There are many great things about the renovated "new" Storke Car Wash, but one really annoying and shady business practice makes it complicated to use. First, the new facilities look great. They are now rotated 90 degrees, so your car is parallel to Storke Road. They have a dedicated line and red/green signal lights so you can tell which bays are in use and which are available. There are more drying/vacuuming parking spots, and all the equipment is brand new. The new machines work great, and there is tap to pay, and now there are two hoses. One challenge is when you're choosing a mode (say, tire and wheel wash), it takes a minute for you to realize which hose it's coming out of. You can wait to hear the sound as it's pumping out, or you can quickly scan the signs above each hose. I don't come here enough to memorize what solution comes out of what hose. I am not a fan of this back and forth, but I get why they might have done it due to whether the solution is pressurized or not. Speaking of hoses, another annoyance is that once you activate a hose, it will start coming out at a pretty good clip even if you don't pull the trigger. This feels really wasteful.
Finally, the biggest issue. In the old Storke Car Wash, when you scanned your card, you were automatically charged a minimum of $5. I think that bought you 5 minutes. When you pressed the giant red button to stop the timer, it would keep the machines running until the next minute mark, then you would be charged. For example, if you hit the button at 6:15, you have until 7:00 to spray down your car. You are then charged $7.
The owners got sneaky in the new system. First, a $15 charge is put on your card, and you still start out with the 5 minutes. The new button is much smaller and harder to find. There's even a red X on the pay pad, but that's not to stop the machine. When you press the button, it takes a few seconds to stop, then you are charged rounded up. The machine stops immediately. For example, if you tried to press it at 5:58 but stumbled and it registers at 6:02, you are charged $7, but you lose out on nearly a minute of use. I really don't understand why a business would choose this setting other than pure greed. read more
