El Primo

Hand wash exterior and vacuumed interior 20 bucks not bad in the cold weather. Good service

Approximately one year ago I «Googled» local car washes, but I wasn’t pleased with any of the reviews that I found — at least, that is to say, not enough to get in my car, grab some cash (at the ATM), and head on over to one of them. One of the local joints I discovered, a hole-​in-​the-​wall just a few blocks away from my apartment, was listed on Google, but I really was taken back by its appearance — it really looks like a hole-​in-​the-​wall — enough that I avoided the place for the next year… Well, I cannot express to you enough about what a mistake it was for me to avoid El Primo Hand Car Wash in Garfield, NJ!
Today, I decided to take a chance and drive up to the entrance of El Primo; and it’s a little confusing. El Primo is located next to a body shop, so it’s not entirely clear which entrance to approach in your vehicle; I’m used to drive-​thru car washes with one entrance, one exit; El Primo has one entry/​exit, so their capacity is quite low. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing… The caballeros inside are highly attentive to the vehicle they’re cleaning, since they’re never overloaded. The only downside I can see is if you’re one of the unlucky ones who had to wait their turn outside: you have to park in the street and simply wait… Bummer. Just keep in mind the awesome service that is about to come!
The hand wash is fast and effective — no streaks in the glass. They do a nice vacuum job and they Armor All the entire dash as well as door panels. They even wipe the (frequently missed) dirty parts of the doors — you know, those places that can’t be cleaned by automatic washes when the doors are closed. Lastly, the wheels: if you’ve got rims, trust no other. They do an amazing job on rims and hub caps, and they literally gloss the ties with a paint brush (yeah, a paint brush!).
Now, the best part…
When I pulled up to check out the place I met a guy with an Audi A4 in the wash. I asked him about the rate and he replied, «$ 15… but I give them $ 20 and it’s worth it!» The guy comes to El Primo all the way from Nutley! (This means El Primo is perhaps one of the best car washes for miles!)
I gave $ 20 for the (in my words) mini-​detailing of my Malibu… and it’s worth it. Go there.