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    Soapy Joe's Car Wash

    3.7 (587 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Soapy Joe's Car Wash Photos

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    Outside
    Linford E.

    The quality of the was at this Soapy Joe location is not great. Coupled with the fact they try and sell you aggressively on the monthly wash subscription, I'm giving this location two stars. I will also mention when I arrived, they were out of clean towels. Right when I was leaving, I saw staff refreshing them, but didn't help my cause. Given the $20 price tag, the value isn't there for me. I'll keep going down the road to the self wash spot.

    Broken window cover damage
    Joseph B.

    ZERO stars is more like it .... 2025 4 runner practically brand new and I'm left with left mirror damage not even 2 mins after parking my vehicle I notice the mirror drivers side cap was taken off by their machine. When I went to the front and asked the worker to look for it he brought it out broken said a car ran over it no apology nothing . I filed a claim and they responded same day were not responsible for the damage . Read all the reviews many many ppl have experienced damages to their vehicles from soapy joes RANCHO San Diego . Today I cancelled my Me membership and will warn others about this

    Awesome car wash. Team here is always friendly. On top of that the equipment is always running and the place is always clean. Best place to get your car wash.

    This is how I keep my car in pristine condition
    Nasim J.

    Loyal customer let down after vehicle was damaged Review: I've used Soapy Joe's for over 7 years and even kept my membership active through COVID just to support their business and help keep them going. On July 4, after a wash at their 2658 Jamacha Rd, El Cajon, CA 92019 location, I noticed fine scratches across my rear bumper the kind of damage that happens when rotating brushes or cloths trap debris like sand or grit and drag it across your paint under pressure. I immediately spoke with the manager on site. She took photos, documented the damage, gave me a report, and later followed up with a claim number so I could track it. I asked if they had a preferred body shop I could go to they didn't offer one so I took the vehicle to a professional repair shop and submitted the photos and estimate. I gave Soapy Joe's multiple opportunities to resolve the issue. Instead, they denied any responsibility, refused to let me review footage of my own vehicle, and eventually stopped responding altogether. Very disappointing after years of loyalty. If something happens to your car, don't expect Soapy Joe's to make it right.

    Where's the shine?  Why do I have to reclean?
    Will K.

    Some where between not useful and horrible. I come monthly ish, and the service has just been on a ski slope of getting worse. First: Paying. It starts with a prompt to do a monthly subscription that is not intuitive or friendly to by pass. Even with automation, a clerk comes up to prompt. The last few times "do you have a scan card?" "are you on a subscription?" I'm not sure if this is prompted by management, but repeated asks to subscribe are annoying at best. Second: the actual wash. No matter if I get the low end or high end wash: the car comes out needing a complete wipe down to get dirt off, even on flat, accessible services. Light dirt, road junk, - it's barely cleaned. The tire shine? ¼ of the tire is almost shined, if that. Rims are not even clean surface level (I get that nothing can get into the spoke area). The water in the machine is so hard it leaves water spots on windows with the characteristics of cement. Finally, the vacuum area. Multiple problems. First, they're nearly always out of towels. Second, multiple machines down. Some machines are down enough that employees park in them. Third, parking spaces on the outside area are so close you risk door dings trying to get in your vehicle. Fourth, it's like a hang out for Uber/Lyft drivers during slow moments. They're just sort of camped out. I've gotten done, gone to the grocery store, went to another store, and several are still parked there. Not cleaning, just, you know, doing nothing. For a 20$ one time for the full boat, it's bad. Even if a subscription makes the per time cheaper if you use it often, the work you have to do to clean up after they clean up, and the hassle of trying to find a place to vacuum, the empty towel racks, ect - make this a borderline horrible deal. If it weren't for the fact this saves water and doesn't go down storm drains, it'd be a complete waste.

    What my mirror should look like

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    1 month ago

    Yari very helpful very good customer service would come here everytime now for a wash

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    15 days ago

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    2 months ago

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    27 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    5 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Doesn't get the car water blown off very well. Takes a lot of drying to get it right. I've had problems with the vacuum not working.

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    2 years ago

    Super busy. Very slow in helping customers. Understaff. They don't have a air blow machine to dust things out from corners.

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    2 years ago

    I found Joji's mobile detailing you should try him too 5 business with competitive prices quality products... attention to detail

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    Page 1 of 15

    Ask the Community - Soapy Joe's Car Wash

    Review Highlights - Soapy Joe's Car Wash

    James came over to review the problem and showed me that the problem was the dirt in the bed of the truck.

    Mentioned in 55 reviews

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    This is Genie car wash now. This place is so horrible. DON'T BUY THE MEMBERSHIP - they scammed me…read moreout of $30. Now I have to dispute the charge. Never going here again. Aggressive workers They harass you on buying the membership. Even when you say no they keep asking why not? Explain why you don't want it. I said no thanks, drop it. Took my phone. But I buy the membership online eventually because I go here once a week or so and because their staff are unbearable and aggressive - I want to drive thru without being harassed. I go to try it out for the first time armed with only an email and a barcode. The worker didn't seem to know what to do with it. He had to take my phone from me and go out of sight with it for 15-20 minutes which made me very uncomfortable. It didn't work. He comes back. He puts this ugly sticker in my field of view on the windshield and it didn't work for the gate. He did some override to get me thru. Didn't work again. I go back today and again, the gate doesn't open. The lady comes over and says it's expired. I tell her I literally bought it last week. She says must've been a day pass. What?! I paid $30. And you put a sticker on the window for a day pass? After arguing back and forth, and refusing to look at my email proof, she goes and checks. Meanwhile the line is honking at me, yelling things. I just decide to buy a wash since the line was getting hostile and I didn't know if / when she would come back. I was livid. Once I got to the wash area another worker said they would issue me a refund. Awful, awful place.

    This one sucks, barely even cleaned my car with the mid-tier wash. The vacuums are nice, but I left…read morethe car wash feeling like I needed a deeper clean. Not worth your money or your time in my opinion.

    Happy Cow Car Wash

    Happy Cow Car Wash

    3.5
    (154 reviews)

    Excellent!! This kicks butt over the self washs in solana…read moreBeach on the coast and the one in Clairmont mesa. I believe there are 4-5 The tools are marked on the dial so you know their usage. I need that , the power was IS a power wash! The foam brush was definitely foamy and I was able to scrub my car very try well. There's spot free rinse, Rainx and a blow dryer. It's quite powerful. Then you can vacuum your car, and choose one of over 5-6 stalls. The areas are clean and there is an attendant, who never stopped cleaning l!! Love this place

    I have a Tesla which the manufacturer suggests not be put through a brush car wash. There are two…read morestalls here that offer either brushed or touch-less washes plus some self-serve stations. Once you've picked your wash and get the green light, you drive down into the pit and stop when the light turns red. You drive out slowly past the dryers afterwards. Next time I will pull into a parking place and wipe down the car because there were some spots that had been lifted or loosened but just needed a little help, and some water beads. I got the simplest service and you get a token for the self-run vacuums, but I didn't try that. Tesla owners should remember to punch in Controls - Service - Car Wash Mode, and fold the mirrors. This closes the windows and prevents the charge port or trunk from opening, etc. There is no belt pulling you along; you put it in Park, not Free Roll. Car Wash Mode exits once you reach 10 mph.

    Soapy Joe's Car Wash - carwash - Updated August 2026

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