Where do you guys get your car washed in the winter? I used to have one right by my place in Highland Park that I used to go through (touchless, high pressure) but now that I'm downtown Saint Paul it's a little farther away. I'm looking for touchless, and the kind without that wheel trough that guides your wheel through and scratches it all to hell. Also not looking for the DIY car washes (where it seems you put in $15 in quarters to wash your car yourself) nor the kind where actual living humans wash your car. I'm just looking for something that's relatively inexpensive and touchless. Any recommendations? How do you keep it clean in the winter?
I get the unlimited carwashes at Holiday gas staions $20-$30/month. It's not truly "cleaning" but its nice to runn through anytime/anywhere. It's reallly slick working the odd hours I work as I can run through with no line early in the morning. *Auto washes should not replace hand washing/waxing. But are nice for knocking down the crud a bit.
You can have me wash your car and actually do a quality job. Going to a car wash hurts your car with harsh chemicals and scratches your paint. I detail cars. PM me if interested.
Yep, $20/mo and I drive through the Holliday in the North Loop pretty much every morning before I get to work. $6/wash x 25 = $150 Value and my car always looks good when clients get in. Win Win!
I too have had pretty good experience with Holiday. I use the one on Marshall and Hamline in St. Paul, the only negative is that lately it has become so popular that the lines can often turn on in a 20 minute (or more) wait to wash. If you ever are interested in a nice wash, but it is not touch free, I have had good experiences both with my WRX and my old cobalt at Perfect 10 on Hwy 10 by Northtown. Also, there is a new one in Roseville right by Harmar/Target that I have liked and is reasonably priced, but at the moment can't remember the name... Fancyfootwork15 - Where do you detail at?
Monthly deal at Holiday on Industrial or 252. The one on Industrial is a little bigger/nicer. They can both get real long lines when it's moderately nice out. I usually go at 5:45AM and even then I sometimes have to wait in line. If I try to go after work it's usually a 20-30min wait if the sun is out. It's not nearly as good as a real (hand) wash, but getting the salt off every couple of days is more than worth it to me.
I picked up the Holiday pass in November. The first two months it was $15, then it went up to $30 per month. They also have a $20 program. The nice thing is you can go anytime you want. I usually hit it up in the mornings because there is never a line. The only thing to remember about the pass is Holiday Corp washes do not work with Holiday Franchise washes (they did last year). Typically the Holiday Corp washes are the nicer touchless ones. You can check out their website for locations. I think it is totally worth it in the winter, then drop it in the spring once you can hand wash! They do have under car sprayers and rocker sprayers... which is nice!
I found a good one last night in West St Paul. There is a DIY carwash in front of Menards off Robert. I know I said no DIY's but I thought of something. I took my own bucket and mitt. Used $0.75 to fill up the bucket with soap water and washed the car. Used another $0.75 to rinse the car. Probably not what the carwash is wanting it's patrons to do, but you gotta beat the system somehow.
I do that all the time but I'm also at the car wash several times a week. Other times I'll hand wash at home then drive 2 blocks to the DIY wash where I'll rinse the panels and undercarriage. I prefer the DIY joints bc you can somewhat control the water pressure. I've seen those things strip off paint and they definitely take the life out of whatever wax and sealant you might have on the car.
