No not that kind of busted. You guys/gals know me better than that. Last week we had ice, snow and slush with plenty of road salt which seems to find it way on every inch of my car. I went down to wash my Fit and there was only two of us washing since it was still only in the upper 30's. This self service washing bay has 5 bays so 3 were empty. I washed the car really good with just water, getting around the tire wells and underneath the car. Pull out my bucket to fill with my car soap and water. Had just got started washing with my hand mit when a guy walks up to empty the trash can, his comment to me, "Your stealing from me". I am like what.... I told him I only bucket wash if the place is not crowded. He said, "Oh I'm only kidding. I could tell by his tone that he was not just kidding and that he was not real happy with me bucket washing. So I just took my time soaping up the Fit and I am thinking gez, at least you got $5.00 from my pocket for the previlage to use your water - no one was waiting on my spot so what did it matter! This place is only two blocks from my house so it is nice to do the wash, bring it back in to the garage for the final detailing but has me worried if he catches me again, he is going to tell me not to come back.

Cat :x

 

if you run into him again just ask if it's okay with him. You dunno what he's thinking unless you ask =]

 

Yeah ppl are just like that. They seem like they're not kidding, but they really are... those ppl are trippy. haha

 

I kind of ghetto. I usually fill a bucket up with soap and water in my apartment and put it in my car. Then I go to the car wash and rinse the Fit. I drive a block away in a residential area. I whip out the bucket of soap and wash my car. I drive it back to the car wash to rinse it off and dry. Lame but legal.

 

i feel like i missed out on something. what's the big deal with bringing a bucket?

 

You're not supposed to bucket wash in the bays, if you want to pull out and then pull back in, it's OK - I guess it is just so people don't take the space up when others are waiting.

 

It also cuts down on quarter-munching time if you use a bucket instead of soaping up the car with the brush so I suppose that's what he meant by "stealing". Kind of a bit of trivia: on Street Fighter 4 there are no bonus stages (barrel/car smashing) on the arcade version because time spent on those take money away from arcade operators.

 

This is true? If I go to a DIY I always use a bucket. The wash owner sees me all the time too.
I wouldnt care if I was stealing or not. I pay my $2 for a rinse down at first and another $2 for the final rinse and spot free.

Im there and paying.

 

I can understand where he is coming from, the policy at most places is no bucket washing with the exception of the ones that charge you by how much time you take.

The fundamentals behind it is if a wash place is busy and you are in the bay taking your time with your bucket while not feeding coins into the washing machine you are costing them money, escpecially if there are other people waiting. It is like standing at a McDonalds till during the lunch rush and then spending 10 minutes trying to make up your mind what you want

Yeah like accordguyintake said, if it isn't busy just ask if you can bucketwash and that will eliminate the awkward moments when they catch you!

 

Yes and I told him that I only bucket wash my car if there are plenty of bays opened, no one is waiting behind me and they are not busy. It was 10:30 AM this morning, just around 39 degrees so it was not rush hour at the car wash. I like PokemS23's suggestion of filling the bucket at home and then pulling out to soap it up but then I would worry if I had to wait in line while the soap dried on my car. As soon as the worst of winter is over I go back to washing at home but it is just too much of a hassel to do it at home when things are frozen all around. Thanks for the input and insight from all you people that posted. I've been doing this since I got my Fit that first winter of 2007 and never had anyone say anything but I guess the owner must be having a rough time of it with the economy and had to make a comment just to give me heads up that he did not like it. I may try going to another place in my area and see if I get busted again! Bucket washers unite!

Cat :x

 

I think it's a bunch of things. If you get used to doing it, you might be tempted to do it when there 2 bays open. Then just 1 bay open. Then if it's only ONE car waiting.

Second, it sets a bad example. People drive by, they see you. They might think it's OK to do that there. And maybe they think it's OK to do that all the time.

So next time YOU go in, you find all 5 bays full of new people bucket washing, taking their time. Then they decide to wax in the bay, out of the sun. And detail their tires. And wheels.

That empty bay is POTENTIAL BUSINESS.

Let's say you're a commission salesperson. And the customer you just made a little money from goes over and stands in front of one of the doors to the place you work at. So that nobody can enter that door.

There might be no one outside, and that customer might get out of the way if needed, or maybe they would just finish whatever they're doing blocking your door. <---customer standing in front of door eating popcorn

Even though I would appreciate the business, I don't want them standing in front the door. <---Me, spazzing, over customer standing in front of door

 

I think it's BS on the part of the carwash guy.

 

I bucket wash once in a while because the pressure hose cannot remove the grime of winter!
If I was aksed I would tell him to supply more soap and hot water. No way I'm using the scratchy brush.

 

yup!! Learned that lesson the hard way. Those brushes destroy your finish.

 

I never see any attendants at these stations. I have cleaned my entire boat at these places with hand washes, brushes, solvents, they dont care, they are just glad to have an assload of quarters from how long it takes to wash the boat. Or the beater car we will take, pressure wash off lilke 10 years of crap from the car on high pressure wash, then scrub at the same time if you have a 2nd person its way quick. then just high pressure rinse, and its all good

 

If I end up with extra time on the rinse, I go over and try to clean off the brush for the next person...I don't use the brush but I figure it's a good deed for the next user...

 

Ditto washing the brush off for the next person.

The car wash owner was being an ass. He should have asked you not to do it. Certainly, a bay not being paid for is a bay costing him money, but a bad attitude costs repeat business. Flies and honey, you know. What he should have said was 'In the future, could you please not hand wash your car in the bay? If you want to hand wash it outside the bay and then bring it in, that would be fine.'

Had he been rude to me, it is entirely possible that I would have told him to "Tell ya what? Why don't you go play hide and go F**k yourself? There are other places I can wash my car and I'll take my business there."