Just thought I'd let everybody in on a great place to get your car washed: Jax Kar Wash. The only one I'm positive on the location is at 14 mile road and Orchard Lake in West Bloomfield, but I'm sure if you went to their site they'll have one by you.

A few things that I felt really made it a top-notch place to get it done:

The price; for $4.99, you get the regular run-through wash. It's a great price, and the job they do for that money is terrific; it's also a hell of a value. They also have full-service detailing for $30, and it includes washing, waxing, vacuuming, etc. and they do it while you wait in their warm little lobby.

The service; the one I went to was crawling with employees, and they were all friendly and helpful. They weren't the usual crabby car wash guys who beat the shit out of your paint job with brushes & miss stuff either.

The wash; most of the car washes around here I take my car to, there are several things that they perpetually fail to get clean. The door sills directly behind the front wheels NEVER get clean; there's always brown crap still remaining there with every other place I've gone. After my run through Jax, clean as a whistle. Also, I've never before Jax gone through a car wash that succeeded in getting every bit of black brake dust/road grime residue off my wheels. When I pulled around and took a look, they were positively shining.

After the wash; Whereas at SOME washes, you'll get one or two kids who will take a rub-down of your car with filthy, still-soggy rags, missing every spot concievable. Or, there will be a glorious absence of help AND towels. At Jax, if you pay for the $4.99 wash, you are fully entitled to not only as many fresh, dry towels as you want (all you've got to do is ask for them), and you can dry your car your own way, and get all those little hard-to-dry spots you know on your car, but the guy working there may not be aware of. You also get 15 free minutes of vacuum time.

Finally, the best part: between April and October, if you go through Jax, and it rains any time within the next 24 hours, all you've got to do is take your reciept to them and they'll send your car through for free, no questions asked.

Hope this helps.