This isn’t your mother’s car wash … or maybe it is. Over the decades, we’ve seen the emergence of spot-free rinses and foot-off-the-ignition tunnel conveyors, making car washes quicker and more convenient than ever. But as it turns out, old-fashioned customer service still trumps new-fangled technology when it comes to suds.

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Every neighborhood car wash has a slightly different flavor determined by its ingredients — self-service stalls or full-service detail, longtime favorite or ambitious newcomer, WiFi while you wait or pine tree-shaped scents to-go. Each one also has its devotees who will preach the virtues of their car wash to anyone who will listen.

Even if you prefer to clean your car with a squeegee and a bucket of suds in your driveway, you’ll be surprised at what we found as we studied the ins and outs of each car wash, and got to know the characters behind the daily grind.

Rain Checks

No one wants to spend his hard-earned money on a car wash and then have all of the shiny newness washed away by rain the next day. Thankfully, some car washes now have rain checks, meaning that if you purchase a car wash and it rains soon afterward, the business will wash your car again for free or at a discounted price with rain check warranties usually ranging between a day and a week.

Customers have to be able to prove that they received a car wash within the time allotted, so hold on to the receipt. Also, check the fine print because some car washes provide rain checks only with their more costly washes. Tunnel washes tend to provide the service, as most self-serve washes don’t provide receipts, and some are without employees.

Take advantage of rain checks at these neighborhood locations:
Lakewood Auto Detail: 7 days on all washes
Carmel Car Wash: 48 hours with full-service wash
Wave Wash: two days on $7 wash and over; seven days on $15 wash and detailing packages
Sparkles Car Wash: 24 hours on professional wash
Water Works: 48 hours on all washes

 

photo by Can Türkyilmaz

Wave Wash

Frank Memeghetti grew up in the area, and in 1997 opened Wave Wash as a self-serve car wash. It wasn’t long, however, before the tunnel car wash concept launched in Dallas — the kind in which drivers shift into neutral gear and let their cars be pulled by a conveyor. Memeghetti seized on the growing trend in 2001, becoming the second tunnel car wash in the Dallas area. Many car washes have since followed suit. “What a tunnel does is allow for more equipment to be in one space, so it allows for more cleaning and more drip time,” Memeghetti says. Small touches are a big part of the business over at Wave Wash. “We always give candy to children when they come with their parents through the wash,” Memeghetti says. “We give dog biscuits to dogs, and we always wash Dallas Police cars for free. We are very supportive of the Dallas Police, and that is something that we are very proud of.”

 

 

photo by Can Türkyilmaz

Glasgow Car Wash

Paul Wildberger was a regular customer at the self-serve Glasgow Car Wash for 20 or so years. In October 2009, he bought it. He replaced the rusted metal, added a few coats of fresh paint, and hung signs in each stall instructing where customers should “Hook Yer Hose”, a nod to Wildberger’s down-home, no-nonsense persona. Still, Wildberger respects the history of the place, which has been open since 1969. “I know some people who have been coming here since they were teenagers when it opened,” Wildberger says. Meeting people, according to Wildberger, is the best part of the job for him. “I’m here every day, keeping the riffraff out, making sure it’s clean and working,” he says. “It’s not like those places where the owners just show up, take their quarters and leave.”

Self Serve

If money is more valuable to you than time, the self-serve options in our neighborhood typically cost a dollar or two for the initial few minutes, and quarters can be inserted for additional time if you’re not quick enough with that scrub brush. In our neighborhood, the self-serve options abound, including:

The Clean Scene / 11340 Jupiter
Gaston Auto Spa / 4484 Gaston
Gary’s Gem Car Wash / 2419 N. Fitzhugh
Glasgow Car Wash / 5825 Live Oak
Wave Wash / 12050 E. NW Hwy

Unlimited Washes

The latest trend in car wash sales is allowing customers to pay one price for an entire month of washes with no cap. It’s a system that rewards loyal customers who tend to clean their cars at least once a week.

For example, at Water Works, an unlimited month of $12 exterior washes costs $34.99. Quick math shows that the price is right for someone who might purchase three or more washes in a month’s time.

Carmel also offers unlimited washes ranging from $24.99/month for basic washes to $39.95/month for “The Works”.

photo by Can Türkyilmaz

White Rock Car Bath

Half a century ago, when he was just nineteen, John Rowlett started working at White Rock Car Bath on Garland Road. In those days, the only way to get a car through a wash line was to manually pull the car by chains connected to the bumper. Now 69, Rowlett still works at White Rock Car Bath and has witnessed the evolution of both the car and the car wash first-hand. Sixty years ago a car wash was just two men with troughs full of water and soap, scrubbing dirt and grime from tires with hand mitts, Rowlett says. Now the machines do it, and Rowlett says he loves “the modernization” that has happened over the years. From the first high-pressure washers, to their first steam guns, Rowlett has seen and done it all. From detailing and hand drying, to vacuuming floor boards, Rowlett has loved his job and has turned down many other job offers over the years. Melvin Brosz, owner and manager of White Rock Car Bath, is more of a “friend” and “father” to Rowlett than an administrative figure. What keeps him going? Rowlett says the friendship and opportunities Brosz and his family have presented him with over the years are more than he could have asked for.

Soak up these deals

  • Pay for a wash, and you can vacuum for free at Wave Wash.Take $3 off a regular wash at Lakewood Auto Detail on Monday through Thursday.Coupons at White Rock Car Bath don’t expire, and every wash earns $1 off on your next visit.
  • Buy in bulk for a discount on Carmel’s website, carmelcarwash.com. Prepay for 10 washes and receive between $1 and $21 off, depending on the wash category.
  • Find DIY interior shampoo machines at Sparkle Detailing.
  • Tuesday is ladies’ day at Wave Wash, with women receiving $2 off any car wash. Also, with a valid student ID, SMU students receive $2 off any time.
  • Check the Water Works website, waterworksautospa.com, or its marquee for a special each week.
  • On Wednesdays at Glasgow Car Wash, pay 75 cents (instead of the usual $1.25) for the initial three minutes of a self-serve wash. (Each additional 36 seconds costs a quarter.)