Banish false damage claims and more with a total inspection station from Camera Security Now.
It’s important for their owners to develop a crime prevention plan since car washes are common targets for criminal behavior like burglary, robbery, vandalism, and internal theft. Most car washes are small businesses looking to make a profit while dealing with regulatory hurdles, unpredictable weather, and inflation, not to mention another common issue car washes deal with: false damage claims.
That’s why it’s important to plan ahead, instead of trying to use reserve funding to recover from criminal acts like vandalism and false damage claims that can not only hurt a business’s long-term profitability, but also the car wash’s brand reputation.
While physical barriers and lighting like rolling gates and flood lights aren’t always enough to deter crime and effectively protect all angles of your car wash from potential theft and vandalism, they will do nothing to protect you from false damage claims.
If you can’t prove, with photo or video evidence, that your customer’s car wasn’t already damaged upon entering your car wash – customers can take advantage of your business by making a damage claim in order to use your funds to repair their already blemished vehicle. Even if your damage policy protects you from incidents like these, small businesses like car washes don’t have the time, money, or resources to deal with claims like these in small claims court.
So what can you do to protect your business from not only vandalism and product loss, but also false damage claims? Talk to an experienced security camera installer. Here’s what you can do to monitor every area of your car wash, deter illegal activity, and provide proof for insurance claims in order to prosecute guilty parties.
High-Definition Security Cameras
While identifying vehicles and license plates via security cameras is crucial to securing a car wash, this can’t be achieved with lower resolution security cameras. That means if you’re looking to capture enough detail to combat false insurance claims like pre-existing scratches or damage, you’ll have to upgrade to a high-resolution security system like 4K.
Although expense comes to mind first when considering a 4K security system, this technology has come a long way in the last few years and is now affordable to most small businesses. As security camera resolution continues to improve in quality, 4K systems are becoming the new standard. That means much clearer video, smoother motion, and a more realistic snapshot of what has occurred is now just a security consultation away.
By maximizing the image and color quality of the footage, 4K high-definition supports digital zoom at four times the resolution of a more common 1080p camera. Additionally, 4K security cameras are more likely to have newer technology like Wide Dynamic Range (WDR, for capturing both light and dark areas), larger aperture, more efficient BSI sensors (for receiving as much light as possible), warm-light LEDs (as opposed to infrared that produces black/white footage), and additional applications that make monitoring areas easier and more efficient. Learn more about building a modern business security system in 2022.
The Total Inspection Station
When it comes to protecting your business from false damage claims, it’s important to capture every angle of each vehicle that comes into the car wash. While many security installers are familiar and efficient with security camera placement for monitoring and deterrent purposes, it’s important to find a security company that has worked with car washes before.
In order to capture all angles effectively, your installer will have to either work with your existing structure or build a new one that can hold a “total car inspection station.”
With a total inspection station (pictured) your cameras will monitor each angle of every vehicle that enters your washing bay. Commonly set to trigger by motion, you’ll now have a catalog of every customer that has used your facility. If a customer has a complaint about possible damage, you’ll be able to review the footage and determine whether the claim has merit, no matter if they are mistaken about the pre-existing scratch or trying to make a false damage claim for an insurance payout.
Protection like this will not only save you time and money dealing with these customers’ claims but can also keep your business out of legal trouble. On top of that, if it was your car wash that caused the damage, you’ll be able to spot what the cause was and make necessary adjustments more easily.
Water-resistant Cameras
Damage-resistant security cameras are given an environmental rating to indicate their sustainability in different outdoor and indoor environments (see IP rating). Security cameras offer resistance to extreme vandalism, water, weapons, heat, cold, weather, pressure, and a variety of other natural and man-made factors that would typically lead to device failure, depending on their IP rating. For example, indoor cameras have an IP rating between IP44 and IP65 and outdoor cameras should be rated either IP66 or IP67 (or higher). If you’re looking for more information about IP ratings, check out this infographic.
In the case of the car wash, it’s important to consider security cameras that are not only ranked for extreme weather conditions but also for damp environments and pressurized water spraying. Instead of being forced to place a security camera that isn’t durable enough to resist these conditions in an inconvenient location, consider having a camera installed that can survive these conditions.
Car Wash Security Camera Installation
Not only can illegal activity affect the profits of any business, but false claims of damage can cost thousands of dollars in legal fees and hurt your brand’s reputation. We highly recommend getting ahead of this problem by installing a recommended security system.
With over 30 years of experience with installing security systems, Camera Security Now can minimize threats like theft, vandalism, robberies, employee issues, false claims, and other incidents related to operating your car wash.
Thanks in part to advancements in security camera technology like resolution and other features mentioned above, car wash owners can better equip themselves to fend off these challenges by investing in the right security system and installation technicians.
It’s important to mention that most professional-grade security cameras aren’t built to be installed by consumers due to the amount of configuration and troubleshooting they require. This is why we always recommend professional installation for reasons like proper placement, choosing the right cabling depending on the conditions and speed, and most importantly ensuring that all of the features are working properly and maximizing your field of view.
Are you looking for security camera advice? Our camera expert Johnny Beagle can give you a free security consultation for your car wash. Even if you’re not sure what you need, our security technicians will walk you through what it takes to secure your business. No matter what kind of facility in which you’re requesting surveillance support, Johnny can assist you with all of your security needs!
If you have additional questions about car wash security cameras, or if you’re looking for a different option, contact Johnny at Camera Security Now by calling 800-440-1662 or fill out a fast, easy online quote form.
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