Where have all the carwashes gone?
Where have all the carwashes gone?
Author
Discussion

Pitre

Original Poster:

6,425 posts

264 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
quotequote all
I wouldn't dream of putting my p&j through a carwash (i.e. the ones with rotating brushes). However, I'm very happy to spend a couple of quid (alright, a fiver maybe) getting the mud off my daily driver once a week. But I just can't find a standard carwash anywhere near me and I really don't want to pay £15 for a hand wash as I could do that myself if I could be arsed. Where have they all gone*?

  • I suspect the people who run hand car wash places may have 'persuaded' local regular car washes to close down to improve their throughput, but I have absolutely no evidence to support that!

bodhi

14,679 posts

259 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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I think they've all closed due to lack of demand. Why pay £7 to have your car assaulted by those brushes when you can pay £5 for someone to hand wash it and assault it with nasty chemicals instead?

Richard-390a0

3,538 posts

121 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
quotequote all
The automatic car wash in the local asda car park has a queue of cars waiting most days so there's obviously still some people wanting to use them.

LHB

8,119 posts

173 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Those ‘IMO’ auto car washes seem to be quite popular. I go past two quite regularly and there’s always lines of all sorts of cars going through on a dry day. Saw a Rolls Royce trying to fit through once before he got turned away…

C5_Steve

8,996 posts

133 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
quotequote all
Richard-390a0 said:
The automatic car wash in the local asda car park has a queue of cars waiting most days so there's obviously still some people wanting to use them.
Makes me wince watching people waiting for the spinning wheels of death to paint......

I did see these things being rolled out, contactless automated car washes. Seems like a happy medium between scratch city and the Asda car park £7 spit and shine.

https://youtu.be/Ki4tWpelqIc

Richard-390a0

3,538 posts

121 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
quotequote all
C5_Steve said:
Richard-390a0 said:
The automatic car wash in the local asda car park has a queue of cars waiting most days so there's obviously still some people wanting to use them.
Makes me wince watching people waiting for the spinning wheels of death to paint......

I did see these things being rolled out, contactless automated car washes. Seems like a happy medium between scratch city and the Asda car park £7 spit and shine.

https://youtu.be/Ki4tWpelqIc
It's an IMO soft wash, whatever a soft wash is?. & I agree not for me as I find it quite relaxing hand washing my car.

AllyBee

336 posts

184 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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I always thought they must have cost a fortune to run, the one near me was forever out of order waiting for someone to come and fix it, especially if there was any hint of a frost or a cold snap. In the end they got rid of it and replaced it with a jet wash (which also seemed to spend a lot of time out of order), thats also gone now.

So I assume high costs and falling demand have lead to most of them getting closed/removed.


TikTak

3,123 posts

49 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Partly cost I think, because the need for them would otherwise be there (non-car people, elderly, uber) but the only one near me is at a Shell and it's £11.50.

The Waves car wash at Tesco with a legion of Polish guys will do it for £6.

Deranged Rover

4,682 posts

104 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Round us it's either the Polish chaps or the fully automated car washes. It's the DIY jet-wash jobs on the garage forecourts that seem to have vanished.

Pica-Pica

16,648 posts

114 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
quotequote all
Richard-390a0 said:
The automatic car wash in the local asda car park has a queue of cars waiting most days so there's obviously still some people wanting to use them.
Yup. Same with a loacl Tesco, a queue of cars. Sorry, nobody touches my car but me. Plent of fuel stations with DIY jet wash lances near me.

Voldemort

7,623 posts

308 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Most of the garages near me that used to have washing spaces have now become mini supermarket type places and the space used for the shop or parking.

vaud

59,692 posts

185 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Loads near us. Jetwash bays, full rotary carwashes, or hand wash (£8).

Truckosaurus

13,274 posts

314 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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When I was in France recently, I marvelled at the many self service jet wash bays there were at petrol stations or even just stand alone plots.

Nothing like that here. In my town there is an IMO roller, a hand wash section of the Tesco car park, an Albanian hand wash in an old petrol station site, a roller at a petrol station and a jet wash at another petrol station that is only turned on during the day when there's a hand wash crew working - nowhere to wash the car yourself.

Master Bean

5,236 posts

150 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Human Trafficking isn't what it used to be.

Nickbrapp

5,277 posts

160 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Still lots about, there’s a brand new one at my local petrol station, it’s great because it’s wider and higher so I can take my transit though it, and buy the wash on the fuel card.

Older ones are being closed though, I assume it’s because they’re expensive to run and maintain, my two local IMOS are always busy though.

Won’t go anywhere that doesn’t take card

Mikebentley

8,667 posts

170 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Got 3 within a mile of mine. The one at the Texaco has just been modernised……it’s now got fancy pink LEDs.

Tje

196 posts

150 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Lost of those automatic soft washes do less damage than the hand wash scratch and shine.

I’d rather put it through one of those.

vaud

59,692 posts

185 months

Thursday 27th April 2023
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Nickbrapp said:
Won’t go anywhere that doesn’t take card
The ones that annoy me are those that only say cash only when you come to pay... no sign up saying cash only...