Pictures of damaged cars, trucks, and SUVs continue to flood the Ask Anthony inbox.
The team has received emails and phone calls from many of you who have had your vehicles damaged after going through an automatic car wash. We know this can be a frustrating process.
Just a few weeks ago, the Ask Anthony team was able to help Pete Fenga get reimbursed for the damage done to his truck by machines at a LUV car wash in St. Augustine.
"I have a black Dodge Ram. It burned the paint all over the place," Fenga explained.
In March, Ronny Schnall contacted Anthony Austin for help after noticing damage to his daughter's car at a location in St. Johns County. Representatives with LUV car wash said they checked the cameras and there were signs of pre-existing damage before the vehicle entered the car wash tunnel.
"I feel like I'm the bad dad in this situation who said go get your car done and this happens. She comes out with $1,400 damage," Schnall said in a previous interview.
Anthony has been in constant contact with Nick Parry, the Southeast Regional Director of Operations for LUV Car Wash about these issues.
Parry drove down to Jacksonville to answer questions about damage claims.
"We're dealing with machines. Things happen. If something does happen, and it is clearly our fault, we will accept fault and pay for the damage," Parry said.
That's what happened with Pete Fenga. Parry said it was clear that the machines damaged his truck, so the car wash accepted fault and will pay for his truck paint repairs.
However, Parry says that's not always the case.
"You would be surprised. At least 70% to 80% of the damage is clear on the camera before they pull into the tunnel," Parry explained.
Parry says customers need to check the interior and exterior of their cars, before and after a car wash, for damage. If you wait until you get home, it will be difficult to prove where or when the damage occurred.
If there is damage, let the car wash manager know as soon as possible.
"The first thing a customer should do is notify the attendant or find the manager and then fill out an incident report or damage claim. Once we get all the information, we need some time to investigate it. We want to look at the cameras. Sometimes we pull up car history and kind of do the investigation on our side to see what actually transpired," Parry responded.
Ask Anthony Advice: If you have proof that the damage happened at the car wash, and the owner refuses to cover the cost of repairs, your insurance may pay for it. You also have the option of taking the owner to small claims court. For a strong case, make sure the damage and condition of the vehicle is well-documented.