I've used this self service car wash bay a bunch of times but will probably not return after being told by a staff member I can't wash my car by hand. I've done this numerous times but today was told "the owner doesn't want people hand washing in the bays". I payed a full $25, plus another $8 because the timer ran out. You sort of expect to wash your car how you want in the time you are paying for. That's pretty much the point of a self service car wash. I understand not wanting people to hog the bays but this was not the case. Disappointing. Weird Behavior. read more

Dirty and way overpriced. Avoid at all costs. I was charged $14.50 for what typically costs $6-$8 at other self-serve locations. There's also not a "STOP" button, but just "pause", and you have to hope they're actually stopping your service. I've tried using this car wash before a few times, but it was either too muddy and dirty to use (you'd be stepping in gunk), or the actual card reader didn't work. Overall it's the consistently the worst of all self-serve locations. read more

This car wash is clearly not managed well by the owner. The sprayer doesn't work properly. The foam doesn't come out of the nozzle when you switch to the foam setting. The vacuum hoses are held together with duct tape and don't function properly. I'm not sure why they're not fixing these issues. It wouldn't take much time or money. If these problems were fixed this would be my go to car wash since it's right next to my house. read more

Stopped the timer at 13 minutes but got charged for 18min! The dryer is inefficient and makes you run up time. Should be compressed air! My car left wet. read more

Really dirty carwash with no attendance. I tried to get towels. I inserted coins in it and the machine was out of towels . Basically it stole my money, and there wasn't anyone so i can ask them for refound. They brushes are too old too damaging your car paint. read more

$7 for 5 mins we using purified water here or something? Don't recommend at all. Someone just trying to rack in the money.

There was a problem so I called the phone number shown at the car wash and 'Roger' immediately and very kindly took care of it. It's nice to know that there are still businesses that care about customer service. read more

We took our RV to the large washing bay and it left a soapy film and residue on the entire RV. We did a full rinse and spot free rinse it still left white soapy streaks. We ended up having to hand rinse and wipe the entire RV, t would have been easier to hand wash it somewhere else. We will not return. read more

Beyond rude!! Another example of I wish we could leave no of even negative stars. Staff are super rude and act like I was putting them out for showing up to "car wash" asking about their packages. The guy that first greets you as you pull in was on his cell phone talking to whenever on the phone. It was hard at times to know if he was talking to me or the person on the phone. Totally rude and disrespectful. There's better options up the street with much more friendly stated that actually appreciate your business. read more

Haven't tried the manual wash but the automated car wash cleaned our car just fine. I don't expect premium detailing for $8-$10, and I certainly didn't get it. But I did get a car that was clean from dirt, sap, and sea salt. read more

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This is the worst car wash I've ever seen, and I've been to a lot of them. That's a big statement so I'll list the problems to make it clear. 1. If you do not hit stop it keeps going and charging you. It charged my credit card $10 until I read the fine print and hit the stop. 2. The engine cleaner, wax, wheel cleaner are all out of order with tape over the options. The only options are soap and rinse. 3. Last but not least, it is the weakest cold no heated water and soap. A cold spray from a sqirt can would have more pressure and clean more dirt off your car. After stopping here I was so frustrated that I felt like I had been duped, I don't like that feeling from a business, so the best I can do is leave a review to warn others. read more

Sofspra Car Wash - Car Wash Near Me - Encinitas, California

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This car wash is barely maintained and half the functions don't work. I just washed my car here and used the "spot free rinse"... my car is now covered in hard water spots. Add the fact that it's way overpriced compared to every other car wash in the county, this valuable space on the 101 would be better served as a parking lot to be honest. read more

This is a simple little car wash that does the job. I always choose the cheapest, $6.00 option and the outside of my car looks great in about 5 minutes. The only thing I need to do is wipe off the mirrors! read more

You would think all these self car washes are the same, but no. Sofspra Self car wash on the Hwy 101 in Encinitas is more expensive, stop button is difficult to identify so time keeps running, not charging per 30 sec, instead it jumps $2, extra fee added for credit card (everyone pays with credit card). Spot free rinse made my car dirtier than when I started. I had to go home and wipe off hard water stains with wax. read more

