zkl2003

Hi everyone!

Anyone have suggestion for good car wash place in the area? ideally not too expensive since like to do car wash often and want a affordable price while not damage car paint too much

Thanks guys!

nuraman00

What part of the Bay Area?

And what price range are you looking for?

BrolyF

If you have some space, I'd recommend purchasing a basic pressure washer (~$100 at Lowes or Home Depot) and a Foam Cannon from Amazon.

You can do a scrub free wash at home and dry with a leafblower or maybe some shammies.

I wash my car maybe twice a week and each time it's practically spotless.

nuraman00

Do you hook up the foam cannon to the pressure washer?

What brand soap do you use?

What about wax, do you also apply wax? How, and what brand?

Let's say the car hasn't been washed in 3 months. Would the pressure washer still do a good job?

BrolyF

Yep! Some people swear by just applying the soap dry, but I always like to prerinse my car gently to saturate the dirt layer on my car, then after that I blast it with the foam cannon and let it sit for 3 minutes.

I use a generic soap brand I bought from Autozone. It lasts a while since I only need a quarter full of the Foam Cannon and the rest is filled with water.

The pressure cannon does a great job if the car hasn't been washed for even a year. I'm washing my Civic here shortly and it's been a month and a half, I'll try to take some before and after pics.

The wax I use is NuFinish. I'll give you guys some links below.

Foam Cannon (Offbrand)

Ryobi Pressure Washer:
It's cheaper to buy this in store actually. They occasionally have discounts for these at Home Depot/Lowes

NuFinish Wax

BrolyF

nuraman00

Great pictures and links.

Why does the car polish say it's the only product on the market to contain no wax? What's wrong with wax?

nuraman00

How does the pressure washer do at getting stuff off of the windows?

It looks like it left stuff down the middle of the front windshield and back window.

zkl2003

Hi! I am open to in between anywhere between SF and SJ. I live in SJ and work to SF. I am able to drive to places as long on the way. I like to keep car clean and i think 1-2 times a month car wash is good. price under 20 dollar the best. but open to good car place even cost a bit more too

Thank you again for checking

zkl2003

Picture looks great!! yeah i live in a place where water is not easy to do a host, but i do want to wash my car one day if I allow. or not sure a place you can go do it yourself. I always loved foam gun, seems so fun

Thanks so much

nuraman00

Thanks.

I've been going to Brothers Detail in Fremont since 2009 or 2010.

http://brothersdetailcenter.com/

I get the VIP wash. When I first started going, I think it was $21. Now it's $28.

http://brothersdetailcenter.com/services.html

They have lower level washes for $25 and $22.

If you bring your receipt next time, then you get $3 off that next wash.

Apparently, they have a $3 coupon to use right away, so you don't need to wait until next time:

http://brothersdetailcenter.com/Coupon.html

I believe on Wednesdays they have 50% off any wash. I used that once a few years ago. But usually I can't come on weekdays.

I'd call them to see if there's any stipulations for the 50% wash, like if you need a previous receipt.

They don't always answer the phone though, if all of the workers are busy doing a wash. I'd say they only answer the phone 25% of the time, because unless a worker is ringing someone up, then they're always out doing a wash.

So if you use the $3 coupon off the Tier 1 wash, you can get it for $19. Or if you come on Wednesday and can use the 50% discount, then any wash will be <$20.

nuraman00

And yes, I'm going to look into doing my own wash, like @BrolyF has shown.

BrolyF

You know, I honestly never realized it says no wax. I've had no issues using NuFinish and I like it for the fact you only need to apply it once a year (I do 3 for good measure, lol overkill).

Also, I don't think there was any residue left on the front and rear windshield, I believe that its the reflection since I did this wash mid day. You should see how the ISF looks after a wash, it looks fresh out of the dealer at day 1.

BrolyF

Thanks, that's unfortunate you can't do a self wash. And yeah, the foam cannon is extremely satisfying.

I think nuraman posted some good links, he seems to know much more about car wash places than I do since I've always washed my own rides 10 years and counting. Good luck!

nuraman00

What's a good lint and scratch-free towel to use? The old towels I have are in bad shape, and I think they're better off used to clean things inside a house, than a car.

I think I would need:

* One towel to dry car after wash.
* One towel to apply car polish.
* One towel to dry the polish.

The video in your link shows the guy using two towels.


What do you think about these towels below?