Car Wash Damage - Advice please!

DJS1988

I put my car wash through an automated machine on Friday evening at a Shell garage (before anyone says - yes I know they are bad for your car, I never ever use them but on this occasion I didn't have a lot of choice as my car was covered in bird mess which I worried would cause problem with the paintwork, and I could not get out on Saturday to either clean it myself or go to a hand-wash as I had a wedding).

When my car was being dried, there was a loud bang, followed by horrible scraping noises, once I could take my car out and inspect the damage, my car has been scratched and dented from front to back on the roof. My back wiper and ariel unit (I had of course removed the ariel) are also very loose. Clearly the sensor had broken or something along those lines.

They took photos and had me fill out a form, but the manager wasn't there. I sent an email to Shell and called them this morning but they tell me I have to take it up with the garage as the washer is nothing to do with them (despite being branded with their name!!).

The manager there has not returned my calls, although a member of staff says they had an engineer looking at it today.

Has anyone had a similar experiance and if so, what was the outcome? My insurer was very helpful and said if the garage/Shell will not pay out to me, that they will sort and try and claim from garage/Shell's insurers - but I don't want to have to pay any excess or have my premium rise next year due to this!

Any help, advice or similar experiances would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

maninthestreet

What 'sensor' are you referring to?
You may well have to prove negligence on behalf of Garage or Shell, which may be difficult to do.

LandyAndy

maninthestreet wrote: »

What 'sensor' are you referring to?
You may well have to prove negligence on behalf of Garage or Shell, which may be difficult to do.

I'd be surprised if that was the case.

sarah_elton

maninthestreet wrote: »

What 'sensor' are you referring to?

The drier in automatic car wash runs from the front of your car to the back and then back again. It moves up as it goes over the bonnet and to the roof and then back down over the rear windscreen; there is a sensor that keeps it about 6 inches above the car at any time.

It sounds pretty obvious from the description that it didn't work, ran too low over the roof, and scraped along it.

If the manager of the Shell garage doesn't return your calls soon, a recorded delivery letter with all the details and pictures would be the next step I would think. Maybe a call to the local paper?

I have noticed on our local car wash that it says people use it at their own risk. Not sure if they can discount their liability completely like that...?

This story scares me - when I'm in the car wash I'm always ready to dive down across the seats if the drier doesn't start rising when it gets to the windscreen; it's quite scary when it's coming at you across the bonnet! And before I get all the usual comments, I live in a top floor flat and it's a pain the butt ferrying buckets of water up and down to wash the car with (plus no hose). Moving out to a house soon so then I can wash it properly.

djheath

This wasn't you was it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjHNJZIkBc8

In all seriousness a recorded letter to the garage and I would have thought their insurance would pay for it.

DJS1988

Haha - that link cheered me up a little whilst I am very frustrated!

Thank you, I didn't even think about doing a letter, but I think I will put it all together this evening.

I was terrified of these washers when I was little, really regretting taking it there now but I thought I was saving the paintwork on the car, a bad move on my part!

My worry is they will ask for proof it was done there (ie my car was already damaged and I am trying it on), which apart from what I have already done there is little else I can "proove" it with, I was unable to take pictures of the bar in the carwash as someone used it straight after me (ignoring my advice not to!), which may of had my paintwork on, or that they say they cannot be held accountable.

Thanks for the replies!

DJS1988

Also I should add - I only have a little Corsa so there is no way my car is over the height restriction - my boyfriend often takes his work van through the same one and this has not happened, he was driving my car at the time and ensured we were in the correct place in the machine.

vikingaero

Same thing happened with my Dad in a BMW. The drying mechanism put a gouge the whole length of the roof. He made a claim against the forecourt operator who passed it onto their insurers. The insurers dragged their feet so he ended up issuing summons against the operator and this spurred them on to a speedy resolution. Total cost about £3k.

DJS1988

Great to hear someone has had a success with getting them to pay out (albeit it sounds like they took a while!). My worry was they would put their foot down and take no responsibility so your reply makes me feel a little more positive!

woody01

ALot of these washers have 'They accept no responsibility for damage' on them.

Crabman

Sadly some people (insurers especially) will drag their feet and if it helps, they'll act like total morons to try and make you go away. They may even be less than truthful (shock horror).

Stating the facts & evidence and issuing a strong court claim against them will be the way to sort this out if aforementioned feet are dragged. Hopefully it will be resolved before that stage. Suggest you see CAB or a local solicitor for a 30 minute free appointment if needed. If you have home insurance you could also give the legal advice helpline a call (most policies allow you to use this even if you don't select the legal expenses add-on).

woody01 wrote: »

ALot of these washers have 'They accept no responsibility for damage' on them.

They can't absolve their legal responsibility that easily. They have a duty of care towards customers in agreeing to provide car wash services. The only way to get rid of their legal responsibility for this sort of damage would be to close the car wash.