Winter check – How to make your car wash winter-proof

Winter places different demands on the car wash than summer. Your customers adjust their washing regimes to the weather and the dirty winter roads. This is why you should check a few things thoroughly before temperatures really do plunge.

Can you maintain pleasant temperatures?

Motorists looking to wash their car in the winter do not usually drive to the self-service car wash, but come to the heated conveyor tunnel system or gantry car wash. This is the only way for customers to be sure that the car is completely dry again before being exposed to low temperatures, and that ice does not form after washing. Accordingly, you should check (if available) the functionality and maintenance status of the underfloor heating in the system. At the latest, when the frost sets in, you should not switch it off at all. If your system does not have underfloor heating, you can retrofit it with electric radiators or fan heaters. You should definitely be able to ensure that your customers can wash their cars at comfortable temperatures that are far from freezing.

If you do not know exactly what to look out for in this seasonal inspection, feel free to contact your service company – i.e. providers like WashTec. The specialists are happy to take care of your installation, carry out the service inspection and explain what to look out for in the cold winter months.

Check the underbody washer

In the season when slush, dirt and aggressive salt stick under the car, more people treat their car to an underbody wash than in summer. So carefully check the underbody washer for its proper functioning and wear. Incidentally, the same applies to all the washing material. Carefully inspect it and replace it if it is worn out. And since most motorists use the high-pressure cleaner in the winter before the washing programme to remove coarse dirt from the car, you should make sure that everything is working smoothly here too.

Check the dryer programme

If a car has been freshly washed in the pleasantly warm environment, it must be dried carefully so that the cold temperatures do not freeze even the last drops to ice outside. It's best to drive through the car wash with your own car and make sure that no drops remain. If that's the case, have the dryer module adjusted again by a service technician.

Keep an eye on the fuel

Whether you are heating with oil or gas, in winter you will use more fuel than in autumn. So you do not have to constantly check whether there is enough fuel left, you can equip the containers with sensors. So that there are no downtimes during operation, these will give you a signal when you need to refill.

The water circulation system must run smoothly

Take a look in the water tanks and the water conditioning system. Larger particles of dirt should be removed as a precautionary measure. Check all the filters. If they are heavily soiled, replace them. If there is a blockage in winter, the water may freeze and bring the whole system to a standstill.

Tests in case of frost

As soon as the thermometer drops to below zero, you should first check in the morning if the door mechanism is working. If you only discover that it cannot withstand the low temperatures when the first customers are standing in the yard, it is too late to avoid chaos.

Summary: Equip yourself against the cold

As the owner of a car wash, you know that regular servicing of the system will ensure it keeps working properly. At the beginning of winter, this service inspection should focus on the programmes that drivers use most frequently in the winter. Apart from that, it is especially important that you maintain a constant temperature in the car wash that is well above the freezing point.