Having not given my poor car a wash in months, it was past due time. Luckily this Brown Bear Car Wash location was conveniently right off 15th. This particular Brown Bear is the automated Tunnel wash, which I like. I've not been to the others, but they include touchless wash and self-serve, which is cool to have options. The tunnel was nice and easy, you pull up hit the buttons on the screen choosing the services you want, swipe your card and roll through. I am used to car washes where the staff would roll your car on to the track and while you wait. This is allows you (if you want) to shop for car products and air fresheners while you wait. So, it's a bit different. As you go through the tunnel, you see the brushes and big soaped flaps suds up your ride, sprayed and then air dried. All very convenient. To vacuum your car, it's separate before or after you wash. There are about 5 vacuum stations but on busy days that can fill up quick. It's a bit higher than I'd like for a basic wash, but it is convenient and decent. Will give them another go when my car needs a bath. read more

Brown Bear Car Wash - The tunnel in action credit: Brown Bear website - Not my vehicle - Car Wash Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I visited Brown Bear this afternoon to get my car cleaned after a very dusty weekend trip. I got the lowest tier package, but added on the underside option. The staff were friendly and helpful. The wash left much to be desired. When I left and there were still bugs and dirt on my car. I wish I'd checked it over before leaving. This did not feel worth paying $14. read more

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Prices just increased 35% for the top car wash! From $17 to $23 is outrageous! We will be washing our own car from now on. read more

I live on a street that has lots of trees dripping honeydew from aphids. So it is worth it to me to have the monthly subscription so I can just drive through the car wash as often as I want . read more

I love this place. Quality wash, easy in and out, friendly service! Honestly considering one of their monthly plans because it's really that convenient! read more

This was a game changer today my work car so dirty and troublesome with a roof rack that never gets clean around the windows growing green as it sits under trees . It never gets clean but the guys said I could go thru again value in the satisfaction! They worked on it with extra to get it done like it hasn't been for years . So super sparkling I was proud of the old jalopy once again. Thank you team Brown Bear you're a great company and it shows. No need to say but I'll be back! read more

We went to this car wash because we had a large bird poop smear on our rear window. Before even entering the car wash a gentleman wiped it off for us. We all cheered! Thank you to the boys at Brown Bear Car Wash. read more

Got amazing service at this brown bear location. The attendant helped me with go through payment screen and made sure my car was sparkly clean. The conveyorized tunnel car wash was quick and efficient. read more

Rafael is amazing! He went above and beyond and I will definitely be coming back to this location over others! Thanks again :)

I've been coming here a few times for car wash. It is super convenient with payment and drive through wash. It is quick and efficient. It is difficulty to completely clean the car with all the tree sap but it does the job to get most of the superficial dirt and leaves off of my car. It gets busy over the weekend that you might have to wait a bit in line. There are staff available that will do a pre-brush/clean of your car before entering the auto-wash. They are all wearing masks and friendly upon arrival. The vacuums can be paid via coins or card. They only have limited slots so you might have to wait on the side for a free lot. However, if you're looking for a more thorough cleaning along the door jambs, interior of the car, and the tires/rims, then this is not the location for you. It is self-service. read more

I would go to another Brown Bear Car Wash and not this location. Paid for the vacuum and it barely worked. I have been to the brown bear car was in Interbay and it actually worked and they had many vacuums working. Recommend going to another location read more

Danny was fantastic and helped me clean my car, would recommend!! He gave me helpful car advice as well

