[Awjvail]

Okay so this isn't exactly a criminal thing but I figure it's the best place to ask.

I was going through the car wash tonight (which was kinda dumb in the first place). All was going well until the very end, when the blowers come on to dry the car off.

As I got closer to the blower, I noticed things start to go weird.. then all of the sudden, the bug deflector that was securely attached to my hood ripped off on one side and snapped in half... the half was then blown out the other end of car wash and landed in a snow bank.

Then as the blower moved up the car, just to show how strong it was, my windshield wipers actually lifted off of the glass and started to bend...

Long and short of the story is... is there anything I can do to get reimbursed for the broken part that was ripped off my car? Can they be held liable? It's not exactly a cheap accessory...

If it helps, I'm in New Brunswick, Canada.

 

[VTECsqznN2O]

you didnt say anything when it happened? If you didnt you are basically screwed. Because now they are going to ask you to prove that they did it..and since you left already thats going to be difficult. Now if you said something and they failed to do so you can attempt to sue them. But its honestly going to cost you more to sue then you will get out of it. Now I don't know canadas laws regarding litigation so you may or may not get reimbursed for court fees and I dont know how they go about small claims court. But Your next problem is "usually" there is a disclaimer before you go through that it is your responsibility to secure loose items on the car..I.E-antennas, windshildwipers etc...So you may not even have a case.

 

[Awjvail]

yes, I went to the attendant and showed him the piece that literally blew out the door and he said come back tomorrow after 9AM when the manager is here... he even said he saw it fly out of the building.

yes, in Canada in small claims you get reimbursed court fees if you win. I'm not planning on taking them to court or anything at the moment... I'm just wondering whether or not I would have a case...

Yes, there was a sign at the entrance saying secure loose items... I wasn't aware that a piece of plastic a good quarter inch thick bolted to my car and my windshield wipers which are also bolted, springed down and the like, to my car would be considered "loose items" that would be blown off by the hurricane force winds being subjected to them...

 

[VTECsqznN2O]

yes, I went to the attendant and showed him the piece that literally blew out the door and he said come back tomorrow after 9AM when the manager is here... he even said he saw it fly out of the building.

yes, in Canada in small claims you get reimbursed court fees if you win. I'm not planning on taking them to court or anything at the moment... I'm just wondering whether or not I would have a case...

Yes, there was a sign at the entrance saying secure loose items... I wasn't aware that a piece of plastic a good quarter inch thick bolted to my car and my windshield wipers which are also bolted, springed down and the like, to my car would be considered "loose items" that would be blown off by the hurricane force winds being subjected to them...

Well go back and talk to the manager and see what he can do for you. And go from there. If they don't satusfy you and you do go to court the be prepared for the attendant to change his story to, "i didnt see shit". But you do have a case.

As far as what i meant by loose items. There is a reason many car washes tape down the wipers. Bolted down or not the rubber can tear in the blowers and you can bend the arms. And if the blower blew apart the wind defltector is wasnt very secure now was it? I agree it sucks and I agree the car wash you reimburse you for it..But be prepared for the car wash to argue that side of it and do ntohing for you. They have plenty of cars go through with no damage. So they have a case as well.>So your chances in court are up in the air.

 

[Awjvail]

from the looks of it it looks like the angle that the air was blowing got underneath the deflector and actually broke it off where the plastic, the hood, and the bolt meet.

keep in mind the deflector is straight from Honda and was installed at the factory or the dealer or wherever they usually install those things when the car was brand new, so I'd assume it'd be installed properly.

 

[AccordinToHonda]

A bunch of the car washes around me have a sign before you go in saying that you are doing so at your own risk and that they are not responsible for any damage to your car. They must have had problems in the past.

 

[VTECsqznN2O]

from the looks of it it looks like the angle that the air was blowing got underneath the deflector and actually broke it off where the plastic, the hood, and the bolt meet.

keep in mind the deflector is straight from Honda and was installed at the factory or the dealer or wherever they usually install those things when the car was brand new, so I'd assume it'd be installed properly.

Factory installed doesn't really mean much. How longs it been on there? Had the bolts loosened over time? Etc. Like I said, IMO the car wash owes you..but that doesnt mean you are going to get anything out of it.

 

[VTECsqznN2O]

A bunch of the car washes around me have a sign before you go in saying that you are doing so at your own risk and that they are not responsible for any damage to your car. They must have had problems in the past.

You gotta figure the chances of something happening are fairly good. You've got shit dragging across the car and then you have those blowers. Especially loosly attached items like antennas and wipers...those things are easy to grab and bend/break

 

[Awjvail]

So yeah. I went back and checked, there were no "enter at your own risk" signs posted anywhere around the entrance.

Anyways, I called the service station and they told me to call district office, so I called them and they said that they weren't responsible because it was an "aftermarket upgrade". I wasn't aware that a factory installed bug deflector was considered "aftermarket". It's no more of an 'aftermarket upgrade' than a factory installed sunroof or a spoiler would be... if one of their brushes cracked through my sunroof or ripped my spoiler off of my trunk lid, apparently they're not responsible for that either... because they're both considered "aftermarket upgrades" in their eyes.

and the guy on the phone really pissed me off... he wasn't even apologetic or anything. I'm considering taking them to small claims..

Anyways, I'm gonna get a new one anyways regardless of whether they pay for it or not. It looks really goofy without it on the colour car that I've got.

 

[AccordinToHonda]

That's messed up man. OE accessories should not be considered aftermarket. If its made by honda and installed by honda how can it be aftermarket. Give em hell for this. It makes me so mad when people or businesses can't accept fault for something.

 

[VTECsqznN2O]

That's messed up man. OE accessories should not be considered aftermarket. If its made by honda and installed by honda how can it be aftermarket. Give em hell for this. It makes me so mad when people or businesses can't accept fault for something.

I agree 100% with this entire post

 

[Awjvail]

That's messed up man. OE accessories should not be considered aftermarket. If its made by honda and installed by honda how can it be aftermarket. Give em hell for this. It makes me so mad when people or businesses can't accept fault for something.

Indeed. Anyways, I'm gonna give it one more try by calling Head Office.. gotta find a phone number first though.

Anyone know where I'd find one? I can't find it anywhere on their website... It was a Petro-Canada station..

 

[AccordinToHonda]

You could always try the customer service number and see where that gets you. Hopefully just mentioning a lawsuit would get their attention enough to maybe fix it for you.