Car wash issue

Amouar

Just received this email from the car wash company:

Following notification of this complaint, we sent an engineer to the store to complete a full check of all of the functions of the car wash.

The engineer has confirmed that there was an issue with the water supply to the car wash during certain parts of the car wash cycle.

The lack of water during the car wash cycle would have an impact on the quality of the car wash, but would not cause damage to a vehicle's paintwork.

See below his comments based on this investigation,

The wash is equipped with softecs foam brush material and Softens would not have the strength to perforate the paintwork on a vehicle

Looking at the pictures the scratches would appear from what I can see to be just about what you'd expect to find on any 131 vehicle

It is also important to note, that on the day of your complaint 11/09, we received no further complaints of this nature related to the car wash. On this day we sold 24 car washes.

Based on all of these facts, we do not believe that the damage illustrated in the pictures you sent (scratches), was caused by the car wash operation.

We apologise but we cannot assist you any further with this enquiry.

It's funny that they say that the brushes running dry on a car will not cause any damage. Even a very soft microfiber can cause paintwork damage if used dry on a dirty car with debris.

They claimed that there was a water issue only during parts of the wash cycle, while there was no water at all since the beginning. I sent them my dashcam footage so that they can see that.

What pisses me off is that they say that these scratches are normal for a 131 car. These scratches were not present on the car prior to this incident, therefore I don't think that the fact that it's 131 vehicles justify that it's ok to have these scratches.

I'm now waiting to hear back from them, but what are my options if they don't want to offer anything? TBH i will not fix these scratches if they don't reimburse the fee.

colm_mcm

Any pictures of the damage OP?

You’d certainly win a small claims procedure. I’d pursue it.

colm_mcm

I’m not a doctor but I would have expected multiple parallel scratches instead of what’s shown there.

That also looks like it would compound out quite easily.

Amouar

colm_mcm wrote: »

I’m not a doctor but I would have expected multiple parallel scratches instead of what’s shown there.

That also looks like it would compound out quite easily.

So do you think that these scratches were not caused by the brushes and were caused by something else and I just didn't notice them before?

I just got a new reply from them:

As highlighted in my previous mail, we had 24 car washes on the 11/09, the issue with the water was an intermittent issue which affected the car wash in some way during the 11/09.

If the car wash had the potential to damage cars in this way, it would not be an isolated case that affected just 1 vehicle.

Also, from the direction of the scratches in the pictures that were supplied, these are not consistent with the direction that the brushes rotate. If the brushes could cause this type of damage on isolated areas of the vehicle, there would be a more significant amount of scratches on all areas of the vehicle.

MetzgerMeister

To be honest, I agree with the car wash owners' opinion.

The scratches in those pics are isolated and caused by something else. If they were caused by the car wash you would have them uniformly the whole way down any panels the brushes touched (similar to what you'd have if you dragged an actual yard brush across the panel).

As colm said, those scratches will definitely polish out very easily, especially if they disappear when wet.

Amouar

Makes sense. Thanks!

Amouar

I guess one key takeway from this is that the car washes brushes from the new car washes do not really damage cars if they can run dry on a dirty car and not cause any damage!

kirving

Amouar wrote: »

I guess one key takeway from this is that the car washes brushes from the new car washes do not really damage cars if they can run dry on a dirty car and not cause any damage!

Not strictly true no. Every time you wash your car, be it in an automated wash, two buckets, or even microfiber towels, *some* amount of damage will be caused.

The goal is to minimise this absolutely as far as possible by rubbing the paint as little as possible.

A single event probably won't do too much, but taking your new car to an automated wash on a regular basis is not good for the paint, as the minimal scratches add up over time. Each new scratch is another place for grit and dirt to build up, so the problem gets exponentially worse.

Proper ceramic coatings help to limit the car getting dirty in the first place due to their hydrophobic properties, and provide a protective film to help stop the next wash from scratching the paint.

scamalert

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

To be honest, I agree with the car wash owners' opinion.

The scratches in those pics are isolated and caused by something else. If they were caused by the car wash you would have them uniformly the whole way down any panels the brushes touched (similar to what you'd have if you dragged an actual yard brush across the panel).

As colm said, those scratches will definitely polish out very easily, especially if they disappear when wet.

spent like 5 yrs on auto carwashes etc when worked in petrol station back when was a kid, and that damage does seem like f all tbh. Now knowing the power of one running it certainly can do some serious damage, but if its only those 2 blotches then id say BS story, as few scratches can be anything, some consistent pattern and beating would be completely different story if it really went full dry on.


Anyhow on one hand petrol station would be at fault, for letting it run if theres was no water. But then again if its 3-4 scratches total, chasing even via small court is a waste of time.

punisher5112

That's not from the car wash imo.

kirving

scamalert wrote: »

but if its only those 2 blotches then id say BS story, as few scratches can be anything,

To be fair to the OP, I think they're genuine in noticing *new* scratches.

You're much more likely to notice scratches on a clean car, and existing scratches will be exporsed by the initial chemical cleaning that newer washes do.

Amouar

Kevin Irving wrote: »

To be fair to the OP, I think they're genuine in noticing *new* scratches.

You're much more likely to notice scratches on a clean car, and existing scratches will be exporsed by the initial chemical cleaning that newer washes do.

After the brushes incident, i was carefully inspecting the car for damage after it was cleaned hence it explains why i only noticed these scratches now.

Anyway, i think it's now clear to me that these are pre existing scratches that i just noticed, therefore we can close this discussion.

Thanks all for your input.

colm_mcm

Amouar wrote: »

I guess one key takeway from this is that the car washes brushes from the new car washes do not really damage cars if they can run dry on a dirty car and not cause any damage!

They definitely can. On my old car once the novelty of owning it a few years wore out I regularly used the auto car wash near my house. I only copped after a few months but - because the brushes shopped at a certain point (to clean the wheels) the big brushes were still also rotating and hitting a spot on the quarter panel. It wore away a layer of the paint on both sides, had to spend a lot of time correcting it.

The brushes also wore away the top layer of the Perspex split window on the boot door (civic), so certainly the brushes have an abrasive element to them. Maybe not all car washes are equal.

Eggs For Dinner

Bottom line is, if their expert has come to that conclusion, you need one of equal or better standing willing to provide a report to support your position.

punisher5112

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

Bottom line is, if their expert has come to that conclusion, you need one of equal or better standing willing to provide a report to support your position.

Pointless,arks aren't from the wash.