Customer Claim

We recently had a 2008 Chevrolet Equinox go through our wash and our blowers blew off what Chevrolet calls the "Deflector, T/Gate Air". It is a part that is approximately 8" long and is as wide as the vehicle. It is located on the roof at the rear above the rear glass. Has anyone else had this problem. It appears to me that there is possibly a faulty glue job. I just wanted some input before I talk to the Dealer.

Check the damage forum at www.carwash.com and you can also check the damage forum on the ICA website www.carwash.org, there you can also report the problem to a rep who works with the manufacturers.

Never had that problem with an Equinox - Antennas on the other hand are problematic due to the position as well as the bases always being loose. 2008 should still be under warranty. Being that it is the only one you have ever had a problem with, I would say that comes under pre-existing condition. If it was properly attached, it would not have come off.

Our disclaimer sign says
"Customer assumes full responsibility for the following:
....
....
8. Parts blown off by dryers eg. roof rails, mirror glass/covers, fuel doors, lights."

Roof rails are often Lexus RX, Toyota 4Runner, etc.
Mirror glass can often be a Mercedes C class or Chevy Astro. Mirror covers may be Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Altima.
Fuel doors are a problem on most Volvos.
Lights and lens covers are a problem on large GM pickups and SUVs, as well as Cadillac CTS 2003-2005.

We don't pay for any parts blown off by the dryers. Is that an equipment malfunction? No. Did anything else blow off? Did any parts on other cars blow off?

We also say on our disclaimer sign:
"4. Hood ornaments and parts or logos attached with tape, adhesive, press fit, or snap on."

Dude, I love your disclaimer. It pretty much covers your a$$ for everything. I think I'm going to re-do mine. Can you share your entire disclaimer if you don't mind?

p.s. don't you also have some problem with spare tire wheel covers blowing off? I have that happen once every other month it seems. And they are pretty expensive.

Thank you!

-tom

We don't pay for spare tire covers blowing off. That's covered by "Parts blown off by dryers". That being said, if someone has a problem we will often give them a gift card for $20 if it's under 100K miles or a free wash for the next time, just so they can say that they got something out of the deal. It depends on the customer. We almost always give a nice customer something just for being nice. The other option, if it's a simple fix like a Grand Am mirror or S-10 mirror, is we will glue it back together or if they buy a new mirror, we will install it for them. We try to be flexible, but we rarely buy new parts or pay for damages, maybe once every 50K cars or so.

This is our second or third iteration of the disclaimer. Most problems are covered by 7., 100K mile or 10 years old or older, and by 8. Dryers. Pretty much any problem that can occur is covered by at least two items on the list. On our Customer Assistance form, we require that the year and mileage be filled out. We also have a check box that says "I have read the disclaimer sign posted at the car wash entrance ___Yes ___No"

About two years ago had a customer with a 1998 Mercedes C-Class and the fold mechanism on both mirrors broke in the wash. He didn't fill out the mileage, so we pressed until he finally told us: 207,000. He actually told me that it "just went out of warranty".

I will probably add "rusted parts" and "mirror fold mechanisms" on the next version. For some reason people don't seem to understand that a broken rusted part is not the fault of the car wash.

Any other items to add?