Car Washes

[Do-Luck]

Today I decided to go to a commercial car wash in Hoppers Xing, where they wash your car for you. It's the type of thing where they drive your car aswell. Anyway, they inform me that my car was finished, and come out to see this:

This next part is on the opposite side of the car, and the paint must have come off from impact with the gutter.

The manager/owner said that he will pay for the damage, but he seems to only want to use their associated panel beater. Which isn't going to happen, I only want my panel beater touching my car.

[dezz]

I'm guessing you went to the 1 on the corner of the plaza, next to KFC?

[VB-]

they drove it into a gutter?

[Do-Luck]

dezz Nah, its the new one that also has that car service centre there. It's just as you come off the Hoppers exit and over the bridge.

VB- Yeah, they have a vacuum bay, and one of them must have driven it into the gutter.

[dezz]

dezz Nah, its the new one that also has that car service centre there. It's just as you come off the Hoppers exit and over the bridge.

VB- Yeah, they have a vacuum bay, and one of them must have driven it into the gutter.

ah that one...never been there...

That sucks man...so does it mean you're gonna have to pay for it because you won't let their guy touch it?

[Interloper]

well that sux.

we all learn the hard way

[**JaR**]

that definitely sucks

i wouldnt let randoms touch my car like that.

[Downforce]

I take my car to those carlovers self-wash places... Im not too fussy about a few swirl marks... big deal. I've never intended my car to be a show car anyway costs $4 and I'm done in 30minutes.

[SS8_Gohan]

^ please, please don't tell me you use the broom to wash your car mate? or the soapy spray stuff? that just eats paint... very harsh chemicals. Should just use the rinse spray, and let it spray out for a few seconds first to clear the system, then start rinsing the car.

i'm fully getting into this detailing thing, i have micro fibre this, micro fibre that... safe washing methods. My detailer told me about it all. It's a friggen art form! pays off on a black car if you get it right

dude, sorry to see the state of your front bar like that! really, it's simple and cheap to wash your own car ($3 for 3 x 1:45min high pressure rinse). Just bring a few things yourself to the car wash. Just use the high pressue rinse (just water) and bring the rest yourself. Don't have to worry bout some noob destroying your paint with swirl marks and sponges used to clean wheels, on your panels.

[Downforce]

Haha yep, I use the broom I do give the car a polish and full wax with meguiars products every 3 months... I have microfibre cloths, etc. too.

It's the original paint, still looks fine to me. The wax protects the under layers and holds the shine from hand polishing.

[Helio]

That Frkn sux. Don’t let them give you the run around with the repaire. You use who you want. Get three quotes, and make sure that the person you want to use is the cheapest. This may take getting 4 or 5 quotes if you get the drift. This way they have even less of a leg to stand on, and if it did go to court then the judge would tell them to eat a dick and pay up. If they spin some shit at you like we won’t pay unless you use our person, tell them that you will see them in court. Maybe contact your insurance Co for some advice; they may handle it for you.

Good luck.

[jrocket]

Ouch. yeah i dont think i will ever use something like that. Also I have heard bad things about those car was booths with the brush n stuff. Fags like to put nails in them to f peoples cars up and the guys wit 4WD's tend to use them and fill them with gravel. Unfortunately I am now on water restrictions here and can't use my pressure cleaner any more. have to take all my crap down to car wash and use their machines. Rain Damit!!!!!

[sammus]

bad luck shane. looks like quite an expensive kit there too.

chinny ... i goto the self wash high pressure gun places too... anything wrong with using the degreaser? because i usually degrease, high pressure wash and then high pressure rinse.

i f**king hate the amount of effort that needs to be put into a quality wash, when it will be visibly dirty the day after

[shaun123]

i go to the manual ones with the do it urself high pressure hoses. i do use the brush there, should i not use it? (should it be ok if you rinse the brush with the pressure hose??)

i'd never let randoms hand wash it cos i wouldnt trust them

Edited February 4, 2007 by shaun123

[SS8_Gohan]

by using the brush at the car washes, you ARE letting randoms wash your car.... reason being, random people have used the brush previously, picking up who knows what in the brush and leaving it for you when you wash your car.

degreaser? as in, it's meant for wheels, and wheel arches? not something over the whole car yes?

don't use the car washes brush. Just bring a sponge, mitt, with you.

sammus, what do you use to actually wash the car? how do you dry it?

[sammus]

yep the degreaser is under the name 'wheels and tyres' but i spray the whole car with it. haven't had any problems.

degreaser>high pressure wash>rinse seems to work fine for me considering i never even touch it with anything except pressurised water.

if i do a real wash (once every 6 months or so) i do the same at the carwash but use a sponge on it before rinse, then just come home and either let it dry or dab up any drops with a towel, then i wax it up. vwa lah.

shaun, you sometimes see 4WDs come in totally covered in mud and use the brushes. i wouldn't use it after that

[Do-Luck]

dezz, they are paying regardless of who I get to do the repairs. The guy didn't even know what he was talking about, he was explaining about plastic welding when CLEARLY there is fibreglass showing.

I usually wash the car at home with water from a rain tank, or I just take a bucket, soap, mitt and chamois down to the car wash and do it there. I only took it to this place because last week they done a really nice job, and I couldn't really be bothered washing it myself.

What really irritates me is I just recently spent $1k to get a near rear bar fitted, and all the other niggly little bits fixed up. And now this happens.

Hopefully it's fixed before the F1.

[jrocket]

Yeah sux a$$ man. I have been on holidays for few months and decided to fix up all those small things on my car just to make it look 100%. then just last month someone ran into me and smashed it up good on me. Makes you wonder why you even bother sometimes.

[eMsta]

bad luck man...that shit happened to me when i went to get my windows tinted. The stupid ass owner wanted to use a panel beater on rooks rd in nunawading - and said it was a huge job to fix. Went and got it fixed at dent maestro - and only cost 110 - of which the tinters only paid $85 (after the owner said he can only pay $70) - there are some absolute f**kin noobs out there who dont know how they are running their businesses.....

no matter what, the owner of the car wash will have to pay for the damage...u get the invoice (make a copy for urself) and get them to pay it. Keep all the pics of the damage - if he aint going to pay (which he will anyway) get a lawyer.

GTTR34 - thats a hot car man...seen it at RE a few times....looks like it lives there lol...

[Helio]

Just out of interest, did he still charge you for the wash?