DAYTONA BEACH — Buc-ee’s car wash quietly opened here on Wednesday, with a tunnel measuring 235 feet in length, making it the longest in Florida.
The Texas-based gas station/convenience store chain does not currently have any plans for a formal grand opening celebration for its Daytona Beach car wash tunnel, confirmed company spokeswoman Crissy Gonzales.
It’s also the only Buc-ee’s car wash in the Sunshine State.
Where is it?
The new Buc-ee’s car wash is next to the massive 104-pump Buc-ee’s gas station/travel convenience center just east of the Interstate 95/LPGA Boulevard interchange.
Why does length matter?
According to car wash industry news website DRB, the average length of car wash tunnels in the United States is 120 feet.
To get an idea of how the Buc-ee’s car wash tunnel in Daytona Beach compares to other car washes in the area, the Mister Car Wash one block to the east at 1881 LPGA Blvd. is 145 feet long.
The longest car wash tunnel in the world is the 255-foot-long Buc-ee’s car wash in Katy, Texas, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Length matters when it comes to car washes, according to industry expert Steve Gaudreau, who explained why in a 2017 interview with Carwash.com: “The longer the tunnel, the higher the quality of the wash and the higher the volume you will be able to serve effectively. Successful operations, if they have the real estate and project high volume, choose to build their tunnels as long as possible.”
Buc-ee’s is already one of Daytona’s biggest draws
The Daytona Beach Buc-ee’s gas station/travel convenience center that opened in March 2021 has become one of the region’s biggest attractions. A study commissioned by the city found that it drew an astounding 5.4 million visitors over the 12-month period that ended in October 2023.
That works out to an average of 14,794 visitors a day and 616 per hour.
Buc-ee’s car wash: A psychedelic experience?
A Houston, Texas publication called Houstonia Magazine published an article on the Buc-ee’s car wash in Katy, Texas, shortly after it opened in 2017 in which the writer described it as the world’s “trippiest car wash.”
“As we soaped up, splashes of red, yellow and blue turned the world outside into a colorful kaleidoscope,” wrote Houstonia Magazine writer Sarh Rufca Nielsen. “It was, for a moment, as close as life gets to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.”
So what is the Daytona Buc-ee’s car wash like? We take a spin
As business editor of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, I decided to give the Daytona Beach Buc-ee’s car wash a try on Thursday.
To me, it was the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing what it is like to be inside a giant lava lamp. My car was bombarded with lathered-up soap that under a series of different lights kept changing color while forming weird bubbles on my front windshield.
Once my car was rinsed off, it went through an array of high-powered blow driers on both sides as well as overhead.
All told, the experience took just under five minutes.
The only thing missing to make it truly a psychedelic experience was music.
Sorry, Florida: We will not be getting the biggest Buc-ee’s in the country (but it will be pretty big)
How much did it cost to build the car wash tunnel?
The estimated construction cost of the Daytona Beach Buc-ee’s car wash was $7.5 million, according to the building permit issued by the city on Oct. 27, 2023. The general contractor was J. Raymond Construction.
How much does it cost to get your car washed there?
The Daytona Beach Buc-ee’s car wash offers just two options: a “basic wash” for $13 and “The Works” deluxe treatment for $16.
“While no fuel purchase is required to buy a car wash, if a customer purchases the Works car wash, he will be able to receive a fuel discount of 20 cents per gallon,” said Jeff Nadalo, general counsel for Buc-ee’s Ltd. in an email in December.
Signs at the Daytona Beach Buc-ee’s on Thursday were advertising a “grand opening special” of 50 cents off per gallon of gasoline to motorists who also purchase “The Works” car wash.
What are the car wash’s hours of operation?
The Buc-ee’s Car Wash in Daytona Beach is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Take a spin as Buc-ee’s 235-feet car wash opens in Daytona Beach
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