The below quote from another thread got me thinking... what is the car wash scene like in your area?
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:16:00 PM
Also, Delta Sonic >>> other car washes. Royal Car Wash is also expanding in this area, and they're pretty good too, but your car mirrors always get bumped in at the end, which is a bit annoying.
I think Delta Sonic is one of the best around - always extremely busy during the winter season and they're building a double-tube at their Henrietta location, which might be a first. They're primarily located in upstate NY, with one Erie, PA location and a random but somewhat sizeable presence in Illinois as well.
Also, I've often wondered... has anyone
never been through a conveyor-style car wash? It's part of learning how to drive in this area (using neutral!) and definitely something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:21:41 PM
Also, I've often wondered... has anyone never been through a conveyor-style car wash? It's part of learning how to drive in this area (using neutral!) and definitely something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.
I did for the first time this year.
Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2022, 01:30:00 PM
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:21:41 PM
Also, I've often wondered... has anyone never been through a conveyor-style car wash? It's part of learning how to drive in this area (using neutral!) and definitely something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.
I did for the first time this year.
:cheers:
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:21:41 PM
The below quote from another thread got me thinking... what is the car wash scene like in your area?
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:16:00 PM
Also, Delta Sonic >>> other car washes. Royal Car Wash is also expanding in this area, and they're pretty good too, but your car mirrors always get bumped in at the end, which is a bit annoying.
I think Delta Sonic is one of the best around - always extremely busy during the winter season and they're building a double-tube at their Henrietta location, which might be a first. They're primarily located in upstate NY, with one Erie, PA location and a random but somewhat sizeable presence in Illinois as well.
Also, I've often wondered... has anyone never been through a conveyor-style car wash? It's part of learning how to drive in this area (using neutral!) and definitely something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.
I've never been in a conveyor-style car wash. :colorful: Every automatic car wash I've done, you pull up and put your front left tire in a small "brace" (can't think of a better word) which ensures the car is positioned correctly, then you put the car in park. The car sits in the same spot while being washed. Near the end, a sign tells you when to pull forward to exit and the car gets air-dried as you leave.
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:21:41 PM
The below quote from another thread got me thinking... what is the car wash scene like in your area?
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:16:00 PM
Also, Delta Sonic >>> other car washes. Royal Car Wash is also expanding in this area, and they're pretty good too, but your car mirrors always get bumped in at the end, which is a bit annoying.
I think Delta Sonic is one of the best around - always extremely busy during the winter season and they're building a double-tube at their Henrietta location, which might be a first. They're primarily located in upstate NY, with one Erie, PA location and a random but somewhat sizeable presence in Illinois as well.
Also, I've often wondered... has anyone never been through a conveyor-style car wash? It's part of learning how to drive in this area (using neutral!) and definitely something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.
In the Boston area, most of our choices are older, no doubt because land costs are so high. Most of them are also locally-owned and are mostly the conveyor-belt style. I prefer the touchless/DIY Type, especially since I got my new car.
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:21:41 PM
The below quote from another thread got me thinking... what is the car wash scene like in your area?
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:16:00 PM
Also, Delta Sonic >>> other car washes. Royal Car Wash is also expanding in this area, and they're pretty good too, but your car mirrors always get bumped in at the end, which is a bit annoying.
I think Delta Sonic is one of the best around - always extremely busy during the winter season and they're building a double-tube at their Henrietta location, which might be a first. They're primarily located in upstate NY, with one Erie, PA location and a random but somewhat sizeable presence in Illinois as well.
Also, I've often wondered... has anyone never been through a conveyor-style car wash? It's part of learning how to drive in this area (using neutral!) and definitely something everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.
Until recently, I only used the conveyor-style car wash (as it us the one closest to my house). It was definitely an experience, especially when I first learned how to use a stick-shift after I got my license. I stopped using them because I didn't like the idea of direct contact on my new car. Nonetheless, it should definitely be something everyone tries.
Has anyone never been to a non-conveyor car wash? The one where you park your car and it's washed manually? I personally haven't.
Quote from: 7/8 on April 08, 2022, 01:32:37 PM
I've never been in a conveyor-style car wash. :colorful: Every automatic car wash I've done, you pull up and put your front left tire in a small "brace" (can't think of a better word) which ensures the car is positioned correctly, then you put the car in park. The car sits in the same spot while being washed. Near the end, a sign tells you when to pull forward to exit and the car gets air-dried as you leave.
