FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why is it important to wash my vehicle on a weeky basis?
Try to picture the dirty plume of brake dust and roadway chemicals that travels along with a moving vehicle. This fog of chemicals shower the lower portion of your vehicle with a clinging, nearly invisible mist. Brake dust itself, is highly corrosive and very sticky. Washing your vehicle weekly will remove these contaminants before they have the opportunity to do unsightly permanent damage. When a vehicle is not wash frequently enough, a haze like film will appear on your vehicle's finish. Once the haze takes hold, you'll need to apply friction to remove it. Options include washing in the self-service bay with our hog hair brush, or detail by hand (i.e. hand drying) after thoroughly cleaning your vehicle.
Which wash process is best for my vehicle?
Different driving conditions and changing seasons call for different types of washes. Salty roads in winter mean an under body wash is vital in protecting the critical underside of your vehicle. During the hot and buggy summer, you’ll find the presoak application helpful in removing all those sticky bugs. No matter the wash, it’s important to wash your vehicle on a regular basis. The longer dirt, bugs and residue remain on our vehicle, the more difficult they may be to remove.
Are you open during extreme cold temperatures?
Although we advertise being open 24 hours a day, when winter weather brings sub-zero temperatures we will close our facility to protect our equipment from possible freeze-up conditions.
Is it safe to wash my vehicle when it's cold outside?
Even though water freezes when the temperature falls below 32 degrees, you can take a few simple steps to help prevent frozen locks and doors. First, spray lock deicer in your locks after you exit the wash. Second, put your key in every lock and turn it back and forth a number of times. This helps to displace any water that might be present. Third, take the time to dry off your door jambs.
What is the most environmentally friendly way I can wash my car: doing it myself at home or going to the local car wash?
Washing your car in the driveway is one of the most environmentally unfriendly wash processes. This is because the water that runs off your car and flows down your driveway does not enter sewer or septic systems and undergo treatment. That wastewater is discharged directly into the environment, right into storm drains -- and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poisons aquatic life and wreaks other ecosystem havoc. After all, that water is loaded with a witch’s brew of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes -- as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself.
On the other hand, federal laws in the U.S. require car wash facilities to drain their waste water into sewer systems, so it gets treated before it is discharged back into the great outdoors. And commercial car washes use controlled systems and high-pressure nozzles and pumps that minimize water usage. According to one report, washing a car at home typically uses between 80 and 140 gallons of water, while a commercial car wash averages less than 45 gallons per car.
