mfissel

Any suggestions on a good car wash / detail shop in San Fran bay area. How about a good hand wash place - no drive-throughs?

Mark

Skeeter

Easy Bay? S.F.? Are you talking heavy once-a-month waxing type service, or weekly washing?

Some good "Touchless" places. A good spot here in Berkeley near Campus. ~$22 gets you a decent washing with fresh soft cloth, no machine rubbing, and good interior cleaning. Not great for hand waxing, they are overpriced IMO and don't do a great job. Decent spot for hand waxing in Burlingame... I'd love to find a top-notch detail service in Berkeley myself. A spot that does top-quality clay-bar, waxing, deep detailing once every few months...

And while we are on the subject how do you all clean your car cover (if you use one). I found that my cover gets weather-beaten after a month or tow and smudges up the finish after a good cleaning, which sucks. Do you just wash it in a laundrymat machine with no soap, line dry? I have an expensive cover, but can't find instructions for cleaning it.

I told myself I'd NEVER get another black car after my '96 Impala, but then the E55 came along with all the right options and price, and it just looked so understatedly evil in black... Impossible to keep clean!

SOrry for the rant,

Skeeter

baldmike73

In San Jose we goto AJ's and they do a great job. On any given day you can see a ton of M3, M5, AMG's, P-Cars, and Ferraris.

They do a great job and keep out car looking brand new. Wash is $25 all hand wash, hand dry, and full clean inside.

Full detail is around $300 with a mini detail is around $100.

joemoney415

There is a place downtown SF at the piers called The Bay Detail. Pretty new place but they do top notch work from what I have seen. I havent used them yet but a couple guys at work have been very happy. Full clay bar treatment with brazilian waxes. Ask for Mike, he is young but I have talked to him while dropping my buddy off and was impressed with his knowledge.

IIIMBPIII

Havent found any place i trust... I wash her myself

mogz

I always wash my car in the Japantown car wash in downtown SF.

PlayboyDiddy

I go to AJ's also. I've been going to them for years now and they do a lot of high end cars.

As for prices, a mini detail (hand wash, hand dry and cleaning the inside) is $25. An express wax (all of the above and a quick polish) cost $55 and a full blown out one ranges depending on the vehicle.

Just ask for Albert, he's the owner and tell him Gary referred you. He will take good care of you.

ecm

Try Country Club car wash on Stevens Creek in San Jose. Hand car wash and reasonable.

baldmike73

IMO I think AJ's does a bettter job. Isn't country club brushless? They (AJ's) has been doing detailing for like 20+ years!

PlayboyDiddy

I agree, AJ's does a way better job!

paul928

There is a good hand car wash place at the corner of Lombard & Scott in the Marina in SF. They charge about $20 for a basic wash, tire treatment and interior vacuum.

zoink

+1... the big turn off of commercial car wash like that is they often use the mitts over and over again.... can you imagine if the car in front of you is full of dirt after off-roading and the same mitts (which often are not rinsed thoroughly) are used to wash your car? Thanks but no thanks.

I use at least 3 mitts (one for undercarriage & rims; one for bumpers & body parts below the trims; and one for the rest) and 2 buckets (or more) when washing my car....

I always cringe when seeing my neighbor washing his SL w/ only 1 small mitt and small bucket, and most of the time one part (i.e. door, fender, hood) is done w/o even rinsing the mitt.

joemoney415

Anyone heard of Con-fi-dent in the North Bay. I was thinking about going there. Maybe I will give The Bay Detail my audi and if they do a good job I will go with them. If I'm not happy I can always use it as a test mule at the North Bay location I mentioned.

mogz

Washed & detailed my car yesterday at Bay Detail.

All I can say is... Here I come (again)!

joemoney415

Wait so Mogz you went down to the Bay Detail yesterday? What did you have done, wash and wax? Were you satisfied with how it all turned out? My car is black like yours and I am super picky so I would love to find a good reliable place. If you are happy I might try to go down there tommorow.

mogz

Yes, wash and paint protection.

Worth every penny IMO. My car is like new again, has that show car shine...

joemoney415

Good info, glad to here it your black car is looking good. I have seen good work come out of there before, just no black cars. I always reserve my final judgement of a detail shop until I see a black car done, but from the sounds of it I'll take your word.

ThisFlyGuy

can you list location? also how much?

joemoney415

They are down at Pier 38 by Pac Bell (or whatever they call it now) park. I talked to someone on the phone today and it looks like $100 for the paint protector, and I think the wash is around 25-35. So if I am not mistaken about 120-125 to get a little shine. I am going down there after the storm passes by, let you know how it goes.

paul928

The place where I go for a major detailing about three-four times a year in SF is Phaedrus, on Jackson Street between Van Ness & Polk. It is in a basement locatrion of a independent BMW service shop and is operated by Mr. Verlyn James. His phone number is 415.567.8988,
Mr James uses clay, a paste wax and sealer if you wish, although he will tell you he dones't think that it is necessary with clear-coated cars which are kept up well. His work is first rate.
In between visits to Mr. James, I use a place on Lombard at Scott for hand washes and the application of a spray wax from Griot's Garage. I bring my own mcro-fiber cloth for washing, wiping & wiping off the spray wax.

joemoney415

Hey Paul, are you the guy that has the black cls 63 parked on the street on Divis every so often? If you are I live down the street from you. Always wondered if the owner was on the forum.

paul928

No, Mine is Silver.