Car cleaning and washing: Service centre or independent shop

Watching them cleaning my car with the same dirty cloth in and out literally broke my heart. They were using some strange liquid solution to polish the interior, which was sticky in nature and had a weird smell.

BHPian im_chandan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I own a Tata Nexon and I am used to cleaning the car myself. Most of the time I use the 2 bucket method. I prefer turtle products for car cleaning needs. I am especially impressed by their Ice Seal n Shine product.

Turtle Wax Ice Seal and Shine hydrophobic effect after parking car in the open for a night in light rain:

Recently, I had been to a service center for my car's 2nd service. Nowadays, almost all service centers have switched to dry cleaning for exterior cleaning.

Watching them cleaning my car with the same dirty cloth in and out literally broke my heart. They were using some strange liquid solution to polish the interior, which was sticky in nature and had a weird smell. They were cleaning the dirty bottom part and the upper part of the door panel with the same cloth in one go. It was very scary to watch them cleaning my car in this way.

Finally, after the service, I took my car to a local car washing shop for a thorough wash. Then I brought the car back home and did all the polishing by myself.

Now I have decided that I will never use the dry car washing service at the ASS.

BHPians, do you still prefer getting your car cleaned at a service station?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Service center only if it's being offered free, which a few do. But if they are charging a pretty fee for cleaning, then it's best done outside (just like wheel alignment or detailing). The sole reason I can think of in favour of service center cleaning is convenience; since the car is already there, why not get it done too vis a vis taking the time out for a separate visit.

Here's what BHPian Leoshashi had to say on the matter:

I prefer getting it washed from outside. Have been availing Maruti's Service on Wheels facility, where they send their service van to my home, and although they have water on board, it's not sufficient for any decent job. So I politely deny and they offer me to get my car washed at their main facility by mentioning it on their bill. So as of now I have 3 such "tokens" but I'll never get my car washed there. Reasons:

1. They are too overloaded to do any decent work.

2. Risk of them using improper methods of washing, Yes I'm a bit finicky for those things.

3. Time taken for a wash is actually less, but then the drama begins of moving the car out through congested premises, waiting for other cars, billing time etc. For the same reason I call their van for service, they do the required things in an hour max, and send me the bill over whatsapp, which is far convenient than spending unproductive hours at the workshop.

4. The nearby washing center/detailing shops do a far better job. Owner is my friend and I get my cars washed before/after their normal operating time. That matches perfectly with my office timings and secondly, they do a far more comprehensive job as per my needs, which sometimes includes drenching the entire underbody and cleaning deeply.

Yes I do end up spending close to 200 rupees monthly extra for this, but it's entirely worth it.

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