| rev:text
| - Sunday marked the day my car came out of winter storage, and as usual, it was crying for a thorough spring cleaning inside and out.
Not wanting (or able) to actually do the work myself, I considered a few of the "comprehensive" car washes that dot MacLeod Trail.
How to decide which one?
The most important criteria for me is that the grit and grime is washed off BEFORE anything physically touches the paint.
There are a few car washes that still run the vehicle through the whirling brushes before they "hand clean." However, I have no interest in the paint swirls and dulled finish, so the grimy brushes are always avoided.
Clearwash water-jets the vehicle first, so it at least gets my feet in the door.
So how did it stack up?
They offer a variety of inside and out cleaning and detailing packages. And while I thought of getting it waxed too, I was in a hurry, so just went for the exterior wash, and interior vacuum / wipe down.
With my car in the queue, what was notable was the number of people involved in the start to finish process. What might take me an afternoon to do on my driveway, was getting done in a big hurry.
(Note: before people complain to the city about me washing a car on my driveway, I live in the country)!
I didn't actually time my visit, but there was only one car ahead this weekend morning, so no real lineup.
During the cleaning, I checked out the customer lounge, and was impressed by the "comfort" touches in place.
These included:
- contemporary decor
- Leather club chairs in front of a fireplace
- wifi (or you can use the Apple desktop in the lounge)
-- TV's, including one turned to the bays to watch your car in progress
-- a weeping water-wall to lull you to sleep
My only raised eyebrow was the primary TV tuned to pop music videos. I'm guessing the typical clientelle dropping $50 on a car wash would prefer to watch something else, myself included.
Yeah... the visit ran me $50 for the inside and out treatment. I could have saved that and done it myself, but I'd rather have a weekend afternoon free for other things.
|