Car Wash Damage

MissKay

I bought my car, brand new, six months ago and it is still pristine. I took it to a car valeting place this afternoon and when I went back to pick it up it had a massive chunk out of the paintwork at the back - it's right down to the metal and very 'fresh' looking. The blokes washing the cars would not admit they had done it.

I kicked-off enormously and demanded to speak to the owner/manager and, over the course of the next hour and a half, about four massive hairy blokes screeched onto the premises to have a row with me and none of them would admit to being the boss. In the end, I called the police as they manhandled me and refused to let me drive off the forecourt.

The police were helpful in that they forced one of the blokes to admit he was the manager and they checked out his details for me and they also gave him a rollocking about stopping me leaving. Obviously it's a civil matter so they couldn't really do any more than that.

I have the details of the car wash owner but that's it. Is it going to be worth going to the small claims? I can't imagine he'll pay, to be honest, but the alternative is to pay literally hundreds of pounds.What would you do?

bris

That's what insurance is for, you can't actually prove it was them so a small claim would likely fail.

You could take a chance but the money it costs could be lost as well as the fact they wouldn't pay anyway.

bloss0m

Its very difficult to prove they did the damage. Might be worth getting a independent paint repair company that do minor repairs, or maybe one that specialist in chips like chipsaway which is a franchise you can get good and bad franchise though

photome

Was it a genuine valeting place or one of those eastern european places on the side of the rd that use dirty water, dirty sponges, pressure washes to close to the car that strip paintwork etc etc.
If the latter then why did you take take a nearly new car there,I cant believe the cars I see queued up at these places.

Mine has been to one of those places once! I was following a bus when it sprayed oil all over the front of my car and windscreen and this place was convenient and as i couldnt see out of the windscreen it made sense, but they stripped the top coat off my bumper with the pressure washer. I couldnt prove it of course so the top coat is still missing from my bumper