Sparkling Brite Car Wash

FYI FOLKS. That location is no longer in existence as of Today (6−18−13). I drove by and it’s in the process of demolition. the sign says they are on N. Lamar, but the time for your $$ is MUCH MUCH less.

There’s something honorable about washing your own car. When I was a kid, we got handed a bucket, a sponge and the hose and were told to get to work. Because of that, I always feel a little guilty when I pay someone else to do what’s easily done on my own, on the cheap.
As a function of my job. I’m always in my car. Hauling stuff, sometimes spilly stuff, sometimes trash from events and often things that take up seats where human butts should go. My car was in spectacularly bad shape this week. After a full day of switching storage sheds, moving my broken grill to the dumpster (incurring minor but bloody injuries) and basically sweating out the equivalent of a small pool, I looked down at grimy hands that would do any mechanic proud and figured I might as well make my car shiny too.
So I dropped by sparkling «brite», with its faded sign, expecting a run of the mill halfway broken do it yourself, and was pleasantly surprised. The wash time was significant, their squirty brushes frothed and foamed a seriously thick lather and the vacuum exceeded the time I needed to get everything all cleared out.
IMHO t’s well worth the $ 3 and the sweat in your eyes to do something on your own — and it’s especially nice when the machines actually work.
*** Update: I went by recently and one of the bays was malfunctioning. I think it was the third from the right. Make sure it works before dropping your coins in ***

Definitely a good place to go to if you need to wash or vacuum your car and are OCD like me, and obsess about keeping your car neat & tidy.
After a road trip with my cat, the inside of my car was fur covered. To avoid causing my BF to go into anaphylactic shock, I went during lunch and vacuumed my car out. The vacuum is $ 1.00 for about 3 – 5 minutes and the self service car wash was $ 1.50 but not sure how long since I didn’t wash my car. The vacuum time was substantial. Even a neat-​freak like myself could suck up all the dirt & fur with $ 1.00 and I have a big SUV. But I added 4 more quarters in to concentrate on the nitty-​gritty details. I’ll take a perfect job done by myself for $ 2 over a high-​priced car detail place anyday.
It was pretty busy with people but not so much you would have to wait for a spot to open up during lunch time. The change machine worked fine when I was there.
I did feel some eyes glaring at me as I vacuumed my trunk so I turned around to find 3 men at the nearby taco stand staring at my ass. Oh well… what can you do? Lookie, no touchy dudes!

The only reason I go to this car wash is because it’s so friggin close to home. Over the 6+ years I’ve used it, the quality and even existence of certain equipment has diminished.
It used to be run by this crotchety old grandpa character that always seemed to be there all day, watching patrons like a hawk. I prefer to stay in the stall (if nobody’s waiting behind me) to do my ShamWowing because the water can dry prematurely in sunlight and leave little spots. The Grandpa would be all on my tip, telling me to move my car, when there were other empty stalls. I complied the first two times, but then got fed up and told him to call the cops. He then resigned to hovering and giving me the Skunk-​Eye.
Maybe I should’ve been more appreciative of his attentive care. The place has gone downhill since Gramps rode off into the sunset.
Each stall used to have the spray nozzles with a hand trigger and long hard plastic barrel for holding and directing. Now only one or 2 out of 7 still has the plastic barrel. It’s just a limp-​dick exposed spring that wiggles while you wash. No bueno.
Then you’ve got your soap-​flow, or lack thereof. Sometimes it takes so long to get soap to come out, it’s too late and it’s time to rinse. Then other times it just makes 3 or 4 bubbles on your hood instead of a nice lather.
In the back they had a water spigot and a hand-​cranked wringer for your sponge, chamois or ShamWow. Now it’s just a memory, like ol’ Grandpa’s Skunk-​Eye. Just a brick stump and useless sink remains.
$ 1.50 to start it and get 4.25 minutes. $ 2.00 for over 5 minutes. That’s usually all I need for the G-​ride to get her Sparkle on. 2 bucks ain’t bad.
Beware of the bill changer. If the Out Of Service Light is on, it will still take your dollar, but gives no change. In the light of day it’s hard to tell if the light is on, so sometimes I cover it with my hand and look to make sure.
Other than that, it’s your standard DIY car wash. But this one’s next to a Gas Pipe. So if you bring a friend and they get bored watching you fight the nozzle n’ hose, send them next door for Whip-​Its!

THIS is what customer service should be!
Sparkling Car Wash is one of those do-​it-​yourself car washes. My car was SO dirty that my boyfriend and I took it through a car wash at a gas station first just to loosen all the bird poop. We took it here next and scrubbed it down and then parked it next to a vacuum to clean the inside.
One of the tires had been going low recently and I had a can of Fix-​A-​Flat so my boyfriend was using that. When he was done, he pulled the can away but the can’s nozzle came off and remained on the tire valve.
There were two guys repairing the vacuum next to us so I asked if they had some pliers that we could use to try and pull the nozzle off. Rather than just handing me a pliers, one of the guys actually came over to take a look and help. Turns out he was the manager (his name is Tommy).
After he succeeded in pulling off the nozzle he asked us what was causing the leak. I discovered a screw and pointed it out. He explained that Fix-​A-​Flat actually isn’t that great for the tire and that we should really use a plug to fix the hole. Then he said he had the tools in his truck and offered to fix it for us.
He got out a huge jack and took off the tire. He pulled out the screw and used this awl thing to widen the hole a little bit. Then he placed a thin strip of rubber over the hole and pushed it in. His friend used a lighter to burn off the excess and trimmed it. He said that that was all it needed, we wouldn’t even have to replace the tire or go to a repair place to get a more permanent fix. Of course, we gave them some cash for their help.
They went WAY above and beyond to help us out. All this occurred around 7 in the evening, not during normal business hours and they had just been there to do repairs.
In the end, I did have to replace the tire because it went flat after all several weeks later. However, this was after a 4 hour drive out-​of-​town so I think that and the hot weather contributed. But for them to have done the work for free and have it hold up for a month was great. I’m sure if they hadn’t have caught it, it would’ve blown at some point or left me stranded with a flat somewhere.
In all, I was super impressed by their service and the car wash will continue to get my business.