North County Car Wash

Typically, the basic wash is a good deal. It cleans sufficiently and is priced reasonably. I decided to have the hand wax today, for $ 45. I watched the car for over an hour as a young guy would spray from a bottle and wipe… the same as the basic wash. I thought he was prepping the car to be waxed. I look up and he’s gone and nobody is taking the car. I eat a few more minutes to see and then finally ask after getting someone’s attention when the wax will start. «Oh, it’s done,» says an old guy. Since nobody waved, yelled or said anything I doubted. Then the young guy came back and said,“oh, sorry, it’s done.” When I told him I never saw the wax he told me he used the squirt bottle. I seem to have purchased snake oil… lesson learned, I recommend AVOIDING this establishment as there are other basic wash and dry places around.

This used to be the best car wash in North County. For seventeen years I traveled from Rancho Penasquitos to have our cars washed. Recently, North County Car Wash changed ownership. Though some of the same friendly staff remained, the quality and efficiency dropped.
Recently I brought in my SUV. I ordered my regular car wash from the attendant, who then offered to have my head lights buffed. I asked how much it costs and how long it would take. He stated «I’ll give you the Slow Day Special. Forty dollars…» I asked again how long it would take. «Half an hour» he promised.
I told him I had an appointment in about an hour and couldn’t wait that long.
I paid for the car wash, asked for change for tip and sat down to wait. And wait. And wait.
I hadn’t seen my car come through after a half hour so I went looking for it. It had barely moved from the vacuum station. A construction worker said to me «I can’t find my damn truck.»
Finally, fifty five minutes after I paid for the wash, I saw my vehicle coming through the car wash. Finally hearing the familiar beep of my horn, I walked around my SUV. There were dozens of pollen spots still on the paint. The rear fenders were still covered with road grime. I grabbed a towel and started cleaning the fender myself.
As I pulled away, I saw the attendant who took my initial order. I showed him my receipt which showed one hour and twenty minutes had elapsed. He offered to send the vehicle through another time to remove the dirt they missed the last time.
«Slow Day Special» my ass.

First time going to this car wash since renaming itself «Wash&Mart»! New owners are great, the service wasn’t as bad as other reviews suggest. I brought in my 2008 Prius the other day and was very satisfied with what they were able to do in the half hour I waited for the detailing after the car wash, which, gave my car a brand new shine!
The convenience store has a HUGE variety of options at very low prices compared to the the other gas stations in the area.
Overall, I will definitely come again for the service and prices. The environment is just great with the new logo (it’s a little meh but the new signs/​ads make up for it) and the friendly staff. I recommend this place to anyone in the area!

The prices are decent for the amount of time they spend on your car. However, the first time I went and got a basic wash was I paid maybe 20 bucks and my car was awesome. I was thrilled! The second time I paid for a mini detail and I was supper disappointed! It looked like they rushed and I could still see dust on my dash! They even gave my used air fresheners, they attempted to put 5 old air fresheners to sum up the smell of one new one. I haven’t gone back since.

I went because of the price: 12.99 for a basic wash. You get what you pay for. They wash the outside of your car and wipe down the inside and it is perfect for just giving your car a little shine. Don’t think you will get out of there with a PERFECTLY clean car. There were still water marks and lint on the windows from their rags. I will go back for when I am too lazy to take my car to the self wash.

I come here about once a month to get my truck washed. I decided for the first time to get it hand waxed. What a disappointment. They didn’t do the roof of my truck, nor did they do the painted tonneau cover that I asked them to do. You can barely tell there is even any wax on the truck.
Best to stick with the basic car wash and vacuum and go to a detail shop to get anything else done. Maybe it was do to the new owners and new procedures.
If it didn’t include the gas discount (which sometimes is even higher than the station down the street, without having to purchase a car wash) I would not be getting my truck washed here.

The GOOD– I got their cheapest car wash deal which is 12.99. They did a really great job making my suv look like it just came out of a dealership.
The BAD– The cashier can be very slow when you want to pay. The seating area is always crowded and kinda dirty. They always try to push car wash deals on you even when you keep telling them no they keep asking over and over.

