Paul’s Auto Wash: ‘Clean in 60 Seconds’

For years, , located at the corner of 14 Mile and Crooks roads in Clawson, has been a destination for drivers looking for a quality car wash at a good price.

Soon, devotees of the business will have another location to choose from when a new Paul’s Auto Wash opens on Livernois, just south of Maple Road in Troy.

In business for more than 40 years, Paul’s has built a reputation in the Motor City as a high-quality exterior car wash — and Paul's has the awards and accolades to show for it, including honors from WDIV, Channel 4, and the Metro Times' Best of Detroit award. Even the city of Clawson recently recognized the business for its landscape and property improvements.

Perhaps the recognition that matters most, however, is the steady stream of vehicles that lined up on a chilly Saturday afternoon in February, looking as if they’d just completed a cross-country road rally.

“February, March are the busiest months of the year for us," said Dave Rospond, operations manager at Paul’s Auto Wash. "Cars just get dirtier in the Michigan winters.”

When the wash is busy, one car rolls off the wash line every 20 seconds. That means a lot of soap, water and scrubbing has to happen quickly if the cars are to emerge from the wash clean in minutes.

“Our main concern is keeping cars off 14 Mile Road (coming into the wash lot), and so we control the line speed to wash between 100 and 250 cars per hour,” Rospond said, adding that he watches computer screens and video cameras set up all around and inside the wash.

Prices range from $3.50 for the Express Wash to $10 for the Ultimate Wash Plus, which includes waxing and more extensive wash features. Paul's also has self-serve vacuums and sells annual wash packages at a discount.

Loyal customers keep returning

Among Paul's loyal customers is Gary Wade of Troy, who purchases the annual daily wash package for his spotless, pearl white 2007 Buick Lucerne.

“I did car washes by hand for 30 years,” Wade said. “So I know, this wash is better than all of the other local car washes I’ve been to. They’re very thorough.”

Colin Kakuica of Royal Oak has regularly taken his 2001 BMW to Paul’s ever since it was new. He said he likes the quality of the wash, and the employees are always friendly.

“I like the chamois and the dryers at the end that don’t roll over your car and scratch my car,” he said. “And I think they keep the car and brushes wet so they get rinsed well, so they don’t spread the dirt from one car to the next.”

A winning philosophy

Rospond credits the company’s success to a combination of advanced technology, great employees and customer-focused service. He expects the customer-centric focus will carry over to the Livernois location when it opens in March.

On the technology side, Paul’s has been a high-tech product development platform for years for Peco Equipment of Auburn Hills. Peco has updated the wash equipment computer systems at Paul's every one to three years.

Paul's puts the customer first

In the early 2000s, Paul’s redesigned the wash line equipment to accommodate the increase in sport utility vehicles, as some customers complained that the rears of their SUVs weren’t getting washed properly.

“Listen to them. Listen to what they want or what they complain about,” Rospond said. “It’s about treating everyone the way you want to be treated.”

That philosophy translates to the employees at Paul’s, too. While they all work hard, most say they enjoy their work.

“We give our customers 110 percent every day, as we should,” said Bradley Cleveland, who was towel-drying a car on this 12-degree afternoon.

On an average day, he said he towel-dries between 300 and 400 cars. A “good day” could be more than 1,500 cars.

“You should see my arms,” Cleveland joked, “but my feet, they’re frozen, and after a day like that, they’re sore.”

Assistant manager Kristal Berger is handling more of the responsibilities at the 14 Mile Road location as Rospond spends more of his time at the Livernois site.

“I feel like I run 50,000 miles a day,” Berger said, “but I love everyone I work with. And I see some of the same customers who have been coming here for 20 years. You really build a good relationship with some of them.”

It’s a fun place, she said, especially on the busy days when there’s a lot of tips to divide among the employees.

“That’s really where we make our money,” she said.

Three fun facts about Paul’s Auto Wash

1. Is Paul still the owner? — There never was a “Paul.” The company that manufactured the early conveyor systems for car washes trademarked the name and licensed it to independently owned car washes.
2. Do you get a better wash if you tip the dryers? — Yes and no. Yes, because the tips are split among all the employees, who depend on tips as part of their income. So, more tips equals happy employees. No, because, according to the towel dryers at the wash, “We work to do our best either way. It doesn’t matter.”
3. Does Paul's really apply wax, and does it help protect the finish on the car? — Yes and yes. Rospond said a careful mix of waxes and water will apply a very specific protective coating. He advises a full, hand-applied wax in the spring and in the fall, with the car wash waxes providing very good in-between protection.