Puerto Rico is very much a car culture. Puerto Rico has the most cars per square mile IN THE WORLD! Yes, that is correct.
So….why do the car washes look like THIS:
and this:
Seriously, I’ve only seen ONE automatic car wash on the west side of the island. In Aguada. There are little stands like these – basically a tent with a hose and a couple of dudes sitting on folding chairs waiting for a customer. With a sign by the road that advertises car washed ‘by hand!’. Like it’s a selling point, rather than the only option.
I inherited a better solution though. One I feel a little guilty about. Our landlord hooked us up with his housecleaning woman (helpful? Or just wanted to keep an eye on his place?). Her husband also cleans cars! Score! AT YOUR HOUSE! Double score!
dude even vacuumed my car seats!
He brings all his own cloths, sponges, cleaners, and shop vac. I just take everything out, give him the hose and he goes to town. For three hours. Top. Bottom. Wheels. Wheel beds. Seats. Floor mats. Dashboard.
he makes the wheels all shiny
My car looks completely new afterwards inside and out! The first time he came I asked, “Cuanto cuesta?” How much does it cost (he doesn’t speak English). “Viente” uh, wait what? I must’ve heard incorrectly. That’s $20 folks. Triple score!
Honestly, for how hard he works, I wanted to tell him to raise his rates. Like, to $80. Because that’s what it would cost in Wisconsin. But I’m not in WI. Maybe that is a fair price here. And….maybe he thinks that is a lot? Maybe I like only paying $20…maybe if he raised his rates his other clients (several neighbors of mine) would hate me? Hm… So I pay him the puny amount of $2o without comment. I still feel a bit guilty though. But not enough. 😉