Whalers Car Wash

Cleaned my car good. However, their machines ripped off «access ok» sticker. And broke the Chevy symbol. When I approached the owner he was not concerned and said its not his fault and nothing he can do about it.
He was very rude and didn’t not seem to care. And wouldn’t even give me a refund. As access ok stickers are not supposed to ever come off and now I need to go through the dvm for a replacement. Fml! As well as an auto body repair
Never again will I deal with these guys… Customer service here sucks!

I’m not completely impressed. The people there are really nice but my car has come out with gunk still stuck on the exterior, interior sills still dusty, and apparently the «full» service including a vacuuming of the interior doesn’t include the trunk. I’ll probably keep going here out of convenience until I find somewhere else for around the same price or less.

I was sorry to read that some Unilocalers had problems with Whalers. Personally I have not had a problem with them in any way but I know these things do happen.
I want to review their hand wash and wax service. We brought our beautiful sporty car here for a hand wash and wax.
I spoke with the manager while I was there having my older car washed (which I have put through the car wash there many times with no problems). I asked the manager specifically not to take the sporty car through the car wash but to hand wash it. He said no problem. I was specific about what I wanted and he understood me. A few days later I called and made an appointment. When I arrived the manager was not there but his assistant met me. He had been fully briefed and after we talked I felt good about leaving the car with him. They estimated it would take about 2 hours.
In under 2 hours they called and let me know the sporty car was done. I looked it over and it was beautifully cleaned and waxed. The interior looked great and I met the guy who had done the work.
So I’m giving 5 stars for their hand wash and wax service. Specifically 5 stars because it was less expensive than the competitors and the work was just as good.

Had to bring The vehicle back through the lines they could vacuum it again. And I had to sit in line again just to get the service already paid for. Horrible job I give it zero stars they won’t let me. You would think by now the professionals would do a great job but maybe it’s the heat today. Regardless it was a horrible interior clean job. And I’ve been here for almost an hour and 45 minutes now and still not clean. You would think that you pay $ 20 for car wash they would do it they’re supposed to do. But they don’t! Never going back there again.

Wash quality is variable, It is difficult to dry a vehicle and leave stains that can be wiped after leaving the facility. The office staff are pleasant and amiable, Don’t go on Monday or Friday when the rush is on.

Grateful for the A+ service at Whalers I received when I brought my car in for an interior cleaning and carpet shampoo. The owner went ahead and included a full car wash and didn’t charge me for it. He impressed me on a personal level as well — he stopped by to review the work and speak with me about any concerns I had (which I had none, it was perfect). Clearly he cares about his clients and is hardworking. They returned my car in super clean condition — I love it! Thought the price was an excellent value as well. Thank you. I would definitely recommend to others and will come back again when I need special attention.

Do NOT go here! They may steal valuables out of your vehicles. This has not been the first time things have been lifted either. Other times it was like $ 5 in spare change so I hardly noticed & thought maybe I was wrong. On 9−11−15 first thing I called to inform the manager and he took my info. said the owner would call me to discuss that day. I never got any call back. I did file a police report and also emailed Whalers but no response yet either.

Whalers has my business over Master Car Wash. Today was my first time going to Whalers and I purchased «The Works» package. The inside of my truck was filthy. They did more than a wipe down. More like a scrub down of the inside. Vacuum job was great too. I went today (Tuesday) at 1:30pm so it wasn’t busy and my truck was done in really reasonable time. A lot quicker and better than the competitor on 41^st. Unless anything changes… this will be my go to place. :)

Took my car here today and was lucky enough to get two brand new scratches. That’s what I get for not doing it myself.

Coupon for $ 3 off the master wash. My car was filthy after two months of driving over the hill.
They did a real nice job. Not great, but enough so that I will be back.
Thank you, Whalers!

Been coming here for a few years now, about twice a month. They do great job washing my car every time! Never been disappointed…
I have a 2006 Toyota 4Runner, the only car wash in town that won’t charge me extra $$ for over size which is great!

