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      06-13-2021, 08:52 PM   #1
acre22f90
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Hand Wash/Detail Recommendations for Chicago?

I unfortunately don't have space to wash my car, being as I live downtown.

Does anyone have any city recommendations for hand washes? Trying to avoid swirl marks at all cost on this Tanzanite.
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      06-14-2021, 07:08 PM   #2
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I only use Simon's Shine Shop. You need to make an appointment. This pic is from last Wednesday and my Jet Black E90 M3.
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      06-14-2021, 07:15 PM   #3
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I only use Simon's Shine Shop. You need to make an appointment. This pic is from last Wednesday and my Jet Black E90 M3.
Awesome, surprised I didn't come across that when searching. Will definitely check it out.
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      06-18-2021, 09:36 PM   #4
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I’ve used Simons
They do good work but seemed pretty pricey
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      06-21-2021, 11:14 AM   #5
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I’ve used Simons
They do good work but seemed pretty pricey
Any other recommendations? I have already booked two appointments with Simons, but would love a reliable place thats first come first serve as well.
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      06-21-2021, 03:21 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by ACremona22 View Post
Any other recommendations? I have already booked two appointments with Simons, but would love a reliable place thats first come first serve as well.
I was going to go to Simon's as well, but from recent reviews on Yelp and neighborhood word-of-mouth, things have gone downhill there recently and they refuse to take any responsibility if something bad happens. Plus, as you said, there's a wait for appointments, blah blah blah.

I had gotten a lot of bug guts on mine after the 900-mile drive home from the dealership and didn't want them to bake in the sun, so I went to Luxury Auto Spa just south of Western and Polk. Their main Facebook profile picture is of someone's Lamborghini Urus, along with an Aston Martin, so I figured that I could take a chance with it. (Of course, those could all be staged, but I try to be an optimist..) Waiting another day for an appointment at a fancier hand wash place while letting the bug guts bake onto the car in the hot sun seemed worse.

In the end, I'm happy with the results and will be going back. Do they use some space-age polymerized cyber 5G crystal unicorn tears wash products? Probably not, but they used good techniques where it matters. Hosed off the entire car with some higher pressure water first, then were very generous with the foam cannon. There was a stack of fresh towels on a cart next to the guys doing the work, so I'm pretty sure that they use fresh towels for drying each car (going to confirm with the owner). They also used compressed air to get water out of crevices, etc. $12 for exterior wash, $4 for bug removal, and $3 for tire shine, and it looked at least as good as the day I drove it off the dealer lot.
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      06-21-2021, 05:03 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wooblewobble View Post
I was going to go to Simon's as well, but from recent reviews on Yelp and neighborhood word-of-mouth, things have gone downhill there recently and they refuse to take any responsibility if something bad happens. Plus, as you said, there's a wait for appointments, blah blah blah.

I had gotten a lot of bug guts on mine after the 900-mile drive home from the dealership and didn't want them to bake in the sun, so I went to Luxury Auto Spa just south of Western and Polk. Their main Facebook profile picture is of someone's Lamborghini Urus, along with an Aston Martin, so I figured that I could take a chance with it. (Of course, those could all be staged, but I try to be an optimist..) Waiting another day for an appointment at a fancier hand wash place while letting the bug guts bake onto the car in the hot sun seemed worse.

In the end, I'm happy with the results and will be going back. Do they use some space-age polymerized cyber 5G crystal unicorn tears wash products? Probably not, but they used good techniques where it matters. Hosed off the entire car with some higher pressure water first, then were very generous with the foam cannon. There was a stack of fresh towels on a cart next to the guys doing the work, so I'm pretty sure that they use fresh towels for drying each car (going to confirm with the owner). They also used compressed air to get water out of crevices, etc. $12 for exterior wash, $4 for bug removal, and $3 for tire shine, and it looked at least as good as the day I drove it off the dealer lot.
Saw that place and was gonna give it a go, but it was a bit of a drive for me. Tried Riverview Hand Car Wash & Detail Center today. Extremely fair prices, and a very very thorough job (I want to say they took extra care of it because it was an M3; owner was doing half the work).

May cancel my Simons visits now that I found this.
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      06-21-2021, 08:44 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACremona22 View Post
Saw that place and was gonna give it a go, but it was a bit of a drive for me. Tried Riverview Hand Car Wash & Detail Center today. Extremely fair prices, and a very very thorough job (I want to say they took extra care of it because it was an M3; owner was doing half the work).

