History of Mobil Car Washes

This page looks at the history of Mobil Car Washes in New Zealand. Mobil's car wash history is very interesting, spanning multiple different manufacturers, from Ryko to PDQ and from Washtec to Istobal.

Mobil has two different brands for their car washes. Some sites simply just use "Car Wash" branding, and typically have an enclosed wash bay. These used to be painted a brown-ish colour, but are gradually being changed to white. Apart from a couple of exceptions "Car Wash" locations always have Brush washes. The other brand is "Wash'n'Run" these sites usually (but not always) have windows in the wash bay and used to be painted beige, but are now being gradually painted white. "Wash'n'Run" sites are more mixed, in that some offer Brush washes, whilst others offer Touchless washes. Mobil doesn't typically go for "Combiwashes", with only a couple in use (at both "Car Wash" and "Wash'n'Run" locations).

## Ryko UltraClean (1990's)

Mobil installed Ryko UltraClean 5-brush washes in early-mid 1990's. These were installed with two-tone blue brushes in a checkered pattern. Some machines have since had the brushes replaced with red & blue brushes (from Premier XLs). Amazingly, there are actually still a few of these left, but they are not going to be around for long.

## Ryko Premier XL (1990's)

In the mid-late 90's, Mobil started installing the newer Ryko Premier XL 5-Brush machine. These were installed with Red & Blue brushes, in either a checkered or striped pattern. Also, a few of the original Wash'n'Run sites had these at one point. A couple of these are still running, but they are gradually being replaced.

## Istobal M10 Multiprogrammer (late 90's/Early 2000's)

A few Mobil sites have had Istobal M10 Multiprogrammer's, with plain blue brushes. These were some of the earliest Istobal machines in NZ!. The last surviving one, at a station now owned by Gull, was sadly replaced with a brand new car wash in late-2019.

All of these were fitted with plain blue brushes, however one unit in Dargaville was discovered on Google Streetview to have had Red & Blue striped brushes. The good condition of those brushes suggests that they were replacements, likely swapped form newer M12 machine. The unit was removed prior to 2012, and the site no longer operates a car Wash.

This unit in Dargaville was the only one known to have these brushes, suggesting they were swapped with an M12 unit. This site no longer has a Car Wash.
## Ryko Premier Plus (early 2000's)

Only one Mobil has been discovered to have had a Ryko Premier Plus. This was located in Auckland, and had Red Brushes. It was later replaced by a secondhand Premier XL, before being replaced in 2013 with a PDQ Tandem.

## Washtec CK30 (early 2000's)

Only one Mobil is known to have had a Washtec CK30. It is located in Nelson and has Red & Blue Brushes. This location was later sold to NPD, who kept running this machine until replacing it in 2021.

## Istobal M12 (2000's)

Quite a few Mobil's throughout the 2000's received Istobal M12's. These were installed with either Red & Blue brushes (in two variations), or plain-red brushes. One machine, in Gisbourne, was renovated with plan blue brushes. The machine in Gisborne was replaced at the end of September and was replaced with a Istobal M'Nex 22. Only two are know to still be operating.

BEFORE: Original plain-red brushes.AFTER: Rennovated and new plain-blue brushes.AFTER: Rennovated and new plain-blue brushes.
## Ryko Excel (Early 2000's)

Just two Mobil's in the Early 2000's got Ryko Excel 3-brush machines. One was fitted with Red & Blue brushes, and was the last working Ryko Excel in NZ, until it was replaced in 2021. The other was fitted with plain red brushes. This one was non-operational for many years until eventually being removed.

## Washtec SoftCare Intro (2003-2005)

Mobil bought loads of these Washtec SoftCare Intro's for their "On the Run" sites, all of which have plain blue brushes. Since most of these are now over 15 years old, many have now been replaced with new systems. These were only installed from 2003-2005, as these were the only years the "Intro" model was produced. Washtec replaced it with the "Evo" in 2005.

You can tell that these are SoftCare Intro's, not Evo's as they have the same dryer as the Washtec CK30 and have no side-dryers.

## Washtec SoftCare Evo (2005-2007)

Washtec launched the Evo in 2005 to replace the evo. The machine is very similar to the Into, but now has the same drying system as a SoftCare Pro and has side-drying. A fair number of Mobil locations got these (mostly "Wash'n'Run" sites), but due to their age many have been replaced with only a few left running.

## PDQ Laser4000 (2000's)

These are the earliest known Touchless installations by Mobil. They installed five of these at "Wash'n'Run" sites, (four in Auckland and one in Christchurch). These were installed sometime in the early-mid 2000s. None are left operating with Mobil now, as all five have been replaced.

