The new and improved car wash bay machines at some public multi-storey car parks in Singapore are now charging S$3 for 3 minutes of use — to the chagrin of some vehicle owners, who feel that the price has gone up significantly, given that it used to cost S$1 for 3 minutes.

A complaint about the cost was first shared to Facebook on Nov. 6, 2023.

The complainant went as far as to claim that the new machine disallowed the dispensing of buckets of water for S$0.20, which turned out to be inaccurate.

Company in charge of machines explains

According to Shin Min Daily News, a spokesperson for AJ System Engineering, the company which operates the machine, said they checked the machine in question and confirmed that the S$0.20 water dispensing function is working as normal.

The spokesperson explained that the S$3 charge is for additional functions and claimed the older machines could only dispense water but charged S$1 for three minutes.

On top of dispensing water, the new machines are able to provide soapy foam, a water jet spray, a vacuum cleaner and a blow-dry nozzle for a complete car wash.

According to the machine's instruction in the photo, the four functions can be activated one at a time within the 3-minute time span.

The company spokesperson also explained that the cost increase can be attributed to inflation. The spokesperson also added that they use "premium soap" for the machine and spend time maintaining the machine regularly.

Some satisfied customers

Not all vehicle owners are up in arms.

Some of them have voiced their satisfaction with the new machine.

In the comments section of the Facebook post, those who have used the machine before said the countdown timer can be paused with the touch of a button.

This would allow sufficient time to soap, scrub, and jet spray the vehicle.

Others who have tried it confirmed they were still able to dispense water into their own buckets for S$0.20.

Pay slightly more for longer use

The spokesperson for AJ System Engineering added that vehicle owners can opt to use the machine for a longer time by paying more accordingly.

Currently, the charges for extended use are S$4 for 5 minutes or S$6 for 10 minutes.

However, he also confirmed that not all machines dispense the same amount of water.

This was due to the nature of the amenities at the car parks and the water pressure of the taps there, but assured users that at least 20 litres of water is dispensed for every S$0.20 paid.

Top photo via Facebook & Wikipedia