Vehicle cleaning protocol in an automatic car-wash tunnel

This protocol organises the chemistry of an automatic car-wash tunnel for passenger cars by phase: insect pre-wash, foam arch, main wash with brushes, rinses and final polish before blow-drying. Each phase is matched to a product from the Instaquim catalogue with the dose from its technical data sheet; the mechanical parameters of the tunnel (pressure, flow rate, conveyor speed, time in each arch) are set by the equipment manufacturer. For an overview of the range, see the article products used in an automatic car-wash tunnel.

Materials required

• Carin: alkaline detergent for bodywork and squashed insects, 10-50 g/l for light soiling (pH 12.8 ±0.8)
• Carfoam: foaming detergent for automatic tunnels, 3-8 g/l (pH 8.5 ±0.5)
• Procar: neutral detergent for the main wash in automatic tunnels, 5-10 g/l (pH 7.5 ±0.5)
• Box car (osmosis water, 4-8 g/l at the nozzle) or Box car + (hard water, 2-6 g/l at the nozzle): alkaline powder detergents for high pressure, pH (1 %) 10 ±0.5
• Ceracar (5-8 g/l) or Ceracar + (3-5 g/l): polishes for the final rinse
• Carclean: detergent for lorries, coaches and heavily soiled vehicles under high pressure, 10-50 g/l for light soiling (pH at 1 % 10 ±1)
• Tapis: detergent for carpets and upholstery, at 5 %, if the centre offers interior cleaning with a spray-extraction machine
• Proportional dispensers or dosing pumps for the liquid products and a powder dispenser for Box car / Box car +
• Graduated measuring cylinder or titration kit, pH strips and a consumption and dose record sheet

Step-by-step procedure

1. Preliminary tunnel check: check tank levels, dispenser suction lines, absence of leaks and operation of brushes, arches and blowers. Note the consumption of each product; a consumption very different from expected usually indicates a miscalibrated dispenser or a blocked suction line.
2. Adjusting the dose at the nozzle: with the tunnel running and no vehicle, collect solution from each arch in a measuring cylinder and check that the concentration is within the technical data sheet range: 5-10 g/l for Procar, 3-8 g/l for Carfoam, 5-8 g/l for Ceracar or 3-5 g/l for Ceracar +. For the powder products, adjust the dispenser so that the nozzle output is 4-8 g/l (Box car) or 2-6 g/l (Box car +) according to the degree of soiling and water hardness. Start from the low end of the range.
3. Insect and front-end pre-wash (Carin): before entering the tunnel or in the first pre-wash arch, spray Carin diluted at 10 to 50 g/l onto the front end, bumpers, mirrors and windscreen. Leave to act for a few minutes and rinse with plenty of water, preferably with a pressure washer. Carin can be used with water at ambient temperature and does not attack aluminium. For lorry and coach fleets, the pre-wash can be done with Carclean at 10-50 g/l under high pressure, with no need for scrubbing.
4. Foam arch (Carfoam): apply Carfoam at 3-8 g/l in the foam arch. It is a high-foaming detergent designed specifically for washing bodywork in automatic tunnels: the foam keeps the product on the bodywork until it reaches the brush zone.
5. Main wash with brushes (Procar): dose Procar at 5 to 10 g/l in the arches feeding the side and roof brushes. It is a neutral detergent (pH 7.5 ±0.5) for continuous use in washing car bodywork in tunnels. If adhered dirt arrives that the foam and brush do not remove, correct it in the pre-wash (step 3), not by raising the Procar dose above the data sheet.
6. Brushless high-pressure wash (Box car / Box car +): in tunnels or gantries with high-pressure arches instead of brushes, or as reinforcement on underbodies and wheel rims, dose the alkaline powder detergent: Box car at 4-8 g/l at the nozzle if the installation works with osmosis water, or Box car + at 2-6 g/l if the water is hard. Both are indicated for the high-pressure washing and care of bodywork, vehicles and other transport equipment.
7. Intermediate rinse: rinse until no foam or visible detergent remains. Detergent residues reduce the effect of the subsequent polish and leave films on drying; if the rinse arches do not remove them, check for blocked nozzles or excessive dosing in steps 4-6.
8. Final rinse with polish (Ceracar or Ceracar +): dose Ceracar at 5 to 8 g/l or Ceracar + at 3 to 5 g/l, always in the final rinse. They are products indicated for rinsing and polishing car bodywork in automatic tunnels, acidic in nature (Ceracar pH 3.5 ±0.5; Ceracar + pH 4 ±1) and based on cationic surfactants, so they must be applied when no detergent remains on the surface. If osmosis water is available, use it in this last arch to reduce limescale spotting.
9. Blow-drying: activate the blowers according to the manufacturer's programme. Drying is mechanical: the polish does not replace blow-drying. Check that no drops remain trapped in seals, mirrors and the bottom of doors.
10. Optional interior cleaning (Tapis): if the centre offers upholstery cleaning, apply Tapis diluted in water at 5 % manually or with a spray-extraction machine on seats and carpets. It is a detergent for carpets, upholstery and textile floor coverings (pH 10.0 ±0.5).
11. Close-out and record: note consumption, measured doses and incidents. Keep containers closed with the safety data sheets accessible. Do not mix products or transfer leftovers from one tank to another: the polishes are acidic and cationic and the wash detergents neutral or alkaline.