Wow! I have also heard that car washes are also much more expensive in Canada than they are here. Upstate NY is an extremely competitive car wash market. At one point, Delta Sonic's unlimited program was just $12.99/month. Now, it's closer to $25 or $30 per month for unlimited washes (often 5-10 washes per month in the worst winter months). If you have the unlimited program, you get a sticker for your window that gets scanned when you enter, and you can use a designated "Super Lane" to enter so no interaction with anyone is needed.
As far as functionality, Delta (and Royal) work just the same as what you describe, but you put your car in neutral instead of park.
Quote from: interstatefan990 on April 08, 2022, 01:42:15 PM
Has anyone never been to a non-conveyor car wash? The one where you park your car and it's washed manually? I personally haven't.
No, but I have been to the kind where you pull in and wash
your own car (it's either free or very inexpensive, I can't remember). It's mostly for large trucks or other vehicles that are too big to fit in the automated car washes.
Quote from: interstatefan990 on April 08, 2022, 01:42:15 PM
The one where you park your car and it's washed manually?
You mean like a fundraiser in a church parking lot? :-D
Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2022, 01:50:30 PM
Quote from: interstatefan990 on April 08, 2022, 01:42:15 PM
The one where you park your car and it's washed manually?
You mean like a fundraiser in a church parking lot? :-D
Or your driveway? :)
My mother has never driven through a conveyor-style car wash–she freely admits she is afraid to do so and is unwilling to try even with someone else in the car–but she's been through as a passenger. She won't even drive into the type where you drive in and then the machine rotates around your car. The only one she's ever been willing to use was a Mr. Wash location in Vienna (I think it's gone now) where you drove up and got out of the car and an employee put it on the conveyor.
I don't normally go to a conveyor-style because I prefer the one that rotates around the car (less chance of scratching a rim). The one I used until recently when the gas station closed and was demolished didn't have the "brace" user "7/8" describes further up the thread–you just drove in, stopped when the red light came on, shifted to neutral and set the handbrake, and then drove under the dryer when the green light came on. There is another car wash with an identical system slightly further away and I'll go there next time I need a wash locally. When we're in Florida, we usually use a "pull in and sit still" machine that is not touchfree because down there the amount of bug splat on the front of the car seems to cause touchfree ones to be less effective.
Quote from: interstatefan990 on April 08, 2022, 01:42:15 PM
Has anyone never been to a non-conveyor car wash? The one where you park your car and it's washed manually? I personally haven't.
Yes, there's one a few blocks south. It's entirely indoors and really convenient in the winter, when it's 2 degrees F, but it's dry out and you still need all the winter schmutz cleaned off your car.
Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2022, 01:50:30 PM
Quote from: interstatefan990 on April 08, 2022, 01:42:15 PM
The one where you park your car and it's washed manually?
You mean like a fundraiser in a church parking lot? :-D
Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 08, 2022, 01:58:22 PM
Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2022, 01:50:30 PM
Quote from: interstatefan990 on April 08, 2022, 01:42:15 PM
The one where you park your car and it's washed manually?
You mean like a fundraiser in a church parking lot? :-D
Or your driveway? :)
Or literally anywhere outdoors when it's raining? Darn, I wasn't specific enough :D
Hand-wash only. Preferably by my hands.
Quote from: formulanone on April 08, 2022, 02:54:04 PM
Hand-wash only. Preferably by my hands.
I thought that was a joke at first. Like, what else would you use? Your knees?
Quote from: kphoger on April 08, 2022, 03:04:54 PM
Quote from: formulanone on April 08, 2022, 02:54:04 PM
Hand-wash only. Preferably by my hands.
I thought that was a joke at first. Like, what else would you use? Your knees?
I let my kids wash it too, but they need assistance and reminders.
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 08, 2022, 01:58:40 PM
When we're in Florida, we usually use a "pull in and sit still" machine that is not touchfree because down there the amount of bug splat on the front of the car seems to cause touchfree ones to be less effective.
Bugs might be the only thing worse than salt/winter weather when it comes to keeping your windshield clear. Even washer fluid often just makes the smears bigger. Delta Sonic uses a pre-spray for bugs in the summer that seems to be pretty effective.
