i went to the car wash today istead of washing the car myself... the car is black, so as we all know, everything and anything shows.

my problem: when i went to get my keys, there were some ugly scratches on the front and back door and bumper (didnt even bother looking at the hood and right side of car)

i spoke to the manager, who told me it wasnt their fault (suprised?).. i told him that the washers never soaked the car/ high pressure washed it before hand washing it with soapy mittens/brushes. he says they never do (which i told him was not true b/c the last time i went there they did high pressure wash it)...

he told me i can see the survailence tape that shows that it couldnt happen... he showed it, and they NEVER pre-soaked the car. they used brushes which apparently "has enough water and soap to take the dirt away" and put it through the tunnel.. and apparently if one or two sections have scratches from their washing style, then the entire car should be scratched up..idiot

he told me he will not do anything, not even buff, unless i can proove to him that he is at fault

im stuck with ugly marks on a nearly brand new car... and i was wondering what i can do to proove him wrong, etc etc.. or other suggestions.. thanks

 

Please tell me you're kidding

 

Wash it yourself always...
Sorry to hear about that. I had a black Z and any grit in the wash mit will *** up the paint bad!

 

Lesson learned, always wash it yourself! Use a grit guard too. Now buy a PC and some Megs 80 or 83 and go to work and itll be like new.

 

WTF? I wouldn't even put my mom's Saturn through that. I am usually tolerant but my gawd...why? Just...why?

FYI...dirt looks a hell of a lot better then scratches on a brand new Z...or anything for that matter.

 

I would make sure paint remover ended up on the managers car

 

i like the way you think

 

I went the touchless spray wash the other day (it was cold) and when I came out there was this guy w/ his punk kid brush washing his new black Maseratti!!! Here I am in my 30k car paying $10 for the full blown touchless spray wash, and this guy doesn't think twice about scrubbing his 100k Italian sports car w/ the community Camaro cleaner. I couldn't believe it (1. Maseratti in Knoxville?? 2. Brush wash??). I'm sure it was scratched all to hell but he never noticed, he pulled off w/ soap all under the rear valance. That thing sounded really good though.

 

Owning a black Z is like having a part-time job. You are far better off investing in high quality washing/polishing/waxing products and tools than spending your $$ on car washes. They will damage your paint (obviously) and disclaim responsibility (predictably). My advice is to stay away from them, period. With my wide wheels and fat rubber, I couldn't even get through their gates--not that I would want to. Wash and polish your car yourself.
There are soooo many good threads here on Porter-Cable polishers, polishes, methods, waxes, etc, etc. I sincerely suggest you search these threads and learn from our experiences. Your efforts will be rewarded.

 

i know i shouldnt have gone.. but i NEEDED a car wash and had no access to do it myself at the moment.. there was a hand wash (which i went to) and a toucheless one at a mobil gas station.. but the touchless one uses high pressure water so freaking pressurized that it ALWAYS strips away my coatSSS of wax and makes my rock chips on my bumper bigger

note to self: get a different color car

 

Its a common problem with car washes: the surface is not properly rinsed. When the brushes hit the car, they pound the dirt into the paint. Little that you can do about it. The back of your receipt begins

We are not responsible...

 

they didnt even rinse the car prior to soaping it with brushes.. i even saw it on survailance when the manager showed it..

is there any way i can get the place to buff n wax my car?

on the other hand.. any good places in LA area when i can get my car nicely waxed and all shined up for a reasonable price?

 

small claims court

 

I would have at least gotten my money back. Then invest in a good polish and wax and go to work.

 

Touchless car washes here never tear my paint off. Actually they do a great job if you're in a hurry. I would never let any kind of brushes touch my car since the local redneck probably just pulled his F350 covered in mud through it. Either hand washed or touchless (and only at 1 touchless place which rinses the best and then blow dries).

 

where can i get this stuff from ... and is a orbital polisher good enough??

i just dont want to end up with swirls on my black beauty

 

I think a random orbital polisher will be just fine. In fact, it is preferable to more aggressive polishers unless you have lots of experience w/ them. You can get a Porter-Cable orbital polisher @ you local Loew's-about $100, or do a google search for online sellers.
Personally, I like Lake Country pads, w/ the flexible velcro wheel on the P-C. Orange pad if you think you really need that much cut, but otherwise, white pads for initial polishing and black pads for final, pre-wax polishing. Lake Country pads are online, too.
For polishes (and this is just my opinion) I like Menzerna Intensive Polish, 1/2x/yr, Menzerna Final Polish, 3-4x/yr, and Meguires NXT paste wax, about every other weekend. There are lots of good polishes and waxes out there as well as step by step directions on P-C use. The search function will yield you soooo much information. It's one of the best aspects of this forum. Good luck.

 

Easy on the Camaro comments ....