May cancel my Simons visits now that I found this.
Nice. I'll give that place a try next time. I'm sort of right between both places along Western.
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      06-21-2021, 09:47 PM   #9
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I got to Riverview on Clybourn often. Just got our family SUV detailed there and they did a great job. The owner is always there and takes pride in his work. Good prices and they do a good job with their basic wash. They use good technique and Ive seen some nice cars there.
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      07-01-2021, 03:23 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACremona22 View Post
Saw that place and was gonna give it a go, but it was a bit of a drive for me. Tried Riverview Hand Car Wash & Detail Center today. Extremely fair prices, and a very very thorough job (I want to say they took extra care of it because it was an M3; owner was doing half the work).

May cancel my Simons visits now that I found this.
Thought I would update my opinion here.

Went to Simon's today, and it is a very nice place. However, I think you get the same quality of work done for half the price at Riverview Hand Car wash. Plus you don't need to make an appointment.

I could see Simon's being an excellent place to go for more than a handwash, as they do full details, PPF and Ceramic coating.
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      07-01-2021, 08:40 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACremona22 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACremona22 View Post
Saw that place and was gonna give it a go, but it was a bit of a drive for me. Tried Riverview Hand Car Wash & Detail Center today. Extremely fair prices, and a very very thorough job (I want to say they took extra care of it because it was an M3; owner was doing half the work).

May cancel my Simons visits now that I found this.
Thought I would update my opinion here.

Went to Simon's today, and it is a very nice place. However, I think you get the same quality of work done for half the price at Riverview Hand Car wash. Plus you don't need to make an appointment.

I could see Simon's being an excellent place to go for more than a handwash, as they do full details, PPF and Ceramic coating.
I will go to Riverview next. Agree the appointment scheduling is a pain. Maybe they have labor issues and are limiting the schedule. In the past there used to be more cars in there. Side note I think I saw a tanzanite with sunroof last Friday in the Logan area. Was that you?
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      07-01-2021, 09:43 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ando View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACremona22 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACremona22 View Post
Saw that place and was gonna give it a go, but it was a bit of a drive for me. Tried Riverview Hand Car Wash & Detail Center today. Extremely fair prices, and a very very thorough job (I want to say they took extra care of it because it was an M3; owner was doing half the work).

May cancel my Simons visits now that I found this.
Thought I would update my opinion here.

Went to Simon's today, and it is a very nice place. However, I think you get the same quality of work done for half the price at Riverview Hand Car wash. Plus you don't need to make an appointment.

I could see Simon's being an excellent place to go for more than a handwash, as they do full details, PPF and Ceramic coating.
I will go to Riverview next. Agree the appointment scheduling is a pain. Maybe they have labor issues and are limiting the schedule. In the past there used to be more cars in there. Side note I think I saw a tanzanite with sunroof last Friday in the Logan area. Was that you?
Yes! I was going to Pizza Lobo and couldn't find a parking spot for the life of me.
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      07-02-2021, 10:00 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACremona22 View Post
I unfortunately don't have space to wash my car, being as I live downtown.

Does anyone have any city recommendations for hand washes? Trying to avoid swirl marks at all cost on this Tanzanite.
In 11 years, I never had luck finding a decent car wash in the city. They all do little careless things that trigger my OCD. But I also had awesome restaurants that I lived near for a few years and only discovered them after moving to another part of town.

That said, I've gotten awesome results from Ivan at LUSTR detail. You'll have to drop off at his shop in the suburbs and haul back with alternate transportation, but his work is phenomenal.
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      07-06-2021, 10:34 PM   #14
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I tried Riverview today and am generally happy. They seemed a bit rushed since there was a line of cars, so I’d recommend going early in the day or some other time when they’re less busy. One thing I’m not thrilled about is that I asked for bug removal, which costs extra, but they didn’t get all the bugs off. Also, the tire dressing was still pretty runny after they applied it, so on my drive home it splattered all over the sides of the car. I’ll probably stick with my first choice since the drive is quite a bit shorter for me and the prices are about the same.
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      07-11-2021, 06:07 PM   #15
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I think Simon’s does poor work. My detailer recommended them, and they did a terrible job on my freshly coated X3M. I watched the wash process closely, many red flags. The paint was flawless before the wash and it came back swirled. Detailer felt bad and corrected the car / recoated at a steep discount. In the summer, I’ll do it myself at a self service bay with buckets. In the winter, my detailer washes the car (Auto Image in Barrington).

Edit: Worth calling out I am very particular when it comes to paint finish — borderline OCD. I’m sure Simone’s is better than your average hand wash, but not up to my spec.

Edit II: Lustr is great, as is Auto Image and Chicago Auto Pros (albeit with rough pricing)
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      07-25-2021, 10:31 AM   #16
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I tried Riverview today. They did good work. I like Simons better but agree it's difficult to get an appointment right now. I wish I could find a place in the city where I could wash my car myself.
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