follow ft86club on our blog, twitter or facebook.
FT86CLUB
Ft86Club
Delicious Tuning
Register Garage Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB > Technical Topics > Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash, Wax, Detailing, Body Repairs)

Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash, Wax, Detailing, Body Repairs) Wash, Wax, Details, Repairs


User Tag List

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-18-2021, 03:50 PM   #1
norcalpb
Senior Member
 
norcalpb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Drives: 2013 BRZ, 2023 Model 3
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 2,289
Thanks: 1,208
Thanked 853 Times in 565 Posts
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Automatic car wash took off clear coat (maybe paint too)

Hello guys,

Well yesterday I went on a drive with some buddies so I wanted a quick car wash before hand. Went through an automated car wash that is either touchless or touch depending on how expensive the wash you buy. I did touch less and everything seemed fine until I got home and witnessed this mess.

It looks like the sprayer jets got so close to the bumper/hood it did some damage. The hood may be OK, as the clear bra sacrificed it’s life to protect the paint. The bumper however, has racing stripes on it now. It looks like the coat is completely gone but I don’t think it made it down to primer as there is still sparkle in the affected areas.

I talked to the manager of the gas station (I felt like a Karen asking for her) but the manager informed me the owner is out until tomorrow (Tuesday 10/19) and will have to call me then. She then said the owner probably won’t do anything which was frustrating to hear but that is a battle for another day.

Now, here are the points going against me. The paint is not oem. It was painted on by a hit or miss body shop 6 years ago. A good friend of mine told me paint doesn’t last forever and will become susceptible to damage especially with high power water jets.

So in closing my questions are:

1. Should I insist the owner repair my bumper through their insurance?

2. Can this be repaired without replacing the bumper?

3. If I put an 86 front end on my car, is my car still a BRZ?

TIA,
Steve

Pictures:






norcalpb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2021, 04:49 PM   #2
FR-S2GT86
Master Collaborator
 
FR-S2GT86's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Drives: Was '15 FR-S, 6MT, Now '15 GT86
Location: West Virginia, USA
Posts: 1,394
Thanks: 208
Thanked 985 Times in 597 Posts
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by norcalpb View Post
Hello guys,

Well yesterday I went on a drive with some buddies so I wanted a quick car wash before hand. Went through an automated car wash that is either touchless or touch depending on how expensive the wash you buy. I did touch less and everything seemed fine until I got home and witnessed this mess.

It looks like the sprayer jets got so close to the bumper/hood it did some damage. The hood may be OK, as the clear bra sacrificed it’s life to protect the paint. The bumper however, has racing stripes on it now. It looks like the coat is completely gone but I don’t think it made it down to primer as there is still sparkle in the affected areas.

I talked to the manager of the gas station (I felt like a Karen asking for her) but the manager informed me the owner is out until tomorrow (Tuesday 10/19) and will have to call me then. She then said the owner probably won’t do anything which was frustrating to hear but that is a battle for another day.

Now, here are the points going against me. The paint is not oem. It was painted on by a hit or miss body shop 6 years ago. A good friend of mine told me paint doesn’t last forever and will become susceptible to damage especially with high power water jets.

So in closing my questions are:

1. Should I insist the owner repair my bumper through their insurance?

2. Can this be repaired without replacing the bumper?

3. If I put an 86 front end on my car, is my car still a BRZ?

TIA,
Steve

Pictures:







Most paint jobs, if done properly, will survive a touch-free wash. My complaint wouldn't be aimed at the car wash owner, but rather the shop that did the paint job. But if it's been six years, you're probably out of luck in getting them to fix it for free, unless there was some kind of written warranty on the job that would cover it.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.ac View Post
My pubes are shaped like the number 86. There for I’m car. Derp
Count to muffens and call again.
I’m 40. So....... say hi to your sisters or daughters.
FR-S2GT86 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to FR-S2GT86 For This Useful Post:
Desertnate (03-13-2023), norcalpb (10-19-2021), soundman98 (10-18-2021)
Old 10-18-2021, 04:53 PM   #3
norcalpb
Senior Member
 
norcalpb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Drives: 2013 BRZ, 2023 Model 3
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 2,289
Thanks: 1,208
Thanked 853 Times in 565 Posts
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by FR-S2GT86 View Post
Most paint jobs, if done properly, will survive a touch-free wash. My complaint wouldn't be aimed at the car wash owner, but rather the shop that did the paint job. But if it's been six years, you're probably out of luck in getting them to fix it for free, unless there was some kind of written warranty on the job that would cover it.
It’s survived close to 100 touchless washes in its life though. I did put some bug and tar remover in that area recently, does that cause paint to become brittle enough for this to happen?

