How Much to Tip a Car Wash

A car wash, whether done at a clean shop or on your own, is one of the most important aspects of vehicle maintenance. In case you get your car washed at a vehicle auto detailing shop, there’s a wash fee involved. But to how gratitude, you need to tip the car wash.

A car wash, whether done at a clean shop or on your own, is one of the most important aspects of vehicle maintenance. Keeping your car clean goes a long way in ensuring the car stays looking fresh for a long time.

It prevents dirt and debris from accumulating on the paint exterior keeping it fresher for longer. The longer you stay without a washing your car, the more dirt accumulates making it more difficult to clean and ruining your car paint.

Washing your own car might be the cheapest option. For some, it may be a fun activity; a chance to ‘bond’ with their car or pass time. But sometimes, it may not be the best way to clean your vehicle.

Taking your car to the car wash is by far the easiest and fastest way to get your car cleaned. Most car wash services also have extra services besides just washing, the most common include: interior vacuuming, waxing and towel drying. All these services are needed for the longevity of the car.

Also, by taking to the car wash, the interior is well cleaned and vacuumed. This is important as not many people clean the interior (or clean it properly) when cleaning the car themselves.

It is important to get your car washed at the car wash detailing service at least once a month. The following section shows different types of washes you can do on your car.

What are the types of car washes available?

There are a few types of car washes available today. Each has its own pros and cons and some are primarily better than others. It’s important to know these car washes in order to select the best for your car. They include:

Handwashing

Handwashing is the safes way to wash your car. It can be done in a traditional bucket method at home or at the car wash shop with a high tech pressurized foam cannon.

However, they both still apply the same workings of hand washing: a soft rug, soap and water and thorough scrubbing where needed. In car washes, the process involves first covering the car up in soap foam then rinsing it with high pressure water from a pipe.

After this, the car is again covered in foam and this time, scrubbed with a soft rug before rising it. This is done to break down contaminants. The car is then rinsed and dried.

An important thing to note about handwashing is that is consumes a lot of time, especially when you do it yourself at home. When done by a professional at the car wash, it is one of the best ways to clean your vehicle.

Waterless wash

As name suggests, a waterless wash does not involve the use of water when washing your car. A waterless wash uses a spray bottle washing product and gentle scrubbing using a soft towel.

Spray the dirty surface with the washing product and then wipe with a microfiber towel. As you may have realized, this is not the best method for washing your car. It is considered a last option. It can however be done in a limited space.

It is not a great method to remove huge chunks of dirt on your car, especially muddy spots. It works best for lightly dusty surfaces. Another risk of waterless washing is that it may scratch your car.

The wash product is not designed to be as silky as foam from soap, therefore if you scrub too much with the wrong material, you might scratch paint of the car.

Tunnel washes

Tunnel washes are also known as automatic washes. Thy involve driving your vehicle on a conveyor belt inside a washing tunnel. The washing process is divided into sections where the car is foamed up with soap, scrubbed with tough brushes and dried using powerful blowers.

The main problem with this method is that the brushes can easily scratch the surface of your car because how hard the bristles are. The washing detergent used in tunnel washes is also harsh and can dry out your paint leading it to crack and even fade.

So you might be wondering why one can take their car for a tunnel wash. The answer is simple, tunnel washes are cheap and the quickest way to wash the whole exterior of the car. Most people also do not understand the extent of damage a tunnel wash does to the paint.

Touchless washes

Touchless washes also use tunnels to wash your car. The main difference between the two however is, while a regular tunnel wash uses powerful brushes to clean your car, a touchless wash uses high pressured water jets mixed with cleaning chemicals.

There are no brushes used to scrub hence the name ‘touchless’. The pressurized water jets remove dirt by simply spraying against the surface. Touchless washes are great because they do not ruin the car’s exterior paint.

How much should I tip?

The amount you tip depends on the type of car you have. Larger cars require higher tips than smaller cars. The following guide shows the best tip amounts depending on the type of car

Two Dollars: A $2 tip is acceptable for an economy size car that has been hand washed in the traditional bucket method and dried using a towel.

Three Dollars: A $3 tip is acceptable for the same economy size car but with a different type of wash. If the car has been vacuumed in addition to handwashing, a three dollar tip is advised

Four Dollars: For larger sized vehicles such as vans, trucks and SUVs, four dollars is the minimum amount to tip. They are larger and therefore take longer and more effort to clean. This amount applies when the vehicle has just been hand washed

Five Dollars: If your larger car has been vacuumed in addition to being hand washed, a $5 tip is recommended.

10 to 15 Percent of total fee: This applies for full service detailing in addition to a hand wash. The full detailing may include waxing and/or polishing.

If you receive any of these services after the wash, then you need to tip at least 10% of the total service fee. It is a fair amount to the serviceman who’s worked on your car especially if you cannot decide on an amount. So, if the service fee was $100, give the serviceman who did it at least $10 as a tip.

Conclusion

The amount of tip you give should depend on the quality and value of service you have received for the amount charged. And although tipping is not really a must, it is a great way to show appreciation and build a rapport with the cleaner. If the service was poor, it okay to lower the tip or not give it at all. Tipping however is a great habit to adopt.