Technically you are not supposed to wash your car in the driveway. Some neighbors may do it and then you can venture out and do your’s as well, but because of the water laws here, it’s better to go to an actual car wash. German soap is much safer chemically for the water then American soaps and the laws regarding what goes in the water is much stricter. Germany has some of the best drinking water and they want to keep it that way!
I recently ventured out to the car wash at ARAL on Bundestrasse (the 56) in Gangelt. I have been told that most car washes you pay the person at the entrance. However, at ARAL you pay inside the gas station and they give you a card to give to the attendant. They range from 6-11€. I paid 10,40€ for the premium and added a euro for “softech” which is the upgraded brush that is nicer to your paint (or so they say! 😉 )
The lady came out from another building, rinsed my car very throughly and then scrubbed my windows and lights before I drove into the automatic washer. From there, it is just your typical drive thru auto wash.
I washed my car in the states in Apr 2011 then again in Germany Apr of 2012. So I’m sure my car appreciated this early xmas gift of getting washed! Turns out my car isn’t black, it’s silver!!! I enjoyed seeing it again from under all the dirt. 🙂
Here At Gk 