Ted's Express Car Wash

Ted is (kinda) ripping folks off! First, let me state that I have an unlimited membership (highest tier) which comes in at $40/month. I have no plans to cancel because the wash is close and I can use it every day. But, therein lies the issue. As you can see in the pictures (taken today IMMEDIATELY after wash - my second wash in two days), the highest tier wash, NEVER comes close to cleaning my truck. Mud is left in the rims, on surfaces and in the wheel wells. The bumpers are never clean after a single wash nor are the fenders. The truck is NEVER dry after coming through the "dryers" at the end. And, the wash will NEVER get your windshield clean of bugs. NOTE: you can pay an additional $10 for a bug cleaner or mud cleaner ($20 for both in addition to wash cost? Don't know for sure, that is way pricey for something the wash should already be doing) but why pay what accounts to half of your monthly membership cost for extra services that, again, the wash should already be doing?! The other issue is that the towels they supply for detail and drying, which I will admit is a nice touch, are always damp and/or wet which just means you're moving water around. Seems to me like the profit realized from shorting the drying of towels is likely being lost with the sheer volumes of towels needing to be used per vehicle so not sure the point there. At the end of the day, Ted's feels like a cash grab with some accoutrements that make it feel upscale. Like anything, its not all good or bad. Free towels to use (to finish the drying that the "dryers" fail to do), a nice smelling spray for the interior/windows, high pressure air for interior cracks and crevices and two kind of high power vacuums are all very nice touches - thus the three stars (the good). The ineffective car wash, underwhelming performance of the dryers and the wash coupled with the relatively high membership price point, loses two stars (the bad).

9/9/2024