Big Red Express Car Wash

$ 20 for the «biggest wash» is a huge waste of time and money. You drive through the wash and then you get to vacuum your own car. Granted, my jeep had a bit of mud on it but it did a terrible job of cleaning it off. If your car is new and has rain spots it would probably be a great wash.

Customer service off the charts. Great wash at a great cost. Always greeted with a smile. Facilities clean, everything works as it should. Extra perk: high pressure air hoses to clean those hard to reach cracks and crevices.
Wish this was at the front of Steiner, but that’s just me being selfish. I can handle the extra 5 minutes — better wash at a better price than anything in Lakeway IMO.

This is the best car wash in town! Owned by some great local folks in a perfect location. I can’t say enough about their employees either! Alway cortious and willing to keep the cars moving!

Since my first review I went back with my SUV. I live so close to this place, I thought I will give them another try. I regret going there even more the second time. The car wasn’t cleaned well, and this time my front license plate got pulled out. The did offer me a second wash, but NO THANK YOU. I’m DONE.

Don’t know why this place doesn’t get more love because they deserve it. I was nervous to bring my car in because it really needed a detailing with clay bar and wax, but this drive through did a great job, way beyond expectations.
When I pulled in, my car had 3 months worth of road grime, garage dust and a splatter of soda that someone hit. Melanie recommended the $ 15 or $ 20 wash. When I reached for my wallet, I realized i had left it. Melanie put me through with no hassles and my car looks amazing. Again, way ahead of expectations. I’m incredibly picky and am very happy. Love it. Will definitely be back, probably to get the year pass between details.

I just got back from a 18 day trip to Europe. When I got home my car was really in need of a wash from sitting in the driveway.
I decided to try this new car wash near where I live.
Well, I forgot that day 17 in Europe even though I told my bank I would be gone my credit card had a hold put on it because I had been using it all through my vacation but now they decided it was fraudulent charges. Anyway my card is declined and the attendant asked which wash I was going to get and gives it to me free. Really? When does this happen now-​a-​days? How nice was that. AND my car looked great as well.

They did a great job getting the filth from my car. It was really bad. The guys scrubbed down the bug encrusted front so that helped tremendously. Thanks!

I have always washed my cars by hand, either with a hose at home or at a coin-​operated diy car wash. Either way, I use quality soaps/​wash mitts/​microfiber towels/​detail products/​etc. I’m that guy.
I bought a new car in December ’14 and ended up going with black for the first time in years. After a couple of months of trying to keep black paint looking good I decided to look into carwashes to maybe make my life easier. I tried Big Red since the equipment was new and I liked the idea of getting a monthly membership. I ended up getting the «Big car wash membership» for $ 30/​month. Every other time I’ll pay an extra $ 4 to have tire dressing applied. When I pull out of the wash tunnel my car is mostly clean. I wipe off the soap that never rinses of the front fenders, then dry the entire car. Every other time I’ll use a quick detailer and it ends up looking good. It saves me time up front on the actual wash, but it’s not without effort to get it to my standards.
I went out this morning around 10. As expected, it wasn’t very busy on a Tuesday morning. As I’m coming to the end of the tunnel I notice that there’s a Lexus sedan where the wheel cleaning brushes are. Then I realize that the car is on the belt, but isn’t moving out of the tunnel. But I’m still moving. I figure there’s been an issue and the system should stop any second. Wrong. The belt just keeps moving me along. Initial reaction is to hit the brakes (they have you put your car in neutral and leave it running once you enter the tunnel and get on the belt). Of course, braking does nothing to stop the belt from moving my car towards the car in front of me. At this point I’m laying on my horn to get the car wash employees’ attention, but no one’s in sight. I put my car in reverse and try to back away and buy some time. Luckily there’s no one behind me, yet. Spinning in reverse doesn’t help much either until I finally get a little traction as my car slides around and comes off the belt a bit. I’m still laying on the horn and now the guy in front is laying on his horn. With my wheels partially off the belt and in reverse, I’m able to slow things down some, but I’m still just a few feet away from rear-​ending the Lexus. An employee finally comes out to us and shuts off the belt. He talks to the guy in the Lexus for a minute, who then drives off.
I talked to both employees and what they told me was that the «confused old guy in the Lexus couldn’t get his electronic transmission to work». I asked if the system had an auto shut off for something like this or would this have just ended in a pile-​up had there been more cars behind me, or if I couldn’t have managed to slow myself down in reverse. They said that there was no auto-​safety shut off. They also said that the owner would probably review the video footage to see what could have gone wrong. There are video cameras all along the tunnel, but nobody’s actually keeping an eye on them in case something happens. Both employees were dismissive about the whole thing. Like it was no big deal that a couple of luxury cars almost ran into each other in the carwash (don’t mean that in a bragging manner, just happens that both vehicles were rather new and somewhat expensive).
Last week I would have probably rated Big Red 3 ½ or 4 stars. After this incident and the potential for damage the next time this happens, not to mention the nonchalant handling of the situation by the staff, not only will I not be using the remaining 2 weeks on my membership (canceled it), but there’s no way I can justify anything above a single star.

Huge disappointment! For the price, this one misses the mark. You have to BEG to get them to prep by scrubbing bugs off front before you enter. Air blow-​no towel dry at end. Took forever to build and I prefer to drive miles to going back here. I’ve wasted enough money on a less than nice outcome! Third time I’ve had a vacuum that has NO power! I just gave up-​never going back!