Quote from: interstatefan990 on April 08, 2022, 01:42:15 PM
Has anyone never been to a non-conveyor car wash? The one where you park your car and it's washed manually? I personally haven't.
Argh, dammit! Thanks for the earworm....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlARiwAazQI
Red Carpet Car Wash is probably the best in the Fresno area if you want full service and access to on site detailing options.
Throughout North Carolina and parts of Virginia (at least that's where I've seen them) it's Auto Bell. Because people can tell.
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 08, 2022, 01:58:40 PM
I don't normally go to a conveyor-style because I prefer the one that rotates around the car (less chance of scratching a rim). The one I used until recently when the gas station closed and was demolished didn't have the "brace" user "7/8" describes further up the thread–you just drove in, stopped when the red light came on, shifted to neutral and set the handbrake, and then drove under the dryer when the green light came on. There is another car wash with an identical system slightly further away and I'll go there next time I need a wash locally. When we're in Florida, we usually use a "pull in and sit still" machine that is not touchfree because down there the amount of bug splat on the front of the car seems to cause touchfree ones to be less effective.
This is the only kind of automatic car wash I've ever used. I don't know if there even are any conveyor-style ones around here. If there are, I don't know where.
Quote from: webny99 on April 08, 2022, 01:44:47 PM
Quote from: interstatefan990 on April 08, 2022, 01:42:15 PM
Has anyone never been to a non-conveyor car wash? The one where you park your car and it's washed manually? I personally haven't.
No, but I have been to the kind where you pull in and wash your own car (it's either free or very inexpensive, I can't remember). It's mostly for large trucks or other vehicles that are too big to fit in the automated car washes.
This is the kind I've used most frequently. The one I used most often is coin-operated, where each quarter would give you so many minutes of spray from the wand, and you could choose from a few different kinds of cleaning agents. (I don't remember whether it charged for plain water.)
Once I started living in an actual house I just started doing it in the driveway. It's cheaper and doesn't take all that much more time than driving to a car wash and back would.
I never realized that so many parts of the US have a lack of conveyor-style touch car washes. Touchless car washes around me didn't even really exist until 20 years ago (outside of the do-it-yourself ones).
I like washing my own car in the spring and summer, but once salt hits I routinely use car washes for the undercarriage wash to blast the salt off. I actually enjoying washing my car myself.
Used a conveyor style once, and it was not in the northeast.
One thing I will say is larger east coast cities seem to lack self service washes in sufficient numbers if they have them at all.
I refuse to use any "touch" car wash, and frankly I usually hand wash at home or wash with a self service wash for best bang for the buck.
I've only used conveyor-style car washes. Some were touchless while others had giant spinning brushes and other complex machinery in motion. I've never heard of a car wash where you put your car in park to use it. But I mostly just wash my own car.
^^^^^
Here's a Street View link showing one where you drive in and stop and the machine rotates around the car. Obviously the Google car couldn't go thru with the camera in place.
https://goo.gl/maps/detAngx7sZcAPtZQ6
Quote from: skluth on April 10, 2022, 04:03:57 PM
I've never heard of a car wash where you put your car in park to use it. But I mostly just wash my own car.
That blows my mind. Until very recently, that's the only non-self kind I had ever used.
I did a little bit of reading and it seems like the primary advantage to the conveyor systems is speed and efficiency. The articles I read touted that such-and-such feature of new conveyor systems would shave seconds off the wash cycle. And that makes sense, since the advantage to the conveyor systems is that, since each stage of the wash cycle takes place in a different physical location, multiple cars can be washed at the same time. Increased throughput = increased profit.
Meanwhile, the stationary car washes in Oklahoma, frequently a small boxy outbuilding of a gas station, seem like they sit idle for most of the day. There's not much need to squeeze every second out of the wash cycle, since there's rarely a second car waiting to be washed. So a stationary car wash works just fine and requires less space.
I wonder why there's such a difference in car wash usage from region to region. Less road gunk due to snow and salt? Warmer weather so people are more used to washing their own cars? Population density meaning there are fewer places someone can wash their own car?
