DS5000 #3 currently homed in STL Auto Wash of Sunset Hills, MO
2022 is a year not only of incredible growth and advancement for D&S Car Wash Equipment Company – seen with its latest innovation the IQ MAX – but so too is it a year of reflection. Holding the special moniker of D&S’ 50-Year Anniversary, we’ve shined a fair bit of light on D&S Legacy Equipment over this year. The D&S Odyssey, Quicksilver, and i5000 lines of equipment all played integral roles for D&S’ success over the last half-century – but arguably the first monumental breakthrough for the company came in the form of the DS5000 line of equipment, the grandaddy of them all.
We’ve explored the contributions this machine provided for D&S as well as the industry at large previously, but 2 examples of the power of the DS5000 are at the forefront of today’s focus. The first being the 3rd DS5000 machine ever installed located in Sunset Hills, MO – along with it’s brother, DS5000 #4, located in Bowling Green, MO. Both machines were installed in 1991 – which puts each of their lifespans at 31 years each. Anyone in the car wash industry knows that this amount of life in a piece of car wash equipment is truly something to admire.
Making the mark even more remarkable is that one of these machines is set to be dismantled by the same pair of hands which installed them all those years ago – the hands of one Warran Mason of D&S Field Sales & Service will dismantle the machine in Sunset Hills, MO 31 years after he installed it in the first place. Mirroring the quality in longevity as the equipment he installed, Warran’s career has spanned over 3 decades and his hands have been part of hundreds of machine installs across the country – a truly remarkable career for himself crafted by the quality of his installs.
Having a product on the market for nearly a third of a century is any business’ dream, but having machinery cleaning vehicles in the field for over 3 decades is almost unheard of – and is truly a sight to behold. When asked about the workhorse designation of these particular installs, Head of D&S’ Field Sales and Service Division Bill Hoaglin said: “The revenue these machines have produced exceeds millions of dollars. [Both machines’] usable lives have extended over 3 decades of wash strength, reliability, and toughness.”
The amount of washes both units have seen – as well as the revenue these machines have generated – are nigh incalculable given their lengthy histories, and serve as testaments to D&S’ penchant for setting car wash operators and investors up for success from the very first step – especially when your people work just as hard as your machinery as evidenced with the capable and reliable hands of Warran Mason.
DS5000 #4 has already been replaced with an IQ Touch-Free unit by Corey Scheurman of D&S Distributor Tri-State Car Wash Solutions LLC.
In a world where new products constantly come in and are swept away just as quickly, these machines serve as a reminder of D&S’ commitment to producing the highest quality vehicle washing equipment on the market for the last 50 Years and beyond!
