A car owner says they noticed scratches all over their vehicle weeks after going through a gas station car wash, and now they are looking for an affordable way to get rid of them.
The owner shared the damage on the r/Autobody subreddit. They explained that they didn’t pay much attention to the car after the wash and initially drove away happy with how clean it was. However, it wasn’t until weeks later that the owner noticed the scratches.
The vehicle is 10 years old and has just around 63,000 miles on it, according to the owner. However, the owner did not provide any information about what kind of car it is. They want to keep it for as long as possible but do not want to spend a significant amount of money on repairs.
Unfortunately, the owner says they no longer have the receipt from the car wash and have no way to prove it was responsible for the scratches. They are now asking Reddit for tips on removing the scratches affordably.
An Affordable Fix
The owner also admitted that they weren’t particularly knowledgeable about cars but still cared about keeping their vehicle in good condition. Their biggest concern was finding a way to fix the issue without breaking the bank.
One commenter suggested that the owner could file a comprehensive insurance claim, arguing that it would most likely not increase their premium.
A comprehensive claim covers certain types of vehicle damage caused by events other than collisions, such as theft, fire, flooding, and hail. However, whether a claim would cover this kind of damage depends on the owner’s policy and the circumstances surrounding the incident. It is also not guaranteed that filing a claim would leave their premium unchanged.
Without a receipt or other evidence connecting the damage to the car wash, it could prove difficult for the owner to establish that it was responsible.
Others Suggest Different Solutions
Another commenter put it bluntly, arguing that drivers should stick to touchless car washes. They claimed that the brushes and cleaning materials used in automatic washes can accumulate dirt and grit from other vehicles.
The commenter said that debris left behind by other cars could potentially be dragged across a vehicle’s paint during subsequent washes.
Another commenter suggested that the owner get their car detailed to address the scratches. According to the commenter, a detailer could potentially remove around 90% of the scratches.
However, how much detailing could improve the vehicle’s appearance would depend on the severity of the scratches, as deeper scratches may require more extensive repairs.
Not everyone was convinced that a car wash caused the damage. Some commenters questioned why the owner only noticed the scratches weeks later. One user suggested that an animal could have caused them, while another responded that the scratches looked too “mechanically inclined” to have been caused by an animal.
As of this writing, there have been no further updates to the post, so it remains unclear whether the owner was able to file an insurance claim or have the car detailed.