I was only going to give this place 3 stars, because how can a self-serve car wash really merit more than that? Actually, I probably wouldn't have bothered to rate it at all. Then I had an experience that changed my mind and got me to 5 stars, only because I find that good customer service is often hard to find in businesses in general, and I would have guessed even harder to find is such a place as a car wash. Here's what went on: A few weeks ago, I was finishing up my car at Sofspra (which I've always assumed is pronounced "SOF-spray", but correct me if I'm wrong). The last thing to do was the spot-free rinse, so I turned the selector dial from "Rinse" to "Spot-Free Rinse". No pressure came from the water nozzle/gun/wand-thing, and I heard a gushing spraying noise from the roof above what I've always assumed is "the guts" of the place. I looked up and saw a runaway hose, wildly spraying water everywhere up on the roof area, and I realized that the spot-free water supply hose had come loose from the hose that connects down into the wash stall/bay where I was. At that moment, somewhat comically, I heard some choice swear words coming from the next stall over, where a guy had just been finishing up chamois drying his super-shiny BMW, which the runaway hose had now completely doused. He apparently assumed that I had pointed the nozzle up over the roof and in his direction, but I pointed out the obvious issue and he grumbled his way back to re-dry, and seemingly maybe make out with, his car. Anyway, the 5-star rating comes from the fact that I called the phone number posted on a sign above the door, got some guy's voicemail, left a message about what had happened, mostly just to let them know that the thing was broken. I left with regular, non-fancy tap water, minerals and all, still on my car, and not really too bugged about it, because that is still about the most 1st-world problem I can imagine. To my surprise, the guy texted me back within a few minutes, apologized for the issue, and offered to refund my money immediately via Venmo. Crazy. I've had a harder time than that getting a meal with a dead bug in it removed from a restaurant bill. So, to you, sir, I say, awesome customer service! I will continue to frequent your quarter-sucking establishment! read more

Hate the new pricing system. You're forced to buy time in $4 increments if you use a credit card. Stupid and greedy. Was washing here once a week, but no more. For about the same $8 I can get a full service wash at most full service car washes. read more

Sofspra Car Wash - Car Wash Near Me - Encinitas, California

I've been using this car wash 3 times a week minimum for 5 years Jose Jose transportation company and I haven't been smart enough to build my own at the shop. All that to say this , any time the owner has asked anybody to leave the bay is because in every self serve car wash around the world a car in the bay needs to be washing using the system provided not by hand and not drying you can pull out of the bay and dry on the property no problem. So whatever you do for a living may I come occupy your time so you can't make money while you're on the clock and see if you enjoy that those bays are for making money. He has been more accommodating with every complaint I've had in the five years I just don't understand what people's b****** are well maybe the price how much is your rent in Encinitas or your mortgage ? And let me guess you arrogant snob you love Whole Foods don't you? Have you been bitching and writing bad reviews there? read more

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Hubby doesn't like the car wash machines or having other people cleaning his precious vehicle. Yes he is that precious about it... and poor me is currently learning to drive in it. Well, there seems to be a lack of hand car wash places around but as we had been walking around in Encinitas we came across this one. Problem solved! Simple, easy and quickish- or it would be if I was washing the car. Not so much when someone is wanting to make sure there is no smears. Its 3 dollars for 5 minutes, there are many different setting options and 3 separate car washing stands. You can pay in cash or by card and there are change machines available for convenience. read more

I came not fully prepared to hand wash, so I used the drive thru wash - COMPLETELY WORTHLESS!! I'm aware these machines don't work as well as doing it by hand but this thing was not worth the $6. It would have been better to spend $4 and hose it off, that way I could have gotten all the dirt off. The dryer hardly got the water off so in the end I had to dry my car...lame Don't waste your money. Either go somewhere else or come prepared and use the do-it-yourself wash. read more

I really like this car wash! The owner is really nice and super helpful when I was having a problem with the sprayer.

Short and Sweet...Whenever I am working in Encinitas I end up being right across the street from this place. This particular weekend it did indeed pour rain and that actually made my car worse. The cakes on dust turned to a sort of clay and desperately needed to be hosed off before heading home. The 4-5 bays are clean and always have working tools. The prices are average, or a bit above as you are right on the 101 near the beach...and they place is laid out well...Making it easy to maneuver your car to and from the wash or vacuole... Get in, get clean...get out....get on with it! read more

Honest owner! I use the manual wash bays here to keep my ride sparkling clean. I live close enough that I can wash my car and drive home to dry it. The bays are clean, and I've never had to wait. On my last visit, one of the wands wasn't working and I lost the $5 minimum on my credit card. I left a message with the owner, and restarted my was in another bay. I wasn't sure what to expect, but my call was returned the same day and I got a refund in the mail that week. It is nice to know there is an honest business person running this place. read more

