34 Months After The First Sign ... Car Care Center Opens In Vernon

VERNON, CT — About 34 months after a sign first emerged for a Valvoline car care center on Route 83, the business has opened. A new look for a longtime car wash has come with it.

Placards proclaiming the opening of the newest Valvoline Instant Oil Change location were posted along the front of the business at 371 Talcottville Road over the weekend. Special sales were also being promoted. The adjacent Mr. Sparkle Car Wash — acquired by Valvoline several months ago — was also sporting new signage.

The Valvoline opened ended nearly three years of speculation, regulatory approvals and construction.

In October 2020, a sign at a long-vacant parcel then owned by Mr. Sparkle indicating that a Valvoline oil change business will be built appeared. The sign only said the Valvoline center was "coming soon" and conceptual plan had been submitted to local zoning officials.

In August 2022, improvements to the car wash began and a month later, construction on the Valvoline building commenced.

The acquisition of the Mr. Sparkle car washes by Valvoline led to the closing of a car wash on Windsor Avenue in Vernon. The business has had a fence around it for several months and a for sale sign has been hanging on the fencing for just as long.