Safe and shiny is the plan

Published 10:08 am Friday, May 12, 2017

A car dealer in Brookhaven has plans to become a car washer, too.

In 2004, Paul Barnett of Paul Barnett Nissan wanted to build a car wash but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. After years of research, he is finally opening a car wash next to his auto dealership on Brookway Boulevard.

“I wanted to tie in the automotive ownership experience. Nissan takes great pride in customer satisfaction and I want the experience to be over the top. It will complement the dealership, even though it is its own separate entity,” Barnett said.

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The 125-foot tunnel wash will offer several options — tire shine, paint protectants, windshield anti-rain treatments and the like — plus he’s installing a high-tech camera system to ensure that vehicles are protected throughout the car wash process.

“I did a great deal of research on car washes in terms of finding out what people like about them and what they don’t like. The equipment that I’ve gone with is top of the line. It produces the cleanest, damage free product that you can possibly have,” he said. “I trust this system so much, that I’ll be running my brand new inventory through it.”

The car wash will be open to the public as well and Barnett plans to offer memberships. Those will be especially handy for auto owners who like a clean ride.

Members can choose unlimited car washes or various packages. Membership prices haven’t been determined yet, but Barnett promises they’ll be affordable.

So how will membership work? Motorists will have a radio frequency identification stickers on their vehicle, so when they pull up to the tunnel entrance, the machine will recognize the vehicle and the package that was selected. Other options can be added using the drive-up touch screen.

“We’re creating an environment that is safe, clean and secure. We’re wanting to make the car-washing experience an enjoyable one. It’s a pretty big building because we want visibility, it will have bright colors and be eye catching when you’re driving down the boulevard. It’s going to be a little different from what Brookhaven is used to, I think it’s going to create a wow factor,” Barnett said.

An attendant will be on site. Customers will also have free access to vacuums.

Barnett plans to open the car wash mid-summer.