Two seasons drive this category. Winter brings road grit and salt off Highway 99 and the bridge decks; summer brings a fine agricultural dust off the east Richmond fields and the pollen that follows the blueberry bloom. Neither is kind to paint on a car parked outdoors.
Automatic tunnels and touchless bays sit on the arterials, Bridgeport Road, No. 3 Road, Steveston Highway and around Ironwood, usually attached to a gas station. Self-serve wands are scattered through the industrial pockets of East Cambie and along River Road, where they double as wash-downs for boats and trailers belonging to Steveston owners. Full detailing and ceramic coating shops cluster near the Auto Mall. Hours are on every listing.
Garden City Road car care shop combining touchless and hand washing with full detailing, headlight restoration, odour removal, engine cleaning and window tinting. Prepaid wash packages are available for regulars.
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Family-operated hand wash on No. 3 Road doing full body washes, waxing, paint coating and interior detailing. A long-standing Golden Village option for drivers who prefer hand washing over an automatic tunnel.
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Tunnel wash and detailing centre on Sexsmith Road near the Bridgeport and Aberdeen area, with an indoor waiting room. Pairs a quick automated exterior wash with separate interior cleaning and detailing services.
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Hand wash and detailing operation tucked off Minoru Boulevard, run first-come first-served with no appointment needed. Interior and exterior packages are offered, plus a standing discount on rainy days.
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From the blog
Guides and roundups written for Richmond, with the businesses linked inline.
Nothing on Alexandra Road is a hidden gem. It is just in a strip mall with bad signage and no patio, which is why visitors never find it. Here is how I actually use Richmond's plazas and food courts, which specialists are worth the drive, and when not to bother.
The West Dyke Trail is about five and a half kilometres of flat gravel between Terra Nova Rural Park and Garry Point, and I ride it most mornings. Here is what is actually at the north end, which way to walk so the wind is on your side, and why winter is the better season for it.
I live four blocks off Moncton Street, so this is the Steveston I actually use: where to park before the Bayview lots fill, how to buy fish straight off the boats at the wharf, the honest answer to the Pajo's versus Dave's question, and why the history here is not decoration.
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