Car Wash in NoVA, Vienna, Mclean, Tysons area?
02-23-2005 | 09:00 AM
#12
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 340
Likes: 1
From: Pax River MD
02-23-2005 | 12:37 PM
#13
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 394
Likes: 0
From: Ashburn
S2K-DC..
ok first of all I used to own a Car Detailing company (a mobile unit called Attention to Detail)..so let me know if you ever need any help;-)
Secondly, don't go to Champion Car wash.
It is HAND wash only in regards to the fact that they have people holding nasty sponges soaked with dirt and salt and grime vs. mechanical brushes soaked with that same crap.
They still use high pressure water and the rails you need to drive up on to get your car in the tunnel are hell. I also believe they are god awful expensive (They want $5 to put 'tire shine' on the tires) and I don't believe they do a good job.
I recommend taking a hike over to Sterling and finding SweetWater carwash (not to be confused with the restaraunt). They are loacted off of Sterling Blvd.
They have approx. 8 self service bays that take quarters. For 2.25 you can start the bay and have your choice of high pressure water w/soap, a brush, tire cleaner etc. BUT...don't use the brush. This is what I recommend.
use the high pressure SOAP only, and wash everything on the car EXCEPT THE SOFT TOP. I actually only spray the car from the top of the doors down. The high pressure water is great for the wheels but don't get very close to the main body panels.
Take a soft sponge with you, get it wet and then go ahead and wipe her down when she is all soapy, then change the wand over to normal water to rinse off.
The location has plenty of open areas at the exit to park the car and dry it up, do the windows, etc.
This way, for about $5.00, depending on how long you take, you can get a decent wash without going through an actual machine and getting your car all messed up.
good luck.
Chris Ciccone
ok first of all I used to own a Car Detailing company (a mobile unit called Attention to Detail)..so let me know if you ever need any help;-)
Secondly, don't go to Champion Car wash.
It is HAND wash only in regards to the fact that they have people holding nasty sponges soaked with dirt and salt and grime vs. mechanical brushes soaked with that same crap.
They still use high pressure water and the rails you need to drive up on to get your car in the tunnel are hell. I also believe they are god awful expensive (They want $5 to put 'tire shine' on the tires) and I don't believe they do a good job.
I recommend taking a hike over to Sterling and finding SweetWater carwash (not to be confused with the restaraunt). They are loacted off of Sterling Blvd.
They have approx. 8 self service bays that take quarters. For 2.25 you can start the bay and have your choice of high pressure water w/soap, a brush, tire cleaner etc. BUT...don't use the brush. This is what I recommend.
use the high pressure SOAP only, and wash everything on the car EXCEPT THE SOFT TOP. I actually only spray the car from the top of the doors down. The high pressure water is great for the wheels but don't get very close to the main body panels.
Take a soft sponge with you, get it wet and then go ahead and wipe her down when she is all soapy, then change the wand over to normal water to rinse off.
The location has plenty of open areas at the exit to park the car and dry it up, do the windows, etc.
This way, for about $5.00, depending on how long you take, you can get a decent wash without going through an actual machine and getting your car all messed up.
good luck.
Chris Ciccone
02-23-2005 | 01:46 PM
#15
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
From: Washington, D.C.
I like Yates on Route 1 in Alexandria. $15 and up, and they're pretty convertible friendly, with hand rinsing on the way in, and they hand dry and do the windows on the way out. The actual wash is automated, so if you're a carwash purist, you'll hate it, but I haven't had any trouble with my top or with the window seals. The manual says no carwashes, but it beats leaving road salt on the car all winter.
02-24-2005 | 07:59 AM
#16
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 24,687
Likes: 195
From: MoCo
Defintely can recommend QEW and I my house has a hose with hot and cold water feeds but still think QEW is the way to go. This is from a post I made in the Feb wash wax thread.
I couldn't wait until the 20th so 25 degrees out this morning going to 50 this afternoon but I couldn't wait to wash the cars so I decided to try ProtectAll QEW after hearing good things about it onThread at Autopia Forum. No hose just a double bucket with 2 gallons of hot water in each side. In the one side I mixed in 2 ounces of QEW and 1 ounce of my QD the other side was for rinsing my mitt. Scared as hell since it was pretty dirty and you don't rinse it off but it worked great so I did my Porsche as well. I should have taken pictures before and after on the S2000 but batteries were dead in the camera. Here is a thumbnail where you can see a clean vs dirty section of the Porsche and a couple of after shots of the 2 cars.
[
Yes I know I need ot replace the yellowed protective strip.
Mark
I couldn't wait until the 20th so 25 degrees out this morning going to 50 this afternoon but I couldn't wait to wash the cars so I decided to try ProtectAll QEW after hearing good things about it onThread at Autopia Forum. No hose just a double bucket with 2 gallons of hot water in each side. In the one side I mixed in 2 ounces of QEW and 1 ounce of my QD the other side was for rinsing my mitt. Scared as hell since it was pretty dirty and you don't rinse it off but it worked great so I did my Porsche as well. I should have taken pictures before and after on the S2000 but batteries were dead in the camera. Here is a thumbnail where you can see a clean vs dirty section of the Porsche and a couple of after shots of the 2 cars.
[
Yes I know I need ot replace the yellowed protective strip.
Mark
02-24-2005 | 04:53 PM
#17
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,633
Likes: 0
From: Dealsville
Originally Posted by ciccone376,Feb 23 2005, 05:37 PM
I recommend taking a hike over to Sterling and finding SweetWater carwash (not to be confused with the restaraunt). They are loacted off of Sterling Blvd.
They have approx. 8 self service bays that take quarters. For 2.25 you can start the bay and have your choice of high pressure water w/soap, a brush, tire cleaner etc. BUT...don't use the brush. This is what I recommend.
use the high pressure SOAP only, and wash everything on the car EXCEPT THE SOFT TOP. I actually only spray the car from the top of the doors down. The high pressure water is great for the wheels but don't get very close to the main body panels.
Take a soft sponge with you, get it wet and then go ahead and wipe her down when she is all soapy, then change the wand over to normal water to rinse off.
The location has plenty of open areas at the exit to park the car and dry it up, do the windows, etc.
This way, for about $5.00, depending on how long you take, you can get a decent wash without going through an actual machine and getting your car all messed up.
good luck.
Chris Ciccone
They have approx. 8 self service bays that take quarters. For 2.25 you can start the bay and have your choice of high pressure water w/soap, a brush, tire cleaner etc. BUT...don't use the brush. This is what I recommend.
use the high pressure SOAP only, and wash everything on the car EXCEPT THE SOFT TOP. I actually only spray the car from the top of the doors down. The high pressure water is great for the wheels but don't get very close to the main body panels.
Take a soft sponge with you, get it wet and then go ahead and wipe her down when she is all soapy, then change the wand over to normal water to rinse off.
The location has plenty of open areas at the exit to park the car and dry it up, do the windows, etc.
This way, for about $5.00, depending on how long you take, you can get a decent wash without going through an actual machine and getting your car all messed up.
good luck.
Chris Ciccone
That's the place I go. I've never brought a sponge with me, though. Good idea! I did bring my own microfiber towels to dry off last time, though. 
- Jeremy (jnn4v)
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