HDB car washing bays get sweet tech upgrade with coin-operated water jets and vacuums

Washing your car with a bucket of water and a lot of elbow grease? Them’s the old days. 

It’s 2019, and the humble HDB multi-storey carpark washing bay deserves a glow-up worthy of a new age. Ditch thy visits to professional vehicle cleaners, auto-owning friends — the proper tools of the trade are readily available in the heartlands. 

Just be prepared to have a decent amount of coins on you. 

Since sometime in late September, “Car Care Systems” have popped up in select HDB estates, replacing the humble coin-operated water dispenser. 

Produced and installed by local engineering consultancy QE Elemech Engineering, the machines offer an all-encompassing way to properly clean both the exteriors and interiors of vehicles. If you want your own, the industrial-grade orange boxes can actually be purchased or leased from the company. 

A standard water dispenser? Check. 

A high-pressure water jet? Hell yes — washing off stubborn soot and grime from tires, rims and undercarriages will be a cinch. Twist the nozzle and it’ll reduce the pressure for use to wash everything else.

A vacuum? Awesome. Should come in handy to suck up dirt from the carpets and seats. 

If you’re wondering about how much it’ll cost in coins, it ain’t that expensive. Now there’s really no excuse for you to not thoroughly clean your rides. 

Right now, the machines are mostly available in north-eastern neighbourhoods, but we’re not sure if HDB plans to install ‘em elsewhere. In case your cars are due for a proper wash, Roads.sg made a list of places where you can find the cleaning machines. 

• Blk 699D Hougang St 52
• Blk 404 Fernvale Lane
• Blk 406 Fernvale Road
• Blk 504A Serangoon North Ave 4
• Blk 512A Serangoon North Ave 4
• Blk 542A Serangoon North Ave 4
• Blk 546A Serangoon North Ave 3
• Blk 980 Buangkok Crescent
• Blk 984 Buangkok Crescent
• Blk 988 Buangkok Green
• Blk 996 Buangkok Crescent
• Blk 997 Buangkok Crescent
• Blk 998 Buangkok Crescent
• Blk 596 Ang Mo Kio St 52
• Blk 588 Ang Mo Kio 5t 52
• BIk 305 Anchorvale Link
• BIk 306 Anchorvale Link
• Blk 310 Anchorvale Road
• Blk 312 Anchorvale Lane
• Blk 318 Anchorvale Link
• Blk 319 Anchorvale Drive
• Blk 326 Anchorvale Road
• Blk 334 Anchorvale Crescent
• Blk 338 Anchorvale Crescent
• Blk 351 Anchorvale Crescent
• Blk 408 Fernvale Road
• Blk 439 Fernvale Road
• Blk 410 Fernvale Road
• Blk 434 Fernvale Road
• Blk 414 Fernvale Link
• Blk 468 Fernvale Link
• Blk 470 Fernvale Link
• Blk 472 Fernvale street
• Blk 417 Fernvale Link
• Blk 941A Hougang St 92
• Blk 946A Hougang St 92
• Blk 613A Ang Mo Kio Ave 4
• Blk 700 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6
• Blk 712A Ang Mo Kio Ave 6

ilyas@asiaone.com