Coin op washing

J

jam

New member
Very newbie questions regarding coin operated car washs -



I've never been to one. I've googled a bit of info on them, but would like some more feedback before I go to one. Besides the pressure washing, and the eco aspect, is there any other benefit to going to one?



Do they provide car detergent or can you provide your own and load it onto their dispenser? Can you do an autopian style wash in the bay (with buckets and mitt) or is it a quick rinse off and dry only? Anybody stay in the bay for an hour washing their car? Do you pay by time or by amount of water?
 
Most are pay be the time you need, but during the active time you can switch between water, suds, and more. You could put in enough for a minute to suds, let it soak and then a minute to rinse. You could be in the bay for an hour washing, but only use a few minutes of paid water/soap.



Do you trust the detergent they have loaded in the machines though? Most that I know of you can not change the detergent.
 
From what I know about coin op washes the soaps in them are not very wax friendly. They're geared more towards getting off grime like road oils and general gunk. Also, I wouldn't think that the owners of these places would give to sh*ts about what kind of soap they put in them, so chances are it's the cheapest stuff on the market. Bring your own buckets and soap there and just use the pressure washer to rinse... and don't bother with the "hot wax" stuff, as it's pretty useless and makes streaks when you use the windshield wipers ;).
 
Thanks. I would rather use my own soap, but wasn't sure if that was even an option. I guess some people do bring their own buckets and supplies and take their time washing in the bay?
 
If you're talking the coin operated washes that have the wand & brush (not the drive through type) then yes they typically have a dial on the dial you get choices like: suds, rinse, spot free rinse, tires, brush - when you choose 'brush' then the brush starts shooting out suds and you can start scrubbing down you car if you dare.



some washes have a different brush for your tires and it shoots out a different type of cleaner/detergent.



I like going to those washes maybe once every 2 months for the high pressure wash wands they have to blast away all the junk my garden hose can't blast away. That being said, i would never use the brush wand the car wash provides - now you're just asking for scratches & swirls. At these washes I have seen offroad vehicles get scrubbed down, boats, work trucks/vans, etc. All that crud gets stuck in the brush and waaa-laaa instant scratches for you.



I take a bucks and my own car wash product. Here's my process:



1. hose down car w/high pressure wand/hose

2. use wand to fill my bucket with water (already have car wash in bucket)

3. by this time my time is up and wand shuts off (5min of water for $2)

4. scrub down my car with my own wash mitt using bucket i just filled

5. hit my wheels

6. drop another $2 in the machine

7. rinse off my car using their spot free rinse

8. rinse out bucket and mitt

9. time out, water turns off i roll out to dry area and dry away.



NOW, a lot of places say "NO BUCKET WASHING" and i get it. Places around me don't have an attendant so i get away with it (using a bucket). I justify it by telling myself I spend $4 total, if I used their brush I would still only spend $4 so it's not like they are losing money on my visit. Some do take advantage and fill buckets and just buy one round of water.
 
I have been very fortunate to able to use a local coin-op that will allow me to dry/QD/Wax in the bay provided that there are no customers. I usually go on off hours and always ask prior out of respect. I never use the scrub brush. I do use the pre soak, soap, rinse, and dryer modes. During the winter months, I usually follow with a quick wax after cleaning my vehicle.
 
I only use coin-ops during the winter a i turn off the outside hose during the winter. My routine consists of this:



1) Pressure RINSE entire car (3 min)

2) Bucket wash with my own soap and sponge (i bring a 1/2 bucket of hot water with my soap inside and top off with their water when I do step 1)

3) Pressure RINSE entire car (3 min)

4) Towel dry with my own microfiber waffle-weave towel.



The coin-ops here say NO BUCKET WASHING but i usually do this routine very late at night (10pm-forward). Usually there's nobody there so I can take my sweet time!



OH YEAH, NEVER use their brushes and soap. But you knew that already since you're on this site! ;)
 
I use the one in town near all the time. I use the high pressure first, then I have a bucket with warm soapy water with me, go over the car and wheels, then high pressure rinse, then a spot free rinse, then dry with my towels.
 
In my old house, I had a tap on a utility sink that I could thread a hose on...yay for warm wash water. Ever since I have been in school, it has been a trip to the wand wash. The place I checked out had stoner as their main products....



HP1 High Pressure Soap is manufactured by Stoner, your factory direct source for professional detailing products, car wash chemicals, and supplies.





But they also had some weird three color stuff in some other wand that I was not able to identify...it was amusing to watch...but I stuck to the stoner stuff. While it's not the #1 best soap in the autopia land...it got off the frozen slush mixture off of my rocker panels/under body without having to touch it...which was the mission of the day.
 
I wouldn't touch the car with a towel after one of these...most are setup with reclaim water systems so there is particulate in the water. I use this for the bad stuff then do ONR with some distilled water for the rest. ONR+Distilled water = no worries about spotting.
 
I like to use the coin op washes in winter mostly. I use once a week on my DD to flush off the road salt. I only use the rinse mode and never touch with a towel afterward. If the temp. is above freezing I hand wash at home with ONR, 5 gal. bucket and warm water. I also keep a garden sprayer of ONR available inside the house to presoak before the bucket wash. Started with a good base of Zaino and occasionally use Duragloss AW after the ONR wash. I like the pressure washer at the coin op. to spray the undercarriage also. Lots of clean towels are a must.
 
Nervous to use in the winter. Doesnt the "salt" water get recycled? Wonder how well they filter salt when it mixes with the water.
 
@Shadow85:



Different car washes have different techniques to filter the water. I am fortunate that the one closest to me seems to be filtered very well. It is a gamble though.
 
Look around your town, there is a place by my Mom's that is full power on all the time I like to regulate it with the trigger. Some places have a all you can wash for $5.00, they are usually full with cars. As others stated go on off hours, I have had a guy yell at me about spraying the wheels and tires with my own stuff.



How do you tell if they use a good filter for the water ?
 
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