Hy-Lite Acrylic Block Walls

Products Reflect Colors and Light to Enhance Customer Experience at ScrubaDub Auto Wash Centers

At 19 ScrubaDub Auto Wash Centers across New England, acrylic block panels are used to enhance the customer experience. Designed into walls through which cars pass through, the company relies on Hy-Lite acrylic blocks to reflect colors and light during the car wash process.

acrylic block“We’ve used Clear Wave block walls as a point of interest at the entrance to our sites for more than 20 years,” says Bob Paisner, CEO of ScrubaDub Auto Wash Centers, Inc. “We incorporate a lot of colored lighting in our tunnels and we like how those lights reflect through the blocks. Along with being a truly unique visual aspect to our car washes, the Hy-Lite acrylic block walls also help keep the rinse water from getting into the drying area.”

Acrylic Block Wall Systems can be installed as room dividers, shower enclosures, interior accent pieces, and more. In addition, installation is easy with Hy-Lite’s snap-on installation accessories. Customers can choose from flat or L-shaped walls as well as dramatic radius walls in a variety of sizes.

Unique Use for Acrylic Blocks

acrylic blockPaisner came up with the idea for using acrylic blocks two decades ago when his team was researching alternatives to glass blocks to construct separator walls in the car wash tunnels.

“We started by purchasing three pre-made rectangular panels from Hy-Lite,” says Paisner. “We connected them together to form a wall with a square opening for vehicles to pass through.”

Since then, the configuration of the acrylic block wall panels has changed. Today the walls are constructed with a round opening for vehicles to enter the car wash. The company uses stainless steel arches fabricated for the opening. Aluminum c-channels are used on the sides and top.

“The Hy-Lite acrylic blocks are lightweight, making installation easy,” says Paisner. “The blocks stand up to the detergents and water very nicely. They reflect the lights so that the walls glow and provide a point of interest to our customers. The alternative in our industry is a wall made out of white PVC or no wall at all. While these options are less expensive, they do not provide the unique experience we wish for our customers. The acrylic block walls set our car washes apart.”

Focusing on the Customer

acrylic blockHeadquartered in Natick, Mass., the ScrubaDub car washes have locations from Maine to Rhode Island. The company estimates it washes thousands of vehicles daily, and well over two million vehicles per year.

From robotic washers to photoelectric sensors, all equipment at ScrubaDub is individually selected from top-quality manufacturers worldwide. A sophisticated computer system ensures the safety and consistency of each car wash.

“Our car wash centers are open year-round,” says Paisner. “That means the acrylic block walls get a constant ‘work-out’ at our locations. The blocks/walls are constantly wet. They’ve really held up well and are cleaned during our normal evening wash down process.”

“We thought outside-of-the-box 20 years ago when we started using the Hy-Lite acrylic blocks in our washes. Obviously we’re impressed with them since we keep using them. But more than that, our customers are impressed. And for us, it’s all about the customer experience.”