A Visit to a Car Wash in Panama

I usually take my car to a car wash on Sundays when the traffic is light.  In Panama most people use these services to keep their cars clean.  They are efficient, clean, cheap and scattered throughout Panama City.

Many years ago, car wash operators tried to use mechanical washers to do the job, but after a while, they scrapped the equipment and went back to manual car washing.  My experience with automated car washing was not good.  The car was not completely dried up and was dirty in many parts of the car.  I think I only used them twice and never returned.  As far as I know, all of these sites have faded into the sunset.

Last Sunday I took my Toyota Corolla for a bath and shot several pictures to  show you how  our cars are cleaned in this part of the world.  Here we go.

Photograph of Guerra's Car Wash located on Avenida 12 de Octubre in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of two employees exchanging comments at Guerra's Car Wash last Sunday afternoon. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

This is Ricardo getting ready to wash my white Toyota Corolla. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Ricardo is busy extracting the dust with a vacuum cleaner. He did an excellent job in doing so. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

As you can see, Ricardo likes to have his picture taken. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of Alberto sprinkling the car with water. BTW, this is drinking water. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Car washing in Panama, the old fashion way. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Now it's time to work on the tires with Armour All. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Notice the dedication of these young men towards their work. The cars are sparkling clean when they finish. It takes about thirty minutes to wash a car in this place. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

Take notice that these guys don't wear shoes or boots while they work. Also, most of the cars are Japanese branded. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

The cost for a small compact car is $3.00; which is an absolute  bargain.  I give them a tip of $1.00 for a job well done.  Without humble workers like these, we wouldn’t have the newspaper everyday on our porch, or tomatoes, lettuce, or cabbage for our salads.

Products that we take for granted in our homes are there because of  the dedicated labor of these  hard-working people.  They are responsible for moving the economy of our countries behind the scenes.  They are the nuts and bolts of our production process.  I tip my hat for the modest and unskilled workers of our cities.  They know how to earn their money—the hard way.  Good Day.

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