If you want to see the difference in the way Alamo Car Wash and Detail Center can make your car look and run, visit them at 784 N. Nogales Street in Walnut. For more information, including business hours, call them at (626) 965-7922.
BY SEAN C. MOORE
Walnut – You’re a busy person with a lot to do. You need a car wash, an oil change, a haircut and you have to pick up a birthday card for a friend—and you haven’t even had lunch yet. You could run all over town trying to get all of this done, or you could get it all done at one stop: Alamo Car Wash and Detail Center.
Dan Gerstner and his wife, Sylvia, opened Alamo 18 years ago, and they have run the business with a simple philosophy ever since.“Our philosophy is to always have satisfied customers. We want them to be satisfied with what we do here, and 99.9 percent of the time, they are,” Gerstner said.
Situated in a four-acre complex at the corner of Nogales and Francesca Drive in Walnut, Alamo features a hand car wash, a Mobil gas station and an Xpress Lube oil change center, as well as a number of shops, which the Gerstners rent mostly to automotive-related businesses, but also include restaurants, beauty salons, a dentist’s office, a locksmith and a bookkeeping service. “We even have a shoeshine guy. It’s really a one-stop shop,” Gerstner said.
The car wash offers full-service hand car washes and detailing, which include waxing, buffing and interior cleaning, as well as an express wash for people on the go. “We have a new service we started a year ago—the Express Exterior Wash. It only takes five minutes and the customer stays in the car as it goes through the tunnel where it gets hand washed. It’s for people who are in a hurry,” he explained.
Asked why people should visit Alamo instead of other area car washes, Gerstner said, “I don’t know what other car washes do, but I know what we do. We’re very picky about service and the little details. And usually, when the car comes out, it’s cleaner than it’s ever been.”
Package washes are popular, Gerstner said, especially the Silver Package Wash. It includes an air freshener, sealer wax, polish wax, rainbow wax, clear coat sealant and Armor-All on the car’s tires.
Inside the brightly-decorated car wash, you can watch your car as it goes through the tunnel; get a massage in a leather massage chair, listen to the sound of tropical birds chirping, pick up a gift or card in the gift shop.
“If people need something at the last minute, like greeting cards, we have a wide selection they can choose from while they’re waiting for their car. We also carry just about any kind of auto accessories you might need,” Gerstner said.
Alamo’s oil change service is also extremely popular.
“Our quick lube service is very complete. We do the complete maintenance service for the car—transmission, power steering, brake fluid, the cooling system and fuel emissions service—we do the whole maintenance package for your car, and that’s why our quick lube service is so popular,” Gerstner said. Plus, oil change customers receive a free car wash.
Gerstner admits that Alamo is not the cheapest place to have your car washed or serviced, but maintains that the services they offer make them competitive with just about anybody else.
“We offer a higher level of service than many other places, and that’s why we’ve been so successful. People love their car—their car is like their baby, and it’s unbelievable how some of them treat their cars. We see customers who come in twice a week, and their cars look clean, but they still want them washed here,” he explained.
If you want to see the difference in the way Alamo Car Wash and Detail Center can make your car look and run, visit them at 784 N. Nogales Street in Walnut. For more information, including business hours, call them at (626) 965-7922.
