Car wash help!

[newbienewbie20]

Can anyone tell me if you have to get out of your car to pay when you go to a drive through car wash or if you pay at the entrance from your car? My husband thinks you may have to go in to the garage to pay first but I seem to remember paying at a machine by the actual wash!

Asking because I have young children with me and obviously don't want to take them in to a garage with me to pay but thought if it was by the entrance to the car wash I could cope!

Depends on the machine. Most you go into the garage and buy a ticket. Some have a pad to pay on the machine. Just drive up to it and have a look?

It's really not a big deal... assume you being able to cope was a joke?

Our local garage has the DIY jet wash, you just put the £ in the machine.
Drive through you usually need to
go in and pay for a code.

Leave the kids in the car it’ll take a few minutes to nip in, can’t see why this an issue 🙄

At my garage you pay in the shop & they give you a ticket with a number on that you enter on the keypad at the entrance to the car wash. Oh & don’t forget to keep your windows closed.

I've seen both types of car wash.
Leave the kids in the car while you pay if it's the pay in garage type, or leave them at home with DH.
What's the big deal?

Thanks everyone, have issues leaving one of the kids in the car even for a minute hence my reason for asking the question. If it was a unanimous pay at machine outside the car wash I'd go with them on the way to the park but since it's not I'll plan to leave them with husband at home and go another time.

We are around 45 mins from the nearest garage so not a simple case of popping to have a look!

Could you phone them and ask?

I've been trying them for a few days on and off and they just don't pick up, I know the petrol pumps are pay at pump but I've just never checked out the car wash! Husband works at sea 20 days on 2 days off so it's a shame to use the time he is home for me to spend 2hrs at the car wash!

wash it by hand if you dont want to do a 2 hr round trip

You could just wash it at home? Either enlist the children to help, or do it then they are having a nap?

Just throw a bucket of water if it and hope it rains. Sounds like way too much hassle otherwise. You may find a cheap valet service that come to you? Sounds like you live in east Jesus nowhere tho...

Get the kids to wash it, who cares if your car is grubby, not like you should be going anywhere anyhoo!

I normally do wash it myself which is why I have no clue how a car wash works however we've sold the car and I thought it might be a nice gesture to have it properly clean when they pick it up. I'm happy I can get the inside looking good but I never manage to get the outside shining! Kids are all under 5 so can probably chuck water at it but not much else!

I posted the same question on a local Facebook group and someone has confirmed that the machine is right by the washer entrance so the kids and I can have a trip to the car wash!

Thanks everyone

And yes Gin literally in the middle of nowhere 😄 thought we were gonna to have to pay someone to take the car at one point since no one wanted to drive all the way to us to collect it

Well, sounds like you have a lovely day trip planned

Be careful posting the same here as Facebook. It can put you for when you post something deeply personal but they already know it's you. Two people I know have outed themselves that way. Only saying because of your username 😀

Thank you, good advice! Might do a cheeky name change before posting again 😉