wreck111

Run it though the wash again with the manager there and see if you get anymore. If you do, then you know they have a problem.

QUA77R0

They offered and as soon as they started to drive it into the track, it was apparent that the edge of the rim was below the protective barrier and could easily hit the welds that stick out further along the track. I was only in Newport Beach for 2 days so I could not risk them damaging the wheel or tire further. I live approximately 500 miles away so going back again will be difficult which is why I photographed the track as well as the wheel.

While I was showing the manager the damage and we were trying to determine where it happened, an R8 pulled in for a wash. I told the manager to go ahead and wash the R8 and then I'll see his wheel when he comes out. The manager actually laughed and told me that nothing would happen to the R8 wheel because I, not the car wash, was responsible for bringing him a pre damaged car. Sorry but that is BS. So what happened to the R8?.... They pulled the R8 up to the track and then they came out of the car wash and washed it at the entrance to the car wash... ???? WTH... that was why I paid for a hand wax....I assumed that then they wouldn't run it through the track. I found the manager and asked him why they weren't running the R8 through the car wash. He said it didn't fit. I reminded him that he had told me that they wash Corvettes with "much wider and lower tires than your Audi". I told him that the R8 did not have wider tires/wheels than a Corvette. He then changed the story to the R8 being too LOW for the track and that was why it was not being run on the track. I think they just got nervous with me standing there waiting, camera in hand.

I got a voicemail from the regional manager who said I might be able to reach him later this morning. Keeping my fingers crossed that he is a reasonable guy and hopefully they have video that he can review and see that I am being completely honest.

JD15

When I buy new wheels for the summer, I will be forced to go to the dealer, as I don't trust the independent tire shops with nice wheels or low-profile tires. I didn't use the dealer in the past because they're not open on the weekend, which will interfere with my work schedule and likely force me to take at least half a day off.

trentbg

Terrible story! But from my experience, I never took any of my cars to car wash place, no meter hand or auto and the morale is, if you want your car properly cleaned, do it yourself, or drive it dirty till when you have time to wash.

quality_sound

I'd call your insurance company and have THEM go after the car wash especially since they claim to have filed a claim. I have a feeling they'll be MUCH more able to get something out of them.

WAAAAAAAY back in the day I worked at a car wash and it also had a track and we had a policy of riding in cars with low profile tires and making sure the wheels stayed against the inside of the track. On the rare occasion a wheel was damaged we generally looked at the condition of the car and the other wheels to determining what, if anything, would be done. Some people were obviously looking for free stuff but others had genuine gripes and we always hooked them up.

QUA77R0

I don't think that the dealer is any better than anywhere else that uses similar equipment for mounting/balancing. In my experience it comes down to the skill/care of the operator. I recently had ContiSport 3's installed and the installer was either careless or inattentive because when I arrived to pick up the Avant, I noticed a 2 inch wide gash in the rim lip of one of the rear wheels. These were brand new (less than 2k miles) as Audi had just replaced all 4 wheels after they all cracked. The width of the gash was obviously a tire spoon. I tried talking to the manager about it and he said that he would pay to have it fixed but not replace it. I then went to the regional manager and after a bit of haggling (he admitted that he was trying to support the manager who had made the call to repair not replace) he agreed that it should just be replaced so they ordered a new wheel from Audi. Granted I have spent more than $12k with these guys for tires in the last 6-7 years so that gave me some extra leverage.

The same shop did installed new PS2's on my HRE's without any problem. I saw the same young man there that did that install and asked him how/why something like this had happened and yet he had had no trouble putting tires on the HRE's. He told me it was because he was terrified of damaging them since each was several months salary for him. So a bit of extra care seems to make all the difference.

QUA77R0

If these wheels were HRE's or some other expensive forged wheel brand, I wouldn't hesitate to contact the insurance company but these Audi wheels only cost ~$400 each which is less than my $500 deductible. And wouldn't it also ding my insurance as a claim, possibly raising my rates?

JD15

I don't have an immense level of confidence in my dealer, but I think they may be more willing to rectify a mistake, because I purchased my car from them and use them for service. The tire shop that scratched my wheels also smeared grease on my headliner and seats, so the workers there clearly take no pride in their work. I am considering purchasing forged BBS rims for the summer, but after the ordeal with my stock rims, I am hesitant to entrust any tire shop with expensive wheels.

keithandstef

By the way. Pretty insensitive of me not to share in your anguish a bit. This whole situation sucks and am sorry you're having to deal with it at all. Nice ride.

Blake P

Sorry to see this. I took my car to a hand wash place in Costa Mesa when I was in SoCal shortly after buying my HRE's and I insisted that they not take it through the track, even though they swore it wouldn't cause any damage. Best case, the wheels still rub the track guards and cause some minor damage that isn't really visible... worst case, well you already know that...

FWIW, I've got a place who can repair those to like new (looking) condition without even taking the wheels off your car.