Express tunnel car wash opening checklist
Every opening, before the first car21 items18–25 minutes
This is a full opening walk from a working express tunnel. TunnelRunner's starter library has a shorter one you can adopt as-is; this is the longer version to build from. It is ordered the way the walk actually happens — you start at the entrance, you end at the office — so nobody doubles back across a wet lot.
Take it as a starting point and change it to match your own equipment. It is not safety advice, a compliance program, or a substitute for the manufacturer's instructions for your tunnel.
Before the gates go up
- Gates up and the entrance is clear
- Lot walked for debris, cones and overnight damageAnything a customer could drive over, and anything that was not there last night.
- Lighting and signage onMenu boards, tunnel lighting and any lane arrows.
Safety, before anything runs
- E-stops tested at entry, mid and exitPress each one. The belt should stop inside a second.
- Photo eyes wiped and confirmedA dirty eye reads as a car that is not there.
- Guards and access panels closed
- Nobody in the tunnel before the belt startsSay it out loud and look, every time, even alone.
The tunnel walk
- Wrap and mitter conditionphotoPhotograph anything frayed or torn so the tech can see it before he drives out.
- Top brush and side brush free of debris
- Correlator and conveyor running cleanListen for it as much as look at it.
- Nozzles and arches unblockedA blocked nozzle shows up as a stripe down the car, not as an alarm.
- Blowers and dryers clear
Chemicals and readings
- Presoak titrationreadingTitrate the presoak and put the reading in. Target is 8 to 12 points.
- Drum levels checked and loggedAnything under a quarter gets ordered today, not when it runs out.
- No leaks under the pumps or at the fittings
- Water and air pressure at normalreading
Grounds and vacuums
- Vac stalls emptied, hoses intact
- Bins emptied and trash pulled
- Pay stations and kiosks awake and taking paymentRun a test transaction rather than trusting the screen.
Before you open the lane
- First car through and inspectedphotoPhotograph the finish on the first car of the day.
- Anything the next shift should knownoteOptional. Skip it if the morning was clean.
Or stop printing it.
Build this list in TunnelRunner and it runs on the attendant's phone, one item at a time. Readings stay on the record, photos carry a timestamp, and anything flagged opens a work order on your dashboard before you have driven in.
Start free trial