Hi everyone! This week, we decided to bring in a guest post. Ashley is a friend of Towne Lake Car Wash and Detail and decided to help us out. Check out her post below!

Imagine it: You’re driving down the road with the windows rolled down (or top down), enjoying a beautiful spring sunny day. Your music of choice is blaring. What car are you driving if you could have your absolute dream car?

Dream cars are as personal to a human being as what kind of jeans they like to wear, or how they prefer to have their coffee in the morning. One man’s dream car might be a massive Ford F250 truck, while another’s might be a Chevy Corvette.

As long as I can remember, we’ve been a “car family.” My Dad bought his first dream car in 1995, when I was 11 years old. It was a brown Porsche 944, and the love of the Porsche brand began for him and the rest of our family. So far, we’ve had about nine different Porsches enter our family garage since 1995, I’m sure that will only increase with time. Currently, there are still three housed there, and sometimes, I get to take the “pride and joy” out for a spin.

What it is about cars that create a fiercely loyal fan base? How many sons and daughters have watched family members out in the driveway tinkering with car parts, not even realizing that right at that very second, the love of a brand is being born? Most car people have a common bond. A common love of all things automotive.

What’s your ultimate dream car? Leave us a reply below. No matter which one you choose,  the team at Towne Lake Carwash and Detail in Woodstock, GA will make sure it’s washed and detailed like a pro.

(Personal photo courtesy of  Ashley’s Dad.)

Quick – take a peek at the mats on the floor of your car. Are they covered in pet fur and crushed cracker crumbs? Do you see empty juice cups and various sports teams’ gear, just waiting to find a home outside of your backseat?

Never fear! The team at Towne Lake Carwash and Detail is here to make sure that your car is clean and feeling like new.

Often, our cars get overlooked when it comes to the inside.  Sure, the outside gets a nice wash and wax, and even the tires get in on the fun, but the inside is left full of family clutter and trash. Here are a few easy fixes to keep the inside nice and clean.

Transferring Fido or Fluffy? Keep an old blanket to drape over the seats so that the animal fur doesn’t get all over your seats. Better yet, keep your pets safe  in a well-ventilated crate or carrier.

Uncovered Drinks Must Go. Make a rule that uncovered drinks aren’t allowed in the car to prevent spills. Use drinking bottles with screw-on caps or spill-proof cups for smaller kids. Keep some empty bottles handy at your home so you can pour drinks from the fridge into the bottles before traveling. Lastly, try to avoid canned drinks in the car, because they’re sure to spill.

Corral Snacks. Snacks should be packed in sealed baggies or in a snack catcher that can be re-sealed when finished snacking. Also, avoid snacks that can melt easily in the hot sun. Melted chocolate doesn’t look good on anyone’s car upholstery! Make a rule that if snacks enter the vehicle, they must exit the vehicle the same day. This gives your children equal responsibility in keeping the car clean.

From road trips to day-to-day errands, the interior of your family car can take a backseat to all the other things on your to-do list. Come on by to Towne Lake Carwash and Detail in Woodstock, GA to get the inside as beautiful as the outside.

Few people realize that washing our cars at home is not eco-friendly. (link) Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, what runs off from your car goes right into storm drains – and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands where it poses a serious threat to aquatic life. After all, that water contains large traces of gasoline, oil and residues from exhaust fumes – as well as the harsh detergents being used for the washing itself.

Commercial Car Washes Treat Waste Water

Federal laws in both the United States and Canada require commercial carwash facilities to drain their waste water into sewer systems, so it gets treated before it is discharged back into the great outdoors. And unlike a do-it-yourselfer, a commercial car wash is able to use computer-controlled systems, high-pressure nozzles and pumps that minimize water usage.

Did You Know?

The International Carwash Association, an industry group representing commercial car wash companies, reports that tunnel car washes use less than half the water of even the most careful home car washer. According to one report, washing a car at home typically uses between 80 and 140 gallons of water, while a commercial car wash averages less than 45 gallons per car. Talk about environmentally un-friendly!

