I took my hummer to Autobell on a busy day for them and me. After the wash he asked me to walk around my truck and verify everything. I did and now I have scratched all the way down the driver side. I told them my truck had no scratched on it and they need to give me the info to get this worked out. They had me fill out a claim form and the 19 year old manager came over to inspect. His exact words were.."That was there before we ran it though". I said no sir. That is incorrect. They denied any wrong doing to my Hummer. SO I called my insurance and since I wasn't driving they said it was a no fault issue for me. So they fixed it. Autobell on the other hand absolutely did nothing to repair the damage they caused. So please be careful if you use these people. I will never go back. I usually only go there if I have no time to wash my own vehicles so my lesson has been learned. I just wanted to share in case something similar happens to any of you.
Hence why I would never take any of my cars to an automatic wash. Either I wash it, or a professional detailer does.
All washes, even those that have nothing but water touching the car have the ability to scratch paint. The fabric can retain grit and that grit will scratch or the water may retain grit and scratch.
I have taken several luxury vehicles including an SUV to Autobell for years, at probably 7 different locations in 3 cities. I've never had anything but a good experience. A hummer is an extremely wide vehicle with unusually blunt corners and sheetmetal that protrudes in odd ways. Just like you can't get mad if your oversized, unusual vehicle doesn't fit in every parking space in the mall, you probably shouldn't assume a "one size fits all" formula for every situation relating to your vehicle. I'm not saying that's what happened, or defending some individual attendant or manager I've never dealt with, but if I had a Hummer, just like with my classic convertible, there are just some vehicles I probably wouldn't/don't take to an automatic car wash. About 7 or 8 years ago, I had a piece of wood veneer console trim that was in the beginnings of sun damage (curling up a bit away from the aluminum backing). The attendant's rag caught the edge of it and snapped part of the wood off I brought it to the attention of the manager, and he asked me to get an estimate. I found a mint-condition piece on ebay, ordered it, and he gave me $70 cash to cover it when it came in. I've gone to other auto-wash places, but the irony of this post is that, over 15-20 years, Autobell has been the only one that has consistently delivered top-quality results the whole time.
I was there for the first time about a month ago...there was an older couple there with a white suv that had the exact same problem. The manager had them fill out some form but also refused to accept any responsibility (I'm not super nosy, they were standing near me and the husband got louder as he got angrier). I wouldn't go there again anyway...the inside of my car wasn't as clean as I would have hoped for the price. The car wash by Walmart is less $$ and gets my car cleaner. Autobell was packed the day I went and I didn't feel like waiting longer so I didn't say anything.
Two bucket wash, with grit guards, and a microfibre mit that I am extra careful to not contaminate, helps a ton to minimize any possibility of scratching my paint. Add in a good clay bar and wax, and it always looks nice
Yes, and those commercial washes are not as careful as you are, I am sure. The water is filtered and reused in most of them now and those fiber strips or brushes in the really old ones can easily retain grit.
If this happened at the same location (you 2 should confer by PM and ask each other), then you should bring it to the attention of the corporate office. Autobell is a solid NC-based company, and the only location I had an issue with was brand spanking new, and even then, it was quickly resolved. Dozens and dozens of great washes there. In fact, I have mostly stopped going to the Cleveland auto spa because they never, ever get my wheels cleaned properly, and they rush the finishing job, leaving bugs or dirty-water shoeprints on my running boards. Autobell guys spend at least 30% longer on my vehicle, and their wheel machines do the job every time
I called the corporate office. They said each location was responsible for their claims. Like I said I have been going there for years. It's a shame because I like takin my boys up there to watch and my grandson loves it to.
I have had no major issues but they don't vacuum which sux. I would gladly pay just a bit more for that.
