New Loves Park business to offer unique experience for customers

LOVES PARK — Residents in the Rockford area will soon have another way to clean their vehicle.

A Tommy's Express Car Wash is coming to Loves Park.

Headquartered in Holland, Michigan, Tommy's is a fast-growing national car wash franchise with over 110 locations across the country.

The Loves Park franchise is under construction at 6803 Forest Hills Road.

The owner, franchisee Keith Zimmerman of Middleton, Wisconsin, said having your vehicle washed at a Tommy's Express Car Wash will be a different, if not unique, customer experience.

"It's open, it's clean, it's bright, and it's very modern," he said.

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The high-power wash features brushes and a conveyor belt system that moves your vehicle through the wash rather than the industry-standard chain-roller system.

The roller system, which entails rollers grabbing your front driver-side wheel and taking the vehicle down a metal track, can sometimes lead to scuffed tires or rim damage.

"But by driving on top of a rubber belt, which is literally a conveyor system that carries you through the car wash, nothing touches your wheels," he said. "So, there's no damage, and it's better performance."

In addition to the conveyor belt system, Tommy's Express is known for its high-tech automation and rapid service.

Zimmerman said, "There are some very unique and exclusive operational elements to what Tommy's has to offer, and it starts with most customers using a phone app to use the wash."

Customers who choose to download the app will be asked to enter their vehicle license plate number, what type of services they want with their car wash and method of payment method.

Once at the car wash, drivers can enter via one of three lanes. The first lane is teller-operated for those who want to pay by cash or have questions about the type of service they want or who need help with the app.

Lanes two and three are for customers who have downloaded the app. A license plate reader reads your license plate and a gate will open for you to proceed.

"When we read the license plate, the equipment is set specifically for your car wash," Zimmerman said. "We know what your vehicle is, we know the size your vehicle and we know what services you'd like."

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Once in the car wash, the conveyor belt will take your vehicle through a 130-foot tunnel, and you'll exit to a drying area with over a million BTUs before exiting the carwash and entering an area with several stalls for free vacuums and self-interior cleaning.

"The wash is very fast. The typical experience is under three minutes from the time you're pulling into our driveway to the time you are leaving regardless of how busy we are," Zimmerman said. "The performance is very high, you get a clean shinny car and you are out quickly."

Zimmerman anticipates employing 20 to 25 people and opening for business in late November or early December.

Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Tommy's Express Car Wash opening in the fall in Loves Park