A vehicle washing apparatus for efficiently cleaning front and rear ends of vehicles. The apparatus includes a carriage which is movable lengthwise of a vehicle. Arch-shaped supports on the carriage support a gantry having spray nozzles for directing liquid toward the vehicle. The gantry is movably mounted relative to the supports such that the carriage and gantry are selectively movable to locate the spray nozzles at positions directly in front, above, and directly behind the vehicle for effective cleaning. The apparatus includes a sensor for determining vehicle length and a controller for moving the carriage and gantry to positions for effective cleaning of the vehicle.