Shineology - Strawberry

Confession: it's been at least 4 months since my last car wash. So forgive me, father, for I have sinned. But in all fairness, this damn pandemic (aka damn-demic) hasn't helped matters at all. But then again, I haven't really been doing much driving in that time.

Needless to say, I was happy to hear that car washes were open again in Marin County. For a while, some car wash places would only clean the exterior of your car but not the interior. But now it's game on for both inside and outside your vehicle.

So I drove down the hill to my go-to car wash which is located in a Chevron station next to McDonald's. They've always been reliable. And don't get me wrong, they still are reliable and do a thorough cleaning. But man oh man, this spot keeps getting more expensive. The last time I went, I paid $35 for a basic cleaning + tip for the hardworking staff. On my recent visit, they charged $40 + a $5 sanitization fee. So after tax/tip, I drove out of there with a $50 dent in my wallet. Is it just me, or does this seem a bit pricey.

I'm all for adhering to best safety practices right now. But a $5 fee for sanitization seems like a stretch. After all, the people cleaning the cars are already wearing masks & gloves. And I'd like to think that the cleaning products they're using already have disinfectants. Maybe it's just me, but I haven't heard of any other business charging a sanitization fee. I would understand this rule at restaurants and other public places. But at a car wash?

In any case, I guess this is just the new norm. And at the end of the day, this is merely a "1st world problem" to be complaining about. I am glad to see them back in business and employing so many hard working employees. And my car does look shiny and new again.

They do a fine job, but they could be more detailed or thorough. Whoever is doing their sales training should get 5 stars. These guys don't stop up selling. They don't stop.

It is unfortunate to experience such poor customer service at a place I've seen with so much demand. I've paid, for a couple years, the cost for a wash that includes additional unlimited exterior washes for a month. At first, the guys checking me in, used to tell me I had 2 weeks for the unlimited washes. I believe I came back once, due to the fact I didn't really feel my vehicle was dirty enough and the two weeks would fly by quickly. Later on, I found out it was a full month for the washes included, which I believe I've used once.

Today, I came asking if my time for the additional exterior wash was up, and I was told I was still within the threshold. Therefore, I asked if a quick wipe of my dashboard could be done and the worker said he needed to talk to his manager. Manager (in the picture) comes and tells me "unfortunately I can not do more than the exterior wash", even after explaining the above. His defeating, power trip like attitude and rudeness, simply left me with one option, to NEVER come back again.

JUST BE AWARE.

Be careful when you are doing a car wash over there. They smash my dash board vent and didn't want to know anything about that. Finally, after insisting, the manager show up and didn't want to assume they made a mistake. After arguing for a while, they decided to try to repair it and they scratched the plastic. He took my phone number and told me the supervisor will call me. After a week without any phone call, I decided to write this review.
Oh, and I forgot, the car was not even well wash. They miss a lot of spot between doors, wheels and other areas.

This place is the worst!!! They do not deliver what the promises and they keep up charging you.

Do not come here--worst car wash place ever. I opted for the second most expensive option because I really wanted a deep clean for my car after several road trips. Unfortunately, the service was a complete letdown.

In less than 15 minutes, they told me my car was ready. When I checked, the hood of my car had many visible dirty spots, and they definitely didn't clean around the license plate areas. The services included interior but besides the mats, it looked untouched. My dashboard was still sticky despite the service I paid for.

They most definitely didn't perform all the services that were paid for. Save your money and go somewhere else

They do a good job but at $45 for a the basic pkg, it's pricey. Also I really don't appreciate all of the upselling that goes on before they'll take your car. I have a brand new car and the guy told me that my car really needed a wax. He seems to get frustrated and a bit rude when he realizes you won't upgrade to a higher price point. Management shouldn't put this pressure on their employees or customers

I used to be a fan of this place. Now, they aggressively try to upsell you on everything. I have to say no multiple times to their trying to get more money out of me. Not to mention, they ripped the plug out of my driver's side floor mat the last time I was here. Also, be aware of any mysterious scratches that might appear on your car after they get done with it. Not worth the money!

Stay away! I repeat stay away cause they damage your car and take no responsibility. My Porsche got one piece of bumper ripped off by the their washing apparatus and the side door panel as well. Brand new Porsche. They won't admit even though I found the ripped off parts in their washing chamber.

My mechanic gives me a coupon for a free car wash from Shineology after each smog check. The first time I did this was 2020 and Shineology insisted on a $10 "COVID cleaning fee" (or something like that) to redeem the coupon. I felt like I was being scammed but I did the wash anyway. It was ok; nothing special. One star because they actually did wash my car. But next time, I went elsewhere when paying for a car wash.

Then I went back with another coupon from the smog check. The guy checks the date and says that last year they changed ownership so I'd have to pay $29.99 to redeem the coupon. So I produced my second coupon, from March of this year. This would have been after the change in ownership he described. He couldn't explain why but said I could pay $29.99 or redeem it at the San Rafael location.

It felt like I was being scammed (I'm not sure if that ownership change really happened) but I drove off, then pulled over to run directions to the San Rafael location and learned that it's permanently closed.

I can't be sure but I suspect that telling me to go to (closed) San Rafael was retaliation for my insistence on a business honoring its promotional coupon.

OK folks, so I read the many bad reviews, but I stopped in today because of convenience. And yes, they will try to upsell you a wax job even though you're getting a $59 car wash. So the true "value" isn't there as much as my $17 car wash nearer to my homebase of Monterey. But the crew did an excellent job on the car inside and out. So I have no complaints and I'm only subtracting a star because of the pricing. I left a tip in the box and in the hand of my crew chief as well, because there were at least three people working on the car at any time. No spots remaining, totally dry and totally clean and well vacuumed.