Saturday, November 29, 2008

Angelino's First Bath

Just less than a week and G (that's how I call him) is grimy and dirty already! That's what he and I have to contend with with open parking.

If you have a hybrid car and you want to wash it yourself, a self-serve car wash makes perfect environmental sense.

Rinse water and accompanying contaminants (oil, grease, gasoline, car shampoo) that run into ordinary drain systems end up in open water, untreated.

In self-serve car wash shops, these are recycled and sent to the sewage system for treatment before going to the environment.

I had a 3-minute crash course in self-serve car wash on the Internet. Hands-on training was on site.

The shop had three sections: vacuum, washing, drying. I needn't use the first as G is still spick and span in the inside.

The wash system is user-friendly operated by quarters. There's a coin change booth or you can bring your own.

One nozzle sprays out water, soap, and wax at different intervals depending on where the user puts the dial. A foaming brush is on hand for scrubbing the car. Both are on a boom and will swivel with you as you go around your car.

It cost me about $6 for a sparkling clean. I spent the most time drying G out. And you have to bring your own towels. It's also up to you to bring your own glass cleaner, tire protectant and trim conditioner.

After his first bath, I also let G have his first taste of the freeway. We cruised up I-5 and down I-10. I was a bit anxious but he enjoyed it. Traffic was not bad considering it's a holiday weekend.

No comments:

Post a Comment