern fills can be easy to maintain and their longevity can eliminate the need for frequent, complete media reloads.
New designs mean that full brush replacement is also less of an issue for modern tunnels. A brush option available to car wash operators today is designed so that each individual “hand” is easily replaceable. The operator can switch out parts of the brush instead of having to replace everything on the wheel when the media is breaking down.
Latest advances
The latest advances in car wash brushes involve the updated materials used in the manufacturing process.
Materials such as closed-cell foams and different drying materials have become popular in the modern wash process. Car wash equipment manufacturers have developed equipment that maximise the benefit of these popular new foams. Working with the new drying materials, these upgrades generate a cleaner, dryer result for the car wash customers.
Another recent innovation in car wash media now enables operators to reduce the rotational speeds of their cleaning wheels. Brush speeds can be reduced by two-thirds the speed of traditional wheels, allowing equipment to ‘safely massage’ the vehicle rather than whip the surface resulting in a gentle, damage-free car wash experience and a clean and shiny car.
Vehicle-friendly media
Modern car wash brushes have improved over earlier options used in car wash tunnels by being more ‘vehicle friendly’.
Closed-cell foam brushes are softer than traditional carwash materials. As a result, the newer options are more forgiving, resulting in less damage and less disturbance of soft clear-coat paints.
These materials drive two changes across the carwash industry. They allow car wash manufacturers to reintroduce the top brush and develop drying equipment to place at the end of the wash process. This automated drying resulted in less use of employee labour.
Traditional fast-spinning brush wheels had to rotate at three times the speed of current options in order for the wash media to reach the surface of the vehicle.
This issue has been addressed through lighter, self-supporting wash media that reduces the rotational speed of the cleaning wheels significantly.
Today, we see less ‘beating’ and more cleaning.
Driving wash results
Modern brushes help improve results in a wash by generating a dryer vehicle while providing a safe, damage-free wash process for paying customers. An added benefit that comes with the use of certain media is a shinier finish. This shine comes about because there is a reduction of disturbance to vehicles’ clear-coat paints.
Brushes with drying materials also help produce a dryer vehicle, requiring less labour.
These brushes are used to turn out dry vehicles working with a drying machine at the end of the car wash. Car wash manufacturers have developed drying top and wheel brushes that utilise different type of drying material. They are located after the dryers and dry the remaining droplets left on the vehicle.
Brushes not only produce a cleaner and dryer vehicle for the customer, but they will also create and strengthen your car wash businesses revenue stream.
High-performance brushes are essential when it comes to tunnel washes, and owners can ensure longer life and improved performance by using quality chemicals and performing the regular maintenance recommended by manufacturers.
Get in Touch
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly team. We’re here to help and work with you to make your car wash facility a success.
Good Sight Car Wash Equipment Australia
We can assist in all aspects of the growth and success of your car wash facility, automotive dealership or car rental business including site assessment, car wash design, machine installation, service and repairs, and, importantly, ongoing support to ensure the success and growth of your facility.
We are Australia’s leading suppliers of car wash equipment. We have been offering Australia-wide sales & service since 1968 and were the first suppliers of automatic car wash systems in the country. Since, we have always been able to pride ourselves as offering a highly professional level of service and support to our clients.
Our compehensive range of car wash machines include:
- automatic (rollover) machines
- touchless car wash machines
- conveyors and tunnels
- self serve machines
- heavy vehicle car wash equipment
- car wash enclosures
- car wash design
- car wash equipment and accessories
Additionally, we offer a full range of vehicle wash services including car wash installation, upgrades and maintenance for car wash businesses, petroleum retailers, automotive dealerships, fleet and rental car businesses.
We can also assist with a range of car wash accessories including coin-operated car vacuums, vending machines and dog washes.
Consultation
We have the industry knowledge and experience to help you assess your future objectives, identify business opportunities and develop the solutions in accordance with your unique site requirements
Sales
Our goal is to build relationships with our clients, working with them to build a car wash system for their specific needs and requirements and then support their business for the long term.
Installation
From initial installation of your new or updated equipment, our car wash technicians and tradespeople work closely with your architect, project managers and builders to offer a smooth installation service.
Service + Support
We have an Australia-wide support network of car wash service technicians, backed by a full inventory of spare parts. Our flexible and economical maintenance options provide you with business peace of mind.