Considering mine and a few others’ user experience at self-service car washes, below are some aspects in which self-service car wash excels, but there are also areas where self-service car wash could use some improvements.
Cheap:
A typical 5-minute at the self-service car wash would cost you about 5 dollars, while a visit to an automatic car wash would costs around 15 to 20 dollars. The low cost is a big plus for budget-conscious students like me! (Picture below: I used less than half of these quarters I exchanged for my car wash.)
More options:
Automatic car wash services usually come in bundle forms (i.e. users choose between different bundles of services, which may or may not include extra services that aren’t necessary). Self-service car washes let its customers to decide what services they want, as well as for how long they want it. Users enjoy the control they have over how their cars are being cleaned.
More thorough cleaning:
At self-service car washes, users could clean off specific parts of their cars better by spraying water/ soap directly at the dirty spots. For example, if there are some stubborn bird droppings on your windshield, they may only get partially washed off at automatic car washes (as they are typically drive-thru). However, at a self-service car wash, you can rinse and scrub your windshield for as long as possible, until the dirty spots are completely gone.
Easy to use:
To use a self-service car wash, one simply needs to park the car in the bay and start cleaning. However, at an automatic car wash, you have to align your car with the track system correctly, which is not the easiest thing to do and may take a few tries for some people.
Fun:
Users get hands-on experience cleaning their car with the pressure washer, which is not something people get to use daily. Some drivers really enjoy the sense of achievement they get from cleaning their car, and some loves it as a bonding experience with friends and family!
Water splashing:
When the water pressure is too high or when there is overspray, the user can easily get water or soap on them. There may also be big puddles of water on the ground (below: there was already a big puddle of water before I started cleaning my car). While a little bit of water doesn’t hurt, accidents happen sometimes and no one wants to be driving in soaked clothes!
Pressure hose gets in the way of cleaning:
Typically, the pressure hose is hooked up to the main pipe above the car wash, and is very long to enable users to reach all parts of their vehicles. However, the lengthy hose usually gets in the way when one is trying to spray water all over their car, or it may get tangled as the user drags it around. Therefore, users have to hold the nozzle with one hand and the hose with the other, which is sometimes quite an awkward position. It also hinders user from by spraying water and brushing their vehicle at the same time.
Some cars are more difficult to wash:
If you were a smaller (shorter) or less deft person, then you may have a difficult time washing your large vehicle (such as pick-up trucks, SUVs) - it is hard and tiring to drag the hose around the vehicle, and to reach and clean the car roof! (Here, this car is not big at all, but I still have to tiptoe to wash it...)
Uncertainty in time needed:
At self-service car washes, the amount customers pay depends on the time they need. There is no signage at the car wash that provides estimates of the average time needed to clean cars of different sizes; therefore, inexperienced users often have trouble gauging how much money they should pay up front – which end up with them either (i) do not have enough time to clean their car completely, and have to go back and forth the coin operator to purchase more time, or (ii) pay too much in the beginning, and have unused time.
Improper/ irresponsible use of equipment:
Some self-service car wash users may be quite careless when using the equipment provided, which may affect the car wash experience of other users who visit later. For example, some users may use the foam brush to scrub off dirt from their vehicles, and not clean the foam brush before leaving. The users following may not be aware that there are grits left in the brush bristles and use the brush as usual, and end up damaging the paint on their vehicles.
Lack of help from staff:
As mentioned above, most of the self-service ca washes are not staffed, and hence it is usually difficult for users to get help when encounter difficulties. While the contact information of the car wash owner is usually available, users still find it trouble to get help promptly when they have problems with equipment not working properly or payment issues.