^^^^
I notice great disparity by time of year. I suspect it's two things at play–(1) road salt during the winter that requires more frequent washing and further requires an undercarriage blast that's hard to do at home and (2) warm weather during the summer motivates more people to wash a car at home combined with less urgent of a need to wash as often due to the lack of winter road treatments. Springtime falls in between because of pollen–intense pollen sometimes causes long lines at the car washes due to (a) weather sometimes being too cold to wash a car at home (we haven't turned the outside water back on yet) and (b) some people's pollen allergies making it problematic for them to wash a car at home.
Obviously the lines are always longer on the weekends, of course.
I wonder to what extent real estate values might affect which style of car wash is used (i.e., high real estate values might prompt the owner to use a style that requires less space).
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 12, 2022, 07:41:36 AM
^^^^
I notice great disparity by time of year. I suspect it's two things at play–(1) road salt during the winter that requires more frequent washing and further requires an undercarriage blast that's hard to do at home and (2) warm weather during the summer motivates more people to wash a car at home combined with less urgent of a need to wash as often due to the lack of winter road treatments. Springtime falls in between because of pollen–intense pollen sometimes causes long lines at the car washes due to (a) weather sometimes being too cold to wash a car at home (we haven't turned the outside water back on yet) and (b) some people's pollen allergies making it problematic for them to wash a car at home.
Obviously the lines are always longer on the weekends, of course.
I wonder to what extent real estate values might affect which style of car wash is used (i.e., high real estate values might prompt the owner to use a style that requires less space).
There is indeed a disparity based on the season. Winter does require more frequent and more detailed washes, i.e. underbody, that can't be done by oneself, at least not easily. There probably is a direct correlation to the amount of snow that falls, followed by ice, then by salt. It's wash/rinse/repeat until April. The trick is finding the right time to go between storms and the melt/freeze cycle. Springtime not only brings pollen, but bird droppings as our avian friends come back/become more active. Summer is trickier; easier and satisfying to wash your car yourself while not needing to do it as often. I still wash my car somewhat regularly in the summer because of time spent near the ocean - the salt air. In other parts of the country, there are also lovely bugs that can really do a number on a vehicle's paint if unchecked.
Re real estate, as a resident of Greater Boston, with our San Francisco-like prices, it's difficult to find the newer/more spacious car washes that are common elsewhere. To my knowledge, there's only one self-serve wash near to me. Every other one are the conveyor style, and tend to be older and smaller.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 12, 2022, 04:03:10 AM
I did a little bit of reading and it seems like the primary advantage to the conveyor systems is speed and efficiency. The articles I read touted that such-and-such feature of new conveyor systems would shave seconds off the wash cycle. And that makes sense, since the advantage to the conveyor systems is that, since each stage of the wash cycle takes place in a different physical location, multiple cars can be washed at the same time. Increased throughput = increased profit.
And that is indeed very important when there's thousands of cars using the car wash on a given day. I've studied one of the car washes near my house, which has an exit positioned such that you can watch the cars come out while sitting at the gas pump. It processes approximately 1 car every 13 seconds (packed in very tightly - much closer than you'd ever follow on the road), which works out to about 275 per hour. They're open for 14 hours, but there's bound to be some gaps near opening and closing times, so I figure they process about ~3500 cars on a busy day (in the winter and especially on weekends), and maybe about half that in the summer and fall.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 12, 2022, 04:03:10 AM
I wonder why there's such a difference in car wash usage from region to region. Less road gunk due to snow and salt? Warmer weather so people are more used to washing their own cars? Population density meaning there are fewer places someone can wash their own car?
The salt in the winter is easily #1. In the Great Lakes region, the roads are salted heavily before and during snowfall, and often afterwards too to avoid freeze-ups, so the salt lingers for days, sometimes weeks after a significant snowfall. Rain is what finally washes the salt away, but it could be months between rainfalls since most of our precipitation comes as snow. As such, going through the wash in the winter months is a weekly activity at a minimum - often more. And if you have the unlimited plan, there's no drawback to going through frequently because you're paying the same monthly price regardless.
The biggest issue with going through the car wash is actually the lines to get in, which can be much worse than any traffic we have on the actual roads if you hit it at the wrong time - and on a sunny Saturday after a big snowfall? Forget about it!
