Located in Riverview, FL
Video of this wash in operation from 5 years ago: • Older Ryko Select-A-Wa...
This Ryko Select-A-Wash was one of the last remaining systems from my original videos. It has been over 5 years since I filmed this wash. A lot has happened in that timespan, and sadly, this wash will soon meet its demise.
Back in the early 2000s, Florida began seeing a boom in Radiant food stores paired with the Marathon gas stations. Ryko had been contracted with Radiant to install many new systems in bulk, including the Select-A-Wash, and Velvet Touch 2000. Ryko Select-A-Washes we’re the most commonly installed and could be found almost anywhere throughout South Florida. However, Rykos contract soon expired with Radiant, and since the early 2010s, many of these original systems have been either torn out or replaced due to their age. Another factor for this was owner neglect.
This Select-A-Wash on the other hand managed to survive and was most likely the last of its kind in operation in all of South Florida. It was very well taken care of and continued to operate for years. However, starting last year, the system began to see long periods of downtime and unreliability. It would be down for days on end, reopen for less than a day, and be back down not long after. It was a perpetuating cycle of constant downtime. But in mid 2022, not too long ago, the wash was finally closed. Although it is unknown what caused the closure, it is suspected to be due to either an onboard control being fried by a bad water leak, or a bad air compressor (which is the #1 cause of in-bay automatics being shut down for good). In addition, this system had been neglected for the final few years for its life.
What’s amazing is that not only does this system still have running water, it also has power! This system is not 100% abandoned, but it is highly likely to be either torn out and scrapped, or replaced with a brand new system. As of the recording of this video, the gas station has been shutdown, but there is still active work going on inside the convenience store. This site will most likely be rebranded and reopen as a new firm, but the future of this wash remains unknown.
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