Chicago’s #1 Car Washes

$ 3.50 — four days a week — or 3.75 3 days a week for a solid auto car wash.
A few years ago they switched out the bristle type spinners and now they have the thousand rag attack approach. It works and is not as hard on the finish of your car. (After about 200 car washes in 4 – 5 years I did notice from some angle in some light conditions where the bristles did leave some markings — but that is gone)
I buy gas afterward and do some paper towel wiping on the rear of a wagon by the license plate and few places on windows — one minute. If you want there are always «independents» at the end offering to dry your car. Not sure if the sign still says one dollar but figure to go $ 2 for just drying. Most of these independent contractors seem to do a reasonable job and it seems these people work a long day. Yet if you do that and add the vacuum and some mat work — by then you might as well have gone to a full service for 9 bucks and tip a buck. This is great for the fast cheap wash.
I think its been there over 30 years ! That would not be the case if there was not value (or perceived value) for a reasonable number of people. A $ 3 auto wash location (with better auto dry dryers) opened the other direction from my house with free vacuum if you want to do it. Yet to my eyes «fast wash» for three dollars does not end in as clean an exterior. I do appreciate the competition and hope that this car wash goes back to offering tape register coupons for free $ 1.00 thin seal/​wax which adds a bit of a nice touch

Damaged tire and scratched wheel!!! Horrible place. Decided to stop in and get a quick wash and some gas before driving to the suburbs for work today. Asked for «wash, hand dry and tire shine» got a wash and something applied to the tires along with a nice chunk taken from the sidewall. Just had 4 new continentals installed Wednesday. Awesome.
After the wash I pulled up to get gas and have car dried off. No one. Asked gas attendant and he just kept referring to the other guy. There wasn’t any one. So I paid $ 11 got no receipt for the wash and no one dried the car off. It’s black. So lots of nice water spots. Waste of time. Thankfully I have a fuel receipt that proves I was at least there.
Called this morning and asked for the manager. He’s only there on Saturday. Have to stop by and fill out a report. If that is as worthwhile as the wash and phone call I’m sure it will go well.
The service here is bad. People are rude and for an extra $ 9 take your car to a proper hand wash place like Strictly by Hand on western. Never damaged the car and always did a good job. Haste makes waste and this place proves it.

It’s cheap, and they take credit cards. However, my car is still kinda dirty and the attendant was kinda crotchety. I’ll go somewhere else next time.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. I WOULD LEAVE ZERO STARTS IF I COULD.
The carwash started off normal. I paid for my car and went through the machine wash. They then ask if I want to towel dry which costs extra. I agreed and said I’d also like them to do the inside and put air in the tires. The man has me pull up to the vacuum and air machine. This is when everything goes sour.
After vacuuming my car there was STILL pieces of popcorn AND leaves. Clearly this guy didn’t take the time to move the seats because when I sat down, I could look and see debris where he ignored. There’s nowhere to wait while they dry your car and vacuum so I’d been standing in the cold for about 20 minutes. I didn’t fuss because I wanted to sit back in my car. There’s also some kind of black gunk on the bottom of the car — nothing big — but I asked if he could get that and he just gestured to the towel so I DID IT MYSELF. Then he proceeds to put air in the tires and tells me everything else was $ 7 more. I ask him where to pay and he says to pay him. I ask to put it on my card and he says «cash only» and points me to the ATM. I paid for the wash on my card so I don’t understand why they would let you pay on card, just to tell you now you have to pay in cash. I repeatedly try to ask him if I can just pay with my card like I did before and he just keeps telling me «You need to pay». Yes, I understand basic transactions. I’m trying to ask why I can’t pay on my card like I initially did. Luckily I had a little cash on me which is rare and I go on my way. I don’t get half a block when I notice the «Tire Pressure Low» sign is still on, so I go back and flag down the guy who put air in my tires. He tells me in very broken English that I didn’t pay for air. Well then, why did you put air in my tires in the first place and not charge me? He says, «Give me 50 more cents». Now I’m not one to haggle half a dollar, but (1) don’t tell me to give you anything and (2) why am I paying again for what you didn’t do right the first time? I try to ask him, «Didn’t you already put air in the tires?» because I clearly watched him do it. He keeps ignoring me and I keep having to flag him down trying to understand what happened and why he put some air in but not enough. And he just keeps telling me to give him more money. Clearly he didn’t speak enough English to conduct business and after another 5 minutes of going back and forth, I left and had the gas station down the street put air in my tires for free.
This was absolutely a miserable experience. The interior clean job was horrible. Prices are unclear. You can use your card for the wash but nothing else? And the guy who did the work on my car was unfriendly, rude, and probably would have ripped me off if I hadn’t left. I went here for the Unilocal reviews but either I had an abnormally bad experience or all the positive reviews are friends and family. I would never recommend this business to anyone.

3.50 car was and then everything is like an a la carte… the hand washes and vacuums are done by random people. There is not really a set price so it’s pretty negotiable. I went on a Tuesday around 4pm and it was $ 7.50 for a machine wash and $ 15 for an interior wipe down and vacuum

$ 3.50 for an auto car wash.
I was in a hurry but my car was covered in poofart. Can’t meet my girlfriends with this holy mess! So I went to this place for the very first time.
They even take credit cards! Nice!
I got so shy going through this S&M electric carwash dungeon, but they were friendly enough to guide me on the right track.
Put your gear into N and just finish that half-​done makeup while your car is getting ass kicked and licked.
Don’t forget to have a separate $ 2 bill for the hand dry service at the end!
Glad I finished my makeup during the ride.