The team at Whalers treated me well and there were not any headaches. There are limited car wash options in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, so I looked on Unilocal and asked a few of my colleagues for recommendations. I printed a few coupons from their site and planned to go that day.
My Tacoma was filthy (last car wash was a year ago) after multiple trips to Big Sur, The Sierras, Marin County, Sonoma County, and the 805. I might hose the mud off, but that’s about it.
I rushed over after work and got in the car wash line on a weekday (arriving at 5:30pm — they close at 6pm) with 1 car in front of me. I was stressing because I have a Thule cargo box on top of racks which I thought might be higher than the 7ft clearance marker. One employee let me pull up to check and I was barely touching the bar. The guy was really friendly and did not push me to buy a ton of extra services. I like that.
I asked if that’s okay and he shrugged just saying I might have to pay for damage to the machine. I was a little shocked he didn’t immediately tell me it won’t work. So he recommended that I do the hand wash v. one of their set packages that uses the structured machine thing. I should have taken the cargo box off.
So he gave me a ticket and I went inside. I was pleasantly surprised at the modern, temp controlled, and well stocked lobby/​waiting area at the car wash. They have all sorts of snacks and fridges that have juices and coconut waters :) They even sell Bucci sunglasses and other goods.
I thought they’d have an $.25 M&M machine and a day old pot of coffee like every other car wash or auto mechanic. They also had decent furniture and décor.
They guys who took my payment were super friendly and even asked if I wanted cash back when paying with debit.
I waited 20 – 30 minutes and my truck was done. The wash they gave was about a A– grade. There were a couple spots near the rear wheels that were missed, but overall nice work. My truck is from 2000 and the paint is starting to go, so there’s only so much a wow factor to be expected. They even washed my cargo box that was dirty and had bird poop on it. Thanks!
I rolled away and immediately rolled my windows down like an idiot! Haha, I was cracking up at how silly that was.
Whalers did an awesome job without any fuss. I’m coming back today with my girlfriend’s Honda Element.
Thanks Whalers!

I came to Whalers after pulling into Santa Cruz from a journey that started in Reno, and passed through Las Vegas, Tucson, Palm Desert, and Bakersfield only to collect half of each of these places’ bugs on my car. For $ 9.99 I expected a lot less than what I was given, and was pleasantly surprised! All the bugs were taken off, the car was bone dry by the time I got in it, and the car sparkled like none other!
Thanks for taking care of my car, Whalers!

Process is broken here. I am staring at my car right now as I type and nobody is getting it off the assembly line to start the dry process. I am going to go help the workers dry my own car to prevent water spots.
Is there a manager on duty on a busy Sunday? Could have fooled me.
Another service industry failure.

I’ve been taking my cars to Whalers for about 15 years now, and I’ve always been thrilled with the service. My car always comes out looking (and smelling!) like new, and I’ve never had it scratched or otherwise damaged (which HAS happened to me at Scotts Valley Car Wash… and they weren’t very pleasant about it, either!). The staff at Whalers is friendly and helpful, and I really enjoy kicking back with a cup of coffee and a book while my car gets a little TLC.
This last visit, I have to say, was above and beyond. I usually get «The Works» package, but because my car was overdue for a wax job, I decided to pay extra for a good hand wax. I was worried because I had quite a lot of fir sap on the car (I live in the middle of a forest) that had been on there for quite a while, so I decided to pay $ 20 extra and have them try to get rid of it. They warned me there might be some scarring because sap that’s left on too long can eat into the clear coat, but if there was any scarring, I can’t see it! The car’s finish looks stunning! As in «just off the lot»! They even managed to buff out the worst of the scratching caused by the other car wash. I actually had a total stranger approach me in the supermarket parking lot today and compliment me on my car’s «beautiful paint job» (not bad for a four-​year-​old Nissan!).
I recommend Whalers wholeheartedly.

