The love of cars is a consistent aspect of Black Culture in America.
The ’60s were all about muscle cars, the ’70s brought the love of big body models like the Lincoln Continental, Rolls-Royce, and Cadillac, while the 80s were all about I-Roc Zs, Corvettes, and Mustangs which carried over into the 90s.
The 90s was all about SUVs like Tahoes, Suburbans, and Jeeps along with a greater interest in foreign cars like Mercedes-Benz.
However, the era that had held on the strongest was the early 2000s which introduced us to the world of candy paint and big rims on pretty much every vehicle imaginable.
One aspect that is rarely given shine is the car detailing industry that keeps these rides rolling with a pristine presentation.
Bentley Brandon of Wash Wars TV is looking to change that. Brandon is thirty-six years old and hails from Smyrna, Georgia.
He is one of the most award-winning car detailing specialists in the country and he’s always finding new ways to innovate in his field, through his flagship Luxury Wash car wash & detail shop.
Luxury Wash stays true to its name. It is a members-only car wash that has bowties as part of the uniform. “The bowties are the first sign that you’re about to receive a different level of car wash services”, says Bentley.
The business has well over 1,500 members including major companies that rely on the team to keep their vehicles clean to make a standout first impression.
Brandon has transformed the mundane activity of washing a car into a spectator sport. He has hosted several events in which he and his crew perform and show why they are the “the unofficial record holder for being the fastest car wash in the city” according to CarWash.com
Since starting Luxury Wash, Brandon has also created several events that the community could enjoy while also promoting his brand and business.
Events such as Man vs. Machine, which saw Brandon and a 4 man team competing against an automatic car wash to see who was quicker. The mechanized wash was no match for the human touch, Bentley and his team managed to clean the interior and exterior of a vehicle in a little over two minutes.
He is also the founder of National Car Wash Day, which is celebrated on his birthday July 14th. Additionally, he broke a World Record for Most Cars Washed in an Eight-Hour Period.
In addition to building a strong brand, Bentley also offers courses in Car Wash Certification and other areas of the industry in an effort to help educate people on doing it for themselves.
“I want people to invest in me and I can invest in them. I would like to see my employees embark on a career with Luxury Wash — not just a job”.
Wash Wars started as an idea for Brandon contemplated over five years ago. “Wash Wars was conceptualized in 2015 but I had a lot of distractions and personal battles in life and want able to focus on executing it. In 2021, I decide to manifest the entire concept into a television series”, recalls Brandon.
When Bradley began preparations to open Luxury Wash there was initial resistance from local officials. According to Bentley, submitted the color plans for the shop in advance and made sure to choose a color scheme that was in accordance with the approved list of city color choices.
The city took Bentley to court over the matter. Which led to him reaching out to Congressman David Scott of the NAACP.
He also wrote a letter to President Barack Obama — who wrote him a letter for inspiration in response.
Ultimately city officials agreed to Luxury Wash being allowed to keep their colors.
“A lot of people came to my aid,” Bradley said. “I am grateful President Obama responded.”
Bentley was also featured on an episode Judge Mathis. He impressed Judge Greg Mathis with his community involvement and business ethic.
I recently got the opportunity to talk with Brandon about his accomplishments thus far and the future of the Wash Wars brand as it begins to prepare for its third season.
MM: Where are you from? How old are you? How long have you been doing Wash Wars?
BB: I like to say I’m from Heaven but my earthly body was formed in Smyrna Georgia, I was born on Car Wash Day, July 14th. Wash Wars was created in 2015 but I had a lot of distractions and battles in life at the time. In 2021 I decide to manifest the entire concept into a television series.
MM: How did you come to be known as the car wash guru?
BB: Honestly, I credit God for this title but a lot of highly influential people in the professional car wash and detailing magazine kept writing articles or doing videos of me changing the industry. Since we created a lot of amazing things from National Car Wash Day on my birthday July 14th, to Car Wash Sports, Car Wash Careers, Car Wash Certification Course, and the Backseat Pledge for children. Then when you add in our Luxury Wash service, and we have every base covered. Everything, including entertainment, service, education, cleaning products, and merchandise. People started to tag me as The Car Wash Guru. I guess because I mastered the profession and created the entire blueprint to be a strong profitable member of the industry and bringing more respect to the profession.
MM: Wash Wars is a very unique concept. Combining Pimp My Ride style cars and a competition element. What inspired you to create the series?
BB: Remember the idea came to me in 2015, but fast forward to the last 3 years. So many great things and people have have helped me expand my brand, Charlemagne Tha God did a pitch for me to NBC about Car Wash Sports while I also had Wash Wars in mind. Then less than 24 hours later, NBC had a meeting with me and told me to go and create the show and bring it back. I had Xzibit in mind after hearing what happened to him and how he did not obtain any ownership from Pimp my Ride. So I offered him 50% as a co owner to help but he declined. So then I did a challenge towards Offset the rapper because he had a show called “Bet with Offset” but the pandemic happened. So I built up the confidence to create the show by myself and use 10 contestants and the rest is history. On top of that, I Had a personal relationship with Fabo, of D4L, and Pimpin, of Dem Franchize Boyz, and asked them to be special guests on the 1st season.
MM: You have a number of guests on the show. Who are some guest judges you would like to have on the show?
BB: I would like to work with all of the people that influenced me growing up. Innovators like Dame Dash, Master P, Diddy, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson and athletes like Shaq, Lebron and so many others. I would also like to connect with talented people of the new generation like Kevin Hart, Michael B. Jordan, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, Da Baby and more. Everybody has a car or plane or boat or some form of vehicle and I welcome them all.
MM: You’re currently on the third season of the series, correct? What has added to the longevity of your content and brought in new viewers?
BB: Yes this is our third season. I have over two decades of experience as a professional car detailer. I have hired and fired so many detailers. I have gone behind other guys in the industry and cleaned up their mess. Besides, it’s the character of the show itself that makes it even more fun and it’s not scripted. I would like to do rapper versus rapper and their detailers, NASCAR, a Spanish language version as well as other innovations. We can run this show until the end of time or cars whichever comes first.
MM: What are some ways you would like to see Wash Wars grow in the future? What are your goals for the series?
BB: I want to be able to offer Wash Wars events shown on television, as well as streaming platforms without selling my rights.
MM: What are some tips you would give to aspiring entrepreneurs and content creators?
BB: Have faith in God and the ideas he trusted you with, we have self-funded and produced 3 seasons of a television series in one year. So increase your faith.
MM: It’s great to see the spotlight being shined on detailers, it’s definitely an underappreciated skill. How did you first decide to build a career out of detailing?
BB: I first started professionally when I was thirteen and I realized there was no Michael Jordan in car washing and I decided to be him and bigger.
MM: What’s the name of your magazine? How long has it been a publication?
BB: My magazine is called Car Culture: HER EDITION- we launched this magazine in 2020 to showcase and appeal to classy, luxurious women that own nice cars without having to sexualize them.
Wash Wars is well on its way to becoming the next big thing in the car culture, check out the first three seasons now on the Wash Wars website, and be sure to tap in with Bentley Brandon because he’s always finding new ways to elevate the perception of professional auto detailing.
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