If there’s one thing that cars have in common with jeans and bedsheets, it’s this: people just do not clean them as often as they should!
Whether you’re on your way to a first date or to impress the boss, a car covered in rain stains is not a good look. Washing your car on a regular basis not only reduces your stress, but it also keeps your car in optimal condition. Chances are, you are not cleaning your car as often as you should!
When you head into your local car wash, what does a full-service carwash include? In this article, we’re here to tell you about all of your carwash options, and why this is essential to your vehicle maintenance.
What Does a Full-Service Carwash at Drake’s Include?
At Drake’s, it’s our aim to please. We provide affordable wash packages that meet your needs, no matter what your budget is. If you need the best way to get your car a regular wash, this is it.
We have three unlimited plans: Express, Signature, and Ultimate. Let’s cover what each of these individual packages includes.
Express Unlimited Plan
Our Express level is an entry-level tier for those who just need a decent wash without any bells and whistles. If you’re strapped for cash, this will be the best option for you. You can subscribe to our express unlimited option for only $21.99 a month.
Express is no slouch, though! It includes the following excellent benefits:
- softened water and presoak
- spot-free rinse and a drying agent to keep your car spick-and-span
- a foam bath
- thorough undercarriage wash
- air dry with high-pressure
At this price point, you are getting one of the best carwashes in town for a steal–only a few dollars more than a Netflix subscription. And unlike a Netflix subscription, you are going to get maximum satisfaction every time you use it.
Signature Unlimited Plan
If you’ve got a bit of extra dough in your pocket, then the Signature plan is your ticket. At $31.99 a month, it adds a few additional perks to your existing express plan. The signature plan adds the following features:
- tricolor foam
- rain shield
- tire shine
Signature plans make sure every inch of your vehicle gets the treatment it deserves. But of course, the Ultimate plan is where you really want to be. Shelling out just a few extra bucks will make sure your car feels right at home.
Ultimate Unlimited Plan
The Ultimate plan is our premier monthly subscription option. With the ultimate plan, we spare no expense. Your car gets the Princess treatment, and nothing short of that.
Our ultimate Unlimited plan adds the following to the existing tiers:
- rust inhibitor for your undercarriage
- carnauba wax
- ceramic protectant
- wheel bright
After our ultimate plan, your car will look its best. It’s an excellent choice if you want to leave no stone unturned. For example, if you’re concerned about the corrosion and rust from road salt.
Additional Advantages of Subscribing to Drake’s Unlimited Plans
Drake’s is the best place in town to get your car washed, period. When you subscribe to Drake’s, we treat you like family. Our goal is to help you to stay on top of your car maintenance.
Your perks include the following:
- wash your car whenever you want, as often as you want
- expedite your wash with our members-only lane
- help us to save the environment by conserving water
- get add-ons and deals exclusive to members alone
- cancel at any time, instead of being stuck with a month-long subscription that you cannot cancel
A Drake’s subscription is specific to one vehicle. If you need to wash multiple vehicles, consider our family plans.
Carwash Options
Washing your car is an essential component of vehicle maintenance. Though it may not seem that way, the cleanliness of your vehicle affects its lifespan, performance, and even fuel efficiency. Spending the money now to keep your car at its best could very well save you from big repairs or bodywork down the line.
Let’s discuss each part of Drake’s full-service carwash, and how this helps keep your vehicle in its best shape.
Presoak
Did your mother ever tell you as a kid to soak the dishes before washing them? Well, your mother was right on the money. Whether it’s dishes, or the surface of your car, soaking helps to loosen up any dirt or grime.
At your average carwash, your car gets a spritz of water and hardly any time to soak before it hits the spinners. That means any accumulated gunk has no time to come free. A soak isn’t just a nice extra feature, it’s a must.
At Drake’s, we presoak your vehicle just like your mother told you. At other carwashes, you may have to attack your car with the rag to get the spots they missed. With us, those days are gone.
Drying Agent, Softened Water, and High-Pressure Drying
Water spots are the bane of eyeglasses, windows, and car bodies. Water is not always pure H2O. It often contains trace amounts of minerals, especially if the water is very hard.
When the water dries, it leaves no trace. But those minerals remain in the form of water spots.
At Drake’s, we eliminate this problem in a number of ways:
- we use drying agent to dry your car as quickly as possible without leaving any water spots
- we use softened water to reduce the amount of mineral deposits in our cleaning water
- we use high-pressure drying so any mineral deposits have no time to form
When you take your car to Drake’s, you can rest assured that your vehicle will be utterly spot free. Take your vehicle at any other carwash, and you have to break out that rag again.
Tricolor Foam
If you’ve ever been to a carwash, your may have spotted tricolor foam. It feels like the carwash is spraying your vehicle with cotton candy.