The team here at Towne Lake’s Carwash and Detail in Woodstock, GA understands the importance of those numbers, and we understand that taking care of our surrounding community  is as important to others as it is to us.

Most car owners do not cycle through cars, otherwise, they would most likely lease.  If you are a car owner who intends on driving each car until the wheels fall off, there are a few ways that you can extend the life of your car.  The tips listed below will also help you get the best bang for your buck when trying to resale the vehicle as well.

• Buy Gas from Quality Gas Stations:  Not all gas is created equal, nor are gas stations.  Make sure that you buy your gas from a company that maintains their pump filters regularly.  Find a trustworthy gas station around home in Woodstock, GA and stick to it.
• Choose the Right Car Insurance Company:  Accidents happen, and whether you drive a brand new car, or a classic, you need to have the best affordable car insurance possible.  There is insurance for every type of car, even for car collectors and motorcycles. Make sure you are properly protected.
• Routinely Wash and Detail Your Car:  Keeping the exterior of your car clean and protected is essential to prolonging the life of your car.  Protecting your car’s paint helps prevent rust, it keeps your paint’s shine, and it protects your car against the elements especially during winter road conditions.
• Fix Small Windshield Chips and Cracks Immediately:  We all hate it when we hear that high pitched sound that makes us cringe when driving behind a dump truck.  Yup.  You have a chip in your windshield. Fix the chip sooner, rather than later so the chip does not turn into a bigger crack and lead to a dangerous windshield shatter.
• Keep Your Tires, Alignment and Suspension Properly Maintained:  Your tires should be on the top of your priority list when maintaining your car.  Is your steering wheel vibrating? Are your tires wearing unevenly? Make sure that you seek the advice of an auto repair shop to make sure that your tires and suspension are properly maintained.

Follow these tips to extend the life of your car and keep repair cost down.

Contact Towne Lake’s Carwash and Detail for all of your car wash and detailing needs in Woodstock, GA.

There’s nothing to be ashamed of when you drop your car off to be washed and detailed at Towne Lake’s Carwash and Detail. Nearly everyone has a hard time keeping the interior of their car clean in between car details.   When it comes to keeping your car interior clean, it is all about making new habits.  Do you toss your gym clothes in the trunk of the car and forget to bring them inside to wash?  Are you guilty of leaving fast food trash on the back seat floor board?  All of these bad habits add up, making it a major pain to get your car ready just to get a detail.

Follow these 3 tips to keeping your car clean so that you won’t have to waste time or energy performing a spring cleaning job on your car ever again.

Keeping your car interior clean

• Remove trash immediately:  Everyone eats in the car every now and then and some people leave the trash in there to top it off.  Not only are crumbs being left behind, but now a greasy bag or wrapper is adding clutter and maybe leftover food to your car.  Avoid the funky car smells and lack of leg space by throwing trash out immediately when exiting your car.
• Prevent the locker room smell:  Some cars out on the road have unfortunately become a second closet, or laundry hamper, for drivers.  It’s 2012 and it’s time to stop.  Other than odor and clutter, your dirty clothes are also adding your dead skin into the mix.  Aren’t you tired of having to clear off the back seat so that you and your friends can enjoy a night out?
• Wipe down your car surfaces:  A great way to keep the interior of your car clean in between car details is by giving your interior a quick wipe down at the end of the week.  Use a soft cleaning cloth to wipe down the entire surface of your car.  It will prevent dust and dirt build up before and after a car detail.

Photo via Flickr

Well, it’s about to be 2012 and it might be time to trade your car in for a new set of wheels.  If you are the type of person who takes care of their car year round, you might not be worried about the trade-in value concerning how your car runs.  However, making a good first impression, especially when selling your car by yourself, can be a priceless move for getting top dollar for your car sale.

