THE GREAT AMERICAN CAR WASH ®
Cleaning Up America One Car at a Time ® Est. 1993

 

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  • What can you tell me about your car wash?

    The Great American Car Wash Etc, Inc. ® (GACW) is a Full Service and Exterior Express car wash. We opened for business in 1993 and have washed over 1,000,000 vehicles. GACW began with an innovative and passionate vision to provide an expanded array of car wash cleaning and polishing services above and beyond what typical car washes offered. Still guided by that philosophy today, we tirelessly research and experiment with the newest technologies and implement any discoveries that improve and enhance your visit to achieve the most efficient, safe, clean, shiny car wash.

  • Is there a customer waiting area?

    Yes, you can choose a seat on our outside porch when weather permits or choose to wait in our clean and spacious lobby. Inside our lobby, you can shop from our wide selection of greeting cards, automotive items, choose a snack or soft-drink, or sip on a fresh cup of Annapolis’ famous "City Dock” coffee. Children are regularly entertained by watching cars as they are washed along the lighted tunnel, and for conveniences, we have wireless internet and clean restrooms.

  • Is your car wash earth-friendly?

    YES, we like to say, "GACW was green before green was cool.” When we opened in 1993, GACW had the areas only comprehensive wash water reclamation system. This system allowed us to reuse a major portion of the wash water, while providing completely fresh water to the rinse and wax arches. Since 1993, improvements to our water reclamation equipment, new water-saving nozzle technologies and new high pressure spray equipment allows us to reduce water consumption even further. Today, GACW's wash process requires 80% less water than what’s required by you to wash your car at home. Next, all soaps and waxes used in our wash process are completely water soluble and 100% environmentally safe. Lastly, our site has it’s own underground filtering system. This system captures all our site's stormwater, redirecting it through a series of underground piping surrounded by a sand and gravel filtering mixture.. This reduces the pollutants discharge and runoff into our groundwater and nearby streams by a whopping 96%. Prior to GACW, the previous user’s stormwater was NOT captured, and that water ran directly into nearby Cypress Creek with absolutely no filtering whatsoever.

  • What has your company done to protect the earth for the next generation?

    Imagine for a moment…the environmental change...if every business REDUCED it’s energy needs by just fifteen percent... FOREVER! In 2014, GACW replaced it’s entire "energy sucking" lighting (condescend, fluorescent, and neon) with high-efficient low-energy LED lighting technology. As a result, GACW reduced its energy consumption by more than 120,000 kilowatts annually . . . a whopping twenty-eight percent reduction in energy.... FOREVER! We are proud to be a leader and example in environmental conservation and challenge others to follow.

  • Is the wash process safe for ALL VEHICLES including CONVERTIBLES?

    GACW provides a 100% safe and gentle wash for ALL vehicles and ALL vehicles finishes. We installed a patented combination of the very best self-cleaning closed-cell foam and soft-cotton cloth. This hybrid combination provides safe cleaning to every inch of your vehicle’s surface including convertible tops. By adding high-pressure spray for the hard-to-clean wheels, tires, and rocker panels, you can be certain your vehicle is receiving a genuinely safe, gentle wash creating a shiny and clean car..

  • Is your conveyor safe for the newer modern low-profile wheels?

    At GACW, your vehicle will safely travel on the ONLY patented 100% wheel-safe rated conveyor in the Severna Park and surrounding area. This conveyor “Banana Peel” is exclusively designed by Sonny’s Car Wash Equipment Manufacturers to completely protect the newer modern low-profile wheels and tires provided on most vehicles today.

  • How much time is required to wash a car?

    For "Exterior Express” average service time is 5-7 minutes. For "Full Service” average service time is 15-18 minutes.
825 Ritchie Highway Severna Park, MD 21146 410-544-9009  • •