[Delusive]

Deleted

[iDriveanXi]

What an ass. Terrible customer service from the owner no less. You could file a police report if he's being a dick, which it certainly seems like he is. If you see him again and he pulls the same shit call the cops right in front of him that will change his tune. Good luck, keep us posted.

[adiba14]

How much to fix? Maybe just get him pay half like offered?

[Delusive]

Originally Posted by adiba14

How much to fix? Maybe just get him pay half like offered?

I don't even know if it's repairable, the resin already cracked and a chunk of it came off. If repairing is possible it would probably cost the same as a brand new one.

[Eat.Sleep.Race]

Sorry to hear, unfortunately that is how all car wash places are. They damaged multiple bumpers of my friends stock cars, sprayed wheel acid on BBS LM's and took the clear off one on my friends wheels, and damaged a set of A-Spec wheels on my TL.

Never once did we get someone to reimburse us for these incidents. They all lie and say it was already there..

Just took my wife's BRAND NEW escape to a wash because it was filthy and boom comes out with a dent on the roof from the "turbo dryer" talked to owners, and managers, and nothing was done. I refuse to go to any wash with any of my vehicles. Id rather them get so dirty until i have time to clean them.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Next time take pics before with staff present. I learned the hard way a while back- sorry for your troubles.

[BmerMeUp]

Dude, that totally sucks royal donkey balls!

If your transcript is accurate (no !@#$ missing on your part... ha), you were FAR more reserved than I can imagine I might have been!

What to do? Ya, insurance is probably an option - mischief / negligence is Comprehensive so a lower deductible but I can only imagine they will settle 50/50 in the end anyway and Mr. Douchebag probably knows that. Also, my experience with Insurance companies is NOT good... they will find a way to make money off BOTH of you, in the end.

Small claims - for sure! Just know there are costs and many many tedious procedures and time off work to get that done. In the end you will likely need to find satisfaction just watching him pissed off to have to show up at every court session, than you ever will getting paid, as it will cost you (in time) just as much.

Third - surely you can find someone somewhere who is "selling" that bumper for 200% what you might be able to find elsewhere? He didn't say half of a specific price did he? He said half of what it would cost, right? Well... shop around, just don't be so frugal.

Finally - share the name of the company / location - and AFTER he pays you, copy him on the thread so he can see the real cost of his ignorance.

[gds52]

Not sure if insurance ll cover the aftermarket accessory.
In this case I would say "make the best out of bad bargain".
If he is willing to pay half...negotiate to 60-70% and take it.
This will save you time n efforts.

[scotty_miller]

It's sad that people practice "valuing customers" the way they do. I'd definitely file a report or ask if a police officer could meet you there and mediate between you and the manager. I'm sure with him there, there would be a different outcome

[rick100]

Take half , and wash your car yourself , lesson learned. Maybe find a better detailer ( it would surely be more expensive)...

I had a lowered car before and I would never let somebody else wash my car because of that reason , even taking to a mechanic was a pain in the butt. I found one guy who does amazing work but his car wash costs 65 dollars ... so I do my own washes and I bring it over ever 2 -3 months and he does a really good wash plus he gets rid of scratches

[techietaichi]

Sorry to hear you're in this situation, that totally sucks and I hope you get closure on this. One thing to always remember though, nobody will love and care for your car like yourself.

[ammar23]

What a stupid asshole, terrible to hear. :

[DetectiveLoki]

I think it's half or none since the burden of proof is tough to battle in a court of law if it's your word against his.

[xXSupa]

Damn, that sucks. A lot of car wash (and car shop) employees drive the hell out of the cars they get. They don't really care if anything happens since it's not their car.

I didn't realize how bad it was until I looked at my dashcam footage from having my car in the shop for 1 day. Flooring it, tight turns, sudden braking, rolling gear shifting, etc.. They almost scraped my car against a pole as well, but the driver swerved to avoid it at the last second...

I highly recommend getting a dashcam. Could help your case if something similar happens in the future.

[b-man]

Check if they have cameras. Then small claims court... He may just get scared and pay you

[Nalod]

I think if you have after market parts two things:

Don't go to car wash's or.......

Show them your wheels and ask them what process they will use. If acid will take off finish, then ask them not to use what they use on 99% of the cars that come thru.

