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In the psychological action-horror gameAlan Wake 2, there are plenty of mysteries to be solved–both in the story and in the world. One such mystery is a locked door in the car wash, which is located on the way to the Poet’s Theater.
You can get through the whole game without ever opening this door, so you might think it’s just one of those mysterious Silent Hill-type doors that are never meant to be opened. However, the way in is simply well-hidden, and the prize inside is well worth the effort. How do you solve this sealed room mystery?
Updated June 14, 2025, by Sean Murray:Wonder what’s behind the car wash’s locked door? You don’t have to any more thanks to this updated guide, now with improved formatting and more links to other helpful Alan Wake 2 topics.
Where Is The Car Wash?
You can access the car washon the way to the Poet’s Theater, as soon as you leave the studio after a conversation with Mr. Door, which triggers the start of’Initiation 7: Masks'.
However, given that you need to grab a key item to enter the Poet’s Theater,you’re better off going to the Oceanview Hotel to meet Tom Zaneas the plot intends.
Once you have your encounter with Zane,‘Initiation 8: Zane’s Film’begins, making it the optimal time to make your way to the car washsinceyou’ll be able to enter the theater immediately.
How Do You Open The Locked Door In The Car Wash?
Step 1
You’ll notice the shut door with a little bit of police tape around it. Head to the right and you’ll duck under the garage door,where you’ll see the Poet’s Theater ahead.
Step 2
Turn left and go forward a few feet, and on the left side, you’ll seean alley with a chain link fence witha bit of police tape on it.
Step 3
Go into the alley andlook into the first set of windows on the left side.There, you’ll seea darkness bubble near a countertop with a microwave on it, blocking the windows at the front of the building, so blast it with a focused beam.
Step 4
Leave the alley and go immediately to the right, which leads you to some windows on your right side,which you can expose by getting rid of the darkness bubble.If you look inside, you can see the back of the car wash door,blocked by three darkness bubbles that you must blast to open the door.
Step 5
Go back through the garage door into the car wash area, andthe locked door should be open now.
What’s Behind The Locked Door?
Once you go through the previously locked door, you’ll see a small locker room, sogo around the row of lockers and you’ll see a door.Approach it, and you’ll hear some familiar hummingbefore reuniting with Sheriff Tim Breaker,
Like the other times you’ve encountered him, you can chat andcheck his conspiracy board for new developments. More importantly, you can grab his map of the area,which reveals theWords of Powerand item stashes around Poet’s Theater.