Got a call from the site manager "Justin", in regards to the incident (see my initial review) and was requested to come in. I dropped by around 11ish AM and had Justin take a look. He mentioned their is no way it could have been done here and guaranteed it. I asked if their were cameras to follow that guarantee, and was mentioned to me their is not but, also said it would of just showed soap anyways. That is already a confusing response that seems to be based on presumptions. Do you or do you not have cameras? and, if so. How would you know, it would be placed; only to show soap? If this is true, this already is a sign of poor site management; which promotes failure for the business. Regardless of some possible scenarios that we discussed. He was all defending with no real backing as to - why the damage couldn't have been done here. He explain the brush or material would tear and, gave the impression it is designed to tear. Great, this would explain why there are the materials stuck between my headlight and the fender (as shown in the pictures). He attempted to get the material out, but was UNABLE to, yet - guaranteed it is soft so it would not be able cause a fender dent. However, pressure is different then texture and softness. If the pressure or force is high enough to get the material torn and stuck between the headlamp and fenders. It is very possible to cause damage to the fender. I even showed a scratch/scuff near the location that was caused by either the hard material that touches your car when going out. He mentioned the blower? That didn't make sense but showed me the rolling pads that get blown. This was besides the point. The scratch/scuff was completely ignored; rather, to say if it was the car wash. It would be consistent. That may or may not be so. However, their are many others customers; that had provided reviews about getting scratches/scuffs. Based on the many reviews of similar issues. It is very possible and consistent enough to show negative results from this location's car wash. Furthermore, I am now having to see a demonstration and hear an explanation of the softness of the material in the car wash - really?. Is this a sale of the material all of a sudden? I came hoping for some resolve to the initial car wash and time spent. I now, have to spend more time, just to hear a sales pitch and justification on why I am not getting any resolve or customer service. Justin mentioned, there has been 30 thousand cars washed with no damages and would require a lot of impact for it to happen. Honestly, I find that a blunt statement just by looking at the historical data of reviews on here and Google. We can clearly see reviews of scratches and damages of some sort that has occurred. Eventually, I was told to get with my insurance. Really?! At this point, I am frustrated and get the point that he isn't willing be helpful on addressing my experience/issue. Issue with all what is presented by Justin at this point: 1) Was not able to truly guarantee anything, bad representation of the companies "strive to provide the highest levels of service with EVERY WASH". 2) Throwing the actual issue back to the customer (me) and telling me to get with my insurance. This is similar to a car accident when one that hits your car and tells you. I don't have insurance so why don't you go talk to yours and let them deal with your experience/issue. 3) Didn't offer any accountability, apologies, or any humane sympathy of any kind. 4) I mentioned, that I looked into a body shop. However, it was costly and was referred over to PDR (Paintless dent repair). This was ignored. 5) Justin, only seem to justify/defend based on assumptions. Here is another ticker... Considering their isn't any paint damage; it only proves the material is "soft". However, doesn't fully account for the possibilities of dents/scratches/scuffs by the car wash. Regardless, I got a quote for PDR on my own; to be approx: $150-$200. That was completely ignored and, once again - it was more talk about guaranting that it can't be possible for the car wash to have done this damage. The whole time, I did not feel any customer service / help in addressing this issue. Rather, defending and selling a disproof of probable cause. Lastly, I was given a business card and, told to get with my insurance company. Overall, I am not one wishing to give a negative review unless it was earned. I was really hoping to salvage this review by positive customer service(s). However, that was not soo... This negative follow-up review definitely was well earned! To my disappointment and dismay... I strongly advise ALL needing a decent car wash. Please GO ELSEWHERE... if you do not want your car; to be the next "one of 30k+ cars washed" getting some sort of damage of any kind: Scratch, dent, half done wash, waste of money and having to spend more money elsewhere! GO ELSEWHERE! read more

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I've been buying the BB Unlimited annual wash membership, and the highest level of wash, for over ten years. I live in Sammamish, and my local BB wash is on 228th. While the employees are great and enthusiastic about their jobs, the recent change to the mechanics inside the car wash has greatly lowered the experience. The car wash no longer dries my car enough. It's left covered in water drops all over the paint, which dry on the car before I can get home. There is a huge amount of water left pouring down both windshields and the side windows, so the windows are all covered in watermarks too. I don't know what's wrong, and I've left a complaint, but avoid this car wash if you don't want a car completely covered in unsightly dried water drops and water marks after you pay $$ to clean it. I will update this review if they ever fix the problem. read more

