540 Peterson Road
Libertyville, Illinois
(847) 680-0680

How much difference can there be between one car wash and another? For most folks, a car wash is a car wash — a way to just get the most basic dust off your vehicle so it doesn’t look too dirty. I’ve always had another opinion of it though, as the outside of your car can have a big effect on how you yourself feel. A clean car on a sunny day can really put a smile on your face. The opposite is also true — when my car is grimy and dirty, it is a big stress just for me to look at.

For years and years I had a great yearly pass to one of the best car washes in Chicagoland: Edens Car Wash in Chicago. Unfortunately, they went out of business almost 8 years ago, and for a few years I drove from car wash to car wash, looking for the best place to go for a reasonable price. Lucky for me one of the better car wash companies happens to be just down the street in Libertyville, Illinois.

Libertyville Car Spa is just that — a spa instead of just a wash. They seem to employ two to three times as many car wash employees who have a great attention to detail. Most $6 gas station car washes don’t run enough water onto your car, which increases the chance of scratches. They also don’t flush the car well after soaping, which leaves a residue that makes it get dirty faster. The worst part about gas station car washes is the drying — streaks and spots and water marks. Just ugly.

Libertyville Car Spa’s most basic wash is under $10 (cheaper if you find a coupon!). It includes a basic interior vacuum, interior window cleaning, wiping of your dashboard and center console, and of course an exterior wash and hand dry. For a few dollars more, I find this most basic wash outlasts the gas station car wash almost 2-3 times longer, and the car looks nicer even through a light rain. The cars that I have kept washed at least twice a month have kept their paint jobs intact, and I believe fully that I received all my car wash expenses back in retained value when it came to sell them.

The setup at Libertyville Car Spa is well done — enough area for 30 or so cars to get in line, a great little “watch window” so you can see your car get pummelled by gallons and gallons of gas and cleansers, and a nice lobby with a good display of all the little car needs you might have (air fresheners, accessories, fuses, storage devices, etc). I prefer to go early in the day to get my car sparkling for the day. The morning is also the best time to go with the shortest lines (about a 5 minute wait to get your car into the wash). The afternoon on a warm day is the worst time to go, but the extra 10 minute wait is well worth it as they hire even more workers than usual during the rushes.

Libertyville Car Spa’s basic washes run between $10 and $20 depending on the services (you get a lot of services in the $20 package, including mats washed, fragrance, tire shine and paint protectants). The offer custom washes, too, starting at $35 and going all the way up to $155 which includes a buffing shine that makes your paint look and feel like glass. If you really want to keep the value of your car up, getting a major detail twice a year is a great way to keep the car looking great for years. The Zymol wax job made my car look better than new — and also reduced the need to wash it as often as I previously had to as the elements didn’t stick as bad.

Libertyville Car Spa comes close to my old and long gone favorite in Chicago, but their closeness to my home and their attention to detail make them one of the most popular car washes in Lake County. Their excellent service and years of knowing their customer allowed them to open two more car washes, one in Lake Forest and one in Kenosha, WI. I’ll review these in coming weeks to see if the spin-offs compare to the original.