Central Auto Service

Response:To Whom It May Concern: Tay Van Car Wash has been in business since I personally have been with the company since 1978, and have been the [redacted] since During the entire history of the company, we have had a very good reputation in the communityWe are known for our service, honesty, and integrityWe have always gone above and beyond in dealing with all customer complaintsI would imagine we have an excellent report with the Revdex.com, since this is the first complaint we have ever received from your agency in the years I have been operating the car washWith that being said, it doesn’t change the mind of a customer, who thinks we scratched her carIn my expert opinion, I know with all certainty, the scratches on her vehicle were not caused by the car washWhen the customer in question came in to report the scratches, I was not on site, so she spoke to my [redacted] At that time, the customer and [redacted] had a very difficult time seeing the scratches on the vehicleThe customer said, “They are hard to see if you are not in the direct sunlight”My [redacted] explained to the customer that he did not believe the scratches in question were caused by the car washHe also told the customer she should return to the car wash and talk to meWhen she did return, and I was able to fully inspect her car, it was so dirty we could not see any scratchesIt was covered in road dust, just one day after washing her carI asked her if she lived on a dirt road, and she said noIt is important to mention that I was present when we originally washed her car and clearly remember (as do my employees) that her wheel wells were covered and caked with thick mud, but the body of her vehicle was fairly cleanMy employees and I all commented at the time that it looked like she previously washed her car at another car wash, but that car wash left all of the mud underneath her wheel wellsIt was an odd circumstance, so those details stood out to all of usWe proceeded to pressure wash mud off her car by hand, and send the car through the car washI also want to mention, that when the customer returned to discuss the scratches, again it was covered with a thick layer of road dustDue to the condition of the car, I again suspected that the vehicle had been on a dirt roadHer car had so much dirt and dust on it that we could not locate scratchesI asked the customer if we could wash her car, without charge, so we could see the scratches, as brushing away dust from a dirty vehicle can cause scratches, and it would be safer for us to examine her carShe agreed to let us wash her car, and after hand drying it, we could see the scratches in questionAs I examined her car, I noticed many flaws in her paintThe scratches that she said were not there before washing her car, ran in a vertical directionAll of the cloth brushes in our wash travel in a horizontal direction, while the vehicle’s tires (front and rear) are pushed on a track through the wash by a conveyorAll vehicles are obviously shaped differently, but are washed in the same uniformed mannerIt is impossible to scratch a vertical line while all soft cloth brushed rotate horizontallyThe scratch in her right rear taillight lens is a deep scratch, caused by something very aggressive that ran along itThat particular scratch does run horizontal, unlike the other scratches in questionI tried to explain to the customer that the only way our system could, but unlikely, scratch a car in a horizontal pattern, is if we tore off a loose piece of chrome or some kind of metal from the previous vehicle we washed, just before we washed her car, and that foreign object became lodged inside a cloth brushIf this were the case, this hypothetical metal object would have made a loud and jarring clanging sound all the way through the car wash tunnelEven in this unlikely scenario, the rotation of the brushes would cause a scratch pattern that would start at the front end of the car and proceed all the way down the vehicleThe horizontal scratches in question, are isolated to the rear taillightI spent 30-minutes with the customer, looking over her carShe was very polite and our interactions were amicableWhile examining her car, I noticed 3-cat paw mark/scratches on her hood, caused by allowing cats to walk on the gritty dirt on her vehicleThese were full paw marksThe customer commented and said her cats got on her hood, causing the marksI also noted and pointed out the obvious buffer marks on the body of the vehicleIt is my belief, the car dealership that sold her the used car tried to cover up a lot of paint flaws by attempting to buff the scratches outThis is a common practice in the used car industryThe customer mentioned to me twice, that her car was “brand new”It is 2016! She purchased the car from a used car lotIt is my expert opinion that all the scratches in question were definitely not caused by the car washWhile we have always tried to go above and beyond for our customers, and take care of complaints or damage claims, I cannot with good conscious accommodate the complainantThat same integrity that I have operated under for all the many years will not allow me to award a claim that has no meritRespectfully, [redacted] Tay-Van Car Wash [redacted]

