Self-serve car wash in Innisfail, Alberta
Eight heated, indoor self-serve wand wash bays at 5105 40 Ave in Innisfail, with hot water and a vacuum and shampooer in every bay. It’s $2 to start, you tap a card to pay, and no coins are needed. Open 7am to 8pm every day.
- Bays
- 8, indoors and heated
- To start
- $2.00 minimum
- Pay
- Tap a card, no coins
- Open
- 7am to 8pm, every day
How to use a self-serve car wash
A do-it-yourself hand wash, in the order that works, from the first tap to the vacuum. Take as long as you like: you only pay for the time you use.
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Pull into any open bay
Eight of them, all indoors. No queue for a single machine.
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Tap to start
$2.00 to start. Tap a credit or debit card and it pre-authorises, so you pay for the time you use. For cash, the office sells time cards.
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Tire cleaner first
On dry tires and wheels, so water doesn’t dilute it. It soaks while you do the rest.
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Presoak
A foaming presoak. Spray it from the bottom up so the dirtiest parts soak longest, and give it a minute.
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Soap
Top down, one panel at a time. Pull the undercarriage washer’s trigger while you’re on soap to do the underside.
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Foam brush
Rinse the brush with the wand before it touches the paint, then brush lightly from the top. Lower panels last.
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Rinse, then wax
Rinse top down until the suds are gone, then a coat of wax for shine and beading.
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Spot-free rinse last
The final pass, so the car dries without water spots. Blow it dry with the dryer, then the vacuum and shampooer, on the same clock.
Bugs, road film and road salt
What a car around here actually comes in with, and the settings that deal with each.
Bugs
Summer highway driving coats the bumper, mirrors and windshield. Presoak them and let it sit a minute. Soaked bugs come off far easier than scrubbed ones.
Road film
The grey haze that builds up all winter and doesn’t rinse off. Presoak, then soap, then the foam brush if it’s still there.
Road salt and sand
Hot water and the undercarriage washer get it off the frame, wheel wells and rocker panels, in a heated bay you’ll be glad of in February.
Bugs from the highway? We’re just off Highway 2 (the QEII) between Red Deer and Calgary, on the way to Edmonton, and Highway 2A runs right through town. Find us at 5105 40 Ave, Innisfail, a short drive from Penhold, Bowden and Pine Lake.
Every setting, and when to use it
Nine settings on the touchscreen, and two tools in the bay that aren’t on it: the undercarriage washer and the shampooer.
Switch settings whenever you like. The timer keeps running, and once you’re past the $2.00 minimum you can stop and start again at any point.
Tire Cleaner
For tires, wheels and brake dust. Use it first, on dry tires, so it works while you wash the rest.
Presoak
A foaming presoak that loosens dirt, bugs and road film so the soap doesn’t have to fight them. Spray it on from the bottom up and let it sit a minute.
Soap
High-pressure soap. Work top to bottom, one panel at a time, with the tip a foot or two off the paint.
Foam Brush
For grime that pressure alone won’t lift. Rinse it with the wand first, since the last person may have used it on their wheels.
Rinse
Plain high-pressure water to take off soap and suds. Top down, so nothing runs back over a panel you’ve finished.
Wax
A light coat for shine and water beading. Apply it top down after the rinse, then finish with the spot-free rinse.
Spot Free Rinse
The last pass on the paint. It’s made to dry without leaving water spots.
Dryer
A blower to blow the car dry in the bay. Use it after the spot-free rinse, before you pull out into the cold.
Vacuum
On the same timer as the wand, so there’s no second machine to feed. Do the mats while you’re at it.
Undercarriage washer
Not on the screen. Select rinse or soap, pull its trigger, and the water redirects under the car. The way to get salt off the frame in winter.
Shampooer
Not on the screen. In every bay beside the vacuum, on the same timer, for seats and carpets.
Self-serve car wash questions
How much does the self-serve car wash cost?
Self-serve bays have a $2.00 minimum to start. After that you pay for the time you use, and once you are past the minimum you can stop and start again whenever you like.
Do I need coins?
No. Tap Visa, Mastercard, Interac, Apple Pay or Google Pay at the bay. It pre-authorises and charges you for the time you use. If you would rather pay cash, the office sells time cards that start a bay.
Are the self-serve bays heated?
Yes. All eight self-serve bays are indoors and heated, and the water is hot, so you can wash the road salt off in the middle of winter.
How do I wash under my car?
Use the undercarriage washer. It is not on the bay screen: select rinse or soap, pull the trigger on the undercarriage washer, and the water redirects under the car.
What order should I use the settings in?
Tire cleaner on dry tires first, then presoak, soap, the foam brush, rinse and wax, with the spot-free rinse last and the dryer to blow it dry. Rinse the foam brush before you use it, and finish with the vacuum on the same timer.
Is there a vacuum in the self-serve bays?
Yes. Every self-serve bay has a vacuum and a shampooer on the same timer as the wand, so there is no second machine to pay.
Prices and hours here are current as of . The prices posted at the bay are the ones that apply.
Too big for the bay, or not in the mood?
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2 baysRV & truck wash
Pull-through bays with 15 ft by 12 ft doors for fifth wheels, trailers, duallies and semis.
$5 minimum
Will my RV fit? -
1 bayTouchless automatic
Stay in the car. A new PDQ LaserWash 360 Plus with Rain-X Graphene and a ceramic seal, and nothing touches the paint.
$12 · $16 · $20
Compare the touchless packages