I needed a car wash that didn't require me to get out of the car and get sweaty and gross. This location is supremely convenient (right before the ballad bridge on the right when going south) and had everything I needed. All signs are very clear and I had no questions as I was going through. The lines can get long (told you it was convenient!) and I appreciate that there is a large lot to accommodate what must be even longer lines. I paid for the basic wash, which was $8. I had an bunch of sap on my SUV (parked it under a ) and this took care of all of it. It also had much better dryers than other car washes I've seen- though it could have just dried super fast because it was so hot! I like that they have a sign telling people not to loiter in their car when exiting the wash. You tell 'me brown bear! There is only one wash so it's not super quick on a Monday afternoon at 3pm. read more

Thank you Jimi for your wonderful service especially right at closing time! Convenient car wash with quality soaps that gets the job done quickly. read more

My back windshield wiper got yanked off. When asking for them to fix it one of the workers just laughed at me. Super unprofessional and made me sad. FYI they are supposed to tape your back wiper so that doesn't happen The only reason why I gave it two stars instead of one star was because one of the other workers was emphatic and helped me fix the wiper. Won't be back. read more

Their car wash broke my back windshield wiper. Called them multiple times and was told they would get back to me. They never did. Wash also did not clean off flies and dirt from my road-trip to Washington so I had to do cleaning on top of it. read more

Their car wash broke my window!!! Please stay away I cannot caution enough. Not only did they break my window but they have been horribly unprofessional and difficult. I have never dealt with a more unprofessional company in my entire life. Please please please stay away!!! read more

Brown Bear Car Wash - Car Wash Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great service, always be happy to bring my car to make clean ! Highly recommend... !!!!

I would not normally complain, since I've had their base level wash for $8 although it left plenty of gunk in the crevasses outside my car, my most recent was was a mere $5 for the base level wash since I got it in a school fundraiser. Yay, savings! However, when we asked the attendant to pay out of pocket for the upgraded wash, he went to go check with someone (after initially telling us it was $3 more or whatever the actual difference is between top level and the $8 bottom level). He came back to inform us that we were getting the top wash without paying out of pocket! Wow! Clearly, the lights were blinking for the base wash. I have no problem getting what I paid (and already got a discount) for, but if I want to upgrade since your awful and disappointing base wash leaves my car dirty and then you tell me I got it when I can clearly see in two different check point areas that I didn't get the top of the line wash you can eff right off. Awful. read more

I've been to different Brown Bear Car Wash(s), some automated, some not but I still keep coming back to this one every time. It has the fast, friendly and efficient staff to get me through the automated "wash down memory lane" when I was a tot and thought it was like a really cool amusement park ride or something. Kids! Whether you have a fancy automobile or Mom and Pop's hand-me-down 1978 Mercury Monarch with a cheap paint job and the steady drip drip drip of Rear-Main-Seal-orrhea, the staff do a great job and actually look like they enjoy making your wheels sparkle. Yes, we're talking about a car wash here and a staff that love their jobs. Go figure! Anyway, Brown Bear is definitely doing something right. My only pet peeve with them is this whole Bear Essentials, Beary Good, and Beary Best service options caper. Huh? I could see it if we were all the aforementioned tots and were by some miracle, sitting on our stack of phone books with our cute little Tot-Stilts driving our Fode Wainger twuck through the wash, but c'mon, BB, why can't you just make the choices number 1, 2, or 3? Anyway, that's why they only get 4 of 5 stars, because I have to say the words Beary Good. Other than that, this Brown Bear Rocks! read more

Brown Bear Car Wash - Car Wash Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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It's dinner time and this is the first time I've used with an entry armed gate. You pay, arm lifts and proceed. BB always does a fine job to my vehicle. This one even put a "dent" in my baked on, hardened and dried sap residue from this one tree I used to park under. Bravo! I wish the vacuums stayed on as long as the tunnel is still operating... "Can I get change?" "The vacuums are shut down." "...." read more

