My car throws a lot of brake dust. I see it while approaching and it bothers me. It looks like I don’t look after my vehicle, even though the rest of the car was clean. A trip to a self-serve car wash was in order and all I wanted was to clean the mess from my wheels. The car wash was clean, no trash around and everything looked like it was in order. It was well lit and I felt comfortable pulling out my Visa and starting it up. Turning the dial immediately to Tire & Wheel Cleaner I waited the few seconds for the product to appear. Sure enough, a nice green colour started to come out of the gun in a steady flow, promising me a satisfactory result. I began soaking the wheels and tires, two times around. I wanted those wheels to shine. While I wasn’t going to take the time to wash the whole car, I did select pre-soak and did the lower part and front of the vehicle. A studied look at the wheels gave me a little apprehension about whether this was going to show the results expected. I decided, perhaps the chemical needed a little help loosening up the dust. Over to the brush, turn it on and start to scrub the wheels. The film is not giving way. Bending down, I rubbed some of it with my finger and, sure enough, a clean streak appeared on the wheel. More scrubbing and then a hit with the high-pressure soap, followed by high-pressure rinse on the wheels and the parts of my vehicle dosed with pre-soak. My time was up. Well, this was certainly disappointing. The wheels looked wetter than when I came in, but not much cleaner. I had a look at the areas of my car where the pre-soak was used. Film!

Now here was a wash which appeared to be cared for and which someone took pride in and it ended up giving these miserable results. I believe the owner of this car wash is honestly trying to offer his/her customers a positive experience. This was not a hole-in-the-wall facility. It had well-lit, clean bays and lot with good equipment and yet the wash experience was lacklustre.
I won’t be washing my vehicle at this facility in the future and I suspect others have left with the same conviction.

The point of all this is to remind all car wash owners and operators why people come to their business. They want to get their vehicle clean! Like me, they feel better in a well cared for car or truck. It’s not enough to pick up the trash and make sure the pressure is high enough. The products you use at your business must do their job. If they don’t, you’re wasting my time and the time of every other customer who comes in to get a clean vehicle. They will be doing exactly what I did; resolve to never use that car wash again. Not only that. On the admittedly rare occasions when they discuss getting their car washed with friends, it will be mentioned that your car wash fell short and perhaps it would be better to use your competition.
Please, take some time to use your wash bay. Make sure you’re using quality chemicals and not simply buying the cheapest ones around. It does make a difference. Try it yourself. Take a good hard look at your vehicle after you wash it. Does the pre-soak attack the road film? Will your wheel cleaner remove the brake dust? If the answer is no, perhaps it's a good time to re-evaluate the chemicals you are paying for.