Below is a satellite view of one of the Delta Sonic locations not far from me, with the red arrows showing the path of a car going through the wash. There's three lanes to enter, which narrow to two lanes to go through the pre-wash (the small structure immediately past the U-turn at the bottom) and down to one lane to enter the car wash itself. Even with all that storage space for queueing, I've seen it back up all the way to the entrance and nearly spill on to Empire Blvd during the busy times of year.
(https://imgur.com/bH3n5eJ.jpg)
Quote from: webny99 on April 12, 2022, 09:10:33 AM
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 12, 2022, 04:03:10 AM
I did a little bit of reading and it seems like the primary advantage to the conveyor systems is speed and efficiency. The articles I read touted that such-and-such feature of new conveyor systems would shave seconds off the wash cycle. And that makes sense, since the advantage to the conveyor systems is that, since each stage of the wash cycle takes place in a different physical location, multiple cars can be washed at the same time. Increased throughput = increased profit.
And that is indeed very important when there's thousands of cars using the car wash on a given day. I've studied one of the car washes near my house, which has an exit positioned such that you can watch the cars come out while sitting at the gas pump. It processes approximately 1 car every 13 seconds (packed in very tightly - much closer than you'd ever follow on the road), which works out to about 275 per hour. They're open for 14 hours, but there's bound to be some gaps near opening and closing times, so I figure they process about ~3500 cars on a busy day (in the winter and especially on weekends), and maybe about half that in the summer and fall.
Interesting. While the car wash I used to frequent has now been torn down (https://goo.gl/maps/UUb3PR8cSKPDx7Ak6), I used to time how long it took. It was an imperfect exercise because it offered four different wash options of varying length, but the longest option took about five minutes per car, which would mean approximately 12 cars per hour assuming everyone bought the longest option (which was definitely not the case).
There were times during the winter when the line would wrap completely around the perimeter of the gas station and the problem became that some people would block the entrances/exits for fear of someone else trying to cut the line.
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 12, 2022, 07:41:36 AM
(a) weather sometimes being too cold to wash a car at home (we haven't turned the outside water back on yet)
Wait wait wait. In cold parts of the country, there's a valve you can turn to block just the outside water spigots? Is that common there? My house has just the one valve that cuts off the water in the whole house.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 12, 2022, 04:37:27 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 12, 2022, 07:41:36 AM
(a) weather sometimes being too cold to wash a car at home (we haven't turned the outside water back on yet)
Wait wait wait. In cold parts of the country, there's a valve you can turn to block just the outside water spigots? Is that common there? My house has just the one valve that cuts off the water in the whole house.
In some cases yes, people have a shutoff for the outside spigots.
But what is more common in new construction is what is called a "frost proof" spigot, which has a long extension that goes in the house and has the actual shutoff well inside the wall. The result is a spigot that can be used all winter, provided you shut it off tightly and drain the hose if you use one.
The only kinds of car washes I use are brushless DIY with, at minimum, high-pressure soap and rinse cycles. I greatly prefer to use ones that also have a low-pressure spot-free rinse, to avoid touching the paint except for detailing operations such as clay-barring, polishing, and waxing. The DIY service model gives me the flexibility to devote extra spray time to parts of the car that need it, such as the underbody after a snowstorm, the wheel arches after driving on gravel after a rainstorm, the front after sustained high-speed travel during bug season, etc.
Most of the time I use Little Joe's (https://www.google.com/maps/@37.6832726,-97.3894485,3a,25y,280.62h,88.51t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sbsj0bk4qvYNvzol9b1loZA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dbsj0bk4qvYNvzol9b1loZA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D358.07367%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192), which is only about two miles away. Little Joe's also used to operate a much larger car wash (https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7230977,-97.4406915,3a,17.1y,171.98h,88.23t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1snyKgJRVxxJnUF6C2KME21Q!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DnyKgJRVxxJnUF6C2KME21Q%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D285.24014%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192) that they sold to Cyclone Car Wash several years ago. I have not been back because Cyclone uses a subscription model. I don't know whether I can use them without a membership and, if so, what the cost penalty is.
All of the brushless DIY car washes I've used in the Wichita area have had spot-free rinse, but the ones I've found in other cities rarely do. I will do without it if the car urgently needs to be cleaned, but still won't use a chamois or drying cloth--I deal with the hard water stains later.
