Maybe I've just missed them, but I haven't been able to find a self-wash carwash anywhere in the Arlington/Alexandria area. But this Saturday when I pulled into a gas station near my house I saw someone off to the side of the building washing a car with what appeared to be one of those carwashing wands. Then I noticed a line of cars behind him, so I went over and checked it out. They only have one little station but for $5 you get 9 minutes of wash time which is plenty with those self-wash wands.

I'm way excited because I don't have a suitable place to wash my car at home and I hated taking it to those full-service washes as they're just an accident waiting to happen on my paint job. So now I can wash my car, dry it, and take it home for further detailing. I just wanted to let everyone here know in case they are in a similar situation of living close to DC in an apartment or condo without the ability to wash your car at home. They really need a self-wash place around here as I think it would do quite well, anyone interested in starting a carwash with me?

 

You might want to tell them where?

 

He narrowed it down some

 

Just PM him, because it might be a secret location or something.

 

I'm pretty sure there's one on Route 1 right opposite the lower gate of Fort Belvoir too.

 

Edge,

Yup! I used them before. Not the most pleasant area of Alexandria, but I haven't had a problem using it. Plus, it's literally right around the corner from me!


-Paul!

 

But he says it is in ARLINGTON! And if it is, I am very excited.

 

Yes, I know... but I figured that some people might also like to know of other locations.

 

If anyone is ever up north At the corner of Weyburn Ave and Goldring Rd. there is a very nice DIY car wash place. It has like 5 DIY bays, 1 touchless automated bay, and a few old school automated bays. This shall be my winter hangout.

 

I just came back to this thread and I had intended to put the location in but I forgot. So I guess everyone is in suspense now. Although I'm not sure I should share the exact location because every time I try to go use it there may be a long line of MINIs in my way. Oh well, maybe we can just turn it into the weekly DCMM car wash party!

Ok, the location is.....

ARNA Valley Exxon
2720 South Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22206

It's right off the South Glebe Road exit of I-395.

So now that the secret is out, Enjoy

 

Two more for you:

1. BP station at the corner of Wilson Blvd & Roosevelt Blvd (about 300 yds from the Seven Corners intersection)

2. The Liberty gas station (used to be an independent) - Rt 50, south bound, halfway between Seven Corners and Annandale Road.

Anyone found a "touchless" car wash in the Arlington area? Closest one I know of is down in Merrifield (Exxon, just of Rt 50, by Sweet Water Tavern)

 

Remind me not to go to any Club events at your place !

 

Yea I was wondering where the one at 7 corners was. Some guy at the Exxon mentioned there was another self-wash place over in that area but he didn't have any details. Thanks for the tip on the BP

If I owned a gas station and had a little extra space, it would be a very smart move. Install a wash machine and make a little extra money while doing nothing but some occasional maintenance. But I still think they need a full self-wash carwash in the Arlington area...

 

It's not too bad right where I live. It's literally right next to the base, and it's mostly military that live here. The others seem to be reasonably peaceful 9-to-5ers. It's just that if you wander over to route 1, things get a bit... interesting!


-Paul!

 

It IS in ARLINGTON!

Folks, this means there is some chance Isabelle will be clean this winter.

 

You could provide personal protection services for any of your fellow club members who use that carwash.... a great opportunity to socialize!



















Then you could them help wash their MINIs, too!

 

Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it...

Yeah, right after I wash mine!!

Naw, I'm going to be sacreligious, and take my MINI to a trusted auto car wash for the winter!! My paint at this point is so jacked up, that it really doesn't make a difference anymore. Of course, if anyone wants to hand-wash my MINI in sub-freezing temps, be my guest!


-Paul!

 

$20 an hour and I'll do it for ya. For me, a nice solid external wash/polish/polish/wax/polish/wax takes about 3 hours

 

what??? next to M Slavin & Sons?

I'll definitely look closer next time I'm there. I got my saturn and our old camry inspected there a few times. I never noticed a car wash station. I'm only a couple of minutes away up West Glebe from there.

 

Yea, I live on South Glebe kind of across from the Golds Gym, just a few blocks away. It's very convenient. I don't know how long it has been there but it's right in front of the garage doors on the side along the curb.

 

I went by there this morning. The sign said $5 = 1 Token = 9 minutes.
If the space was covered it might be worth it. But after seeing the place, it seems a little much for what you get.

 

I figure its about $8 cheaper than the full-service joints and if you bring along a few towels to dry it off you won't get the swirls and scratches you risk getting from the dirty rags other car washes use. I've found that 9 minutes is plenty of time for a solid wash. I use it whenever I can't get up to my parent's place to use their hose.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but I snapped this last summer in Arlington

check out the license plate...