CAR WASH SCRATCHED MY CAR!
Discussion
Going on from my closed thread on this, I thought I would update those who helped me out, and seek further advice on the subject.
I went to a bodyshop to get a quote and they have said that the whole car needs polishing, at a cost of £235. Armed with this quote, I went down to the wash and spoke with the Owner. I was pleasantly surprised by his decency. I told him I wasn't looking to sue, nor take the matter any further, and that I was a reasonable man simply looking to get my car fixed. We spoke about the damage and he apologised. We also spoke about insurance claims and how it would be beneficial for him to pay privately.
However, he wants me to go to his garage to get the work done, which I am not happy with. He might well do a good job, but I trust the place I got my quote from to do a better job. How can I go about getting it done where I want, without offending the guy and risking not getting it done at all?
Cheers
p.s. here's the link (for those that haven't seen it) to the original: www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=10&h=&t=157262
>>> Edited by miniandy on Wednesday 23 February 12:58
I went to a bodyshop to get a quote and they have said that the whole car needs polishing, at a cost of £235. Armed with this quote, I went down to the wash and spoke with the Owner. I was pleasantly surprised by his decency. I told him I wasn't looking to sue, nor take the matter any further, and that I was a reasonable man simply looking to get my car fixed. We spoke about the damage and he apologised. We also spoke about insurance claims and how it would be beneficial for him to pay privately.
However, he wants me to go to his garage to get the work done, which I am not happy with. He might well do a good job, but I trust the place I got my quote from to do a better job. How can I go about getting it done where I want, without offending the guy and risking not getting it done at all?
Cheers
p.s. here's the link (for those that haven't seen it) to the original: www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=10&h=&t=157262
>>> Edited by miniandy on Wednesday 23 February 12:58
NO! Do not go to "his garage".
The deal is this: They damaged your car, they can pay for it at a garge of YOUR choice.
All youll get is some monkey with a polishing mop doing it for free( for the car wash owner) and most likely itll get even more botched if they have a go at it.
Its not up to them to lay conditions on where its repaired, thats your prerogative and your RIGHT.
Besides which theres no dammed way on earth theyll let you see where its going to be taken or watch the work being done.
Stick to your guns and insist on doing it the safe way.
Ps, the fact he apologised means he's admitted responsibility...why else apologise?
Trust me, i know what im talking about, ive seen this kind of thing in the past.
>> Edited by DeltaFox on Wednesday 23 February 11:06
The deal is this: They damaged your car, they can pay for it at a garge of YOUR choice.
All youll get is some monkey with a polishing mop doing it for free( for the car wash owner) and most likely itll get even more botched if they have a go at it.
Its not up to them to lay conditions on where its repaired, thats your prerogative and your RIGHT.
Besides which theres no dammed way on earth theyll let you see where its going to be taken or watch the work being done.
Stick to your guns and insist on doing it the safe way.
Ps, the fact he apologised means he's admitted responsibility...why else apologise?
Trust me, i know what im talking about, ive seen this kind of thing in the past.
>> Edited by DeltaFox on Wednesday 23 February 11:06
Cheers DF, I completely agree. Ted, I went round to have a look at his garage and I wouldn't take my push bike there, let alone my car! So do I get another quote from another garage (a more expensive one) and then play it along the lines of 'my first quote is in the middle - let's go with that' or simply request his insurance details and go through them?
miniandy said:
Cheers DF, I completely agree. Ted, I went round to have a look at his garage and I wouldn't take my push bike there, let alone my car! So do I get another quote from another garage (a more expensive one) and then play it along the lines of 'my first quote is in the middle - let's go with that' or simply request his insurance details and go through them?
Id get a couple of quotes and do as you suggested.
miniandy said:
I went to a bodyshop to get a quote and they have said that the whole car needs polishing, at a cost of £235. Cheers
£235
You can get a good quality polish and do it yourself for a fraction of that!! The wash owner knows that which is why he wants to do it at his place.
£235 is a total rip off!!
ca092003 said:
Tell him to make it a round £240 and you can buy a hose with the change...... Sorry - only kidding
Sounds like you may be onto a result, which is pretty suprising. Good luck!
Ah you're a funny guy!
I am pleased with the result so far, all that is left is for them to hand over the cash and get my car fixed! Although you can't see the scratches for the dirt at the moment..zetec said:
I went to a bodyshop to get a quote and they have said that the whole car needs polishing, at a cost of £235. Cheers
£235
You can get a good quality polish and do it yourself for a fraction of that!! The wash owner knows that which is why he wants to do it at his place.
£235 is a total rip off!!
The car is only 5 months old and black. I want it done perfectly. To compare, could you give me examples of why you think it is a rip off? Thanks
miniandy said:
The car is only 5 months old and black. I want it done perfectly. To compare, could you give me examples of why you think it is a rip off? Thanks
Because I can go to Halfrauds, buy Autoglym Super resin polish, Autoglym extra gloss protection and a good quality polishing cloth for less than £20.
zetec said:
The car is only 5 months old and black. I want it done perfectly. To compare, could you give me examples of why you think it is a rip off? Thanks
Because I can go to Halfrauds, buy Autoglym Super resin polish, Autoglym extra gloss protection and a good quality polishing cloth for less than £20.
..and make more of a mess than what has already been made
miniandy said:
miniandy said:
The car is only 5 months old and black. I want it done perfectly. To compare, could you give me examples of why you think it is a rip off? Thanks
Because I can go to Halfrauds, buy Autoglym Super resin polish, Autoglym extra gloss protection and a good quality polishing cloth for less than £20.