Since we keep our cars garaged and typically get just two or three major snowstorms each winter, intervals between consecutive car washes have extended as long as eight months in the time of covid. The 28-year-old vehicle in the family fleet still has no underbody rust of any significance.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 12, 2022, 04:37:27 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 12, 2022, 07:41:36 AM
(a) weather sometimes being too cold to wash a car at home (we haven't turned the outside water back on yet)
Wait wait wait. In cold parts of the country, there's a valve you can turn to block just the outside water spigots? Is that common there? My house has just the one valve that cuts off the water in the whole house.
Our house has two shutoffs for the outside water, one for the front and one for the back.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 12, 2022, 04:03:10 AM
I wonder why there's such a difference in car wash usage from region to region. Less road gunk due to snow and salt? Warmer weather so people are more used to washing their own cars? Population density meaning there are fewer places someone can wash their own car?
I generally only wash my car a few times a year. Living in an area with reliable rainstorms and minimal need for road salting does help a lot. For my windshield I use sprays and my own squeegee at home to keep things clear.
In winter I only wash after a snowstorm to remove any gunk that gets picked up, but otherwise let nature do its thing. In the summer, I will hand wash if there's been a wildfire that has dumped ash on the car.
Quote from: Bruce on April 12, 2022, 06:15:52 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 12, 2022, 04:03:10 AM
I wonder why there's such a difference in car wash usage from region to region. Less road gunk due to snow and salt? Warmer weather so people are more used to washing their own cars? Population density meaning there are fewer places someone can wash their own car?
I generally only wash my car a few times a year. Living in an area with reliable rainstorms and minimal need for road salting does help a lot. For my windshield I use sprays and my own squeegee at home to keep things clear.
Same here. Once or twice in the summer, mostly to wash off dust accumulation, bird poop, and bug strikes. I keep my car garaged, and can usually avoid traveling on freshly-salted roads.
The temperature danger zone for underbody corrosion from road salt is 32° F to 40° F. When it snows and the roads are salted, I generally wait to wash cars until after a rainstorm comes and dissolves the dried salt that remains when the snow melts. It rarely takes long for this to happen.
I'm also not above washing cars when ambient temperature is below freezing, but it's less comfortable to do so and the defoggers need to be kept on full blast to keep wash water freezing on the exterior to a minimum.
We used to do driveway washes, but now do so no longer:
* Our driveway has no natural shade.
* Without high-pressure water for soaping and rinsing, it takes a lot longer.
* Even the two-bucket method won't prevent grit getting in the wash mitt, where it then abrades the paint.
I've heard of people spending $250 on high-pressure washers for car washing at home. This has never seemed to us a good investment because of the hassle factors of arranging titration of soap and dishwasher rinse aid (for spot-free rinsing).
Too much!
I use a bucket of tap water, Dawn dish soap, the garden hose, a cheap sponge, and a bath towel.
But, for the car, ... :-D
Prior to this year, Grand Junction, CO (Pop: 65,000+), there were only two conveyor-based car washes in town -- both are limited service (no emplyees to vac, dry, or wipe interiors of cars) with free self-serve vacuums next to the car wash.
Now in the last couple of weeks, I have seen construction signs touting 4 new conveyor car wash locations being built in the city (one just opened) plus a long dormant conveyor wash has reopened (but very limited hours & days for now).
I don't know why the over explosion of washes in my area all of a sudden -- i think it will be overkill ‐‐ but at least I will have a few more in my area.
And I prefer friction washes over touch frees because touch frees have always left a thin film of remaining dirt most noticeably on the windows and especially the front windshield .
My method is to just use a hose with a sprayer nozzle for rinsing, then soaping with rainwater from a rain-collection barrel.
Frankly, though, the appearance of my car isn't important enough to me to take steps to avoid hard water spotting or very fine paint abrasion.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 12, 2022, 08:38:22 PM
Frankly, though, the appearance of my car isn't important enough to me to take steps to avoid hard water spotting or very fine paint abrasion.
Same here. I don't even mind larger scratches, such as from tree branches. It's just a car.
My Costco is one of only 12 in the country with a car wash. It's $7.99, which is the same price as most car washes charge for their "basic" car wash, but Costco doesn't have different tiers, so you get all the bells and whistles for that price. It's my go-to generally. I've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking. They have vacuums you can use which can be handy.