Been going here on and off for years. Generally okay at cleaning my cars but slow.
Recently brought my Porsche in for an extra-​cost hand wash and they put a 2 ½ foot long scratch across the top of the passenger door, just below the window. It was clearly debris in the cleaning sponge or towels that caused it.
When I went to leave and noticed the scratch, the «supervisor» who happened to be the same guy relentlessly pushing windshield repairs at the entrance, accused me of bringing the car in WITH the scratch and they would not accept any responsibility for it. The car has less than 5,000 miles on it and is permanently garaged.
I demanded to speak with the owner or manager and was rudely told they weren’t available. All they did was tell me to come back some other day.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER AGAIN!
They destroyed the paint on my $ 150,000 car and lied about it.
Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. These incompetent liars can’t be trusted.

NEVER AGAIN. Accepted offer of a detail package for $ 60. They left me waiting for AN HOUR while they rolled in two cars ahead of mine. Rene apologized but I didn’t have that kind of time to begin with. Should’ve been done in 30 minutes.

You know, I come here for the convenience factor. When I am driving my car and I notice that my floor-​mats are filthy, I’m usually right by this place. Go figure. I should be a responsible adult and take care of my car, so I stop in.
I’m just not impressed. I’ve been hounded on more than one occasion to get a little rock chip filled on my windshield. Also been asked to upgrade to the wax «because it’s so slow, I can get it done in 20 minutes and I really need the business».
Besides the sales pitches at the beginning (I know, I get it. Comes with the territory), the quality of the work is just not up to par. I ask them to not shine the wheels because they use so much product, when I drive away it covers the side of my car and collects dirt so fast. Streaky windows, etc.
If you’re coming here to make your car look pristine, don’t bother. If you came here to get the inside vacuumed because you don’t own a shop-​vac (I should really get one), you won’t be disappointed.

So I came by today (it’s been years and years since I’ve came to this spot) to get their basic car wash, but ended up spending double.
Rene, the guy who sold me the «promo» lured me in by saying it’s his birthday and he’s feeling generous like giving me a deal etc. He said he would throw in the $ 20 basic car wash for free and in addition I would get detailing for the interior of my car with my carpet and seats shampooed and vacuumed etc and the exterior with my tires and wheels cleaned. How could I resist? YES. guilty of getting suckered in: P
All in all in took an hour because they were busy like always. I give it up to the guys they have so much staff that are hard working, they are definitely hustling.
By the time my car was done, I checked the carpet and it felt and looked like maybe it had been cleaned and shampooed which is a plus, but the interior was overdone with excessive armor all leaving my dash overly super shiny and greasy looking and and also my trunk wasn’t cleaned which I would expect if I spent the extra cash to at least have the trunk included with some sort of vacuuming or brushed down. Also I could definitely tell they missed some other parts of my interior so menos puntos. I guess I should have complained about my trunk and had them do it, but didn’t check it till I was already out of there.
TIP: If you really need a car wash that’s fine. stick to the basic car washes they have and don’t get up-​sold. just leave the detailing to be done yourself or get it done somewhere else.

This time I was dissapointed. The employees Lost my car key claiming they never got the key (not true) and my spare is in Los Angeles… I had an unpleasant visit and missed an appointment. Keep an eye on who is taking care of your car incase anything happens. I’m not giving this place a 1 star rating as the place does offers reasonable service, it’s just some employees can be careless and that’s a shame.

Very pleased with price and quality of this car wash. They really took time to do it right and not rush through. Worth the 25 minutes.

Prices aren’t too bad, but the waiting area is usually filled with creepers starring from under their sunglasses. The location is pretty locked on… gas, oil change service, and car wash all on the same lot.
If you are particular about an air freshner scent be sure to tell them, otherwise they pick for you. The super pro plus package is worth the twenty bucks. They also shampoo your floor mats with this one.

So, I like getting my car washed here… But at the register they won’t give me change, I paid with my debit card. So I decide to go across the way to the gas station to get change and she says the same thing. She can’t give me change unless someone pays with cash. And asks if I want to wait. So I don’t have time to wait, I guess they aren’t getting a tip.

I have been using this car wash for seven years. I drive a Range Rover Sport and am very particular about my vehicle. Today I checked through Unilocal for the opening times as I wanted to get there early and I was really surprised to see a few bad reviews. I always get a hand wash and hand wax and they ALWAYS do an amazing job. My Sport is a Limited Edition GT with Alcantara seating so I never get the inside done but nonetheless, they always cover the seat when driving it and treat my vehicle with care.
I absolutely recommend this car wash. I consider it the best in Escondido as I have tried a few others.

The last few times I have come here, have not been very satisfactory to me. First of all, it takes a long time for the car to be cleaned, only to approach the car to find that the associates have skipped certain spots on the inside of the vehicle, or forgotten the air freshener, etc. I will be going else where from now on.