Verification and control

The most useful check is the vehicle at the exit: no adhered dirt on the front end and underbody, no foam in seals and trim, no films or limescale spots after blow-drying and a uniform shine. As a chemical control, measure the concentration at the nozzle of each arch weekly and compare it with the technical data sheet range: a dose below it explains poor cleaning; a dose above it, residual foam, high consumption and films on drying. The pH of the working solutions is a quick check: that of Procar must be neutral and that of Ceracar or Ceracar + clearly acidic; if not, there is cross-contamination or a dispenser drawing from the wrong tank. Record consumption per product and vehicles washed.

Safety and PPE

• Protective gloves, clothing and eye protection when handling the concentrates; Carin, Carclean, Box car and Box car + are alkaline and cause serious eye damage according to their labelling
• Avoid breathing the dust when loading Box car and Box car + into the powder dispenser
• Ceracar, Ceracar +, Procar and Carfoam: avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothing; they cause eye irritation or serious eye damage depending on the product
• In case of contact with eyes, rinse with water for several minutes
• Non-slip footwear and waterproof clothing in the wet zone of the tunnel
• Eyewash station accessible next to the dosing and product storage area
• Do not mix chemical products; safety data sheets available at the workstation

Recommended Instaquim products

Instaquim's car-wash tunnel range: Procar, neutral detergent for the main wash (5-10 g/l); Carfoam, foaming agent for the foam arch (3-8 g/l); Ceracar and Ceracar +, final-rinse polishes (5-8 g/l and 3-5 g/l); Box car and Box car +, alkaline powders for high pressure with osmosis and hard water respectively; Carin for insects and pre-wash and Carclean for lorries, coaches and tankers. For upholstery, Tapis. The doses are those of the technical data sheets and are adjusted within the range according to the soiling and water of each installation.

Applicable legislation: Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 on detergents (labelling and biodegradability of surfactants), Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP) on the classification, labelling and packaging of products, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH) and safety data sheets, and the conditions of the municipal discharge permit for wash water.

Frequently asked questions

What detergent dose is used in an automatic car-wash tunnel?

It depends on the product and the phase. According to Instaquim's technical data sheets: Procar, 5-10 g/l in the main wash; Carfoam, 3-8 g/l in the foam arch; Ceracar, 5-8 g/l, and Ceracar +, 3-5 g/l, in the final rinse. Within each range the dose is adjusted according to the soiling.

What is the difference between Procar and Carfoam?

Both are indicated for washing bodywork in automatic tunnels. Procar is neutral (pH 7.5 ±0.5) and is used in the brush wash at 5-10 g/l; Carfoam is high-foaming (pH 8.5 ±0.5) and is used in the foam arch at 3-8 g/l.

Which product is used against squashed insects before washing?

Carin, an alkaline detergent (pH 12.8 ±0.8) widely used for removing squashed insects before washing. It is applied at 10 to 50 g/l with a sprayer or high-pressure machine, left to act for a few minutes and rinsed with plenty of water. It does not attack aluminium.

Are Ceracar and Ceracar + waxes? Which one should I choose?

They are rinsing and polishing products for bodywork in automatic tunnels, acidic (Ceracar pH 3.5 ±0.5; Ceracar + pH 4 ±1) and based on cationic surfactants. Ceracar is dosed at 5-8 g/l and Ceracar + at 3-5 g/l, always in the final rinse.

Which powder detergent is best according to the type of water?

Box car, indicated for osmosis water, at 4-8 g/l at the nozzle; Box car +, indicated for hard water, at 2-6 g/l. Both have pH (1 %) 10 ±0.5 and are dosed with a powder dispenser.

And for lorries, coaches or heavily soiled vehicles?

Carclean, indicated for lorries, coaches, tankers and heavily soiled vehicles with high-pressure machines, with no need for scrubbing: 10-50 g/l for light soiling and, for heavy soiling and engines, from 50 % to neat. It contains no solvents and does not attack aluminium.

Do car-wash tunnel products carry an ecolabel?

No. The products in this range (Procar, Carfoam, Carin, Carclean, Box car, Box car +, Ceracar and Ceracar +) do not carry an ecolabel. All are sold with a technical data sheet and a safety data sheet in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP) and Regulation (EC) No 648/2004.