I’ll check with the body shop and see how long the warranty is for.
norcalpb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2021, 05:30 PM   #4
VIP BRZ
Senior Member
 
VIP BRZ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Drives: 2014 Subaru BRZ
Location: CA - San Fernando Valley
Posts: 492
Thanks: 242
Thanked 333 Times in 179 Posts
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Dear lord, they fucked your shit up..

Id say that was a malfuctioning touchless wash system, touchless?! it literally slapped the clear coat off your car
VIP BRZ is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to VIP BRZ For This Useful Post:
norcalpb (10-19-2021)
Old 10-18-2021, 07:53 PM   #5
norcalpb
Senior Member
 
norcalpb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Drives: 2013 BRZ, 2023 Model 3
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 2,289
Thanks: 1,208
Thanked 853 Times in 565 Posts
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by VIP BRZ View Post
Dear lord, they fucked your shit up..

Id say that was a malfuctioning touchless wash system, touchless?! it literally slapped the clear coat off your car
At first I was actually really impressed with how close the nozzles were getting, like it must have a really smart computer or something. Had no idea until I got home to dry it off more…

I have an appointment tomorrow to get an estimate on a re-spray, I’ll let everyone know how much that is.
norcalpb is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to norcalpb For This Useful Post:
VIP BRZ (10-19-2021)
Old 10-18-2021, 11:22 PM   #6
soundman98
ProCrastinationConsultant
 
soundman98's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Drives: '14 Ranger, '18 Tacoma 4Dr LB
Location: chicago-ish
Posts: 11,326
Thanks: 35,214
Thanked 13,661 Times in 6,778 Posts
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Considering it took off the clear bra, I think there was an issue with the machine.

Just calmly take to the manager/owner about it. Getting irate won't help.

Given the original respray, it's likely they'd be willing to meet you halfwayish- no respray, but new clear bra on their dime
__________________
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time"
soundman98 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to soundman98 For This Useful Post:
norcalpb (10-19-2021)
Old 10-19-2021, 02:10 PM   #7
norcalpb
Senior Member
 
norcalpb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Drives: 2013 BRZ, 2023 Model 3
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 2,289
Thanks: 1,208
Thanked 853 Times in 565 Posts
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quote:
Originally Posted by soundman98 View Post
Considering it took off the clear bra, I think there was an issue with the machine.

Just calmly take to the manager/owner about it. Getting irate won't help.

Given the original respray, it's likely they'd be willing to meet you halfwayish- no respray, but new clear bra on their dime
Yeah this has been one of the only times I’m not that upset at damage to my car since my front bumper is cracked 5 different ways to Sunday.

Still waiting on a call back from the owner (she owns a 2021 Macan GTS so I think she’ll get it)

Body shop quoted me $750 if I bring them a brand new primered bumper, or $1k if they need to strip the paint off my old bumper. Both prices require me to bring them a trim-less bumper and to install it myself which I actually don’t mind at all.

Seems like this is a good job for insurance if the gas station owner doesn’t see it my way, but I have reservations about running a brand new painted bumper on track. Something could happen that would make me REALLY mad LOL.
norcalpb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2021, 08:30 PM   #8
soundman98
ProCrastinationConsultant
 
soundman98's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Drives: '14 Ranger, '18 Tacoma 4Dr LB
Location: chicago-ish
Posts: 11,326
Thanks: 35,214
Thanked 13,661 Times in 6,778 Posts
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
for track use? just vinyl wrap it. could even do it in carbon fiber. for lightness.
__________________
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time"
soundman98 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to soundman98 For This Useful Post:
NoHaveMSG (10-19-2021), norcalpb (10-19-2021)
Old 10-20-2021, 11:13 AM   #9
Tcoat
Senior Member
 
Tcoat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Drives: 2020 Hakone
Location: London, Ont
Posts: 69,845
Thanks: 61,656
Thanked 108,283 Times in 46,456 Posts
Mentioned: 2494 Post(s)
Tagged: 50 Thread(s)
Not sure about that station but every single one I have ever seen has a big sign out front that says “not responsible for damage”.
Looks like it is a combination of bad paint and close jets to me so may be hard to assign responsibility to just one place anyway.
Even though you have had many wash’s before you may have just got some chips that let the pressure get under the paint and off it goes.
The repair costs are pretty reasonable though so the wash owner may work with you just to avoid a bad rep. Worth a shot.
__________________
Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar, because Racecar.
Tcoat is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Tcoat For This Useful Post:
norcalpb (10-25-2021)
Old 12-09-2021, 02:53 PM   #10
norcalpb
Senior Member
 
norcalpb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Drives: 2013 BRZ, 2023 Model 3
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 2,289
Thanks: 1,208
Thanked 853 Times in 565 Posts
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
An update:

Gas station got back to my text after a full month, saying they are not covering anything.

