Kicks ***... Cleans underneath the car as well and doesn't scratch paint. (Just need to bring a rag and get the spots it leaves).

And I've never seen my rims so clean. My car feels new now, put new oil in and it runs better (?wtf?). probably in my head.

 

Gotta love the feeling

I never have luck with those touch free. Always leaves durt.

 

how the hell does a touchless work?
Water dont touch it?
Roger

 

no, only water touches it. no brushes.

i think if you have a really good wax coat on the car, brushless car washes work very well. i like that some clean under the car too. but i like to handwash the car when i can, most of the time. but after driving on the beach, i go to the nearest wash before heading home.

 

the effectiveness of touchless washes usually depends on exactly how dirty your car is. i mean, if its really filthy, the high-pressure water spray from the wash wont do much.

take it from me, i used to take my car throught the touchless wash about 3x a week.

 

It really is most effective as a rinse on a dusty car as long as you don't have to much brake dust (mixed with tire shine) the wheels turn out nice too. I does not do well on bugs or road **** but if you keep her waxed nice and clean most of the time they work great.
l8tr -- SS

 

Thats a great solution when your in a hurry but...





Hand wash your car with a very soft rag and a bucket of soapy water to get a smooth finish before you wax or polish. The dirt that the touchless can't remove will cause swirl marks.

 

I am part-owner of a self-serve carwash with 2 touchless automatic washes. I can tell you that there are hundreds of different kinds of touchless autos out there and only about 10-15 of them actually do a good job. We finally decided on the "Water Wizard". We have had very good results and I have never seen more happy customers in my life. They are absoultely shocked when they get out of their car and see how clean it is.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Touchless Automatic Washes check out my website.

www.singbros.com/sudz

I designed and built this website myself so let me know what you think!

 

The one I used was called a "Something Something 4000" and it had similar steps to the one on your website.

 

It was probably a Laserwash 4000. There are several of those in my area, mostly tied in with convenience stores. They are pretty good from what I hear.

 

Yeah, I have a laserwash 4000 by me. I've had nothing but bad experiences with that thing, but then again I really need a wax job. It works well on my friends new car. To get the best results you need a nice wax job and you should hose down your car before hand.

 

C'mon, you got show some love for your Max...hand massage that dirt away. Your Max deserves no less(unless you are in Valdosta GA make sure to go to Suds place).

 

New oil will make your car run better.

 

Thanks. I agree, I still end up hand washing mine at home most of the time. Its really the only way to get to all the curves and hard-to-reach places. You can't beat the touchless when its cold outside though.

 

That's all I use. Its great to come out an automatic wash with no scratches.

 

guyz when u hand wash ur car, how do u do it so that there are no water spots left on the car. I have a sterling mist 2k1, and i can only take it to the local carwash because everytimei do it by hand, there are always waterspots left and makes it look dirty again.

 

We have the Laserwash here too, they're not bad for a quick cleaning, they usually do a pretty good job. But nothing beats like a hand job...

BTW, Suds1, I'd love to get more info from you. I've thought a million times about a setup like yours... NOT everyone wants to run through the autowasher - some love to bucket wash or whatever...

 

Get a leather shammy -(possibly spelled wrong) and dry it immediately after washing it and you won't get water spots. You can get a shammy at any AutoZone Murray's Auto or etc.

 

I hear the California Water blade works great... I want to get one..

Click here:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....threadid=31983

 

The absorber also works well($8 at Walmart). Much better than a chamois.

 

I think those touchless car wash sux. I use to go to those all the time but one day after a wash I noticed my car wasn't as bright, so I swiped my finger on my ride and I instantly noticed where I swiped the car was cleaner. I paid for the highest touchless wash too. They ain't bad for a quick wash. Nothing beats the hand job. (yeah I know a lot of people are rolling their eyes on that statement) Yeah you'll get no scratches, but your car won't be clean enough. Just my 2 cents.

 

When I handwash mine I usually try and do it early in the morning before the sun is overhead. It gives you a chance to dry your car before the sun bakes those annoying spots on.

...or find yourself a nice self-serve car wash and wash it in a shaded washbay and use the spot-free rinse option.

 

I actually use both a California Water Blade and a Chamois. The Chamois gets the water that the Water Blade misses. But I am getting ready to make another switch to the Big Blue Drying Towel (Microfiber). BTW, I also have an absorber.

 

these machines work pretty well when the owners follow the directions on the soap. They tend to dilute it and let it sit longer, which is really a problem. Not only does it not clean the car, but can damage the paint over time. Good soap for these things can really be expensive. If a carwash isnt getting you clean, then there could be more up than just your car being too dirty. Try another place.

After I understood what's in carwash soaps, I wash by hand now. Some of that stuff is pretty caustic. At a reputable place, its safe and works well, but at some place cutting corners... well, lets just say my nissan clear doesnt need any more help coming off.

 

Your exactly right. The soap is the most important thing on an automatic carwash. I don't know what some owners are thinking by cutting corners. We only use Turtle Wax chemicals. They are VERY expensive but in my opinion it is the main reason we have been so successful.

 

sudz1,
I don't want to get off the subject too much of what this thread was originally about, BUT:

I am very seriously persuing the notion of opening up a automated car wash (laser wash or water wizard) here in Houston Tx. I tried to talk to someone here in Houston, but he didn't want to share too much. I guess he doesn't want the competition, which I can understand. This is something that I have wanted to do for years and am in a position where it can be a reality.

