Calif., Shop Talk column

EDUCATED IS NOW EVEN SMARTER: Sam Wasem, who'll be 87 years young in October, still has his finger on the pulse of Educated Car Wash, the upper State Street family owned business he bought after moving here from Los Angeles in 1979.

Despite having his wife, Wilma, sons Spencer and Chester, and daughters Netta, Maile and Doria, plus some of their spouses and even a grandson, all involved to varying degrees in the business, Mr. Wasem likes to come in every day to keep an eye on how things are going.

This year his involvement increased as he plowed "close to $1 million" into a major remodel which shuttered the car wash from New Year's right through to last weekend -- almost eight months.

During that time nearly everything at Educated Car Wash changed, from a new pitched roof replacing the old flat one, to new floors, from the gas pumps out the back to the car-washing forecourt out the front, from the landscaped customer waiting area to the shelving in the shop.

The 40-year-old building at 3735 State St., which had its unusual name when Mr. Wasem took over, also has new restrooms, gas pumps and pipelines, electronic security cameras, and a wall of stained glass panels harking back to the golden age of motoring.

While members of his own family fill roles in senior management, finance and administration, more than 30 other full-time staff are employed, the majority of whom swarm over cars all day, leaving them spotless inside and out.

Though much of the remodel has made way for high-tech elements -- for example, the new gas dispensers and cash register -- the core of the business has actually become less automated and more labor-intensive as all the car washing is now being done by hand.

Mechanical equipment in the tunnel that vehicles used to pass through while being washed and brushed has been taken out and replaced by a handful of staff wearing soft, soapy mitts made of lambs' wool.

"This change was made because the car manufacturers recommend a 100 percent hand car wash to add longevity to the finish of the vehicles," says Mr. Wasem, who knows something about longevity.

He graduated from UCLA 56 years ago with a degree in business administration. After working in the insurance field, including six years in Hawaii, he moved into residential and commercial construction, and finally into an L.A.-area car wash business before moving to Santa Barbara.

Today, the Educated Car Wash service costs between $12.95, for a basic wash and vacuum, and $19.95, for the full inside/outside makeover, complete with little touches like a sweet-smelling scent spray.

Customers can recoup some of that money by filling up the tank at the same time. Mr. Wasem says his gas is quite a bit cheaper than at regular service stations but is only sold, as a "loss leader," in conjunction with the car wash.

"That's a big selling point," he says. "We're the only hand car wash that sells gas in Santa Barbara. And we pump the gas. There is no self-serve.

That's very important. A lot of elderly people don 't like to pump their own gas."

Besides all his regular local clients, Mr. Wasem says he also has contracts with the city and county, police, the sheriff's department, and the California Highway Patrol.