Prestige Auto Spa NJ marks five years with nearly $1 million in upgrades and Wayne expansion

Prestige Auto Spa NJ is celebrating five years under current ownership after investing nearly $1 million in its Toms River, New Jersey, facility and expanding to Wayne. The company says the growth underscores its focus on full-service care, employee promotion and responsible expansion as it serves more than 1,600 monthly members.

Why it matters: - Prestige Auto Spa NJ’s upgrades and expansion show how a local, family-owned car wash is competing with larger operators by pairing technology with hands-on service. - The business also highlights a broader labor story: internal promotion and employee development are central to its growth model. - The Toms River site is on pace to perform more than 80,000 car washes a year, making service consistency a key business metric.

What happened: - Prestige Auto Spa NJ marked five years under current ownership in Toms River, New Jersey. - Managing Partner Jeff Kovatch and Operating Partner Jorge Mendoza led nearly $1 million in investment at the Toms River facility since October 2021. - The company expanded into Wayne, New Jersey, in September 2025. - Wayne recently celebrated its first anniversary.

The details: - The Toms River location at 883 Fischer Boulevard serves Ocean and Monmouth counties. - The business has more than 4,100 Google reviews and a 4.9-star average rating. - Upgrades to the MacNeil car wash tunnel included new brushes, advanced chemical systems, upgraded blowers, modern vacuum equipment, electrical improvements, flooring, lighting, signage and customer amenities. - The Toms River site has more than 1,600 monthly membership customers through unlimited wash programs. - Prestige employs a substantial team that handles interior vacuuming, window cleaning, professional detailing and hands-on customer service. - The company also offers ceramic coatings, window tinting, oil changes, light mechanical services, headlight restoration and specialty care for luxury and exotic vehicles. - Mendoza oversees daily operations, equipment maintenance and service quality. - Prestige provides automotive care services to local police and fire departments, first responders, hospitals, municipal fleets, federal agencies and other organizations. - The company supports local charities, schools and community initiatives. - The Wayne location received about $750,000 in renovations and improvements. - Prestige says it is exploring responsible expansion opportunities and has had preliminary discussions about a potential third location.

Between the lines: - The company is leaning into a full-service model at a time when many car washes are moving toward exterior-only automation. - Kovatch said the investment is meant to keep pace with changing technology and preserve the customer experience. - Mendoza said the company’s culture matters as much as the equipment, underscoring the family-business identity the owners want to preserve. - Mendoza started as an hourly employee and became an equity partner within two years of Kovatch acquiring the business. - General Manager Jeff Brooks also advanced from hourly cashier to management in about a year. - Those promotions suggest Prestige is using upward mobility as both a retention tool and a leadership pipeline.

What's next: - Prestige will focus on maintaining service quality as Toms River continues scaling volume. - Leadership is weighing further expansion while keeping the business’s technology and hands-on service model intact. - The company’s next phase appears tied to whether it can repeat the Toms River playbook in new New Jersey markets.

The bottom line: - Prestige Auto Spa NJ is betting that reinvestment in people, equipment and local relationships will support growth better than scale alone.