Car Wash Blog / Self Serve Industry Blog and Forum
Here are some more pictures from the ICA show. I always go by the ERIE booth but I didn’t purchase anything this year. I went by Self Service CarWashNews to take a magazine even though I subscribe, for the flight back. I also like to go by Ra-Lock but their products seemed the same this year. Which I guess is good? No real break in problems this year.
Why is it every time I hear the word GREEN it makes me feel like there is a scam involved? The ICA had a Green Pavilion this year and you think “what are people trying to sell us this time?” But this is really bad even though I am not a treehugger.
From the ICA website ” All products accepted into the Green Pavilion must meet at least one of the following criteria” ONE!!!???
“Less toxic, Minimally polluting, More energy efficient, Safer and healthier for customers employees and the environment”
What product wouldn’t qualify? This is absolutely hilarious and makes you wonder about all the other GREEN scams out there!
This was a new product that everyone was talking about this year. It was from Hydra-Flex Inc. the Aqua-Lsb TX 9000F Chemical Delivery System. Wow that is a mouth full! The big unit (first picture) costs around $15,000 and it replaces all your hydrominders with injectors and delivery pumps. You can supposedly save up to 20% including electricity, water, chemical and maintenance! But not really sure what the difference would be if you regulated your water into your hydrominders? Also the other problem they pointed out was the hydrominder tips ware and that is how the unit saves on chemicals.
The little unit (last picture) I was told was for self-serve but I talked to Hydra-Flex last year (when they only sold injectors) and they said injectors were not good for self-serve, only automatics and tunnels so who knows? The guy was also trying to sell a unit to my Dad. 🙂
Fragramatics sells the largest vacuum in the WORLD! Just what you need… a vacuum with everything on it. Talk about everything being in a huge knot every time someone uses anything. Just seems like a bad idea. Couple that with the unit probably being hard to work on for repairs like the older models. But I think they look the best in the business though, which is good except for the ugly flower. Well I thought it was fine until Greg pointed it out to me now I hate the flower.
Just a large air compressor… that’s all.
This was an interesting product. A basic J.E. Adams vacuum with a credit card reader, bill acceptor and coin acceptor.
A D/H Dilling-Harris self-serve bay in a vacuum stand!
This looks like it would be fun driving around the neighborhood!
I like RFID but this year they seemed to not push it as much.
Something that was really hard to find were dog washes. Also no motorcycle washes like last year.
From the makers of the Navigator (Pro Car Wash Equipment) they bring to you an interesting concept. An express tunnel that will fit in a self serve bay! Just add a conveyor and a pit.
Did you know that Sonny’s sells a friction and a touch free automatic? Sonny’s I think is going to hire everyone in the industry and also put everyone else out of business. If you watched the show floor the Sonny’s booth was where all the action was. Even places like Kleen-Rite need to watch out! Speaking of Kleen-Rite do you notice the thing on the right the touch free automatic? Yes it is a Cobra that purple thing that Kleen-Rite use to sell.
I really liked this product. This could replace your neon and stand up to vandalism better. I lost their show specials but their website says $500 for 100 foot roll. SunLitz LEDs by Rain Tunnel not really sure about their name. SunLiz? What is that suppose to be Sunled?
I really liked this product! But he did not have any brochures and business cards so I wrote in on one of my cards and I lost it. But you can set up the credit card processing through anyone unlike Etowah Valley’s system and you can also get a Hamilton credit card reader for it I think it costs around $2800? The system is for 6 ports and it costs around $6000? All it uses is 1 cat5 run to connect and high speed internet and you can repair the credit card reader!
Now I am going to have to try some Microcoin coin acceptors. These seem great! But if you look above the coin acceptor there is a little black box. That is part of the coin acceptor…… that is CRAPPY! But everything else sounds great. No tool opening to clear jams and seems easy to program. Will not jam with really crappy coins, it has a 2 year warranty, and it can be repaired reasonably unlike IDX X-10 (the guy said $60-$80). Plus you can program tons of coins and it is not that bad of a price (retails for $219.95).
First day of the ICA show!
They made a new rule this year for certain people that go around and solicit businesses for sales / advertising, but they did not enforce it. It is really a big problem and I guess you would just have to turn them in?
I really didn’t do anything today besides talk to people and really didn’t get around to taking that many pictures.
This is a view from my window. If you like tennis I guess it is okay?
This year I got an exhibitor pass from Southeastern Carwash Association (SECWA) so I was able to walk the floor early. (Thanks SECWA.). The floor seemed smaller this year with less booths but we will have to wait on attendance and the numbers.
These pictures show the beautiful Birmingham Alabama International Airport. Do flights even go international directly from Birmingham? Or by international do they mean around our nation? So it should be Birmingham National Airport? I don’t know but I do know that I have a direct flight to Las Vegas, which is awesome!