Prep before you put money in
The clock is the enemy, so do everything free first. Pull the floor mats and hang them on the clips. Fold the mirrors if they are power-fold. Decide your route around the vehicle now, not while holding a live wand.
At Buzz Wash a $3 start buys three minutes, then it is a quarter per fifteen seconds. Card minimum is $6 and it auto-stops at $20, so you cannot accidentally donate your paycheck.
The order that actually works
Presoak first, top to bottom, and then leave it alone for thirty seconds. Chemistry needs dwell time; spraying soap and instantly rinsing it is how people burn four dollars and stay dirty.
Then high-pressure soap, again top down, in overlapping passes. Wheels and rocker panels last — they are the filthiest part of the vehicle and you do not want that runoff crossing clean paint.
Finish with the spot-free rinse, top down, and let the last pass sheet the water off rather than blasting it around.
Distance and angle
Hold the wand eight to twelve inches off the surface and keep it moving at roughly a walking pace. Closer is not better — you risk lifting a chipped edge or a loose trim clip.
Spray at a low angle so water pushes dirt off the panel instead of driving it into seams and door gaps.
The stop button
Every one of our bays has a working red stop button, clearly labeled, mounted where you can reach it with a wand in your hand. It pauses your time instead of eating it.
This sounds like the most boring feature we could possibly brag about. Read the reviews of any wand bay in North Texas and you will see why we mention it.