Response:To Whom It May Concern: Tay Van Car Wash has been in business since 1976. I personally have been with the company since 1978, and have been the [redacted] since 1980. During the entire history of the company, we have had a very good reputation in the community. We are known for our...

service, honesty, and integrity. We have always gone above and beyond in dealing with all customer complaints. I would imagine we have an excellent report with the Revdex.com, since this is the first complaint we have ever received from your agency in the 36 years I have been operating the car wash. With that being said, it doesn’t change the mind of a customer, who thinks we scratched her car. In my expert opinion, I know with all certainty, the scratches on her vehicle were not caused by the car wash. When the customer in question came in to report the scratches, I was not on site, so she spoke to my [redacted]. At that time, the customer and [redacted] had a very difficult time seeing the scratches on the vehicle. The customer said, “They are hard to see if you are not in the direct sunlight”. My [redacted] explained to the customer that he did not believe the scratches in question were caused by the car wash. He also told the customer she should return to the car wash and talk to me. When she did return, and I was able to fully inspect her car, it was so dirty we could not see any scratches. It was covered in road dust, just one day after washing her car. I asked her if she lived on a dirt road, and she said no. It is important to mention that I was present when we originally washed her car and clearly remember (as do my employees) that her wheel wells were covered and caked with thick mud, but the body of her vehicle was fairly clean. My employees and I all commented at the time that it looked like she previously washed her car at another car wash, but that car wash left all of the mud underneath her wheel wells. It was an odd circumstance, so those details stood out to all of us. We proceeded to pressure wash mud off her car by hand, and send the car through the car wash. I also want to mention, that when the customer returned to discuss the scratches, again it was covered with a thick layer of road dust. Due to the condition of the car, I again suspected that the vehicle had been on a dirt road. Her car had so much dirt and dust on it that we could not locate scratches. I asked the customer if we could wash her car, without charge, so we could see the scratches, as brushing away dust from a dirty vehicle can cause scratches, and it would be safer for us to examine her car. She agreed to let us wash her car, and after hand drying it, we could see the scratches in question. As I examined her car, I noticed many flaws in her paint. The scratches that she said were not there before washing her car, ran in a vertical direction. All of the cloth brushes in our wash travel in a horizontal direction, while the vehicle’s tires (front and rear) are pushed on a track through the wash by a conveyor. All vehicles are obviously shaped differently, but are washed in the same uniformed manner. It is impossible to scratch a vertical line while all soft cloth brushed rotate horizontally. The scratch in her right rear taillight lens is a deep scratch, caused by something very aggressive that ran along it. That particular scratch does run horizontal, unlike the other scratches in question. I tried to explain to the customer that the only way our system could, but unlikely, scratch a car in a horizontal pattern, is if we tore off a loose piece of chrome or some kind of metal from the previous vehicle we washed, just before we washed her car, and that foreign object became lodged inside a cloth brush. If this were the case, this hypothetical metal object would have made a loud and jarring clanging sound all the way through the car wash tunnel. Even in this unlikely scenario, the rotation of the brushes would cause a scratch pattern that would start at the front end of the car and proceed all the way down the vehicle. The horizontal scratches in question, are isolated to the rear taillight. I spent 30-40 minutes with the customer, looking over her car. She was very polite and our interactions were amicable. While examining her car, I noticed 3-4 cat paw mark/scratches on her hood, caused by allowing cats to walk on the gritty dirt on her vehicle. These were full paw marks. The customer commented and said her cats got on her hood, causing the marks. I also noted and pointed out the obvious buffer marks on the body of the vehicle. It is my belief, the car dealership that sold her the used car tried to cover up a lot of paint flaws by attempting to buff the scratches out. This is a common practice in the used car industry. The customer mentioned to me twice, that her 2014 car was “brand new”. It is 2016! She purchased the car from a used car lot. It is my expert opinion that all the scratches in question were definitely not caused by the car wash. While we have always tried to go above and beyond for our customers, and take care of complaints or damage claims, I cannot with good conscious accommodate the complainant. That same integrity that I have operated under for all the many years will not allow me to award a claim that has no merit. Respectfully, [redacted] Tay-Van Car Wash [redacted]