But believe it or not, this tricolor foam isn’t just meant to look nice. Tricolor foam does double duty. It cleans your car and applies a layer of protection over the vehicle similar to wax.
Tricolor foam also has a great scent, leaving your car smelling nice as it leaves the lot.
Tire Shine
Sometimes, we don’t give tires the appreciation they deserve. Using just rubber and some pressurized air, they can carry thousands of pounds without complaint. And in return for their hard work, we let them wallow in filth.
Tires need some extra love when it comes to a carwash. They take a lot of work to remove all that grease and grime, and usually need an extra rag to do so. At Drake’s, we make sure your tires come out looking like you just bought some new ones.
Ceramic Protectant
In addition to the protection from tricolor foam, we use high-quality ceramic protectant on your vehicle. This provides yet another layer of protection against the elements. That way, your car is bulletproof until your next visit to the carwash.
Ceramic protectant works in a similar way to a ceramic coating. That is, it forms a hydrophobic layer on top of your vehicle. This helps your car to repel any dirt, mineral deposits, and water that accumulates over time.
Before we do the ceramic protectant, though, we use a lava application. This removes any unwanted sediments so that the ceramic protectant goes onto a clean surface.
Spot-Free Rinse
In conventional carwashes, speed is the goal. You may be sitting there during an automatic carwash wondering if they are really going the extra mile to remove the foam and lava. At Drake’s, we go that extra mile.
Our rinse leaves your vehicle spot-free so you won’t be driving away with soap deposits lingering in nooks and crannies. Soap scum is just as bad as dirt and grime, so we make sure your vehicle has a top-to-bottom removal of any cleaning agents.
Undercarriage Wash
Your undercarriage is perhaps the least appreciated part of the vehicle. True, almost nobody sees it except for you and your mechanic. But that doesn’t mean the undercarriage doesn’t desire a hot bath every now and again.
While most people don’t really care about a clean undercarriage, your car certainly does. The undercarriage often goes years without any meaningful cleaning. This is the place where filth of all kinds gathers into that thick, dry, persistent gunk that you see on the bottom of the vehicle.
The issue here is that the undercarriage can begin to corrode over time. The caked-on dirt certainly doesn’t help it to resist this aging process. Keeping the undercarriage clean not only makes your mechanic’s job easier, but keeps your car in better shape overall.
Come to Drake’s and we will maintain your undercarriage in its best condition. Not many other carwashes out there will even bother to take the time.
On top of this, we use an undercarriage rust inhibitor. Rusting is the sort of thing that sneaks up on you after many years. The undercarriage just so happens to provide the optimal conditions for rust to form.
Our rust inhibitor protects your undercarriage from all the water and salt that might otherwise corrode it. It’s a small thing that can make a big difference further on down the line.
Rain Shield
Rain is often the primary culprit when it comes to water stains. See all that pollution up in the air above the city? Every time it rains, that pollution makes its home on the surface of your vehicle.
Our rain shield makes your vehicle resistant to the elements that assault it on a daily basis. Just like the tricolor form and the ceramic protectant, it protects your car until the next wash.
Carnauba Wax
Wax on, wax off. Wax on, wax off.
We wish we had the karate kid working at her carwash. We don’t, but we do have the next best thing.
Car wax is hands-down the best way to protect your vehicle and keep it looking pristine. A good wax will last your car months and protect it against little dings and scratches. Waxing takes a lot of elbow grease, so let us do it for you.
Wheel Bright
Wheel Bright goes the full nine yards. Your wheels are on the frontline against all the grit and nastiness on the roads. That filth accumulates in your wheel wells, brakes, and spokes.
We use Wheel Bright to keep the whole rigmarole clean. Just like with the undercarriage and your tires, we leave no stone unturned. Rest assured that your car’s wheels will be in top condition.
Benefits of Cleaning Your Car on a Regular Basis
We’ve already covered a few of the reasons why you might want regular carwashes. We’ve got a few more that you should consider–particularly when you come to Drake’s.
- You save money with a subscription carwash service
- Your vehicle stays in prime condition should you choose to resell it later on
- You can clean your car far more often than you usually might–and for cheaper
- You save yourself time and effort with at-home washes
- You put your car in the hands of experts who take care of the details
- You may save yourself money when it comes to car repairs later on down the line
Carwashes at other places tend to nickel and dime you for their more premium features. Getting a decent carwash then becomes a game of hunting around for good deals that actually do a good job. Take comfort in consistency when you subscribe to Drake’s.
Visit Drake’s Carwash Today
What does a full-service carwash include? If you come to Drake’s, it includes softened water, all the best detergents and protectants, and attention to detail you won’t find elsewhere. Our subscription services are a steal, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a similar deal elsewhere in your neighborhood.
Residents of Cranberry and Pittsburgh, you’re in luck! Drake’s is proudly serving in your area. Contact us today for further questions on how we can give you the best clean you’ve ever seen.