[Rahul Bhalgat]

Problem with ASC: Wash quality isn't that good. They don't clean all over.

Problem with independent car washing centre: Indiscriminate use of pressure over the engine bay or electric wires.

Hence I clean the car myself, as far as possible. But I don't clean the wheel wells.

Once in a while, I take the car to an independent car washing centre and instruct them specifically to be careful in the engine bay and on the wiring.

[Sureshmadhan]

Usually the ASC tend to be disinterested to take vehicles for exclusive cleaning purpose due to their commitments and priorities on service. But they are well equipped.

For outside cleaning 3PP shops, you need to be very careful and cherry pick the apt place. For ex: 3M centers do this professionally and with care (like using microfiber cloth, class leading process, well appointed staff, etc). There are certain centers which can perform the wash in much competitive pricing, but you need to know what the process and materials they are bounded with.

[GreyNomad]

ASS during the annual service, since it’s anyway included. However, I don’t let them polish the interiors, only vacuum.

15 days - 60 days wash at FNG. Interval depends on if I’m in pune (open parking) or mumbai (covered parking).

Detailing once a year post monsoons.

[gotoguru]

As part of the service routine the car gets washed by the authorized service centre. Agreed, if we see the work done by the boys, we will never again ask the ASS to do the washing. They even use some sort of oil, and to remove it I need to do shampoo wash twice during the week after service. Then, after I do that, its only wash by own self, using waterless wash predominantly, till the next service appointment with the ASS. Outside garages, sometimes mess with the engine bay. If you have a good acquaintance, the outside service centre is best for washing the car after monsoon rides. Most important is, third parties, other than the car owner don't use the microfiber cloths diligently.

[Vasanth]

Voted for None.
Thanks for adding this thread.
The only time dealer washes my car is during my annual service.
And the only time I give my car for neighbourhood washing centres is when I have to get the underbody washed.
Yes. They use the same dirty cloth for upper body and lower body. Use weird smelling , sticky polishes inside.
And though most modern car wash stations use Microfibre clothes to dry the cars none of them knows to use it. They erase the car, (the way kids erase with a rubber). It just broke my heart. There is an art to use a Microfibre towel. At some car wash centres I even take part during the drying stage with my own cloth. There are over 5-6 neighbourhood car wash centres near me. I have stopped going to almost all of them. (Unless I really need underbody wash)
I too have a Karcher pressure washer, vacuum cleaner, foam canon, buckets, brushes for wheels, Microfibre mitt, towel and air dryer.

[ACM]

I have always done it outside, but last few times I saw how ford does it. It was very comprehensive and much better than the many places I have used outside.

Now I prefer the authorised one only but it takes time so get it done outside as well.

[kkunal.shah]

Prefer the service center as it's part of the overall package & since the car is already there but i still ask them to only do external wash & not to touch interiors.
I have seen them using some pink colour solution for interiors which has high gloss & a weird smell, also they end up doing more damage to interiors with marks here & there so a strict no for interiors.

[Aravind_M92]

Honda charges about 500 for car wash and 700 for AC cleaning. Both of these services were found quite unsatisfactory accross various service centers. Maybe it's due to large volumes of vehicles awaiting for their turn there. I'm able to get both the services for a fraction of cost outside with satisfactory results.

[GeeTee TSI]

I have always spotted grubby finger prints after so called car wash at the dealership. Either it got dirty at another area after the wash, or it is such a hurried job to not keep the customer waiting (and understandably send a clean car out as soon as possible) that windows have watermarks and worse the door sills are wet!

Even a branded 3M detailing at dealership has been below average, my car felt like a face after a shave but not rinsed with water (little streaks of the polish along the edges )

[nishsingh]

I strictly avoid service centre for washing. This is because I have noticed that the service advisor tends to start focussing more on these non-essential stuff (due to the margins) than on actual mechanical issues.

My approach over the years has shifted to one where I ask the service center not to do any car wash/interior cleaning/ wheel alignment etc. and instead focus their efforts on the mechanical issues and the tasks to be completed as per the service schedule.

[Sanjivvohra]

Voted going outside.
The service centre guys insist on 'dry' cleaning of the car during routine servicing which I do not prefer.
On the off chance that they do offer the wet clean option, they are always rushed and don't do a thorough job
I use the neighbouring car wash guy, who charges Rs500/- for the Superb and Rs 700/- for the Endeavour. I give him my car shampoo and other polishing agents and he charges an additional Rs200 to polish the car. The whole process takes about an hour, I get the satisfaction of watching the car being cleaned properly using cleaning agents I'm comfortable with.

I don't see this changing in the near future!

[drjaygoyal]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

+1 to both of you. If the service centers do this free as a part of the service, and if they are not overcrowded, then I would not mind this.

However, in my experience, my servile centers charge more for car washing than my preferred friendly neighborhood car detailing shops do. And then I see no point in this (paying more). Further, usually car wash at authorized service center is a pain. They often delay the car delivery (after servicing) under the excuse of "car is waiting to get washed" and usually they have log queues at their washing bays. I have had frustrating moments when I was waiting to pick up my car in the evening after a service and all my evening plans were getting delayed thanks to this "washing delays" . And to make it even worse, because of the queues and the rush at their washing bays, these service centers are often in a hurry to do a quick and dirty job of washing and do not even wash the car that well. After a few such experiences, I just stopped the washing routine at the service centers.

On the other hand, I have a couple of good car detailing places near my home. They wash the car properly, and do a good job in whatever interior cleaning/detailing I opt for too. And all this in a reasonable price, without the maddening rush of cars waiting in line and scrambling for space, and with a smile on their face. I usually like the experiences of washing my car at these places.

So my choice and vote is clear: I wash at dedicated car detailing centers.

Agree 100%

Whenever I send my X3 for service, BMW service center puts a charge of 850 + GST for “exterior cleaning”.

And my driver has to wait for more than 1 hour average because of delays on washing and drying.

I prefer to get it done locally where they give me both an exterior cleaning and interior vacuuming for the same or lower price.

Also I can get it done as per my convenience.

[ripy002]

Since we are discussing this topic, I have a question for everyone. I have seen both ASS as well as local car cleaning services cleaning the engine bay with the pressurised water and later spraying some liquid over the engine and adjoining areas as well.
Is it recommended to clean the engine bay this way. How do you get it done?

[carthick1000]

Out of the last ~33000kms in Tesla model 3, I have been to the Tesla service center only once for fixing a broken sunvisor and once to a 3rd party tinker for fixing the rear bumper when the car got hit from behind in a traffic light. Also here in NL, it is not normal for dealers to wash the cars during normal maintenance visits. Most people wash it in 'wasbox' (Washing box) manually or 'Wasstraat' (Washing Street) automatically (a bit of manual work involved at the beginning) or at home with a gardenhose. I wash mine once in a month or so here in this wash street location (their promo film):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY9ArkkppEs

It takes about 4-5 minutes from getting in and out and it is about 2 minute detour from my home-work route. It costs about 10EUR per wash and I think this is the most efficient in terms of time. And I do the interior vacuuming myself at home every other week or so with a portable Dyson. Sometimes, I do clean the leather/art.leather surfaces with Meguairs leather cleaner/moisturizer.

[sedanlover2021]

I have a Bosch Service Centre near my place in Bangalore. They charge INR 400 and do an excellent job of interior and exterior cleaning. Being a pet parent to a golden retriever can mess your cars up but they do an excellent job. In the past I have used Ford's dry cleaning service and external cleaning service when car went for service, the experience has always been meh.