Quote from: doorknob60 on April 13, 2022, 12:05:29 PMI've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking.
I mean, I'm certainly not tipping the guy who runs the machinery that pulls the car through the car wash, but it's SOP to tip the people who vacuum the car, dry it, clean the windows, etc.
Quote from: abefroman329 on April 13, 2022, 12:10:59 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on April 13, 2022, 12:05:29 PMI've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking.
I mean, I'm certainly not tipping the guy who runs the machinery that pulls the car through the car wash, but it's SOP to tip the people who vacuum the car, dry it, clean the windows, etc.
How much do you tip? A percentage, a $5 bill?
Quote from: abefroman329 on April 13, 2022, 12:10:59 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on April 13, 2022, 12:05:29 PMI've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking.
I mean, I'm certainly not tipping the guy who runs the machinery that pulls the car through the car wash, but it's SOP to tip the people who vacuum the car, dry it, clean the windows, etc.
That makes sense (other than my general complaints about US tipping culture). That's not what was happening at Mister though, it's all machines, and the vacuums are self serve.
Quote from: doorknob60 on April 13, 2022, 12:05:29 PM
I've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking.
Do they ask for a tip at the beginning?
Giving a tip at the end if you get your car hand-dried is very common, which I usually skip precisely because I would be obliged to tip, and would rather save the time/money when the additional drying is really pretty minimal (no offense to the people that do it, but the blow-dryers at the end of the car wash are powerful enough that it's not really necessary IMO). But I've never heard of
asking for a tip.
Quote from: abefroman329 on April 13, 2022, 12:10:59 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on April 13, 2022, 12:05:29 PMI've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking.
I mean, I'm certainly not tipping the guy who runs the machinery that pulls the car through the car wash, but it's SOP to tip the people who vacuum the car, dry it, clean the windows, etc.
Hm. We had car washes in the Capital District of NY where kids would dry the car, but not vacuum it or clean the windows, after the car had been put through a conveyor wash. I don't think anyone tipped them.
Quote from: HighwayStar on April 13, 2022, 12:12:11 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on April 13, 2022, 12:10:59 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on April 13, 2022, 12:05:29 PMI've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking.
I mean, I'm certainly not tipping the guy who runs the machinery that pulls the car through the car wash, but it's SOP to tip the people who vacuum the car, dry it, clean the windows, etc.
How much do you tip? A percentage, a $5 bill?
Depends on how generous I'm feeling that day, but no less than 20%.
Quote from: webny99 on April 13, 2022, 12:14:08 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on April 13, 2022, 12:05:29 PM
I've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking.
Do they ask for a tip at the beginning?
Giving a tip at the end if you get your car hand-dried is very common, which I usually skip precisely because I would be obliged to tip, and would rather save the time/money when the additional drying is really pretty minimal (no offense to the people that do it, but the blow-dryers at the end of the car wash are powerful enough that it's not really necessary IMO). But I've never heard of asking for a tip.
The machine that takes your credit card asks at the beginning. Usually they have an attendant at the machine actually clicking the options though.
Quote from: webny99 on April 13, 2022, 12:14:08 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on April 13, 2022, 12:05:29 PM
I've also been to Mister Car Wash with no complaints, though they ask for a tip now (they say "totally optional") which I think is a little weird. I skip the tip, never thought of tipping at a car wash, but feels a little awkward with them asking.
Do they ask for a tip at the beginning?
Giving a tip at the end if you get your car hand-dried is very common, which I usually skip precisely because I would be obliged to tip, and would rather save the time/money when the additional drying is really pretty minimal (no offense to the people that do it, but the blow-dryers at the end of the car wash are powerful enough that it's not really necessary IMO). But I've never heard of asking for a tip.
At DeltaSonic, when I've gone in the winter, I usually go ahead and let them hand dry it and give them a $5 tip. Usually it's teens/younger adults, and standing out in the WNY cold, I appreciate that they're standing outside. In the summers, I usually skip the hand drying.
DeltaSonic, BTW, has the whole process down to an efficient art form...by far.
Quote from: jemacedo9 on April 13, 2022, 02:13:33 PM
DeltaSonic, BTW, has the whole process down to an efficient art form...by far.
Absolutely. I can't help but wonder how many people would change their view of car washes if they ever got a car wash at Delta Sonic.