I've lived in Seattle for 2 years now, and I have yet to get a full service car wash because I just love Brown Bear. It's cheap, convenient, and fast. The whole thing takes less than 5 minutes from the time you pay to exiting the wash station. If you're going to use their self-service features (carpet cleaning, vacuums, etc.), bring quarters. I don't normally carry any cash/coins on me, so I often don't utilize this. But one day I actually planned ahead, and the vacuum is pretty cheap - $1 for about 5-7 minutes. The vacuums do a pretty good job. You can't really beat this drive-thru service for $10. And if you vacuum yourself, you can do a lot better job than most full-service car washes! read more

Fast & friendly staff. And believe me fast is good. I come here all the time & have never had a problem. Great location, just off of 15th in Ballard. And once a year they do free car wash day. Not only did I get a free car wash but they also gave me a coupon to come back & an air freshner. How nice! read more

I love Brown Bear Car Wash. I know this doesn't really matter to most people but I think the logo is adorable. Every time I pass the brown bear car washes, I smile. The logo is just so darn cute. I need to get myself a air freshener because they have their logo on it. It is a pretty affordable car wash. Seattle rains pretty often so your car gets a pretty good rinse. If you're looking to vacuuming the interiors, they provide towels, spray bottle, and a trash can nearby to throw away all your car junk. The vacuum costs about $1 for 5 minutes. I always don't feel too rushed to clean the interiors because they usually have 4-5 stalls for customers to clean. There isn't a huge line. read more

The manager named stanley was entirely unpleasant to me when I visited. Completely unprofessional and rude to customers. Tried to revoke my vacuum privlidges :/ read more

This Brown Bear location is easy-yet-hard to find. I had probably driven past it 20 times before I even realized it was there, as it blends in to many of the other commercial locations along busy 15th Ave. It's a great option, though, if you're in the Ballard area and your car needs cleaned. They also have several vacuum stations (a couple were non-functioning when I was there, though) and get you through the car wash quickly. Bonus for the free bathroom (ask the attendant for a key)! read more

A good rainstorm does a better job than the Brown Bear Car Wash. I give up, I've been three times and have never been satisfied. read more

Brown Bear Car Wash - Car Wash Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The bear is so friendly, I love giving him my money!! The air fresheners smell great & they're always generous about giving them if asked. Pretty convenient. The washes themselves leave a lot to be desired. You'd have to run through 3-4 times to get a thorough wash. Doesn't matter what level you purchase...And the vacuums (that used to be able to suck the chrome off a trailer hitch) have gone way downhill. I like that you can now use your debit card to operate them but again many passes are required. Birds always dump on my car the minute after I wash it anyway so I don't know why I bother. Beats putting on your Daisy Dukes and hosing your car off yourself. read more

Good price but unfortunately I left with a semi clean car and several scratches on trunk and hood of my vehicle.

We had to come here today because a seagull drooled all over our car. I know, right?! Long story, but yes, a seagull drooled on our car. All over it. Anyways, what is easier than paying someone else to wash the car, than to just sit in the car and a minute later, it's done!? Nothing. 5 stars. Thanks Brown Bear! read more

This is one of my regular Brown Bear tunnel stops. The guys are always friendly and the wash is good. No complaints! read more

Not worth it. Not only did they not get dirt out of the corners of the lines running front to back on my roof, but they took my rear wiper off. The guy working stopped the wash to find it, and found 2 other wipers that weren't mine, one of which was not just detached but snapped broken. I'm guessing this happens at least a few times a day, several folks drive off each day not knowing they have new vehicle damage, and my wiper is still in there next to some others. Forget the wiper, though. My problem is how my issue was handled. First, I was given a business card for the manager and asked to come back another day. Really? I came in for a fast car wash, and now I need to come back tomorrow to resolve the problem you created? OK, another 45 minutes is gone from tomorrow so I can come back and talk to someone else. The next day on my return, the manager told me that I needed to go buy my own wiper and bring him a receipt for corporate to reimburse me. You want me to spend another 30-60 min, front the cost of repair myself, and then wait for you to process a check to reimburse me? Sorry, Brown Bear, you've taken too much of my time and money for me to come back and get a bad car wash. Oh, and I tried contacting Brown Bear through the form on their website last week, and I still have not received a response. Their phone number takes me to a voicemail. Never again. read more

