One thing I saw firsthand was how much damage automatic car washes could do to the paint of a car. It was years before I was willing to subject any vehicle to that sandpaper-like damage.

A relatively new car wash off of Route 50 in South Riding, Main Street Car Care, has turned me into a fan. Although the lines are long on weekends they move quickly. The wash is as mild on the paint as any I’ve experienced despite being effective (car gets cleaned). They even offer a couple of kind souls to dry your car after you’ve run it through to keep the water drops from spotting your car (very important in the hot summer sun).

They offer a coupon on their site in exchange for filling out a short survey. Will take less than a minute so it’s worth the $3 savings.