Tire damage

[carwash1970]

Customer drove into the automatic bay crooked and hit the guide rail, so they backed up to get straight and while backing up ran over a undercarriage nozzel. The nozzel caused a hole in the tire. They now what me to pay for the tire. Has this happened to any other CW owners? If so did you pay for the tire damage?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I've never had it happen, but my nozzles are not exposed so that they could damage a tire. I can't imagine that a wash would be set up with exposed nozzles. IMO, you should buy a tire.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

Backing up to straighten out -seems like a reasonable problem, that would happen fairly often. It's hard to expect 100% of the people to load correctly so you can guess my answer is to buy a tire- I also would find a way to eliminate that nozzle. It seems like if it happens once, it happens again.

 

[pitzerwm]

If you buy the tire, prorate it.

 

[Gabriel]

Every once in awhile a real claim comes along and has to be addressed honestly. This is probably one of those times. I would Bite the bullet, replace the tire and give them three or so free wash coupons. Secondly I would fix the problem so that it could never happen again. If not it most definitely will! Good luck

 

[carwash1970]

camera shows what really happened to the tire

Should have watched the video of the car first. The nozzle did not damage the car. The car bumped into the guide rail, then drove over the guide rail and the tire was now in between the gantry rail and the guide rail. The tire was damaged when the car was trying to get out from between the rails. Should I still pay for the tire?

 

[Reds]

Does your signage say to drive up the middle of the bay?

 

[Indiana Wash]

Yeah, I was about to say something. My nozzles are exposed on my undercarriage. People drive over them sometimes. Its kind of like driving over gravel. I can't imagine a car that would lose a tire driving over a piece of gravel. I have never had an issue with that.

If it was somewhere else in your wash, yes, you should probably pay for it but at a prorated rate! Stick them a little bit so that they are mad enough not to come back but not mad enough to bad mouth your wash all over town. I personally don't want people at my wash who are such poor drivers that they cannot drive through an automatic wash. My opening is 12' and I have had people hit both the entrance and the exit with their cars.

 

[pitzerwm]

I think that I'd just tell him, to turn it into his insurance company, that you have a video and if your insurance company is contacted by his insurance company. Don't give up your insurance company.

 

[Jeff_L]

Split the bill with them.

 

[Gabriel]

After viewing the video it appears that you actually do not have a problem--the driver has a driving problem. Show him the video and tell him to turn it over to his insurance. I would not file a claim. We have had this happen, but we do not pay for driver errors.

 

[carwash1970]

Just wanted to say thank you to all of your responses. My conclusion is that I will pay 50% of the tire and I will also take Reds advice and put up signage to stay in the middle of the bay. I also am thinking about painting yellow tire stripes leading into the automatic bay. Thank y'all again for the help.

 

[Reds]

I also put bright yellow tape on my guide rails and a yellow guide stick on each side where vehicles enter the rails. That helped some, but there are still nitwits who run over the guide sticks and jump the rails. I have even had them crash into my gantry and drive off.