Carwash of Doom
Comic History (US):
When Decepticon fuel auditor Ratbat evaluated the situation
on Earth, he was horrified to see how cost-ineffective it was,
despite the gain potential. Initially unknown to then-leader
Shockwave, Ratbat had Astrotrain plant a mind-control device
on G.B. Blackrock, an influential and wealthy businessman.
Using this, he was able to convince the human to sell a series
of carwashes to his customers, which he called "Wash 'n Roll".
In reality, these were actually Decepticon constructs which
hypnotized those passing through the wash into helping the
Decepticons obtain fuel. This they did by filling up their
cars with gasoline, and then siphoning it into a Decepticon
storage depot.
Buster Witwicky accidentally stumbled upon the plan when he
witnessed his girlfriend Jesse being entranced by the car
wash. Eventually, he discovered that a flash of bright light
was able to ward off the hypnotic effects. Pursued by Ratbat,
Buster desperately lobbed a tire iron into a giant electronic
sign. The explosion caused the humans to revert to normal,
and Ratbat retreated with Laserbeak, as the situation
was no longer economically feasible.
Note: The Carwash of Doom did not appear in the cartoon,
much to the relief of fans everywhere. The name "Carwash of Doom"
is taken from the title of the comic issue Buster Witwicky
and the Carwash of Doom.