If you have a lip inches from the road, show them it BEFORE they wash it. They will either refuse the car or give it special attention.

If you mod your car it comes out of the "Norm" and damage will be done. We all know there are some bad operators out there and other times "shit happens" so its mostly on the owner to point out what is so "special" about your car!

Undrestand that when you "Mod" it brings special joy but also additional aggravation!!!

OP, sorry about the damage and im sure its upsetting. Im not sure you have much recourse even in small claims court. That lip is really close to the ground!

[bmodzelewski]

it looks like your word against his... doubt anything will come out of all this just a lot of your wasted time

[Javy]

Are you sure your friend didn't put his cracked lip on your car and took your good one before the wash ?

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=973537

Just kidding man. This sucks !! Due to the fact that my car is so low, I just don't give it to no one to drive.

[jeffro535]

Sucks dude...but without before/after pics it's going to be difficult to prove in court. Had a similar thing happen a few years ago, I just made sure everyone I talked to car-wise knew about what happened and that the owner was a douchebag. May not drive him out of business, but it certainly isn't going to help.

[EMITTR]

Though some think it is a hassle - businesses think if they cause you enough headache you will go away. Simple fact. They owe you a new lip. There are different ways to handle the situation.

1. Take them to small claims court and let a trier of fact (judge) decide. Have the most current pictures possible. The closer the pics are to the date of the wash the better chance you will have. In Small Claims they will normally require you to arbitrate first and if you cannot work out a deal that day, then the judge will hear the case. Face to face with them in a room with a court appointed arbiter, they usually agree to amounts higher than 50%. If you don't agree, let the judge decide. I have been this route many times and even with contracts with signatures on them, the judge can rule against you or them. Therefore it all depends on the...judge. You do not need hard, fast, conclusive evidence - small claims is tort law not criminal court. You as the consumer have an advantage out the gate. If you are professional and level headed and the other person is not, the arbiter will note that and it strengthens your position. The business will be on the defensive from the start so the odds are slightly in your favor. On average, judges decisions favor the plaintiff. This does not mean you will win...just some empirical information.
2. File a complaint with the BBB. Many think this is useless as the BBB typically sides with businesses unless there is a plethora of complaints.
3. Slam them on Yelp and other forums. I have cancelled services with businesses who I did not check out first - then decided to and looked them up on Yelp. True, some people can abuse a service like Yelp and others but like anything, the more people saying the same thing the higher the probability that it is true.

Personally, on this, knowing how expensive CF is, I would do all three. Thing is - they count on you not wanting to follow through. But...it takes some energy to go that route and I am finding I have less and less of it the older I get.

Invest in a Karcher get em from Wal-Mart for 124.00. Best little pressure sprayer I have come across and I don't have to worry about Alpha Hotels messing up my baby.

That sucks! Good luck!

[1QuikWS6]

Since you're asking opinions

Personally, I used to take all my cars to a very reputable automatic car wash in my area - until I had installed the OEM Aero Front Spoiler with CF add-ons on my BMW.

I drove up to entrance of car wash, where the rack starts that pulls your car thru (normally you would just get out of the car @ this point & attendant drives your car onto the rack) - I could obviously tell that the height of the rack would interfere with my new front spoiler, I asked the attendant if he thought it would hit, he stated no problem - but his estimation was way off...

I ended up just backing the car out of line, & now I don't frequent any car washes with my BMW that use racks to pull the car thru - and my car is even iX AWD, which is normally even higher than RWD car, I can only imagine what it would be like to try & take any lower than normal car thru.

I would say that you are BOTH equally responsible for the damage 50/50, car wash for not checking 1st, and you for not checking 1st (due diligence), or at least being concerned & inquiring if they would have any problems because you are lowered before letting them have it - when it comes to my car, I always trust my own judgement before someone else's


So I feel his offer to pay 1/2 is reasonable

Reporting to the police will be a waste of time, you could sue them & take to magistrate, but that is a PITA & prolly not even worth your time for the cost of the other 1/2 the spoiler. I agree it sucks that it happened, but guess you should just take 1/2 the cost & 'lesson learned'

Everyone nowadays wants to put the entire blame for something onto someone else - as if they have no responsibility for their own possessions

[Miller335]

So you just sit there and wait while they wash your car?