Car Dealership Renovation and New Construction - Match the Right Roll-Up Doors with the 5 Primary Openings & Stay on Budget
Topic Overview
Hundreds of new and remodeled automotive dealership facilities open across North America every year. Rising construction costs combined with pressure for automobile brands to maintain corporate building standards and compete for buyers‘ attention makes it challenging for owners to maintain the construction budget while creating a highly functional and aesthetic building.
When it comes to selecting roll-up doors for the project, it is best to adopt a surgical approach. Rather than picking the same and least expensive door as a one size fits all solution for every door opening, it is ultimately more cost effective to survey individual openings, including location, who and how it will be used, which will result in specifying the ideal door in each opening and over time, saving on unnecessary maintenance costs.
For this article, we are showing examples of five primary locations in retail automotive facilities where roll-up doors are located and will suggest a door that matches the specifications required for the location.
1. Service Write-Up Lanes
Service write-up lanes are usually positioned on a very busy, noticeable area of the building, which makes them a built-in tool for creating an unforgettable first impression. Here is where a door like Hörmann’s Speed-Guardian™ 5000 CV 42 complete view, high-performance roll-up door is a perfect fit.
Designed for busy locations with constant use, it’s high-speed and opens in just two seconds, which awes people the first time they see it in operation - for the memorable first-impression you’re looking for. Although various automatic activation methods are available for this door, usually motion/presence detectors are recommended, so it’s easy to enter the building quickly and seamlessly. Safety accessories like door reversing light beams on the side guide tracks as well as Wide Scan laser sensor add protective safety layers around the door opening for a pedestrian friendly experience. The Speed-Guardian™ 5000 CV 42 easily meets the requirements of the Service Write-Up lanes and instantly bolsters brand image.
2. Shop
For Shop entrances, a roll-up door with high-speed operation that opens and closes fast, is a must. Quick cycling reduces the amount of time the door is open to minimize air infiltration, for greater energy efficiency through a reduction in heating and cooling costs, and Shop employees will also appreciate the comfortable workspace. It also needs to be secure and able to be opened with automatic activation. Our match for most Shop entrances is Hörmann’s Steel Ranger™ 9000 high-performance rolling steel door. It opens in just 3.6 seconds, is designed for high cycles, and comes with a solid, insulated panel in the same color as the Speed-Guardian™ that’s on the Service Write-Up lanes – for matching aesthetics – but falls at a considerably lower price point that helps curb unnecessary spending to keep the budget in check.
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3. Car Wash
Depending on where the Car Wash entry and exit openings are positioned on the building, there are a couple of models that will fit the requirements. If the Car Wash entrance/exit doors are located on the same side of the building as the New Delivery Detail and Parts Delivery door openings, since fast opening speeds aren’t required, our match is the Speed-Guardian™ 5000 LS CV, low-speed, complete view door. It looks identical to the high-speed version installed on the Service Write-Up lanes but is nearly one-half less the cost. This door model differentiates itself as the Car Wash Entrance on that side of the building yet complements the doors we’ll be suggesting for the New Delivery Detail and Part Delivery door openings.
For buildings where the Car Wash entrance/exit doors are located on the same side of the building as the Shop doorways, we match the opening with the Steel Ranger™ 9000 high-performance rolling steel door, which is the same model installed on the Shop doorways. It opens fast so cars inside the car wash can get in and out efficiently.
4. New Delivery Detail
The New Delivery Detail door openings require doors that can handle a moderate number of cycles yet have a completely clear door panel. Our match is a full-view sectional door such as the 720A that complements the other complete view doors on the building. Choosing this type of sectional door provides a solution that provides the desired aesthetics, a reasonable opening speed of 11 seconds, along with semi-automatic activation and is priced at about one-third the cost of the Speed-Guardian™ 5000 high-speed models specified for the Service Write-Up lanes – for once again doors that match the brand specifications, but without overspending on unnecessary features.
5. Parts Delivery
In a scenario where the Parts Delivery door opening is located close to New Delivery Detail, specify the same door for both. In the example above, we matched a 720A full-view sectional door as the best solution for accommodating a moderate number of cycles while fulfilling the matching aesthetic requirement all the way around the building.
When considering roll-up doors for your next dealership renovation or new construction project, rather than automatically choosing the same and least expensive door as a one size fits all solution for every door opening, by analyzing individual openings and considering how they will be used and how many cycles will be required, it is possible to create a building that has on-brand, coordinating aesthetics while staying on budget.