TOTAL Jamaica yesterday officially launched the country’s first automated car wash, Total Wash, at Total Portmore Pines, Greater Portmore, St Catherine, immediately attracting residents of the Sunshine City, who wasted no time in utilising what the morning’s first customer described as the convenience of getting his vehicle washed in less than 15 minutes.

“I used it because I wanted to save time. I did the Classic Wash and was through before I finished a telephone call. I have a meeting this morning. If I had gone to a normal car wash, I would have been there for an hour, or an hour-and-a-half,” he pointed out.

The fully automated process begins with the simple purchase of a car-wash ticket inside the service station, indicating one of six options, priced from a low of $600 for a Quick Wash to the $2,000 Lotus Wash, which includes wax and polish services. Customers can opt for a drive-thru experience, should they desire, or they can watch the process from the comfort of covered seated areas.

Total Jamaica’s Managing Director Christopher Okonmah said the multinational energy company was thrilled to introduce the first automated car wash to the Jamaican market.

“Despite what the country, and the world, is experiencing with the coronavirus pandemic, we are happy to bring this service to Jamaica. It’s easy to use and environmentally friendly. We intend to have others in the island so people can enjoy the experience of washing their cars quickly and easily,” he said.

Okonmah added that Total Wash’s technology is an improvement on earlier automated car washes, quelling any fears customers might harbour about the rapid rotating brushes. “The material used for the brushes is a new technology, which won’t scratch your vehicle,” he assured.

Total Wash’s eco-friendliness includes waste-water reclamation through septic tanks, which will soon have an additional feature of recycling, resulting in up to 80 per cent in water savings.

Kamala Johnson, engineering manager, explained that the detergents used are all 100 per cent biodegradable and water is treated on-site before disposal to ensure no contamination of the aquifer.

Commercial Director Antoine Bennevault said the response from the Portmore municipality, the Caribbean’s biggest community, has been great.

“We’ve had no complaint about the price. I guess people are getting value for their money. Speaking to customers, what we are getting is they tried it and return because they see the value, especially the fact that it is fast and effective,” Bennevault pointed out.

In its commitment to be an innovative service provider, Total has maintained its continuous offering of high-quality fuels and lubricants, as well as continuous technological improvement and quality services in its network of stations.

Total Wash provides an automatic car-wash service to all those who wish to offer their car a unique washing experience. The facility is integrated with a host of features to efficiently clean vehicles. The machinery is built to take meticulous care in the way vehicles are rinsed by utilising a high-pressure washing and drying mechanism coupled with soft, rotating brushes. These features, and more being offered, ultimately will ensure vehicles maintain their glow and colours, safely and responsibly.

Fast and efficient, Total Wash is the turnkey solution to an effortlessly sparkling vehicle.

Total Jamaica offers a full range of energy products to the retail, commercial, and industrial markets. With a network of 75 service stations throughout Jamaica, the company is a key player in the petrochemicals market with products ranging from jet fuel, gasoline and diesel, to lubricants, greases, and heavy fuel oil.

Total’s marketing and services business segment offers its professional and private customers a wide range of broad energy products and services — petroleum products, biofuels, charging and related services for electric vehicles, gas for road and maritime transportation — to support them in their mobility and help them reduce their carbon footprint.

Total SE accounts for eight million customers, daily, at 16,000 service stations all over the world. As the world’s number four in lubricants, Total designs and sells high-performance products for the automotive, industrial and maritime sectors in 107 countries.

Total is a broad energy company that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and electricity. It holds its 100,000 employees to a commitment of better energy that is more affordable, more reliable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible.