Car Wash owned me!

[Nnaboy]

Well earlier today, or yesterday better put, I drove over to a local Car wash/detailer to get my exterior cleaned because it was WAY two dirty due to bad weather. Anyways I surrender the keys and go into the waiting lobby only to see my car come out the wash without my tinted taillight cover on one of the lights. So I told the manager to get it and make sure nobody runs it over, he says ok. Then when its time to go I go outside and see the cover is still not back on the light, I go to the cleaner getting excess water off and tell him and he says to wait. I do so and then the manager walks out with a sheet that say "Incident Report" and all I think is you SOB's broke it??????
So I fill it out and he tells me to return tomorrow for compensation. I drove off and then about 1/2 mile down the road I pick up the report and look at it and see that on his report he wrote the Bug Shield broke, so I think haha he called me GTS Taillight Tinted covers a bugshield, then it struck me and I think oh no, pull over and walk to the front of my car to see the Bug Shield wasn't there, now i'm thinking WTF!!!:mad2:
I speed back and tell him and he says oh ok thinking only the Bugshield broke (while I was thinking only the Taillight cover broke before) and goes to look for the cover in the wash and comes out telling me it broke too saying I will be compensated!!
All I could think was WOW you'll are something, are you'll really telling me that you didn't notice the car go in with two tinted tails and come out with one???
Well I guess I'm just venting to you'll but I'm frustrated, they also better pay me full price for that stuff!

 

[oomindwarpoo]

Is it an automated one or were the workers spraying it with the pressure washer wand?? I'm scared to take mine thru the automated one..

 

[Denali132]

How hard is to take them off? Did it take alot of pressure to take off your tail light covers?
I hate car washes, luckily here in SC is doesn't get to cold here often so I wash it myself all the time. Also they don't use salt down here when it snows or ice it usually melts away fast down here. Make sure you stay on top of that car wash they are probaly pretty shady when it comes to stuff like that. Did they have signs outside saying that they are not liable for stuff like that? All car washes I have seen have signs posted trying to get out of any damage, I would not be surprised if this guy does the same stick with it.
Good luck

 

[riverst]

I will never take my tahoe or any vehicle i own to those automatic car washes. I have heard too many horror stories and they just don't clean your truck like it should be clean. Those detailing shops are more in it for the money than the outcome of your vehicle. I have wash and detailed all my vehicles with help from the forum "Detailing Section" and www.autogeek.net , I'm sorry for your misfortune, but it is a lesson learned! d

 

[Rollin Thunder]

I get my trucks washed here http://www.autobell.com/, and clean the vette my self, I would not trust them with it, but also the tires are too wide to fit in the track. and it sits so low it would scrape on some of the equipment.

 

[Daryl]

OUCH. Thats why I wash & detail my cars myself.

 

[Nnaboy]

Thanks for the help but WOW these people are some freakin idiots. I just called them and they said that they will pay for the Bugshield but aren't responsible for aftermarket items like a Taillight cover. All I think is that they better pay for BOTH. Since when is a taillight cover considered aftermarket and a Bugshield isnt??? THEY BOTH DON'T FREAKIN COME WITH THE CAR! Worst part about is they tried to say I drove in there with only one taillight cover, when they clearly said that it shattered in the wash yesterday. If they refuse over the phone then I'm heading over there and calling the cops when I get there!

 

[Nnaboy]

Yeah Denali 132 they are very hard to just take off, it takes alot of force/pressure to get them off. I've been throught countless washed/details with them and no problems yet till yesterday. Well the Car Wash agrred to pay for them so it looks like I will be alright now!

 

[08Zed71]

Look for higher end places

I regularly (3x/week) go to a chain here in St Louis. Been going there for years and haven't had an issue in literally hundreds of washes. There are a lot more expensive cars and trucks than mine going through each time. If you live in a cold weather city, washing it yourself isn't always realistic. But the premium wash places can be trusted.

 

[73shark]

Here's a good carwash in the Heartland: http://www.waterway.com/AboutUs.aspx

 

[Ed Blown Vert]

I won't ever take mine to a car wash. But couldn't you have taken those covers off first??? Are they screwed in, velcro??

 

[Nnaboy]

Yeah I could have but didn't think I had a problem becuase I have taken it in a wash before! It does attach with a srong velcro like material.