Was looking for a place to wash my RV. It's not huge, only 24' long, but 11' tall. Most DIY car wash bays won't accommodate that height. The hoses reached both sides but I had to do the front end first then the back. Actually met and spoke with Daryl and he assisted me in pulling in and ensuring I was clear. Also the bays here are wider than most. Be sure to pull in to a bay with the new washer arm. They give you a little more room up top. It cost me $15 in quarters but my RV came out looking pretty good. Not a mobile RV hand wax (for around $400) but not bad! read more

Chabot Car Wash - My 11' RV fit in the bay with a bit of room to spare! - Car Wash Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Coin stealing vending machines. Vacuums that don't suck, which really sucks when you're trying to clean your car.

I was able to wash my truck, however it was a bit of a hassle. In the soap mode, very little to no soap was coming out. All the slots were very dirty. The time to wash for three dollars was 2:30 - had to keep feeding the hungry machine. read more

Just an average do it yourself car wash. It did the job and my car was shiny after just using the pressure rinse and soap (not the foam brush). There are only a few stalls but I went in the middle of a weekday and there were only 2 other people washing their cars. Minus one star because it doesn't tell you how much time you have left/no countdown. read more

I came here to wash my car after hanging at Lake Chabot Regional Park. Just your average, run of the mill, do it yourself car wash on Lake Chabot Road in Castro Valley. I believe it was $2.50 for 5 minutes, which is usually enough time for me. It was kind of crowded when I was here, which is normal for self serve car wash places on the weekends. I only did the outside, the vacuums were full and I didn't want to wait that day. A quick wash and dry and I was outta there!!! read more

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2025 and you dont have an ATM in front? I'm not 65 years old, I don't carry money on me. This place is cheap and a waste of money. It doesn't show your time remaining so just hope you get in done or have a lot of money on you. They took away a lot of car washing options on the dial (probably to save money) and it's just a dusty, run-down car wash that you would see in a ghost town. Update your facility. read more

Chabot Car Wash is off to the side of a main street. They get packed mostly on weekends and weeknights, so weekday afternoons or late night on weekends or weekdays are the best times to stop by. I do like that they take $5 and $10, not just $1 bills in exchange for quarters, as not all spots do. They have a good amount of wash stalls and vacuums. The wash stalls are alright, but I do not like how the soap from the brush does not foam up easily and it does not clean that well compared to other spots - it leaves some streaks. The vacuums used to be good, but the last couple of times I had visited here, several of them ate up my quarters, but did not turn on and I used different ones each time. No employee either, so there is nothing I could do about it, but take the L. read more

I've come here for years, but today the change machine ate my $5. How many times has this happened when people get frustrated and leave?!

This is by far one of the saddest self serve car wash I've ever visited. This place should be called "Chabot Car Rinse" the foam brush was the worst of all. The only thing that came out of that brush was bubbly liquid and not even enough of it. Apart from the disappointing "wash" the vacuum area was covered in broken glass and trash and I was afraid of damaging my tires. Definitely the first and last time I plan on using this place to clean my car. read more

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If your looking for a place to work on your interior with some open space, big vacuums an strong water pressure this is it. Bring drying towels for your exterior an work towels for your interior would be my suggestion. Dollar for a couple minutes on the vacuums not bad in my opinion read more

I needed a good wash for my vehicle, but didn't want to go too far to get it washed. I read some reviews on Yelp and figured, why not try Chabot Car Wash. I went with my son and decided to tag team on washing the vehicle. Glad that we did it that way. It's true that you would need someone to add more coins to continue your wash. But, you really don't need to. It's just easier to get the job done. We spent less than $10 on vacuuming and washing. It wasn't crowded (thank goodness). We went on a Monday at 9am. read more

Went to vacuum my truck out, and the vacuum does not work, and there is no onsite attendant, nor is there a phone number to be found anywhere on the property. Would not recommend. read more

I went at night, machine ate some quarters without turning on, says 24/7. Went the next day during regular business hours, talked to the owner about it and he was rude. Still rinsed the car because of the decent pressure the water gun has. Rude owner/staff but good pressure washer. read more

This place is run of the mill, meaning everything works. Cost is about 2.75 for an initial spray or water / soap , most people probably needs to do 2x 2.75 However you look at the math, might be the most inexpensive way to get your car way done without any drama. The soap may be more lighter and water left water marks (hence not distilled), everything works mechanical wise. So it's what you're looking for, go right ahead However do consider bring your own soap, bucket, wash cloth, and drying cloth and you can go alot further at this car wash read more

I used to come here all the time. For the amount of money this place makes they need to clean it...if you want black tar on your hands vacuum here! Also they do not give you the amount of time it says they do. There is a line of cars every Saturday and Sunday and they leave garbage all over the lot, the garbage cans are over filling and like I said the vacuum is gross. If you have light interior avoid at all costs it will leave marks all over the inside of your car, on your clothes and hands. read more