I hate to bombard you w/ questions, but I can't help but ask!
My questions:
- Would you recommend this?
- Do YOU think Water Wizard is better than Laser Wash?
- Was it tough starting out?
- Are there certain things that you look for in a location, other than lack of car washes, etc?
- What are some risks?

I'll understand if you don't want to share this info. The only reason why I'm asking is just that you're in Georgia and I'm In Texas, so I'm not a threat.

 

I take my AWD Dodge Caravan through a touchless carwash in Monroe, WA on Sunday nights after two days of driving up and down the pass for skiing. The van is usually caked with road grime, deicer solution, and sand. There is usually so much grit on the van that I would never consider a brush carwash. The touchless wash does an excellent job; considering what it starts with. I don't know what brand it is.

 

You know, it's kind of funny because my family is thinking of buying a car wash as well, but again we're in Dallas, TX so I'd like to hear those answers from SUDZ as well. But then again, I hope im not a threat to anyone either!

As far as washing my own car, I usually try to do it myself, only and only with clean water and no other chemicals or shamp...Thats why in my opinion, it never leaves any marks or lines from just a clean water. But when its cold, we have a Mercedes dealership near my house, where they have a really good car wash for their cars that they sell, so I pretend that I'm one of their employees and just run my car through their wash and never been questioned about...But it's still not a brushless one.

 

dont allow the water to dry. wash the car in the shade if possible. i dont have trees anywhere nearby since i live in the business district of my city so what i do is take it to the carwash to get off the dirt and debris. then i drive it to a shady area.

of course, some of the water will dry, but the trick is to have one bucket of water, a 100% terry cloth towel, and a chamois [pronounced: shammy]. i use a genuine chaomois, but some say that synthetics are the best (last longer, etc). the genuine works fine for me so i wont bother buying a synthetic one... yet.

so if the car has partly dried after driving to the shady area, use the wet terry cloth towel to wet a portion of the car and wipe down with a damp chamois. this will leave a streakfree finish and no water marks. it owns!!! however, it is important to make sure your car is clean before doing this, because dirt can damage your clear coat or even scratch. also, dont use the chamois in circles. fold it up nicely, and drag it across the surface in straight lines.

some other tips: some detailers say the best way to drag the chamois is to follow the lines of the car (how air would pass over when youre driving) everywhere except the sides. on the sides they say to go vertically (up & down). its a pain to go up&down but it does make the car look more reflective on the sides.

do what ive said and i guarantee you'll love how your car looks! btw, i have a superblack car, so i know how the water/streak marks can be annoying!!

good luck

 

1. The carwash industry is kinda tricky. It is good if you find the right location and have 25-30 hours a week you can invest in it. I work full time with my family and do my part at the carwash on the side. My situation is flexible because I can go to the carwash whenever I need to as long as I am getting my work done at my regular job. BTW, If your thinking of this being your only income you might want to look elsewhere. Even the best carwashes would have a hard time supporting a family. You need to have some mechanical ability because you will need to learn to do minor repairs to the equipment yourself.

2. The Water Wizard is a hundred times better than the Laserwash in my opinion. The criss-cross action of the rinse cycle makes all the difference. They are also very easy to maintain and repair.

3. It is pretty tough starting out. It takes a while to build a loyal customer base and you have to come up with some pretty unique marketing strategies to get some customers to try your wash the first time. The hardest thing about starting out is the $$$ it takes to build a carwash. Everybody thinks it is a cheap business to start. Nope. The building itself is fairly cheap (Its just cinderblock) but the equipment adds up in a hurry.

4. Lack of carwashes is the main thing. High traffic volume. Colleges and apartment complexes nearby help.

5. The main risk is not being able to make the loan payment every month. If you have a month where it rains 15 days out of the month it can seriously hurt your revenue. You need to go into it with a little extra cash to get you through the first year. What I may end up facing this year If we don't get some rain down here soon is water restrictions. Its good if they only restrict residential watering but bad if they shut me down.

The BEST thing about the carwash industry is that you have few or no employees to deal with. Anybody who has ever managed a business know what I am talking about. We have NO employees. Me and the other two partners rotate working on the weekends when it is busy and we all pitch in to do the daily chores that have to be done.

Hope this helps.

 

Man, I really appreciate all the info on this. You've said a lot of things I didn't think of. It would be family run as well. My father does have good mechanical ability. (Not so much me) I'm glad that I now know about Water Wizard.

Those start-up costs are steep, but I can see how it would cost that much to do it right.

One thing though... You said that your cost was $740K to build, but if I was just interested in an automatic, then somewhere around $90K. Is this $amt just for the Water Wizard mechanism itself and nothing else? Or is the real start-up cost closer to the $740K when all said and done?

Again, I appreciate all the help you've already given!!

 

I refuse to use those anymore. They may not touch your car and clean it well, but they also have a de-greaser agent that strips the wax right off the car.

 

suds1,
Once again.... Thanks!

 

I agree with you I just use good old fashion water. Do you go to the gym on Campbell near Coit, I saw a Max very similiar to yours in that lot one day?

 

Yeah, I go to that 24 Hour Fitness pretty much everyday during the week. You work out there as well?