Anchor Car Wash Systems

Seriously? This place is worthless.
Yes, my car was pretty filthy before I went through the automatic wash. That’s the point, right? Dirty car, pay for a wash, comes out clean. Or at least fairly clean. Not at this car wash. The touchless wash basically sprays a gentle stream of cold water on your car, then a slightly less gentle spray, then you drive out as it dries. And it’s still dirty. Wow. How DO they do it?
And the vacuum. I told my coworker after returning from my lunch break that I’m pretty sure I could do a conehead-​vacuum job and do a better job at vacuuming the car. Again, worthless.

Seriously, if I am going to pay $ 9.00 to get my car washed, it better do a good job. And that’s the exact opposite of how I felt leaving this place. Unfortunately it is the only touchless automatic I know of in the area [wanna help me out, people?] So I ventured here after work, because I have a brand freaking new car, and it has been snowing/​salting for weeks. Not to mention birds have decided to claim my car as their home. So I pick the most expensive wash Anchor has to offer; expecting it is deserving of my selection. NO. It is not. I left the wash with visible bird diddleys all over the place… and my car… Still noticeably dirty. The chrome was still had grime all over it, and it wasn’t even very shiny.
Look, I know I’m not putting in the gusto myself here so at least I didn’t have to get out there and scrub, but I honestly would have been able to do a better job. It didn’t even get the bottom half of my car, and for being literally, showroom new, it looks like it’s old and yucky. And I am sad. Because now that I have a car payment I cannot afford multiple $ 9.00 car washes!
SCREW YOU ANCHOR CAR WASH. Any advice on where I should go, please give it. I live near Graceland/​Clintonville/​Worthington. Thanks :(

Several things, one, put a dollar in coin changer and got zero. pissed and stupid put in another dollar and got nothing… A customer changed a bill for me. The car wash suds did not work nor did the spot free rinse. Place needs new management or just close the thing down and sell it to someone who is really interested in making a good business. The manual wash just does not work.

I’ve used the bays, not the touchless wash, and it always ends the same: with my car still dirty. Although I decided a year ago to stop coming here, today I made an exception, hoping it had improved.
The vacuum, which had adequate strength today, is often not capable of picking up light dirt or stray pet hairs, so perhaps that has been addressed. None of the hoses appear to have nozzles, just the cut/​broken end of a vacuum hose, which makes it difficult to get into car seats crevices or along the console.
While washing, a sprayer may have strong pressure, or light. There seems to be an inordinate amount of soap, and this can take a very long time to rinse with a low-​stream (broken?) sprayer. Come prepared with plenty of quarters, just in case.
For those not aware, there is a bay at the south end of the facility that’s been converted to a pet wash. Fabulous idea. Washing your dog in the bathtub can make a disaster of your house, so the self-​serve wash is a huge convenience.
Five dollars buys 10 minutes of time. You walk your dog up the platform, secure her lead, and run the machine as you would a car wash bay. Wet, soap, condition, rinse, dry. There’s even a disinfectant for the bay and a «anti-​skunk» wash. As I said, it’s a fabulous idea. If it worked.
Today, I tortured my 35 pound mutt with icy water while she shook and cried. During the final two minutes of rinse, the water finally warmed, but it was achingly cold prior. Then, after adding another dollar to be sure I had time, I switched to the dryer. It was an arctic blast. I’m not sure if it’s fair for me to expect a warm dryer, as I have no idea if this room is cooled in the summer. Perhaps it would cause dog and owner heat stroke in August, but for right now, it’s completely unusable.
It was a pretty uncomfortable experience for both of us. I left with four minutes still on the clock and she left with soap in her fur. I didn’t find it traumatic, so much as frustrating and a waste of money. My dog may have a different opinion.

No major traumatic experience. Used the touchless automatic. It took my credit card and I was able to maneuver my car in a straight line to activate the sensor to start the wash.
The wash was uneventful.
They would have gotten at least 3 stars if my car didn’t come out still slightly dirty. It went from like 100% dirty to 15% dirty. An improvement, yes, but not totally clean.
Also, as I waited in line for the automatic wash, I saw lots of people who looked like they were having not a lot of luck with some of the manual wash stations. One in particular must have been taking people’s money and not working because they’d pull in, stay for a bit, then furiously back out and pull away with a dirty car and an exasperated look.
Next time I’ll go over by Easton to Goo Goo or to a Giant Eagle with a car wash (both have free vacuums after you do the wash).

I don’t even want to give this place one star after the traumatic experience I had today. I pulled into the stall, got my quarters ready, and fed them to the machine. Once you put the correct amount of money in to activate the timer, the water usually begins dispersing from the secured gun. Well, the water did just that, only the trigger was deactivated/​broken and the water came out full force. The pressure of the water pushed the gun out of the holder and the gun went flying into the air and smacked into the front left panel of my car. I had to chase the thing to stop it from hitting the car again, myself, or anything else. There is an enormous dent and paint chipped on the panel where it hit.
I dialed the phone number provided for questions or complaints, but the phone rings and rings, with no option to leave a message. I went over to the Valvoline to ask if they ever see the owner, to which they replied hardly ever. I left my contact info with them to pass along to the owner, which I don’t know will ever make it to his/​her hands.
Do not go here to wash your car. If they do not maintain the equipment, someone could really get hurt or your car could really get damaged-​like mine!

With the traumatic and infuriating experience still fresh in my mind, I couldn’t wait to get home to Unilocal about this place.
Today is the first day above freezing in weeks, so naturally, half the city is rushing out to cleanse their cars of the weeks of salt build up. Running on a tight schedule, I remembered the automatic car wash on High Street that’s attached to the Valvoline Instant Oil Change, and I thought I might be able to get in and out there without too much problem. When I arrive there are 4 cars ahead of me, which isn’t too bad considering the turn of weather. I wait patiently for 15 minutes and finally get my turn. I pull up to the machine to pay while the car ahead of me is being washed, playing on my cell phone while I wait.
First clue: The machine wouldn’t take my MC. Considering I’d used this card less than 30 minutes before somewhere else, I thought maybe it was just a sensitive card reader. Then the machine wouldn’t take my Amex (and yes, it had a sticker saying Amex was accepted). Ok… Fortunately, I had just enough cash on me as well so I got to do the $ 8 special wash I wanted.
I return to playing on my cell phone, when I hear a car door close in front of me. The person in the car ahead of me was walking out of the car wash, without his car! Apparently the poor guy had gotten all suds-​ed up, and then the stupid machine just quit working.
He was looking for an attendant of some sort, but the nice mechanic from next door explained to us that NO ONE WORKS THERE for the car wash. Sorry! The mechanic told us to call the number on the machine and try to get our money back that way because Valvoline has no affiliation with the car wash. Ouch.
The car ahead of me gives up and pulls out, still covered in soap! As soon as he leaves the «pull forward» light comes on, and I think, hey! maybe I’ll get a wash after all. There was still a line of cars behind me so moving forward was the only option I had anyway. But it was like a sick automotive version of the hokey pokey. The second I pulled forward it asked me to back up, and then when I backed up it asked me to pull forward… I was scared of messing up my new tires by running over any of the blocks, but I had no other way out so I had to. Anchor Car Wash, if my tires are messed up in any way you WILL be paying for them!
No receipts, no attendants. The phone number I called went straight to voicemail, I have a sad feeling I will never see that $ 8 again, and now I’m out of time and my car is STILL dirty =(
***Update*** I’ve since called the number off the machine at least a dozen times and left multiple voicemails with ZERO response. Way to keep on earning that 1-​star rating, guys!