OWNER NEEDS TO LEARN CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS! Went to wash our camper van this morning and after only 10 minutes the owner appeared and asked if we were detailing our car??? NO! We were washing it! Isn't that what a car wash is for??? After spraying and soaping we were scrubbing the dirt off with rags to help remove the hard to remove dirt spots. Your lousy brush couldn't do the job so we had to help it along with rags. Mr. Owner asked HOW LONG we were going to be???!!! He said that we were deterring other customers and he didn't want to lose business! (THE PLACE WAS EMPTY! and all the other bays were OPEN!) And by the way Mr. OWNER... WE ARE PAYING CUSTOMERS who spent more than the overpriced $5 for few mins. (in fact, we spent $10) and we would have spent even MORE if you hadn't have RUSHED us out of there! What's your problem? It's a car wash!!! We were giving you business! YOU LOST CUSTOMERS and we won't go back....EVER! Lesson for you Mr. OWNER, you should NEVER make one customer feel like another customers business is more important. Especially when the place was EMPTY! Next time we will stick to the BUGGY BATH in Encinitas where we usually go. No hassles! People appreciate our business there. Seeee-ya!!! read more

Went here for the first time about a year ago. half way through my wash the sprayer and all other tools stopped working. :( So, called the owner, he answered the phone, he apologized and even sent me a $5 bill in the mail the next day. How cool is that? So, I now go here before I hit Whole Foods every Sunday. It's cheap enough, the only downfall is that the pressure is not as intense as other places, but whatever. It's convenient to where I live. read more

Tried this car wash for the first time. Had a few minutes, so I Cleaned my work van. The Soap and water pressure was good. $5.00 gave me enough time to clean. At first the machine malfunctioned took $5.00 and did not work. Called the number on the wall. "Roger" mailed my refund the next day. With an extra buck and a air freshener for my troubles. That kind of quick response gets 5 stars from me! read more

They have an high clearance wash bay here, which is great. And it connects to an alley out back, which allows you to pull a trailer through and out on to the side street. Great. But lately, some guy has parked his trolley/tram (semi-permanently?) in the alley directly behind, so you can't pull a trailer through the high-clearance bay. Completely rules out using it for large vehicles. Bummer. read more

The machine ate 2 mins before I had any water pressure. THe soap brush didn't work as well as most the other other cleaning options. I wouldn't even know who to ask to get a refund? My car looks no better than it did prior. Very disappointed. read more

What a complete joke. Over priced, barely working equipment and less than friendly owner and "manager". No wonder every enthusiast I have spoken to says use the self wash on the El Camino. read more

Worst car wash ever no pressure at all slow machines broken down pieces of equipment I just wasted $5 it was so soft that it cleaning get rid of bird poop on my car don't waste your money unless you're just trying to get dust off. read more

A conveniently located spot to clean the ride without the risk of damage to the rims by driving into a machine wash...yep, I've done exactly that! $5 gets you a super quick wash, meaning you must be on your game and move super quickly to make it through washing and rinsing alone. I suppose another $5 and a wax rinse would've been doable. Bring $5 bills, towels for drying, and a partner would be helpful too--one can spray and one can scrub with the brush provided. read more

Finally found a car wash worth going to. I used to drive all the way to National City From Carlsbad just for a car wash. Crazy right?

This place is always running out of one of the chemicals. Literally 4 of the lad 5 times

The owner came by and told me to pull out of the facility while drying my car. His reasoning was that he didn't want cars driving by on the street to see the place looking too busy. There was nobody waiting, and even other empty bays. I found it incredibly rude, and also ignorant of a car wash owner to tell his patrons to dry a car in direct sunlight. That's car washing 101. When I told him I just wanted to remove the water before pulling out as it would completely negate my washing efforts by creating spots and deposits, he told me to go home and use my garage to wash my car. Incredibly unprofessional, and I will not return again. read more

Don't use the newly installed drive-thru section. I had soap suds covering my hood after all was said and done. What a sad waste of $7. Took my car home and washed it myself. Thanks sofspra. read more

Easy to use & convenient! Takes credit cards which is nice, seeing that not many people like to buy $10.00 in quarters and have to feed the machine. The water pressure was perfect and everything worked like it should. Not like the few other self serve car washes in the area I have been to. Thanks Sofspra for keeping up on your place. read more