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Car wash tunnelsA car wash tunnel serves as the building or housing for an automated car wash system. It is a long, narrow structure, usually made of glass, metal or fiberglass that holds all the car wash equipment. The tunnels are big enough for a wide range of car sizes. The cars are moved through a series of cleaning processes, including spraying, soaping, rinsing, drying and waxing. Cars are put in neutral and set on either a pair of tracks or a conveyer system. There is an entrance and an exit at both ends, and traffic goes through via a linear motion, meaning it is only able to travel in one direction. Near the entrance, a pull-up payment machine accepts either coins or credit cards. Once the car has driven onto the tracks or conveyer, photo eye censors start the process. As the car slowly moves through the car wash tunnel, it stops at different cleaning processes. If the tunnel is housing a cloth friction wash system, it contains a series of different curtains and brushes that come in contact with the car in order to clean it. If the system is touchless, the tunnel contains high-pressure water nozzles. Both use rinse arches, which holds rinsing water nozzles on the ceiling of the tunnel that removes the soap, foam and remaining dirt or oil from the car exterior. The last step in most car wash tunnels is a drying system and though it is rarer, a waxing option.
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