Spick and span

I cannot say that I am a great fan of automatic car washes, but when needs must, I am prepared to forget any prejudices.
For well over a week I have been trying to clean the car after the notorious January weather left it decidedly looking under the weather.
My wife even said one day that she has never seen the car looking so dirty. Then a series of days when I just ran out of time simply meant that the amount of grime the car was collecting just increased.
So today I was determined to spruce up my Avensis a bit. My main concern was to clean up the wheels - get grime encrusted on alloys and it is a devil of a job to get them bright and clean.
So an automatic car wash it was, partly because that would at least get the wheels back to respectability. But a trifle eerie as I sat inside the car when as the machine sprang into life, roller doors in front of me and behind closed down, leaving me feeling trapped with this machine which by then was programmed to get the job in hand completed.
The filling station where the car wash was located explained the doors closed to minimise noise for residential neighbours nearby.
Very laudable, I agree . . . But still a trifle eerie for me using this car wash for the first time.
The wash did a good job though and my apprehensions were groundless. The car is now more spick and span than for weeks.