This is one of the few good DIY car wash places around here! There are tons of apartments where we live and having a place like this really helps! This place DOES get pretty crowded though, so the best time to go would be really early in the morning. This place is supposedly open 24/7 and everything is self-serve if you're really picky and like doing things yourself. If you like detailing your car, this is the place to go with very reasonable prices. The water is also filtered, so it doesn't leave weird watermarks. I highly suggest bringing your own window cleaners, sponges and brushes since it's unknown how often they get their supplies replaced. :) read more

I honestly don't know why anyone would give this place anything less than 4 stars. You get what you pay for. For me it deserves 5 stars because: 1. It's cheap, and very effective. I think I maybe spent just above $4 for the wash and dry. It'll probably be even cheaper next time since I won't be a newbie at it, and now know how to be more efficient. 2. The water pressure is great, and really gets that grime off of your car 3. The brush/sponge/house is positioned nice and high, but quite easy to use and maneuver around the car because of the long handle, and the swivel system 4. It's a lot of fun! I felt like a firefight or Ghostbuster. You definitely gotta put a little muscle into it which feels great. 5. I think it's something ridiculous like $.75 for a paper towel to dry your car. I only needed 2 to do the job. Next time I'll just bring my own and save the $1.50 read more

I've been going to this place for years because it's cheap and I rarely get hassled. I always use my own sponges because I don't trust the cleanliness or effectiveness of a shared brush. Unfortunately, today the owner told me to move - halfway through my car wash - because, he said, "I have customers waiting." Hold on - I'm a customer, too! I guess this place defines their customers in terms of current coin usage instead of lifetime value. I've had to wait in line many times. I guess the lost revenue of $2-4 from my using buckets is worth more than the hundreds of dollars we would have spent here over many years. read more

I never really knew what self-service car washes were about, but now that I know this spot is down the street from me, I'll be coming as often as necessary! It cost me around $7 to give my car a nice exterior wash that erased all the bird crap and dirt, and a simple vacuum inside. Took me a while to learn the ropes of how to wash and change the levers and stuff, so I might've burned a couple bucks the first time. Live and learn! If you're gonna do it right, come in clothes you don't mind getting wet, and bring your preferred cleaning supplies - wipes, trash bag, etc, to make the experience more efficient. And a friend will likely help!! read more

Was in and out within 10 minutes on a Sunday afternoon for just under $7. Rinsed, washed and rinsed again only. Best deal in town! Lotta bang for the buck. read more

Quick tip for users, when doing your pre-wash take a moment and rinse off the brush. It could be full of sand inside the bristles that will scratch your finish when you use it. read more

Pretty good for what it is. I'm still getting the hang of it and it's a bit of a workout for me, but it's also kinda fun and satisfying (especially the power washing). You'll get a bit splashed, especially on a windy day. This last time it was $6 for pre-wash, soap power wash, foam brush, wax, and power rinse for my small-ish car. They have a change station which can take $1s, $5s, and $10s. Unfortunately they do not have credit card readers. I think the foam brush is the most effective & important part because a few times when I "missed spots" I could clearly see the brush stroke outline. Here's a guide for newbies like myself: * There's a minimum number of quarters to get things started. The machine will beep at you when you're running low (I think it's a 30 second warning) and you have to add quarters--if it runs out you'll have to put in the minimum again. It can be hard to tell which machine is beeping when there's a lot of people around you. I always go with my boyfriend so one of us can be in charge of adding quarters while the other washes. * The wash steps are in the recommended order around the dial; just rotate the dial to the step you want to do. The wax goes right over the foam (no rinse), which I found surprising, but it works. * The washes and rinses come out of the long & straight spigot, the foam comes out of the brush, and the wax comes out of the nozzle of the curly hose which is usually located on the opposite side from everything else. * Pre-wash is a weak stream. Squeeze trigger to get the power washing going for the other steps. The wax is also a weak spray but it coats pretty evenly. * Spots I tend to miss: under wipers, rearview mirrors, tires, and around the bottom of the car. * Really SCRUB with the foam brush. * I usually take the car a couple exits on the interstate to air-dry it which is lazy but works decently well. read more

This is the BEST car wash in the area..there are a few other ones that are close by but this is by far the best. its nothing fancy but there is usually someone always around if you have a problem or need help etc and its in Castro Valley which is a pretty safe area and I feel safe which is what my girlfriends and I like. PLUS it is usually pretty clean and everything usually works. It can get a little busy sometimes and Ive had to wait in line to wash my car but its not a long wait and its worth it. Its only $2.00 to wash and $1,25 for vacs. read more

Always bring lots of quarters. Or have extra dollar bills to make change. It never fails that I think I have enough, and then time expires and I need more. The worst is when I run out of quarters/time before I finish the job. But the machines always work, there's never a wait, and there are almost always others washing their vehicles too. read more

It is good that to wash the car by myself. But this place is old and dirty. Some machines are not working.