This is my favorite car wash and the only one I really trust with my shiny new car. Every time I go there I receive excellent service, even when using the machine a friendly staff member is there to help you.
As for the was itself my car is always sparkling clean, I’m a fan of the biggest wash as it cleans the tires very nicely.
Also a really nice perk is that they sometimes have a 3-​day guarantee where if it rains you can come back and you can get a free wash (pretty sure this is only for the biggest wash but not completely sure).
My only issue is that on week days it closes at 6:30 but I usually go on Sundays anyways so it’s not that big of deal.
Big Red is my go to car wash and I highly recommend it.

This is by far the best car wash place I’ve ever been to. The employees always come out to help you and greet you with a smile. Always super polite. The place is brand new too so that helps. :)

My fiancé and I are brand new to Austin. Just finding our way around is a big task! We were in need of a vacuum and drove to several gas stations, pumped in countless quarters, only to find them not working or broken. Frustrated, we were about to head back home when we saw vacuums at the Big Red Express Car Wash. Embarrassingly, we didn’t know you needed to purchase a car wash to use the vacuums. As the forecast called for rain later that day, we were hesitant to purchase a car wash.
The ladies behind the counter were so amazing and so gracious. They gave us a free car wash so we could use the vacuums. They only requested that we spread the good word ~ so here I am! We were blown away by the hospitality of these wonderful ladies and we will by loyal customers going forward! You don’t see this level of customer service often, but when you do, you should let everyone know!
Thanks so much to the ladies working yesterday (Sunday, May 10^th). You completely made our day and appreciate it so so much! We’ll be back to see you. :)

I’ll start of with my biggest gripe first. I have a membership and only have used it 2 times because the crappy hours. I leave to work well before 8 am and by time I make it home between 6:30 and 7:00 it’s already closed. So in that aspect it’s not worth me having my membership and I’ll be cancelling that. I really do recommend changing your hours. Each time I pulled into the car wash before I realized now that 6:30 pm was the closing time, quite a few other cars were either right in front of me or behind me making a U-Turn…and I am almost certain they were thinking the same thing… why do you close so early?
I will continue by saying that the business itself is very good for an express wash. I think the price is a bit on the high end for the level of washes that are offered. I understand that this is an express wash but a couple of thing I would change is a little more time on the rinse and dry part of the wash. I have noticed that I spend more time trying to clean up left over Pink soap (which really stands out on black) that runs down the back of my car than anything else.
Employees are all respectful and helpful, business keeps everything clean and neat. I do also line that they offer dying towels for free walk towards the back entrance after you’re in the vacuum area and you’ll see them.

It misses the mark. I don’t usually write reviews, but in this case I wanted to write something because I believe the owner can make a drastic improvement without too much work.
The wash itself is fine. The issue is the drying and finish. The experience would be MUCH better with hand dry and wheel detailing. They need people waiting at the end with towels to remove water left from the wash and to spend 30 – 60 seconds on each tire to clean it. That’s really it and you’ve got a good business. Currently I can get a wash of the same quality around the corner at Rudy’s for less money. As a dedicated car wash, just do better than them and business will be great.
Additionally, with all of those stalls in the back why don’t you provide detailing services? This just seems like a no brainer to me. The closest place is down in Lakeway. You’ve got a huge opportunity here.

First review from March: I was thrilled with my squeaky-​clean car until I noticed that the rear windshield wiper was hanging straight down as it had been yanked and broken while going through the wash. Take caution, folks — this is NOT a touch-​free car wash. Expect lots of rough contact with your car. I strongly recommend avoiding it should your car have any exterior features that might be damaged by a wash like this.
Update ¹¹⁄₂₀₁₅: Excellent customer service. They took care of my broken windshield wiper and gave me 2 free car wash passes. They really made a proactive effort to make things right and in a world of horrible customer service this goes a long way with me. Great job to the management at this establishment!

For an express wash this place is top notch! I have a 2015 Chevy Tahoe and the $ 20 wash is my favorite. It armorals the tires! I actually bought a membership and have unlimited washes.

Great wash! King Ranch is squeeky clean and free vacuum!
Really great customer service too.

I went there today thinking it was a nice place. The lady who came out was very friendly and nice. The car wash was mediocre it was still pretty dirty after it was done. My mirror was broken during the wash and I asked to speak with the manager. The owner came out and wasn’t friendly at all. He said he wasn’t paying for it because I couldn’t prove it. How am I supposed to prove it? He offered a free car wash but I thought that was unacceptable. DONT GO UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR CAR BROKE. IM NOT THE ONLY REVIEW THAT HAS HAD THINGS BROKE.
Stay away let this business fail with poor service

I am so glad this car wash is around this area! The prices are pretty fair and they have great customer service! Free vacuum!!!

Pretty awesome. We were checking this place out while getting our oil changed and the guy behind the counter– I’m guessing the manager– stepped out and asked if I needed help. He saw me conflicting about which option to get and surprised me with a coupon for a free car wash. We had a great experience here with just the basic wash (we’re saving the deluxe coupon for later!), and the bonus free vacuuming was a plus! No lines, just a nice and friendly car wash station!