As Champion Xpress Carwash continues prep work for a second location on North Henderson Street, the tunnel car wash chain will make some much-needed repairs at its existing site on East Carl Sandburg Drive.
With 30-plus locations across New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Iowa and Illinois, Champion Xpress last December purchased the site of a former car wash at 1819 N. Henderson St. A company spokesperson confirmed to WGIL on Monday that Champion Xpress has recently broken ground on Henderson Street and plans to open its second Galesburg location in the Spring of 2024.
Galesburg’s second location on North Henderson Street will follow Champion’s build model which includes a longer tunnel, with more advanced vacuum stations.
Addressing the need for two car washes in Galesburg, Champion Xpress Vice President of Midwest Field Operations Graham Murray tells WGIL, “We just want it better for our customers and give them more options to get a car wash.”
Murray said its existing location at 334 E. Carl Sandburg Dr. will undergo some major repairs starting next week. Due to the repairs, the facility is expected to be closed from 3 to 5 days.
“I’m sure people will be happy to know that, because we’e had multiple issues at that site,” Murray said. “The issue with that wash is the equipment is 10 years ago and they do not manufacture the parts for it anymore. For us to track down parts or to have them custom made takes absolutely forever.”
Murray said approximately $30,000 in temporary repairs to the East Carl Sandburg Drive location will include new motors and brushes.
Once the new location on North Henderson Street is complete, Murray said the East Carl Sandburg Drive facility will close for a longer period of time to undergo a complete overhaul with new equipment and new and more advanced vacuums.
After numerous technical challenges, Murray also said Champion Xpress will eventually get the second pay station working at the East Carl Sandburg Drive location.