I needed to find a place that had a self serve heavy duty vacuum for my car and this place was the one! I ended up having enough coins to actually wash my car in under 4 minutes. I ran out of time and had some soap spots still and asked the man who works evenings (Monday) if I had to pay for another cycle if I wanted to rinse off the soap and he actually was really nice and helpful and offered to turn on the water on my station for no extra cost at all. My white car is no longer grey thanks to you! Definitely coming back read more

It was so easy! Cleaning the car's exterior took only a little over 5 minutes! That's $4.50! Then we bought towel dry the car for $.75. Next time we'll bring our own. read more

I love self service car washes. But this one is horrible. The machines stole my money. I took my car there and soaked it but the soap brush wasn't working (meaning there was water coming out of it not soap). So I just thought it was that certain stall I went to the next stall and the same thing happened. Then another customer had to bring his own soap because his stalls soap brush wasn't working either. This place is horrible. GO TO THE ONE ON HARDER ROAD! ITS A LOT BETTER!!! read more

I was soooo happy that I decided to take my car here to wash it myself. I had originally drove by a local competitor that I have already had bad experience with- but the line looked really long so I decided just to wash it myself. The stalls at the Chabot Wash were all full but it was super helpful that they had someone working there to direct cars into the stalls as they opened up. It ran smoothly. After getting a good wash in (and a bit of cardio in for myself as well!) I drove up to the vacuum area, vacuumed the heck out of my car. Then bought the fun little things in the vending machine- the armorall, the towel, and the glass cleaner. I drove away from there feeling like my car looked like a million bucks and was so satisfied that I didn't have to deal with the disappointment from someone else doing a lousy job and pay twice as much at the competitor! read more

Hutch's on Mission is a nicer version of the same thing, but boy is it farther away. I missed having the blow drying attachment in the wash stall. (And like it when there are more payment options as well!) Still, my truck got clean (if not dry!) and I liked how I didn't have to wait, didn't have any troubles with the equipment, and appreciate the convenient location. read more

We were looking for a self-service car wash in the area and was happy to find this one. We pre-soaked, washed with soap, used the foam brush (and scrubbed pretty hard too), then rinsed...we were left with a semi clean car. We wiped our finger over the film of debris that was left after the power wash (see pictures) and felt that a sponge would have worked better than the brush. It was a good find for what we were looking for since there are not many decent self-service washes, but the results will not bring us back. A plus is that the area is clean and spacious like others have said. Only accepts $1, $5, and $10 + quarters. Btw, we used the last stall on the far right in case you wanted to know. read more

Chabot Car Wash - What we thought was a great wash with the foam brush... - Car Wash Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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I sort of expected this place to be modern and up to date when it's the same as car washes were in the 60's. However, it is pretty clean, plenty of elbow room, things seem to work well and I'll certainly be back. Next time I will pay the extra money for some extra time, though. Just as in the olden days, there isn't quite enough time to finish using your original $2.00. Good place. Use it if you like washing your own car and don't mind getting a little damp. Please don't review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you're connected in any way to the owner or employees. read more

This car wash is as good as a self serve car wash gets! Everything the other reviewer says is true. The description of the car wash is exactly right. I took my little ones to the car wash today and we had a blast washing our van! Everything worked perfectly and the attendant who I think is the owner was super helpful. While I was vacuuming the car, my son lost his flying propeller on top of the roof of the car wash and the attendant grabbed a ladder and got it down for him. He was super cool about it. If you want to go somewhere great to wash your car, this is it! read more

I love self serve car washes and this one works pretty much like any other, except that the one I lived near in Davis accepted credit card. Be aware you gotta be packing quarters, though I did get my car blasted off and pretty clean for about 3 bucks or so. read more

This is the best car wash around....the vacumns work great ..the wash bays are great. And its normally busy but worth the wait if it is. And prices arent high. Cheaper than other car washes ive been to in a few mile radius. read more

Love this place. No one cleans your car like to do. The price is perfect, you really couldn't ask for more. I'm usually in and out within 10 minutes and I feel super accomplished doing it myself. read more

Be careful when using the change machines. I inserted $5 and only received $3.50 worth of quarters in exchange. Another person came up came up and inserted $1 bill and received $0.50 in exchange. We looked around to see if anyone was available to lodge a complaint as well as a phone number to call but none are provided. Will not be going back to this facility. read more