ON-RAMP

Forget movies, music and TV. The quintessential L.A. industry is the carwash. We’ve got about 600 of them--more than any other city in the country and probably the world. So here’s some of the soap dope:

* If you want to wash ‘n’ stare, check out Santa Palm Car Wash in West Hollywood, sudsters to the stars. The wall facing the 180-foot tunnel (about 60 feet longer than most; their cars have big egos, too) is plastered with glossies of the clientele: Ryan O’Neal, Dudley Moore, Jack Nicholson.

* Don’t forget the tip--dryers make $35 to $75 a day in tips. Laguna Niguel’s new Crown Valley Car Wash is the industry’s crown jewel. Bedecked with luscious palm trees, waterfalls and sculptured rocks, the interior has a marble floor and saltwater aquariums built into the wall. All it needs is a tall, pale maitre’d with a ponytail. The wash itself is $6.95, a nickel less than the $7 average.

* The wave of the future is one-stop car grooming. Harv’s in Palm Desert offers a hand wash, detailing, tires, brake work, an oil and lube job, smog inspection, tuneup, tinted windows and sheepskin seat covers. They’ll even shine your bike (and probably your shoes if you ask nicely).

* Modern carwash chic is Sepulveda West--peach and pink, with soft contours, it’s sort of a Westside Pavilion flip. The Marina Car Wash in Venice is a primo golden oldie, with a steel-spired Jetson motif. Rumor has it the oldest is Sherman Oaks’ Handy J Automated Hand Wash, built in the early ‘50s.

* If you want to save water, go to the professionals. The typical tunnel averages 30 gallons per car, in contrast with the 162 gallons an at-home wash uses. And most carwashes recycle as much as 85% of their water.