National Car Wash

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At night, after hours, a regular would pull up to the National Car Wash and ask for a special service. The attendant knew him well but never questioned why he needed ‘the midnight shine’. Finally one night, an embarrassed voice whispered through the window: 'Hey, can you make my car look like it just drove through a rainbow?' The attendant smiled knowingly and replied, ‘Of course, sir—just don’t tell anyone I used food coloring!’

2. At midnight, a delivery driver pulled into the National Car Wash, muttering under his breath: ‘Why does it always take forever here?’ Suddenly, the water jets formed an eerie pattern on his windshield—something he’d never seen before. The pattern looked like some kind of secret code or message, but before he could figure it out, the car wash attendant appeared with a towel and said cheerfully, 'Hey, pal! Your windows were foggy.' The delivery driver laughed it off, realizing that sometimes life's mysteries are just soap bubbles in the night air.

3. At closing time, an old man walked into the National Car Wash and asked the attendant, 'Can you wash my car even if it's not dirty?' The attendant smiled and replied, ‘Of course, sir!’ He then turned on the water and soap, gently washing each part of the car. After a few minutes, he handed back the clean vehicle with a towel. The old man paid him, nodded, and drove off into the night. From that day on, whenever anyone asked why his car was always spotless, he’d simply say, ‘I got it cleaned at National Car Wash—even when it wasn’t dirty.’

4. At dawn, when the neighborhood was still asleep, a little girl ran into her dad’s arms, pointing excitedly at the car wash. ‘Look daddy,’ she whispered, ‘the cars are dancing!’ Her father smiled and shook his head, but as he watched, he noticed something strange too—a delivery driver humming along with the water jets, while an old neighbor bobbed his head to the rhythm of the spinning brushes. By morning, everyone in the street knew that National Car Wash had its very own impromptu dance party every night.