Date Auto

Car washes come in different types: touchless and cloth friction wash. In a touchless car wash, powerful jets of water and strong detergents are used to clean the car without any physical contact. Only the water and cleaning solutions actually come into contact with the car’s surface.

On the other hand, cloth friction wash systems utilize soft cloth that is gently moved against the car’s surface. The system we’ll be discussing is based on cloth friction wash technology, but it shares many components with touchless car washes.

To begin the process, the car is placed on a conveyor track. At the start of the conveyor, there is a device known as a correlator. The correlator consists of a series of wheels or rollers that allow the car’s wheels to slide sideways until they are aligned with the conveyor.

Once the car is properly aligned, it is turned off and placed in neutral. Most conveyor systems have small rollers that pop up behind the wheel once it is on the conveyor. These rollers push the wheels forward, causing the car to move along the tunnel. The term “tunnel” refers to the long bay where the car wash process takes place, whether it’s an exterior-only or full-service system. There are two common types of conveyor systems:

1. Front-wheel pull (FWP): Engages the front left wheel.
2. Rear-wheel push (RWP): Engages the rear left wheel.

As the car enters the tunnel, it passes through an infrared beam positioned between two sensors, often referred to as “eyes.” One eye emits infrared light, which is then detected by the eye on the other side of the tunnel.

As soon as the infrared beam is interrupted, the eyes send a signal to the digital control system (DCS), which is the computer responsible for running the automated portion of the car wash. By measuring the duration of the interrupted signal, the DCS determines the length of the vehicle and adjusts the system accordingly.

It’s important to note that the above information pertains to the general operation of cloth friction wash systems in how auto car wash works.