Turns out my insurance deductible is $100 so I decided just to go through insurance.

I ask the body shop guy if they can replace my messed up bumper and he said no since it was just a paint job. I agreed but then asked if he could remove the damaged clear bra as part of this and he agreed.

He calls me 2 days ago saying the clear bra is so stuck on it’s pulling paint off my hood. Wtf. They even had a specialty shop come out with their steam gun and same results.

They have now decided to repaint my entire hood and blend the fenders lol.

I get a call today saying “he, you know your bumper is completely broken in some areas?” I say yes, and he says that he’ll give me a 10% discount on a new front bumper so I agree.

Should have the car back tomorrow, Monday, or possibly even later.

But what would you guys do about the gas station owners response? Should I insist he pay the $100 deductible?
norcalpb is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to norcalpb For This Useful Post:
NoHaveMSG (12-09-2021), soundman98 (12-09-2021), Tcoat (12-10-2021)
Old 12-09-2021, 06:16 PM   #11
Decep
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2017
Drives: 2013 FR-S Series 10
Location: CA
Posts: 1,073
Thanks: 172
Thanked 497 Times in 326 Posts
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
You can insist whatever you want but sounds like you'll need to take them to small claims court if you want anything out of them.
__________________
2013 FR-S 10 Series ~75k (SOLD)
RCE SS-1 Coilovers
Corsa Catback
Edelbrock Supercharger installed @ 50k
Decep is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Decep For This Useful Post:
norcalpb (12-09-2021)
Old 12-09-2021, 07:46 PM   #12
soundman98
ProCrastinationConsultant
 
soundman98's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Drives: '14 Ranger, '18 Tacoma 4Dr LB
Location: chicago-ish
Posts: 11,326
Thanks: 35,214
Thanked 13,661 Times in 6,778 Posts
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Not worth the hassle. You'll spend more than $100 just in time to get them to pay
__________________
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time"
soundman98 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to soundman98 For This Useful Post:
norcalpb (12-10-2021), Tcoat (12-10-2021)
Old 12-10-2021, 09:20 AM   #13
ThatYeti
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Drives: BRZ
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 191
Thanks: 43
Thanked 25 Times in 23 Posts
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Unfortunate to be sure, but if you want to get anything out of the car wash i'd go take photos of any sort of disclosures they may have leading into the wash itself that my absolve them from any issues you may have. From there you can see what state level agency you may be able to have lean on them, assuming you have a case at all. That will cost time but not any sort of filing fee or having to make a court date.
ThatYeti is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to ThatYeti For This Useful Post:
norcalpb (12-10-2021)
Old 12-10-2021, 11:40 PM   #14
radroach
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Drives: car
Location: usa
Posts: 2,162
Thanks: 1,028
Thanked 867 Times in 530 Posts
Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
I've learned after changing out my headlights that pressure washing really damages the sensitive film on them, and got me to re-think how much pressure I use when cleaning cars. So now I use a leaf blower to do most of the pre-blasting of debris, and use a much gentler water spray when cleaning paint.
radroach is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to radroach For This Useful Post:
Busybee (12-13-2021)
 
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Paint/clear coat side skirts in South Bay? iceblaze Southern California 2 04-05-2018 01:07 AM
FS: Brand new Toyota factory Raven & Clear Coat touch-up paint Ray McCooney Cleaning and Detailing 9 09-19-2017 05:14 PM
Using OEM paint touch up pen/brush, am I supposed to apply clear coat over it? tracerit Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash, Wax, Detailing, Body Repairs) 7 05-24-2016 04:02 AM
Guys i dont know if its clear coat chip or paint chip.. HELP BRZ_Kamil Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash, Wax, Detailing, Body Repairs) 13 05-19-2014 10:23 PM
Opti Coat, How do you wash? Davesta619 Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash, Wax, Detailing, Body Repairs) 6 10-25-2013 04:23 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:19 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Garage vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.