Happy Cow Car Wash, Lemon Grove

Jared Davis (PURP) 2 months ago

Decent car wash but the vacuums are less reliable if you're counting on your free vacuum token. I've came here about five times and three of those times the vacuum token didn't even work and I had to pay an additional amount. A little frustrating to pay for their highest premium wash and can't even vacuum my car because of how unreliable their tokens are.

Eric Yang 6 months ago

Pretty good car wash, minimum charge is $5 for 5 minutes, which is a good amount of time to rinse your car and begin soaping. If you use credit card it places a $20 hold which after a day or two resolves to the actual charge. You'll need another $5 to finish the soap and also the second rinse. If you have time you can also use the air dryer which is extremely strong. I'm not 100% sure if the spot free rinse is actually using distilled water, but if you air dry it doesn't matter much.

Ruxx Smith 9 months ago

I put in $20, all quarters came out and this car wash token came out. Doesn't even work with their car wash machines, took the quarters and didn't take this even after 5 tries. The rest of the wash was alright.

Moni G 9 months ago

Happy Cow is by far the best self serve wash I have been to. Their selection menu is expensive and even includes a big removal foam with its separate down and an air dry hose. The initial car wash starts at $5 for about 3 minutes only. It takes coins, dollar bills, and cards. However keep in mind, from the other reviews and a notice on their payment system, it will hold a $20 fee ensuing the card goes thru which is pretty weird. I recommend sticking to coins/cash and avoiding this unnecessary hold. I didn’t see a change machine so bring your own coins or cash. I washed my vehicle quickly for about $6.50. Beats the $18-$22 at the drive thru car washes that over time damage your vehicle.

Matt Jackson Edited a year ago

Edit down to 2 stars for too many incidents.. too many homeless and trashy people in this area that ruin what would otherwise be a nice car wash. I hope they open in a new location in the future. Happy Cow is my favorite car wash company in San Diego because I can rely on the equipment functioning, the high water pressure, and soap not running out. They do a nice job keeping the area clear of trash and the music is a really nice touch. I regularly visit the locations in El Cajon and Mission Gorge. Only reason for 2 stars is this is a really rough area. I can’t imagine feeling safe coming here at night to wash your car, which limits you if you’re coming after work or errands. I imagine they bought this location for a good deal, but it’s unfortunate it’s not in a safe area. I’d also like to see the side ramp repaired, because it’s easy to scrape your car leaving with how it’s eroded. Overall the best option in the area for a self wash, now I just hope they eventually buy the other run down washes on El Cajon Blvd!