Winter in McHenry is rough on a car. Between the ice, snow, sleet and freezing rain, mixed with road salt, a car’s finish is under attack from the elements. In the summer, it’s the sun. In the winter, the sun can still cast its UV rays your car’s way but you’ve also got those other elements listed above.

The solution is to find a carwash in McHenry or the surrounding area where you can do something about the elements. And remember, the ice, snow, sleet and freezing rain, mixed with road salt, also attack your car’s undercarriage, suspension and steering components. A proper carwash will also clean the bottom of your car. In some cases, you have to choose this as an additional option but more on that below.

Now that we’ve agreed that you should take your car to the carwash with some regularity in the winter, it’s time to consider the types of carwashes so you can make an informed decision about which type you want to use for your car.

You’ll find carwashes at gas stations. You’ll also find stand-alone carwashes. Some are full-service carwashes and others are self-serve. The cost to take your car through their carwash will vary.

Self-serve carwash: With a self-serve carwash, you generally drive your vehicle into a bay where a spray nozzle extends from a hose. Often, it is suspended from the ceiling directly above the vehicle so that it spins so you can move it around the car.

1. It’s generally less expensive and everything you need is provided.
2. You need to take care that you don’t scratch the vehicle with the spray nozzle or the hose.
3. You’ll generally get a basic car wash and the ability to seal the finish on your vehicle is limited, at best.
4. You may want to bring a sponge and some other such items so you can wet the car down and loosen the dirt before you go at the car with the full power of the self-serve equipment. However, this may require you to pay twice as the equipment is generally operated on a timer.

Drive-through carwash: There are different types of drive-through carwashes, as listed below. In some cases, you’ll pull the car in and park the car inside the carwash garage. The cleaning equipment then moves around you. In other cases, the car’s wheels are caught in a conveyor that pulls the car through the carwash. Some of these are automated and, in some cases, there are workers who wash the car along with the equipment.

No-touch carwash: The advantage of a no-touch carwash is that there’s very little opportunity for anything to scratch the surface of your vehicle. You move through the process fairly quickly though you may have to wait your turn for a little while. In some cases, they may not do the best job since they’re relying solely on water pressure and soap to remove dirt from your vehicle. 

Soft-touch carwash: The soft-touch carwash involves spinning wheels of soft materials that work with water and soap to remove the dirt from your vehicle. While you’ll find some of these in a garage where the equipment moves around the car, in most cases, this involves a conveyor where your car is pulled through the equipment.

In many of the conveyor type car cleaning systems, workers do some prep work before the car goes into the carwash, and post-cleaning work when it comes out. That can include cleaning the interior and the trunk. Of course, that kind of personal attention comes at a cost. Of the carwashes listed above, this is generally the most expensive.

On the other hand, folks in McHenry may want their cars super cleaned, in which case they may take the car for a detailing. This will cost considerably more but will, presumably, bring the car back to a state as close to the showroom as possible.