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY COMING HERE!!!
They broke my cup holder and hid it under the seat!!!
My boyfriend took my car to get something to eat and I asked him to please stop and get my car washed and he came here. The wash was nothing impressive, I basically get the same outcome in those drive through car washes.
He didn’t notice the cup holder was missing since he rarely drives it, but as soon as I got in I was shocked that it was missing and later found out they just hid it under the driver seat! NEVER GOING BACK!!!

I go to this car wash probably more than any other car wash which isn’t saying a LOT as I tend to forget to get my car washed and run it through a machine at a gas station to keep it from getting too nasty. I’ve let them up-​sell me twice now and I think this was the last time. What I learned on this experience is you don’t necessarily get what you pay for.
Go here when it’s busy and pay for the cheap car wash and I am feeling pretty sure you get the same wash as if you pay for the expensive one. I personally don’t even like all that greasy crap all over my interior, so I don’t really need «treatment».
The last visit, I got upsold to the $ 40 package that included extra interior cleaning with carpet shampoo. I’m pretty sure the carpet never got «shampooed» because it was dry when I left. When they first gave the car back to me that time, I pointed out that the carpets hadn’t even been vacuumed properly, let alone washed. So, this time I was a little leery about getting one of the detail packages, but my interior was super dirty and really needed it. The interior packages started at $ 100. I was leaning towards that and then the guy says and we have to add another $ 10 for the wash. WHAT? I don’t even get run though the machine for that price??? Another guy, the super salesman, came over and then told me how they were really dead in the detail area and that he could detail inside and out for $ 200 and I said no, then we talked about the in between package, which was a full detail of the inside, including «treating» everything, vacuuming and shampooing all carpets, even the trunk, a wax job and cleaning my rims, etc. I thought it over and figured for $ 40 more than what I was considering, I get it all AND the guy pointed out a ding in my window and said they’d fix that for free, just tip. Yes, I have sucker painted on my forehead before you ask, but I said lets do it… plus I got to skip the long line, which I liked.
So, after about 40 minutes, I glance up from my book and see my car parked outside of the detail center, where vehicles are now stacked up. Super Salesman said it would take more than an hour. So I go over and ask someone what is up. A guy says it’s done, gets me the key and we walk over to it. I open the trunk not even vacuumed, there are water spots on the hood and the floors were clearly NOT shampooed. I ask the guy if this is what $ 150 buys you. He grabs the paperwork and says, «Oh.» OOPS. He didn’t realize I was getting the interior detail. GREAT. They assure me they’ll get back on it. I go back to sit down and watch and after about 7 minutes, I see no one moving my car back into the bay, so I go search out Super Salesman. I explain the situation and he says he’ll take care of if. He goes and looks at the car, talks to the supervisor and after a little while my car is back in the bay and they are back at work.
Overall, my car does look great. They did shampoo everything which is great. I did tell him I didn’t want anything greasy on the seats, but they «treated» them, so guess what, greasy seats, but whatever. Because they use that greasy stuff, t here were fingerprints all over the outside of the car. Pretty sure there was no waxing because the hood still had water spots, they didn’t buff out the scratches or fix the windshield ding, but after almost two hours and the last 20 minutes of that sitting next to a crazy person I was ready to hit the road.
I’m torn because I want to give 2.5, I think for your basic car wash, they do fine. You get what you pay for, right? But for the detailing, I’m not thrilled. I want to go 3 stars for regular and 2 stars for detailing. So, I’m going to give them the three this time. I don’t know if I’ll be back, but if I do go back. I’m buying the cheap seats. Then I’ll re-​evaluate.

Believe the reviews folks! Beware, this place will not provide reasonable customer service. I chose the $ 20 full wash which in my opinion is the best bang for your buck. When my car was completed, the carpet was barely vacuumed, the dashboard was only wiped down but not sprayed with armor all, and the mirror had streaks. The main reason why I come here is because the gas price is lowered if you buy a wash. I the service manager will not refund or offer another wash if you complain. He just says you’re wrong and should go elsewhere if I’m unhappy. That’s 1 star up yours!

$ 12.99, $ 15.99, $ 19.99
Went at lunchtime on a Friday. Pretty busy. 7 to 9 guys working hard and fast. A couple guys on the side talking. I think they were on lunch.
In and out in about 20 minutes!