Revolutionizing Car Washes: How Predictive Maintenance is Driving the Future
Recently, David Meffe, Senior Vice President of Sales for OnLogic sat down with the International Car Wash Association (ICA) together with Remus Pop from Concept Reply and Luke Bame from Ascentek and Reliable Plus to dive into a new, hardware-enabled solution called Car Wash Co-Pilot that puts real-time insights into the hands of any car wash operator, regardless of OEM brand.
Have you ever pulled into a car wash, only to find it shut down or malfunctioning? If you think that’s frustrating, imagine how the car wash owner feels. It's a direct hit to their bottom line, since according to Luke, service outages can cost on average a car wash $1,500 to $1,800 per day in revenue.
The good news? The car wash industry is embracing a significant transformation, moving towards predictive maintenance to ensure smoother operations and maximize profits.
Continue reading for the recap, or watch the interview below.
Predictive Maintenance Leads to Smarter Car Washes: Conversations with ICA - 8-8-2025
The problem: Reactive maintenance and lost revenue
For too long, car wash maintenance has been reactive.
Luke Bane, Senior Director at Reliable Plus, notes that while some planned maintenance occurs, "80% of the time it's reactive. When the door sticks, or a blower motor fails, this can lead to costly downtime and emergency repair jobs. It’s an annoying experience for customers and a drain on profitability for owners.”
The solution: Predictive maintenance for peak performance
Car Wash Co-Pilot addresses these challenges head-on with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution. The system uses sensors and hardware to aggregate crucial data to monitor equipment health, from temperature and decibel levels to bearing operation and lubrication. This data is then analyzed using AI, allowing for highly accurate predictions of equipment failure and proactive maintenance scheduling. That means you get service when you need it, not when it’s not necessary and not when it’s too late.
A key differentiator of Car Wash Co-Pilot is its equipment agnostic nature, meaning it can operate in any type of car wash, regardless of the manufacturer. This broad applicability effectively democratizes the car wash ecosystem.
Powering the Intelligence
At the heart of this innovative solution is OnLogic industrial hardware.
Remus Pop explains their choice: "The reason that we use OnLogic is because it's proven to be reliable for us. These robust systems are designed for harsh environments, like a car wash, and serve as a crucial gateway to aggregate and process data locally before sending it to the cloud, significantly reducing data transfer costs.”
David Meffe highlights the broader impact of this technology, noting how lessons from industries like manufacturing apply: "The value that we bring manufacturing applies to so many industries, like the car wash industry. Our highly configurable systems can handle harsh environments and enable applications like preventative maintenance, AI and more.”
Delivering value: More uptime, less worry
The benefits of Car Wash Co-Pilot are multi-faceted:
For car wash owners: More uptime and peace of mind which allows them to focus on their business without constant worry about equipment failure. It also opens doors for deeper analytics, helping owners make smarter investment decisions across multiple locations.
For service providers: The ability to conduct better scheduled maintenance significantly reduces emergency calls and associated costs, improving efficiency for their service technicians.
Future-proofing: This infrastructure sets the stage for exciting future innovations, such as dynamic car washes that can adapt chemical concentrations based on a car's unique needs.
The future is connected: Powering your next big idea
Car Wash Co-Pilot truly embodies the concept of the "Internet of Everything," connecting car wash assets to deliver actionable information swiftly to those who need it most—be it a maintenance tech, the owner, or the service team.
Want to learn more about the robust hardware solutions that make innovative applications like Car Wash Co-Pilot possible? Explore OnLogic industrial hardware and see how it can power your next big idea!
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