Help! Customer just called....

[HCCW]

I just recieved a call at 10pm from a customer that claims my In bay automatic damaged the bottom drivers side of his Nissan 350Z as he pulled off the treadle when his wash was done. He said the treadle plate caught on the underside right behind the tire and ripped the plastic moulding 8 inches. We have been washing cars for 12 years with 2 identical automatics and never damaged the underside of any vehicle. I questioned him on whether he had modified/lowered the vehicle and he claims it is all stock and that he has washed with us at least 10 times this year with no problem.
He is going to meet me there tomorrow to look at it. Does anyone know what the standard ground clearance for vehicles is? I tried searching the web but couldn't find any definitive standard. I assume there has to be one simply for the fact that there are speed bumps that vehicles have to clear.
By the way, I don't think he is lying or trying to scam me. I watched the video and he (and his wife) seemed very surprised and perplexed when it happened as he exited the wash. He said they could clearly hear it make the grinding/breaking noise.
I guess I need to go visit a nissan dealship and take pictures of thier 350Z's and measurements of the ground clearance. I wonder if he has low profile tires? Would that be considered "non-standard"? We have a sign at the entrance warning people not to use the wash is they have non-standard accessories.
I don't want to screw this guy, but I don't want to pay for something that I shouldn't either.
Any help my more knowledgable operators out the could give would be most appreciated! Thanks guys, Jeanine

 

[Bill Manke]

I would get there well before you meet him there. It will be alot easier to figure out the problem if you don't have someone looking over your shoulder. Does your treadle flip up? Could it have bounced up some how? One other thing you might want to look at your video and make sure his tire wasn't flat or low. I had a kid claim that my wash flattened his tire but I was able to prove to him that he came in to the wash with a flat tire. If your customer came in with a low tire that would change the height of the car. Also look at your video to make sure there wasn't any debris that they might have run over. I had a guy come into one of my automatics and claimed my carwash had damaged his tire. Come to find out he ran over a Chevy emblem and it was stuck in his tire so when he drove forward it sounded like it was scraping. If after all your checking you feel it was your carwashes fault then agree to pay damages. But it is amazing how many times it isn't your fault. Good luck.

 

[DiamondWash]

Can you post the video here?

I searched google and just typed in "nissan 350z too low for carwash" and found this: http://www.350zmotoring.com/forums/general-350z-discussions/34524-carwash.html and this http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110707091315AAVYQ2G

 

[Jim L.]

I had a similar claim from a woman driving an Acura. A long piece of plastic behind the driver’s side front wheel had been pulled loose and she claimed my treadle was responsible. I put the ruler to it and found that there was a 2” clearance between the top of my treadle and the bottom of her car. She had run over something earlier and was trying to get a free repair at my expense.

 

[HCCW]

Wow. Thanks for the replies! You have given me a lot to think about. I really think after reading the links "Diamondwash" gave me that I need to put up minimum clearance signs. In 12 years that has never occured to me! I have maximum height sign of course to protect my equipment, but nothing to show minimum clearance to protect my customers.
I am headed there now to measure the treadle and check everything out. I am also going to swing by the Nissan car lot and look at the cars there and take some pictures and measurements.
Wish me luck!!!

ps - as for posting the video, I don't think I can. On occasion I have had to put a video on a memory stick for the police and it is a massive nightmare. Takes several hours. Sure wish I had purchased and easier system. It's fine as long as I don't need to transfer the footage to anything. I can view it remotely easily which I love!

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I have Mark VII autos and as the treadles age, the stops wear and it stands up higher than when new. I have had the treadle damaged by hanging on low hanging exhaust clamps and such, but haven't damaged a car. I have had the stops built back up with weld to get them back down where they belong.

 

[rph9168]

If he has washed 10 times before with no problem is there a chance you could get and approximate date to see if you have it on video? You could check to see if there are any changes to the vehicle or anything else that might have caused the damage.

 

[chadrpalmer]

We have a front wheel pull conveyor, not the same beast, i know, but our trapdoor flipped up and damaged the same part you are talking about on the z...the hard "mudflap" we know push all these cars up the conveyor...they seem to sit just a hair lower...$1200, by the way is what we paid

 

[Jim L.]

My neighbor has a 2006 Z-Car. We put the ruler to the plastic mud flap and it is 4 ½” off the floor.

 

[washnvac]

I have a ground clearance posted on the very beginning of my signage. 4 inch minimum. I had this happen once with some modified vehicle. It was only 2.5 inches off the ground. I did not cover repairs becasue my signage also states "no non-stock accessories". This covered me since it was modified from stock with a lowering kit.

 

[Indiana Wash]

My VW GTI sits so low that I cannot clear a soda can laying on its side. However, I can usually clear my treadle on my LW4000's. Sometimes, I hear a minor rub, but my treadles guides are round.

Sounds like a design issue with your treadle. I would pay it if it was a regular customer or turn it in to insurance.

 

[Washmechanic]

A few years back we had a problem with a customer who had lowered his car and he got stuck on the treadle roller. Said that he had used the wash several times with no problems and couldn't figure out what happened. Also we had noticed numerous gouges and tears in the plastic cover on treadle rollers, especially the inside roller. The problem was, when he entered the treadle with his tire far to the right roller, the roller passed between his tire and the "U" bolts used to lower his car. No problem. But this time he had entered the treadle with his tire far to the left roller, and the "U"bolts lined up dead on with the insede roller and he got hung up. No damage to his car, but it cost us a new set of rollers. We now have the Virtual treadle, no problem.

 

[Diana]

We had this happen, I believe it was a Nissan Z, I have some pictures of the damage. I'll try to find the file with the pictures in it, and post them. Our employee was near and heard to scrape noise as the driver attempted to leave the wash. Employee called and we went to the wash, my husband is friends with the guy at the near by body shop, we went directly to the body shop. The guy at the body shop pulled out some plastic looking clip type screw deals, and replaced them, it was about $40. The young man later sold his car and is a great customer with his new car!

 

[Jim L.]

HCCW

How about an update. I'm curious to know what caused the damage on the tenth visit and not the first nine.