What in the world just happened? I just payed $12 for three minutes in a toy-like car wash machine! 12 bucks! I was very underwhelmed by my experience at Brown Bear. After driving 3,000 miles from Atlanta to Seattle, my car looked like "Pet Cemetery, Bugs in a Four Wheel Casket." For an OCD cleaner like me, it was almost painful to see my car in such state. Brown Bear appeared in front of me like the gates to heaven, bright lights included. I was also excited because I was going to be able to stay in the car during the outside cleaning process, and I love that. Three lousy minutes later I was out of the "machine." Right afterwards, a nice gentleman spent just two minutes drying it (just front and side) and then reality hit me as we had to do our own vacuuming and inside cleaning. Well, OK. I was sort of annoyed but what upset me was the fact they had this "plastic cleaner" spray that happened to be a horrible, white polish product that made a huge mess inside my car. GRRRRRR! What kind of product makes your car interior look dull and, what is worse, sticks everywhere? Rub, rub, rub, rub, rub...1,400 calories later, the white s**t was still everywhere! Needless to say, Ryan and I had to spend an hour finishing the car at a Safeway parking lot as we needed to buy extra products for a to do-it-ourselves cleaning. The only thing I liked were the bronze bears. They are cute. Oh, Cactus Car Wash in Atlanta, how much I miss you! read more

Whoosh A good place to go to get your car washed. If you own a subaru you get lots of car wash coupons and this place is close by to their dealership. read more

When it's time to wash all that dirt & bird crap off your car, this is the place you want to go. Living in the city, I've hand washed my car a few times. I know that hand washing is better. But you have to get cash and enough quarters, and wear your dirty shirt & shoes, and scrub away. Oh and you have to bring towels or buy the heavy paper towels for drying off the car. So after a few hand car washes, I have been going to brown bear regularly. Payment is easy. The wash tunnel is quick. Grab a few towels and dry off the car. It's so convenient and fast, for an exterior wash. Well you still need to get quarters to feed the vacuum. It does get busy! So go early or late. Cheerios! read more

I went to the car wash and met a super friendly employee named shyhem. He was well dressed, amazing attitude and very helpful will definitely becoming here more often for his grade A customer service read more

I didn't wash my car there, but I sure spent a lot of time there this morning! First, I vaccuumed my friend's van - LOTS of vaccuuming, following my l-o-n-g move, which included beary (I mean, very) large plants, and the dirt and small rocks that fell OUT of these very large plants. Anyway, following the vaccuum, the van wouldn't start, and that's when I really started to appreciate what a cool place Brown Bear Car Wash really is. 1) It has Lots of Space. The broken down van didn't block ANYBODY the whole time it was there! 2) It has Pretty Little Trees to look at while you're waiting for the tow truck. Or while you're vaccuuming, if you're doing it half-heartedly. 3) Chill staff. They were totally non-plussed, chill that I had a big huge van stuck in their parking lot. 4) The vaccuums work well. There's lots of them, so if you're blocking one, no matter, Mo! 5) Plenty of room for AAA to come and tow your rig, and even THEY won't be blocking anyone's access to anything. Some day I'll get a car wash there. Maybe tomorrow, when the van is liberated from Doctor Don's intensive care? Look for a review of that (another Ballard Business) real soon! read more

I went. I went to get change. Its in increments of 1.00 now. No quarters. I had no extra quarters. I dont work much these days..does it really matter? it feels like it might. It is really nothing. I paid. I ran around the car with water, fast spray and soap, then another rinse. the car looks much better. I missed a couple spots. read more