Your Car Wash, Your Way

If you own a car, at some time you will need to wash it. How often you wash it depends on what part of the country you live and what season it is. If you live in the Northern part of the country, you will need to wash the salt from the road off your vehicle during the winter months, but if you live in the South or near one of the coasts it may require you to wash the sand off all year long.

The modern car wash was started in Detroit so the cars that were coming off the assembly lines could be cleaned. They have remained popular ever since, so that car owners can keep their vehicles shiny and new looking. You can wash your car at home, or you could have it done fairly inexpensively at an automated wash.

If you are not washing your car at home, then there are five basic types of automated car washes. These are:

- Self-service wash - The car sits in an open bay and you wash the car yourself with the provided pressure washer and a foaming brush that is connected to a pump within the washing station. It is usually coin- operated where you can choose how much service you want. The services are timed and if you need more, you can insert more coins.

- Exterior rollover style wash - This popular washing method is usually found at gas stations, and offered when you buy gas. This is the type where you pull forward into the washing bay until the red light signals for you to stop, then the washing equipment moves along your car and applies soap and water while the sponges scrub the car. There is usually a drying mechanism that you pass through once you have been released from the bay.

- Exterior only wash - This wash method is popular in certain parts of the country. Your car sits on a conveyer belt and goes through a tunnel which takes it past several pieces of washing equipment

- Full Service car wash - This method of car washing is similar to the exterior only in that it is operated on an automatic conveyer belt, but is different in that there are attendants on hand to do some of the services such as drying your car by hand and cleaning your wheels.

- Detail Shop - When you take your car to a detail shop it will be either hand washed or put through an automatic system after which it will be cleaned both inside and outside, then polished. They may also pull off some of the old paint and take out small scratches, as well as many other services.

Just remember that when you are going through the automated car wash to close your windows, secure your mirrors and antennas, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.