Search for a car wash near North Lakes and you will find plenty of options within a couple of kilometres. Most of them will wash a sedan perfectly well.
The reason people drive a bit further to Brendale is usually that they have something a standard wash cannot handle: a 4WD with a roof rack, a caravan before a trip, a boat after a weekend at Bribie, or a dog that needs a bath at 9pm on a Sunday.
This post covers how far the drive actually is, what you can do here that you cannot do at a standard local wash, what each option costs, and when the membership starts making sense.
How far it actually is
We are at 23 Doherty Street, Brendale, just off South Pine Road.
Strathpine is only a few minutes away. Albany Creek, Warner, Cashmere and Eatons Hill are all a short run across, and North Lakes and Chermside are both straightforward trips down the highway.
Because the site runs 24 hours, the drive is easier than it sounds. There is no closing time to beat and no weekend queue if you come early or late. Full directions and a map are on our location page.
What you cannot get at a standard local wash
Height and length clearance. Our Combi bay takes 4WDs with snorkels and roof racks, which a lot of automatic washes will turn away. The large self-service bay has a gantry, so you can wash the roof of a caravan or a boat without climbing anything.
A real underbody wash. Self-service Bay 2 runs a super underbody wash at $6 per minute with four high pressure jet locations, built for caravans, trailers and trucks. Bay 4 does the same job for normal vehicles at $4 per minute. If you have been to the beach or on gravel, this is the part that matters most.
Choice of wash technology. Touch-free and soft cloth sit side by side at the same price, so you pick based on how dirty the car is rather than what the site happens to own. We compared the two in detail in our post on touchless versus soft-touch washing.
A dog wash. Two of them, open 24/7, covered in our self-serve dog wash guide.
Interior detailing. Bookable online through the detailing page.
We put a full side-by-side of every wash option on site in our guide to the best car wash in Brendale.
Wash options and prices
Express Tunnel, the fast drive-through option:
- Express Wash $27.95
- Premium Wash $32.95
- Ultimate Wash $37.95, with extreme shine wax and ceramic seal
Upgrades include bug clean, mag clean and tyre shine at $5 each, extra shine wax and ceramic seal at $10, and a double underbody wash at $20. A simple towel dry is free.
Combi Autowash, where you choose the technology:
- Touch Free $27.95
- Soft Cloth Premium $27.95
- Platinum Combi $32.95
- 24 Hour Tradie Wash $27.95, available 5pm to 7:30am
Self-service bays with wheel and tyre cleaner, bug cleaner, powerfoam, high pressure soap, foam brush, wax care and spot free rinse, plus vacuums.
Caravan, boat and 4WD bays with the gantry for roof access. Our walkthrough on how to wash a caravan in a wash bay is worth reading before your first trip down with the van.
Open 24 hours
The Combi, the self-service bays and both dog washes run around the clock.
For tradies, the Tradie Wash at $27.95 is designed for exactly that, available from 5pm through to 7:30am so the ute gets cleaned outside work hours. For everyone else it mostly means no planning. If Sunday evening is when you have twenty spare minutes, Sunday evening works.
The membership maths for regular drivers
If you are driving fifteen minutes to wash the car, you are probably doing it more than once a month, and that is where the Unlimited Wash Club changes the sums.
There is no locked-in contract, caravans are included, and at the single wash prices above it takes only a couple of visits a month before the membership costs less than paying each time. Anything past that is free washing.
We went through the numbers properly in our post on what an unlimited car wash membership saves you. You can join online in a couple of minutes.
Fleet options are available if you run work vehicles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a car wash near North Lakes?
There are several within North Lakes itself. Drivers who need a 4WD-friendly bay, a caravan or boat wash, a proper underbody wash or a dog wash tend to drive to Brendale, at 23 Doherty Street, where all of those sit on one site and run 24 hours a day.
Is there a 24 hour car wash in north Brisbane?
Yes. Our Combi Autowash, self-service bays and both dog washes at Brendale operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Tradie Wash package is specifically available from 5pm to 7:30am for work vehicles that cannot be cleaned during business hours.
Can I wash a 4WD with a roof rack or snorkel?
Yes. The Combi bay accommodates 4WDs with snorkels and roof racks, which many automatic washes cannot. For anything taller or longer, the large self-service bay has a gantry so you can reach the roof safely without climbing on the vehicle.
Do you have a car wash that takes caravans and boats?
Yes. The large self-service bay is built for caravans, boats and oversized 4WDs, with a gantry for roof access and a super underbody wash at $6 per minute. Caravans are also included in the Unlimited Wash Club membership.
How much does a car wash cost at Brendale?
Express Tunnel packages run from $27.95 to $37.95. Combi Autowash options are $27.95 for Touch Free, Soft Cloth Premium and the Tradie Wash, and $32.95 for Platinum. Self-service bays are charged by the minute, with underbody wash at $4 or $6 per minute depending on the bay.
Worth the extra few minutes
For a quick wash on a sedan, your closest option is probably fine.
The reason people come from North Lakes, Strathpine, Albany Creek and Chermside is that the awkward jobs are all handled in one place: the 4WD with a snorkel, the caravan before the trip, the boat after saltwater, the ute that can only be washed at 10pm, and the dog that came home covered in sand.
We are at 23 Doherty Street, Brendale, open 24 hours. Have a look at directions and the map, or if you wash more than once a month, join the Unlimited Wash Club with no locked-in contract.