You will leave with a very clean car. I did the hand wash $ 15 and I’ve never seen a guy work harder. I’ll be back. Only draw back is that the hand wash took 30 minutes and there is no where to hang while they’re cleaning, next time I’ll go to a local coffee shop… still 5 stars for quality of wash and price.

Wash for 3.50 and at the other side, free agents available to hand dry, vaccum & clean your windows for extremely decent wages.
Don’t neglect to tip well, for all that these guys make their own money, they do it for a pittance.

Oh geez. I’ve let my car’s outward appearances go just like a housewife letting herself go– no longer brushing her hair, showering, putting makeup, gaining those pounds, letting those dark roots show. Sexy. I got sad for my car. It was… crusty looking. mmmmmmm. Even after parking in a garage most of the time! It has obviously been awhile since I’ve given my car a nice shower and scrub. But thanks to my wandering eye while having lunch across the street, I spotted this place! I’ve been looking for a car wash but everytime I spot one– it’s at a bad time. zomg, the wash is only like 3.50 and you go through it and there’s men at the end that offer to dry it with towels. No thanks, cuz the sun is out! What a lovely car wash. Quick and easy, my car looks so nice and squeaky clean. #1? That’s kinda cocky. but Chicago’s #25 car wash sounds like self esteem issues :-p

My car, Charlotte Gray, had been looking dour recently due to the snowy, cold weather that just left white speckles all over her. She was beginning to embarrass me. «Char, what up?» «Clean me, B. Clean me.»
So after being denied at the automatic place on Damen (sorry boutcha, but you have to fix your credit card machine if your sign says «Accepts credit cards») we went to the old standby.
There was a line — it was a Sunday afternoon — but we went from being in line to getting clean to being on our way in the length of «Thunderstruck» by AC/​DC. I know because it was on the radio.
My only beef is that the cleaning is not totally thorough, and the time spent under the dryer is inadequate. The dudes competing for your $ 1 to hand-​dry with a rag don’t solve this problem because, see, I just paid for a cash wash/​dry so I don’t feel like paying more. But overall a decent wash for the price.

Oh no. I don’t think so. Keep on Unilocaling.
After this wash, I still couldn’t see through the streaks on my windows. I drove away, and after ten minutes had to pull over at another gas station to try to clean the windows myself. Point of car wash? Defeated.
I also noticed gray smudges all along the top passenger side of my car, right where the top of the car meets the side doors. Imagine me at the gas station (where I am cleaning my car windows post car wash), and I’m rubbing this neat little pattern of gray smudges, one every 6 inches and they are not going away. At least they are evenly spaced? Oh my oh my.
But, it was only a few bucks, so maybe you get what you pay for. Seems like it works for a lot of people, but I was one of the unlucky ones that got smudged up.

$ 3.50 for a carwash that takes 1 minute. Great. It gets my car super clean, nothing like the other touchless washes you find at gas stations. This is 100 times better. It’s 25 cents more for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so try to go during the week if you can.

$ 35 interior detail. Great job. Other places charge two, three times as much for the same service. Friendly staff, if not exactly fluent in English.
Cash only

Yes, this is one of those old car washes with the spinny-​thingies that beat on your car and scrub it clean. A year ago, I would have been traumatized… it was touch-​free for me and Vixen! Now, after my first winter of street-​parking, I am disappointed to come to terms with the fact that my ride has succumbed to many scratches and nicks… Oh Vixen. its a sad day for you and I…
So I decide that a non-​touchless car wash for $ 3.50 is ok with me, and with very-​dirty-​Vixen. It got every part of Her really clean (mirrors, hatchback door), no line at the time, friendly money-​taker-​guy took my antenna off for me, dryer guys weren’t pushy.
Not high-​end, but only $ 3.50 and plenty good enough for my city car.

About once every year I get the urge to clean my car. Usually when the weather gets semi-​appropriate for humans to exist happily. So, last Thursday when it hit a stifling 59 degrees, it struck me that my car needed some TLC. After gussying her up with an oil change, the next step was to rid her of salt, sludge and general debris accumulated on the gritty streets of Chicago.
I have driven past Chicago’s #1 Car Washes (I don’t know why it is plural, but ok) about 10 million times, but never stopped. Why? Because there is usually a line around the block that impedes traffic. I heard the alderman tried to shut them down because of this, but they prospered. So finally, I was in the area and decided to just wait it out. Surprisingly the line moved swiftly and efficiently. It appears that this place has been around since the 50s, so they know what’s up.
They take cash or credit cards, and it’s only $ 3.50 for a wash. Pretty stellar, because I hate paying $ 10 for a car shower. $ 3.50 seems good to me, and I even had the cash on me for once. The guy takes your money (which the sign says YOU MUST HAVE READY, so heed the warning) and off I was into the 30 second car wash. Damn fine job, I must say.
You can pay an extra $ 2 to have it hand dried, but I didn’t have the patience for it. Little did I know that there would be a gang of «towel dryers» waiting for me at the end of the wash. I felt they were judging me for not getting my little car hand dried, but I just hung my head in shame and busted out the driveway in my shiny new car.
Ok, not new… but much improved… because at this point it’s like slappin’ makeup on a geriatric lady.