Some mechanical fixes before selling your car are worth it.  Some fixes will cost more than they are worth.  If you car is running well, then take a few extra dollars to make your car look its best before selling it.  When you bring it to a dealership to sell, the appraisers will look past crumbs and loose dirt.  They will, however, pay attention to wear and stains on carpets, upholstery and the rest of your interior.  A full car detail, before you sell your car to a dealership or by owner, is a great idea to make your car look its absolute best.  Not only will you attract buyers, but you could possibly remove any problems such as stains and small scratches from your paint job.

If you’re interested in getting your car detailed before selling it, contact Towne Lake’s Carwash and Detail in Woodstock, GA.

Your favorite Woodstock, GA car wash would like to say Happy Holidays from Towne Lake’s Carwash and Detail.  Don’t forget to stop by after all of the unseasonable rain to wash that crud off your car before the New Year!

While it might not feel like it in Georgia right now, winter is in fact right around the corner. With winter also comes bad winter weather, which leads to bad winter driving. Bad winter weather makes accidents more probable and car troubles more of a nightmare. Here are a few tips that will help you prepare your car for the winter, and hopefully lead to fewer car troubles.

• Double check your wiper blades – Check your wiper blades to make sure that they allow you to see clearly out the window. Snow slush and wintry mix is often worse than heavy rain on your windshield, and poor visibility can lead to accidents.
• Know your car – It is always a good idea to get to know how your car handles on wintry days by driving it around in a parking lot. It is better to know what you can and can’t do before getting into real trouble on the road. Of course, the best solution is to stay off to roads all together if at all possible.
• Have your tire pressure checked – With the temperatures dropping, there is a good chance that your tire pressure is dropping low. Low tire pressure in a vehicle can lead to dangerous and expensive car problems if neglected.
• Clean your car interior – Make sure that your car is not only clean on the outside, but also the inside. A dirty windshield can lead to poor visibility and possibly an accident.

Hopefully these tips will help you be more  prepared for the winter weather ahead. If you are looking for a place to get your car cleaned, head over to Towne Lake’s Carwash and Detail for a thorough car detail.

With winter rolling around, chances are you are going to come across ice that is difficult to get out of. We all remember the snowpocalypse in January 2011, which left many cars stuck on the side of the road in sheets of ice. With these simple tips, we hope the next time your stranded on ice, you will be able to find a way out.

• Kitty litter or sand – the argument which is better, kitty liter or sand is one we wont get into; however, either one of these products can provide extra traction when put around the tire.
• Mouse pad – An old mouse pad can provide great traction when put rough side up under the tire.
• Floor mats – If you are desperate to get your car out of the ice and have no other supplies, your car floor mats can double as traction mats to free your car from the ice.
• Shovel – A shovel is always a good thing to keep in your car during the winter months. This shovel will be useful to crack the ice around the tires and hopefully free your car.

Hopefully these tips will prepare you for the winter months soon to come. If you have any questions about these tips, please contact us at Towne Lake’s Carwash and Detail.

This past week, we have already encountered our first winter frost.  Many of you woke up to some sort of ice accumulation over your car windshields.  As the winter weather carries on, it is important to be prepared for all of the winter weather conditions ahead that might save a little hassle, save a few minutes, and keep you safe before you hit the roads ahead.

Here are a few ways that you can be prepared for the winter weather ahead:

• Keep an ice scraper in your car:  If last year taught us anything, it’s that ice and snow can accumulate even while we are away at work.  Many people think that by pouring a hot cup of water over your windshield is a great way to get rid of the ice accumulated on your car.  In fact, this method can make matters worse for your car.  The water can refreeze over your windshield, or it could crack the glass on the car windshield.  Scraping the ice off of your windshield is a much better alternative than cracking your glass.
• Spray Rain-X De-Icer on your car windshield:  Rain-X makes a great de-icer for your car that works by spraying it on and then running your windshield wipers to help decrease the amount of time you spend scraping the ice off of your car’s windshield.
• Use Rain-X to prevent ice:  The original Rain-X formula is great at preventing ice and snow from accumulating on your car’s windshield.  It is a great first defense for your car.