Keeping It Clean

“A Clean Car is a Happy Car”

Tony Baczewski has been in the business of helping people keep their cars and trucks clean–inside and outside–since 1987. Many changes and advancements have taken place over the years so that people who care about their “pride and joy” have many more options available than ever before.

LA FERIA NEWS met with Tony at his Central Park car wash operation in Harlingen to learn more about how his business has changed.
He related that after his graduation from Harlingen High School in 1975, he went to work in his family’s Overhead Door Company business. His work covered everything from installing doors in houses to designing and installing huge doors in industrial and commercial buildings. “Everyday was a different challenge,” he said. “It was a great job.

“When the opportunity came to buy property on Expressway 77 near the Mall and build my own self-service car wash, I jumped at it,” he recalls. “It was centrally located, so I figured Central Park Car Wash would be a good name.”

Baczewski recalled that the Mall had only been in existence for a few years, and he was “all by my lonesome out there” until the area started growing. “Now, I’m surrounded by big time businesses like H.E.B, the Cinema, hotels and restaurants–Yes, it was a good investment.”

In 1987 Tony hired a company out of Houston to build him a self-service 3-bay car wash with 1 automatic drive-through. “I’ve since added another bay and an 8-bay vacuum area and with a car beauty parlor.“ he said. “People can drive away with a squeaky-clean, waxed car, inside and out, with a fragrance of their choice. I tell everyone that a ‘clean car is a happy car.’”

In the beginning, Central Park Car Wash offered an automatic washing machine with the standard, huge rotating brush system. “However,” he says, “we up-graded to the latest system called the Water Wizard ‘touchless’ automatic car wash method. It does a fabulous job and eliminates the chance of damage to mirrors, paint and antennas.”

“We here at Central Park Car Wash plan to provide economical, full-service deluxe wash jobs with all the bells and whistles,“ he said. “We’re open 7 days a week with an attendant on duty from 8 a.m. till 5:00 p.m each day–My lady customers feel safer with a male attendant on duty.”

Tony has two sons: Tyler is a 2008 South Harlingen High School graduate and works with his father in the car wash business. Cody is a North Texas State University graduate and works with the city of Weslaco.

About plans for the future, he said, “We’re happy where we are. We don’t have room for much expansion. And, that is fine: I plan to keep up my equipment and not disappoint my customers.”

You can find Tony at his 2008 West Tyler address in Harlingen ‘most anytime.