550i Car Wash Damage

from 6 feet away, who's gonna see them swirls? and if they are close enough to see your swirls, they are about to shatter your glass and take your shiit.

Originally Posted by vandyjmf05

Yeah, went to a couple dealers and body shops are recommending a full bumper replacement. Seems like a lot, but I understand that similar issues have occurred and nothing can be done. Still looking around, but of course like you have started a personal boycott of mechanical car washes.

vandyjmf05 , is the car wash paying for this or is this an insurance or out of pocket. There is no way for me to tell the extent of the damage, but after looking at some breakdowns, I really think it may have just popped out some retaining clips or screws. Of course the dealers and body shops need to make money so they are going to tell you that you need a new bumper. But if this is coming out of pocket, I would seriously get a second opinion...
F10 550i Trim cover, rear

]i ran my car through car wash and when it came through the other end a hand sized section of the clear coat was gone. met with the regional service manager of the car wash and he believes that it's likely that his employees had the power wash too close to the car when they were trying to clean the bugs off the front . . . caught a paint chip and ripped the paint off.

got an estimate today . . . $940. the car wash offered to pay with no problem at all. i am now a convert of hand washing

Originally Posted by vandyjmf05

tbod - Thanks for the reply. To clarify, are you saying that on the inside of the panel are push pin connectors and it may be jammed/clogged. And therefore, I can de-clog the connector and push the tip of the panel back in? Does it snap back in? Thanks again.

There are push pin connectors and , if you can get where you can see or feel them, they are probably pulled out. There is a center 'nail' (male side) and you have to push it back in if it's still there. You have to make sure there is no water in the female side or it'll blow the back out and the connector will have to be replaced.

I'm just saying if you can find the male part with your thumb and wiggle the body panel around, it may simply pop back in. Just make sure the car is dry.



Edit...........from the diagram above......#16 is what you're looking for. Blow the female side out with an air hose before you pop it back in just in case.

Originally Posted by gregoryx

]i ran my car through car wash and when it came through the other end a hand sized section of the clear coat was gone. met with the regional service manager of the car wash and he believes that it's likely that his employees had the power wash too close to the car when they were trying to clean the bugs off the front . . . caught a paint chip and ripped the paint off.

got an estimate today . . . $940. the car wash offered to pay with no problem at all. i am now a convert of hand washing

Originally Posted by raleedy

Who in the world would want to own a car that had to be washed by hand? The necktie analogy is completely off base. Washing your car in your driveway pollutes surface and groundwater and loads storm sewers with chemicals and pollution. It's against the law in enlightened countries. I'd have no interest in a car that couldn't come through a car wash undamaged. Mine goes through the mechanical wash once a week or so.

The necktie example was perfect. Your comments are right on - seeing you are from Oregon. Trash my BMW, save a tree. No thanks. Buy a Ford but if you ever buy a Ferarri please don't tell me about...I couldn't bear to hear about you draging that through the car wash. We PREFER to wash by hand...because its the best way to take CARE of it.

I drove my car through a construction zone while it was semi-wet. It's jet black and was covered in dirt spots so bad it looked like a leopard. I was really embarrassed to drive it. I knew I didn't have time to hand wash it so I took it to one of those auto gas station things that I've had luck with in the past. Those things have really come a long way and it did a great job. Wouldn't bat an eye about taking it there again.

Simple rule of thumb is if you don't want to wash the car yourself, then always avoid mechanical car washes at all costs if you have a nice car, instead, just take it to a hand wash. Same price and much safer on the car.

Final Update: Fix required complete replacement of the rear bumper. The bending began at #15/16 on TJPark01's diagram, so there was no easy fix. I had the car wash owner pay for it. If anyone needs a quote for similar damage please PM me.