Car wash prices

[edible_hat]

Last week the prices for our automatic car wash went up.

SC: Seven dollars for the basic wash? That's ridiculous! I'll go somewhere cheaper!
co-worker (after SC was out of earshot): Good luck!

an hour later:

non-SC: So the price went up, hey? Ah well. you're still the cheapest I've seen. (and he was a taxi driver, so he's checked out just about all the car washes in town)

edit: There's probably a bit of price gouging in the car wash industry around here, because water restrictions mean you can't wash your car yourself.

[crazylegs]

£3.50 to get a car washed, damn thats pretty good!

[blas]

That's what the rain is for, isn't it?

I haven't washed my car since I bought it. Every 3 months when I get my oil changed, I get a free token. I've got like, 8 of them. I should sell them.

[crazylegs]

I tend to wash/polish mine every couple of weeks or so, takes about 3 hours to do everything including polish glass and light housings but it looks good after!

[jb17kx]

That's what the rain is for, isn't it?

If Adelaide is the same as Melbourne these days, then it doesn't rain.

Hence the water restrictions.

If you're sufficiently dedicated you can park it on your grass and hand wash it from a bucket, but that would be simply too difficult for most people...

[chops]

Even better than £3.50...

7 Australian dollars = 3.00649508 British pounds

I'm still envious...most automated car washes are more like US$7 or more these days, even without water restrictions in place.

[MrSunshineState]

I pay $7 for the "Ultimate Wash" at an automatic system. Price has always seemed reasonable to me.

[powerboy]

The car wash I go too has the best option for the auto wash at $8.00. Then I get a dollar coin for Polish for the interior or an air freshener. Still a great price, if you ask me.

[Bluenomi]

$10 barely gets you a car wash in Canberra. Damn water restrictions. Mind you if we go to the next level we can't even use professional car washes, they will be banned!

[greensinestro]

$7 eh? Not bad, considering the gas stations charge that for going through their wash with the recycled water and soap!

Is your car wash one of those professional ones that only does a car wash and not sell gas? If it is, that is a bargain to me!

[protege]

Eh, $7 isn't bad. At most places, they start about $5 for a basic wash/rinse. The extra $2 usually gets you a spray underneath, and a spray-on wax job. Those things are great during the winter--with all the salt and cinders we dump on our roads here in PA, our cars get pretty nasty looking. For example, my parents' silver Dodge Caravan was so dirty, it was literally *black* with grime. And yes, it had to go through twice just to get it off

[smileyeagle1021]

Oh, I feel your pain protege... I wash my car every week during the winter, not because I want it to look good, but I shudder to think of what the road chemicals they use to de-ice will do to my car if I don't get them off.

Oh, and I just paid $6 for a ultimate wash after $1 discount with fuel purchase... so yup, $7 seems reasonable to pay...

[edible_hat]

$7 eh? Not bad, considering the gas stations charge that for going through their wash with the recycled water and soap!

Is your car wash one of those professional ones that only does a car wash and not sell gas? If it is, that is a bargain to me!

We've got fuel pumps too.

It's AU$7 for the single pass with water (until last week it was $5.50), prices go up to $10 for two passes with soap and wax. You get a $1 discount with $20 or more of fuel.

[protege]

I should mention that I don't run the MG through the car wash. Too many expensive mirrors to snap off, and I hate to think what those machines would do to the paint...

Right now, I'm a bit nervous about taking the Corolla to the car wash. Something about the roof-mounted radio antenna has me uneasy...

[Geek King]

I should mention that I don't run the MG through the car wash. Too many expensive mirrors to snap off, and I hate to think what those machines would do to the paint...

Right now, I'm a bit nervous about taking the Corolla to the car wash. Something about the roof-mounted radio antenna has me uneasy...

Any "touchless" auto-washers in your area? They might not work great for real grime, but they get the more usual road dust off just fine. All they are is a couple of pipes that shoot water/ soapy water/ water and maybe some wax at your car. Not any worse than a driving rain, really.