..and make more of a mess than what has already been made
How??
Polishing a car is hardly rocket science is it??
zetec said:
zetec said:
miniandy said:
The car is only 5 months old and black. I want it done perfectly. To compare, could you give me examples of why you think it is a rip off? Thanks
Because I can go to Halfrauds, buy Autoglym Super resin polish, Autoglym extra gloss protection and a good quality polishing cloth for less than £20.
..and make more of a mess than what has already been made
How??
Polishing a car is hardly rocket science is it??
No, but doing it well requires skill, time and equipment, as does returning the car to the condition it was in before it was scratched.
<devil's advocate>
How many car washes have you taken the car through before this?
If you were 'really' concerned about damage to your beautiful paintwork then you would never have taken it to a mechanical car wash in the first place.
I can see the car wash owner changing his mind and refusing to admit his fault.
The fact that he has offered to polish it for you is not necessarily an admission of guilt - it could be seen as him trying to appease a customer for a small (i.e. less than £50) outlay. You come with an estimate of £250 or so and he starts to think he's better off challenging it.
</devil's advocate mode>
How many car washes have you taken the car through before this?
If you were 'really' concerned about damage to your beautiful paintwork then you would never have taken it to a mechanical car wash in the first place.
I can see the car wash owner changing his mind and refusing to admit his fault.
The fact that he has offered to polish it for you is not necessarily an admission of guilt - it could be seen as him trying to appease a customer for a small (i.e. less than £50) outlay. You come with an estimate of £250 or so and he starts to think he's better off challenging it.
</devil's advocate mode>
m-five said:
<devil's advocate>
How many car washes have you taken the car through before this?
If you were 'really' concerned about damage to your beautiful paintwork then you would never have taken it to a mechanical car wash in the first place.
I can see the car wash owner changing his mind and refusing to admit his fault.
The fact that he has offered to polish it for you is not necessarily an admission of guilt - it could be seen as him trying to appease a customer for a small (i.e. less than £50) outlay. You come with an estimate of £250 or so and he starts to think he's better off challenging it.
</devil's advocate mode>
Hi 5, it wasn't mechanical - it was a hand car wash, somewhere that you would think would take more care than a mechanical roller wash. He admitted it was his fault by saying 'i'm sorry, these things happen, must have been grit on the sponge, i'll get it fixed' etc etc..
jesusbuiltmycar said:
I always thought you had no comeback whatsoever on car washes, since most of them have a warning or a disclaimer
They do in automatic washes, but that is to cover forseeable damage such as broken aerials and wipers.
Damaged machinery doesn't count, and neither does gritty sponges by manual washing as has happened here. It is negligent of the person washing to ensure that the sponge was clean.
Gareth
Andy, you are truly wasting your time arguing with some people on here; I gave it up a lomg time ago.
You have mail with the number of a Glasgow guy for your repair.
For the rest of the pedantics, this is from thirty five years experience, a great deal of which was restoring and preparing classic cars.
Polish is NOT for removing marks, it just makes things shiny.
If the surface of the paint is marked it has to be burnished, i.e. a very tiny amount of the surface removed to flatten and conceal any scratches, and in effect "melt" the surface of the paint to enhance the glaze and close the pores of the paint.
Polish can then be applied to enhance the shine and protect the finish from dirt, weather, uv, etc.
The problems of doing this properly nowadays are that there are a number of chemically different paints that require appropriate treatment or you have a right mess on your hands that sometimes only a repaint will cure.
Andy is quite right to insist on leaving it up to the professionals, 'specially considering how new the car is.
You have mail with the number of a Glasgow guy for your repair.
For the rest of the pedantics, this is from thirty five years experience, a great deal of which was restoring and preparing classic cars.
Polish is NOT for removing marks, it just makes things shiny.
If the surface of the paint is marked it has to be burnished, i.e. a very tiny amount of the surface removed to flatten and conceal any scratches, and in effect "melt" the surface of the paint to enhance the glaze and close the pores of the paint.
Polish can then be applied to enhance the shine and protect the finish from dirt, weather, uv, etc.
The problems of doing this properly nowadays are that there are a number of chemically different paints that require appropriate treatment or you have a right mess on your hands that sometimes only a repaint will cure.
Andy is quite right to insist on leaving it up to the professionals, 'specially considering how new the car is.
I'd probably give him a week to agree and then inform his insurers - if he is insured! That will cost him a lot more in the long run and may just be the spur he needs.
Unfortunately, with the amount of stone chips on my car, I would probably be sued for damaging/endangering the sponge!
Unfortunately, with the amount of stone chips on my car, I would probably be sued for damaging/endangering the sponge!
miniandy said:
<devil's advocate>
How many car washes have you taken the car through before this?
If you were 'really' concerned about damage to your beautiful paintwork then you would never have taken it to a mechanical car wash in the first place.
I can see the car wash owner changing his mind and refusing to admit his fault.
The fact that he has offered to polish it for you is not necessarily an admission of guilt - it could be seen as him trying to appease a customer for a small (i.e. less than £50) outlay. You come with an estimate of £250 or so and he starts to think he's better off challenging it.
</devil's advocate mode>
Hi 5, it wasn't mechanical - it was a hand car wash, somewhere that you would think would take more care than a mechanical roller wash. He admitted it was his fault by saying 'i'm sorry, these things happen, must have been grit on the sponge, i'll get it fixed' etc etc..
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