## PDQ Laserwash M5 (2007-2013)

Quite a few "Wash'n'Run" sites, especially in the Upper North Island, received PDQ Laserwash M5 touch-free machines. The M5 was launched in 2005, and was eventually discontinued in 2011, however Streetview reveals that all Mobil example were installed before the first Google Streetview images were taken in 2008, so most likely these were purchased from 2005-07. Very few remain now, as most have been replaced by newer Laserwash 360plus and Istobal Tracer touchless systems.

This one has had a new wash arm fitted.
## Istobal M12+ (2009-2012)

A single Istobal M12+ was installed in Mosgiel between 2009 and 2012, replacing an original M12. Weirdly, the brushes are recycled from the M12 classic it replaced. It has red side brushes and a yellow top brush.

## Ryko Emotion 3 (2012-2015)

Mobil installed a few of these at their regular sites, with either plain blue brushes or blue & dark-blue brushes. These are sometimes branded as "Ryko Italia", as these are Italian made rather than American. These are also known in some countries as the "Supra" instead of the Emotion 3. These are essentially just loosely updated Ryko Excel's.

Earlier versions from 2012-13 featured striped brushes and the "old" design with lights at the bottom. The newer ones from 2014-2015 feature plain blue brushes and have an updated design with blue strips and higher-mounted lights on the gantry. Not that many of these were actually installed, but all those that were are currently still running.

## PDQ Laserwash 360 (2012-2017)

Mobil installed these at five of its "Wash'n'Run" sites in 2012, succeeding the Laserwash M5. Four were purchased to replace the four Laserwash 4000s in Auckland, whilst the fifth replaced a Ryko UltraClean in Christchurch. These were installed until 2017, when the 360 was replaced by the new 360plus. Some of the classic 360s have already been replaced with 360plus's.

## Mark VII TurboJet XT L-Arm (2013)

This rare an interesting touch-free machine was installed at one "Wash'n'Run" site in Hastings in 2013. Not much is known about this Car Wash machine. 2013 was a year when Mobil installed a couple of "oddball" washes, suggesting they were potentially trialing different washes. Needless to say, this wasn't chosen for mass installation and remains the only example of a Mobil to have one of these.

## PDQ ProTouch Tandem (2013)

This was installed in 2013 at a site in Auckland. 2013 was a year when Mobil installed a couple of "oddball" washes, suggesting they were potentially trialing different washes. Needless to say, this wasn't chosen for mass installation and remains the only example of a Mobil to have one of these.

## Istobal M'Nex 22 (2015-Present)

Mobil has been using the M'Nex 22 as it's main Car Wash since 2015. These are usually installed with Dark-blue brushes (with one exception, which has bright-blue brushes). Mobil has mostly put these at their regular sites, with some "On the Run" sites also getting them. Units installed from 2015-2017 (with the old Istobal Logo) used a grey gantry, whilst those from 2018 onwards (with the current Istobal Logo) have the gantry in white.

One site in Gore received a Gull-specification Combiwash, and the site was sold to Gull soon after. The site allegedly closed down in 2022.

This is built to Gull Specirfication with Grey & Blue brushes. Google info suggests that Gull may have taken over this site.
## Washtec SoftCare2 Pro Combiwash (2017)

For some unknown reason, a brand new site in Auckland that was constructed in 2017 got a Washtec Softcare2 Pro Combiwash with plain blue brushes, instead of an Istobal or PDQ. It is combination wash capable of Brush, Touchless or Combination wash packages. This is the Mobil to have one of these in NZ.

## PDQ Laserwash 360plus (2017-2022)

Mobil installed these from 2017 to 2022. The new PDQ Laserwash 360plus is an updated version of the 360, and can be found at many of Mobil's locations, mainly at "Wash'n'Run" sites. The earlier ones from 2017-18 are fitted with LaserGlow coloured lights, but on the newer ones from, 2019 onwards, Mobil chose not to include this feature.

## Istobal M'Nex 25 (Ex. Caltex, 2021)

Mobil took over a Caltex site in Epsom, Auckland in 2021, which has a 2015 Istobal M'Nex 25. The M'Nex 25 is a combiwash machine, which uses two rollovers instead of one. The front unit has the 3 brushes, and some of the rinsing and soap sprayers. The Rear unit has the dryer's, wheel wash and most of the foam and water jet sprayers.

## Washtec SoftCare2 Pro (2021)

This single grey Washtec SoftCare2 Pro with black brushes was installed at Mobil Wairoa in 2021. This appears to just be a one-off.

## Istobal Tracer (2022-Present)

Mobil installed their first Istobal Tracer Touchless system in 2022, and a second shortly thereafter. This is an over-head style touchless machine, similar to the Laserwash's Mobil used previously. This machine took over from the Laserwash 360plus and is now Mobil's main choice for Touchless systems.