For the love of god, don’t come here. If I could give this rat hole zero stars, I would. I took my vehicle here yesterday to just have a basic cleaning done, as I’ve been coming to this establishment for years. Well so here I am watching one of the guys scrubbing my windshield from the inside very vigorously until suddenly he breaks my rear view mirror off– I watch as he struggles to put it back on and fails, letting it just limply hang. I was mad but figured I could easily glue it back on so I leave without speaking to a manager, thinking it was a simple fix. But when I get back home and take a closer look, an entire chunk of my windshield is still attached to the mirror unit and there is an enormous gash in the windshield! I called Whalers and informed the supervisor that I would be there before noon to show the damage– and if course, I go there and he is conveniently out until the afternoon, when I just spoke with him not twenty minutes prior! Complete and utter bullsh*t. But oh, it gets even better. So I show one of the workers the damage done to my wind shield and he states «that crack was there before, your rear view mirror has been replaced before because they used black adhesive– if it was the original, it would’ve been clear.» I look him straight in the eye and say «you would know the exact type of glue used on a 94 Lexus sc300? You know the exact type of glue used on this car that’s over twenty years old?» Of course not. So I call a Lexus technician who has been working on them for over twenty one years and guess what– not even he could recall the exact adhesive used to mount a rear view mirror on this specific year and model of car. Utter bullsh* how would a dude barely older than my car know better than someone twice his age and works on Lexus’s for his whole life???
The other thing I might add is that if that enormous crack had been there before, I would have SEEN IT!
So here I am, needing not only a new rear view mirror but an entire windshield replaced. The moral of this long rant is never, ever, EVER go here-​unless you want a bunch of idiots telling you that they know more about a car than you do and if you want to be in the hole about $ 400. My insurance will be contacting them shortly since they clearly won’t admit responsibility. Take a look at the pics if you so desire.

You get what you pay for. It’s the best price in town for a car wash, but it’s not perfect. They work hard on detailing at the end of the wash but miss a lot of spots.
Great customer service and it’s the best car wash deal in town when on a budget.

I’ve been coming to Whalers for years. The job they do was never perfect but it’s relatively cheap and they have a friendly staff.
They lost my business today. A few months back I brought my Tacoma in for «The Works». They put a big black stripe on the passenger door that I had them remove. My car was not very dirty when it went in and it was obvious this fresh stripe was from them. I always take a look at the condition of my vehicles before I go to the car wash. I figured, eh, it happens once in a while and no major damage was done.
Today, I got a blue mark on the same door. Like it was a common routine thing for them, they cleaned it off after I showed them. The rest of the truck looked like shit. I’m done with Whalers for good. Even with their coupons it is not worth their hit or miss washes with the bonus opportunity of them damaging your vehicle.
I would absolutely not bring any vehicle there if you value your paint job.
Kinda sad… I liked the convenience of Whalers but never again for our cars and trucks. Goodbye.
PS… and my wife just reminded me that they cracked my windshield a few years ago and refused to take responsibility for it :-(3 strikes and you are out!

I’ve been coming here for probably 10+ years.
I’ve had money stolen out of my car here before. My fault for leaving it, but I was a teen and naïve and thought they didn’t need to open up the compartment they were in. I called and was told that it was possible «The coins were sucked up in the vacuum…» Ummm, so they opened up a compartment and stuck the vacuum in there? No. Nothing I could do but learn from my mistake.
They do a really terrible vacuuming job. I mostly go here because I have a good amount of dog hair in my car. They’ve never done a good job at getting it out, even the easy part. There was a time (again, I was young and stupid) where I tipped the main guy vacuuming so he would give it some extra attention. I checked after I paid and he didn’t even touch my car AT ALL. Just took the money. My fault, but come on.
This place is really hit or miss. I mostly go here because they allow dogs, which is the best part. You pay more, you get less. You pay less, you get more. That’s been my experience at Whaler’s.
Just this last weekend I went, paid for the $ 24.99 cleaning to get a little extra, and I literally got a halfassed job. When I got home I cleaned my wheels myself, as well as spot cleaning the outside AND inside of my car. The guy put some crap all over my dash and missed lots of spots so it looks AWFUL.
Why not go somewhere else? Well, they’re all the same in Santa Cruz. (At least in my experience)

GREAT, COURTEOUS SERVICE
The saying, «You get what you pay for» I feel is true and more here. No matter if it is busy or slow, I know my car is in good hands. Even though I have been going here for 10+ yrs I read the signs and see what rules and policy have charge or if they had a better offer.
I enjoy the atmosphere and the various options to purchase. There isn’t too much to make it confusing or too little to wish they had more, just enough not to feel over whelmed.
Over the past 10+ yrs the employees may come and go but the owners have always been true to their service. If I wasn’t completely happy and it was a reasonable request they have made good on it.
I have tried other shop and haven’t felt that.