A.J. Patel

A.J. Patel of Tarrytown pays about $30 a week to have his black 2003 BMW 330 Ci hand-washed and polished with spray wax, returning a second time if it rains.Patel, who works in client services for IntraLinks Corp. in Manhattan, said he's been coming here for years because of the quality of work and the attention to detail - like the care they take cleaning out the crevices of his $3,700 Giovanni wheels.

"You spend a lot of money on these custom wheels, and... the brake dust can ruin your rims - it's important to get it off," he said.