Types of car washes, explained
Express, full service, hand wash, detail. Here is what each type of wash actually does, so you pick the right one.
The main types
- Express tunnel. Stay in the car, about five minutes. Ours is soft cloth and hand dried, from $13.
- Full service. The tunnel plus the inside: vacuum, wipe down, windows. Our Uncle Sam is $44 and Stars & Stripes is $55.
- Hand wash. Done by hand with a mitt. Our wool mitt hand wash starts at $40.
- Touchless. Pressure water and stronger chemicals, nothing touches the car. We do not run one, see brushless vs soft cloth.
- Self serve. A wand bay where you wash it yourself. We do not have one.
- Detailing. A deep clean or correction by appointment, inside or out. Ours run $125 to $450.
Which one to pick
For weekly upkeep, an express wash, or an unlimited plan if you wash twice a month or more. For the inside, full service. For delicate paint, a hand wash. Once or twice a year, a detail.
Questions
Express washes the outside while you stay in the car. Full service adds the inside: vacuum, wipe down and windows.
No. We run an express tunnel, full service washes, a hand wash and detailing. Free vacuums come with any express wash.