Getting a new vehicle, especially when it’s a major upgrade, can be so fulfilling to one’s soul.
Now finding the right place to keep that vehicle looking its best can be detrimental to one’s soul.
This was the conundrum I was in after finally moving on from my first car, a ’98 Chevy Astro van, to a 2000 GMC Sierra truck.
My new baby badly needed a wash, especially after I took it for a weekend retreat to the Bay Area, during which it was hit by rain during the drive there and by heat and bugs during the drive back.
As I set out to get the best cleanse for my new truck, my first option was one of the many Cruz Thru Express Car Washes around town.
The Cruz Thru was cheap and quick, costing only $5 and only taking about five minutes to go through the machine, but the self-vacuuming was definitely a bother. Although it was good having your own eyes watching to make sure every spec of dirt gets sucked up, I would have rather had paid a couple extra bucks for someone else to do it for me as I stood idly to the side.
After the wash there was still residue on places like the side-view mirrors and the rear bumper, and the front bumper still had bugs stuck to it from the trip up north.
Being unsatisfied with the cleanliness of my truck from the Cruz Thru, I decided to go a more expensive destination: The Rainforest Car Wash and Detail.
Located at 7301 White Lane, Rainforest is a 100 percent hand car wash. I decided to go all out and get their best wash, along with an inside detail that included shampooing of the carpet. This all came out to $64.99.
After nearly an hour of waiting, my truck was finally done. The inside looked fantastic and every inch of the dashboard looked brand new. I was, however, unmoved by the result of the outside wash.
The rims still had brake grim on them, there were soap spots on the top of the cab, and worst yet the bugs were still stuck on the front bumper.
I thought that with all that money that I spent, I would have gotten a full-on rub down of my entire truck, but the worker told me that rims were not included.
The inside looked great; however, there was an odd odor that persisted for about three days after that I can only suspect came from the shampooing.
Unpleased yet again with results, the journey to get my truck looking the best it could persisted. That’s when Eric entered the picture.
Eric, my girlfriend’s 16-year-old younger brother, thought $10 was a deal for him to detail the entire truck.
After he was finished, not a spot of grime or dirt was left, and finally all the bugs were off the front bumper.
This is the method I am going to use for the near and distant future, and if Eric isn’t up for it, I’m sure I can find another poor teenager to take on the job.
Cruz Thru – 2/5
Rainforest – 3/5
Poor Teenager – 5/5