Google Reviews
Jeka P
★★★★★
6 years ago
Gets your car clean, reasonable prices. It’s a self-wash kind of place so you have to rinse, foam, etc yourself. Good choice if you don’t want the automatic washes to ding up your brand new car.
Alex
★★
☆☆☆
10 months ago
New pricing and updated way of starting and stopping the wash has resulted in a 30-40% more expensive car wash for me compared to how it was before in the past few years. I’ve seen several people before me the past few months forget to stop their wash :(. I’m sure the business is happy padding their pockets.
Zoran Lovric
★★★
☆☆
Edited 6 months ago
They've recently changed the way they charge the card by requiring a minimum of $5, while before it was $3. So if it's not busy and you're doing a hand wash, or want to do a quick wash, the price went up 66%. Also, they reduced water pressure. It used to be pretty powerful, but now it's just so so. All in all, this all seems like penny pinching: charge customers more, while providing less. And then they tell you it's because you asked for it (one of the responses to a similar review below). Comedy.
Mark Vagil
★★
☆☆☆
7 months ago
$17 to wash and vacuum my car is a ripoff. The pressure washer doesn’t work well, it takes a while for the different settings to start working. Barely any soap comes out on the soap setting. I don’t think I’ll come back.
Tiffany Chou
★★★★★
2 years ago
No complaints, really! I haven't washed/cleaned my car in... ever, so it was time. I got here early on a Saturday and it was not crowded whatsoever. I did a full vacuum of my car, which literally has not been vacuumed in like a decade, and it ended up taking about 25 minutes (so about $10). I also did a full self-serve car wash, which was not only easy, but also kind of fun! I liked that I could pay using my phone or credit card, since I definitely don't carry (or even have) change these days. Given that I don't wash my car practically ever, this was a great place to head to for the once-in-a-blue-moon when I do. I'd recommend it!
alessandro castro
★
☆☆☆☆
10 months ago
2 years ago it cost me 3-5 bucks to wash my car here. Today I spent over 15 bucks. That is about a 275% increase. You should reconsider this if you want to keep the customers you have. I assure you, you have lost business because of this.
robert frosting
★★
☆☆☆
Edited a year ago
Update March 2025 - they changed the payment system from auto off to manual off which resulted in a nearly 70% increase in cost for the same wash I’ve been doing for years. I’ll be taking my business elsewhere. Might be the only car wash in town where bucket washing is allowed. Used by people who know that is the best way to clean your car and who understand that waiting your your turn is expected. Good water pressure, good lighting, vacuums work well. Clean, friendly environment. Five stars!
Peter
★★★★★
3 weeks ago
Well maintained, but they need a better line up / waiting system!
Kimberly Wolfe
★★★★
☆
11 months ago
A good set up, but it's a minimum $5 to get it started. I just wanted to quickly wash some bird poop off my window shield. It would have been nice to have a $1 minimum where you just put in more if you need enough time for a full wash.
Nishanth K
★★★★★
Edited 6 months ago
Great location and probably one of the fewest brown bear car wash left in Seattle metro area which is DIY. Hardly 5-10mins of wait time on a weekend around 11. Been here couple of times and will be back again!
Unequivocal Animation
★★★★★
a year ago
Great place to wash your car! I bring my motorcycle and car by about once a month, and haven't had any issues. Every time I've been, everything works as intended, and you can tap your card to start washing - no need for coins or ATM visits - super easy and convenient. And there's easy to access spaces with vacuums to wipe down your car after you're finished with the wash.
Anita Chenge
★★★
☆☆
2 months ago
There’s no way to access the vacuums without going through the car wash first. On busy days, when all the wash bays are full and you only want to vacuum, it’s pretty pointless to come here.
George Hennen
★
☆☆☆☆
Edited 9 months ago
(Photo taken from 2 miles away) Turn the light off, who is this for? Its 2am, nobody is getting a car wash. Why waste so much power? Security issue? Bad answer.
Juan Diego Valverde
★★★
☆☆
a month ago
It is alright. I don’t like the broomstick as it may scratch the paint. I’d love it if there was an option to apply shampoo to the car without using the broomstick
Drew Schwietz
★
☆☆☆☆
a year ago
Took my car here for its first wash, brand new vehicle not a mark on it. Due to their faulty equipment I now I have scratches everywhere. They claim no responsibility and put the blame on me for “not checking their brushes prior to using” My car has less than a few hundred miles on it and was in perfect condition prior to using these facilities. Very disappointed in their lack of help or customer service. Avoid at all costs.
Christopher Ferguson
★★★★★
5 months ago
The best part, a beautiful Seattle sunny day and the ability to watch a father teach his baby boy how to wash a car! Priceless
Judy Reed
★★★★★
2 months ago
I was at the Ballard Brown Bear when I locked my keys in the car, I didn’t have my phone either. The Assistant Manager Musaab was awesome! He let me use his phone to contact GEICO and schedule roadside assistance. It took an hour but he let me know if any updates and when the repair person arrived. All the employees were really nice and helpful.
Pfeifer Hill
★★★★★
3 months ago
this is my favorite self service car wash in seattle 🚙 the pricing is great, and they have powerful vacuums. i park under a maple tree everyday, so i come here often and the high pressure water always gets my car looking okay again (disregarding all of the scratches and dents from my boyfriends driving 😒)
J W
★
☆☆☆☆
a month ago
Deceptive Systems I’ve been a long-time, generally satisfied Brown Bear customer - especially at the 15th Ave location - but this self-service location was a very different and disappointing experience. The equipment here appears designed to maximize charges through confusing controls rather than delivering value. The warm soap / sprayer was underpowered in the south-most bay (I assume the others as well) yet activating it immediately starts a timer with no clear indication of cost making it easy to overspend unintentionally, and with a fixed $5 fee even if you cancel right away. The vacuum station was even more frustrating. After an initial $2 swipe, it didn’t start. When I pressed the button to try to get it working, I realized each press triggered additional charges, with no clear warning, no confirmation and no way to cancel once it started. Overall, the lack of transparency, poor performance, and confusing user controls made this feel less like a self-service car wash and more like a system designed to extract as much money as possible. This location does not reflect the quality I’ve experienced at other Brown Bear locations.
Jen
★★★★★
7 months ago
Nice self-serve car wash. If you're using a card/phone tap; it will give you up to 15mins. Just remember to press the button on the credit card stripe to stop your time if your done early to be charged less. It has always taken me less than 15mins to wash my car & the price averages out to less than $12.00.
