Scratches in Clear Coat After Car Wash

[SKooT1027]

I took my car to a hand car wash yesterday bc it was in bad need of a wash and I live in a condo .. so I can't do it there.

The wash is set up with a track on the left hand side that moves the car along .. auto sprayers, etc but guys do all the washing and drying.

Well, I checked my car today for the first time in good light (i didnt see the car door when I got in yesterday) and there are scratches all over the thing. The clear coat is literally ripped in tons of spots. I'm pissed!

Is there any good way to repair this?

[WolfStrong]

The clear coat is ripped...as in pealing off? Or do you mean just deeply scratched?

Either way, I would bring your car to the car wash and show them the carnage, get a quote from a professional, trusted detailer that knows how to use a rotary, and then tell the car wash to pay for it.

I hope this is a lesson learned; NEVER, and I mean NEVER trust any car wash. The only ones I have ever had luck with are the touchless ones where they just spray water/soap at the car and blow air on it to dry and you just drive right through with no one touching it afterwards (the soap on these is a bit harsh so you do need to wax afterwards).

I live in an apartment complex so I feel your pain. What I do though is either take it to a friends/family house, use a rinseless wash so I just need a bucket and mitt to wash, or as a last resort use regular car wash soap in a bucket with water, wash it, then go over with Quick Detailer to get rid of the soap residue/spotting. Even though there is a true touchless car wash across the street, I still prefer to do it this way just because there is NO car wash that will ever be good for your paint.

[simracer]

Agreed. If the condo will allow, purchase some Optimum No-Rinse from our forum sponsor along with a couple of 3-5 gallon buckets, a chenille or microfiber wash mitt, a couple of bug sponges (one for paint and one for the wheels) and some microfiber towels (I use Wal-Mart waffle weave towels that are found in the linens dept). So long as the car isn't muddy dirty, it will get the car clean with no scratches and no need for a hose to rinse.

[ryanlong01]

When I lived in an apartment, I would take a bucket + sponge/mitt + car wash (the liquid, I mean) to the kind of car wash where you dump quarters in and spray it yourself. The wands there can be a little too powerful, but if you use it without squeezing the trigger you usually get lower pressure...you just have to find the right one. Even just bringing along a sponge so that you can soak it down with soap from the wand and then go over it with the sponge before rinsing is better than taking it through an automatic car wash.

[SKooT1027]

The clear coat is ripped...as in pealing off? Or do you mean just deeply scratched?

Either way, I would bring your car to the car wash and show them the carnage, get a quote from a professional, trusted detailer that knows how to use a rotary, and then tell the car wash to pay for it.

I hope this is a lesson learned; NEVER, and I mean NEVER trust any car wash. The only ones I have ever had luck with are the touchless ones where they just spray water/soap at the car and blow air on it to dry and you just drive right through with no one touching it afterwards (the soap on these is a bit harsh so you do need to wax afterwards).

I live in an apartment complex so I feel your pain. What I do though is either take it to a friends/family house, use a rinseless wash so I just need a bucket and mitt to wash, or as a last resort use regular car wash soap in a bucket with water, wash it, then go over with Quick Detailer to get rid of the soap residue/spotting. Even though there is a true touchless car wash across the street, I still prefer to do it this way just because there is NO car wash that will ever be good for your paint.

It just looks like a lot of scratches on the side of the door.. it doesn't look like it got through the paint.

I'm soo pissed right now.. they somehow probably f'd up my rear brake too but I dont know what to do about that. Ive used this place before too w/o problems. UGH

[nickdeck]

I live in a condo, too, with no outdoor faucets. Been using the hand spray car washes up until now, but I have a new plan. Went to Lowe's and bought an adaptor that will allow me to hook a garden hose up to the fitting on one of my bathroom's shower heads. From there 100' of hose will reach the car, down below in the parking lot. Haven't tried it yet, as the car is in the shop at the moment, and doesn't really need washing, but it should work. I chose to use the shower head, rather than the kitchen sink, because if there's some kind of catastrophic leak or whatever, it should be contained within the shower stall.

[paul e]

I have a condo also, and Optimum No Rinse and Protectall both work extremely well. Theres no reason to go to a car wash with these products readily available. I also have one of those quarter machine, 'spray your own with the wand' kind of setups about 15 minutes from me. I usually bring a bottle filled with car wash solution and a sponge, and clean it that way, and then put the quarters in to trigger the rinse cycle, and just rinse it all down with that. Both methods have worked so much better than any kind of traditional car wash that Ill never let one of those god forsaken places ever touch my car again.

BTW, if I were the OP, Id go back to that place that scratched his car and have a good look at the towels/sponges they used on his car. Im kind of curious what they were doing that had such a rotten effect on his paint.. It looked to him harmless enough, but obviously, they must have had so much embedded dirt in the washing/drying products that they should have never been used. The problem with getting them to pay for the damage is there is no way now to convince them that they put those scratches in. Theyll deny it as soon as its mentioned. When they do, he should march right up to one of the guys doing the washing/drying, grab the sponge or towel out of his hand, and march it over to the manager. Then Id say, 'Here.. do you want me to rub this over your car over there?'

it really sucks, and I empathize completely.

[sblument]

I live in downtown Chicago and there seem to only be hand car washes. I found one in my neighborhood that does a good job. No swirl marks.

[MBe36]

I live in a condo, too, with no outdoor faucets. Been using the hand spray car washes up until now, but I have a new plan. Went to Lowe's and bought an adaptor that will allow me to hook a garden hose up to the fitting on one of my bathroom's shower heads. From there 100' of hose will reach the car, down below in the parking lot. Haven't tried it yet, as the car is in the shop at the moment, and doesn't really need washing, but it should work. I chose to use the shower head, rather than the kitchen sink, because if there's some kind of catastrophic leak or whatever, it should be contained within the shower stall.

You are awesome.

[nickdeck]

Tried it yesterday, and it's a go. No problems, no catastrophes. I'm still gonna get some Optimum No Rinse, for most occasions, but I know there'll be times when there's just too much dirt/mud/whatever for that to handle.