Beware the car wash
 

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I know I've read threads where people give their opinions on the pros and cons of using a car wash (or as my 5 - year old calls it, the wash car), but I've never had any problems in my 40+ years of driving. Until 2 weeks ago. I didn't notice it until a week later. At first I thought someone had just yanked it off. Then, I remembered going through the car wash. Went back and they had the part. I was happy to see this and that they didn't just throw it out and play ignorant. I filled out a customer service report and was contacted by a rep from higher up the command chain. At first he tried to get me to agree it was loose before I entered by showing me some photos. "Looks like a shadow to me." I said. After a little back and forth like this the rep says they'll cover it.

My dealer's body shop quoted $300. The flair doesn't come painted so they need to match it. Car wash asked me to go through their body shop which also does a lot of work for several dealerships close by. I agreed to have them look at it and give an estimate. Haven't visited them yet, but looked up their name. Saw some mixed reviews, but every body shop seems to have the same. Some of the complaints are focused on rental car issues, which might better directed at the insurance company, but . . . we'll see how it goes.

What type of car wash was this? Not a "touchless" i assume?

I’m assuming it was not a touchless car wash? I’m too afraid I’ll get scratches and stuff from anything but a “touchless” car wash. Glad they finally owned up to it but if they had thrown the part away they would have told you “see ya!”

you reading my mind?? Lol

Haha yep! Was thinking exactly same thing. The only carwash i go to is like 10 miles from my house, touchless and is big enough i dont have to fold in mirrors! But 99% of time I hand wash.

Dam what is it with f150 and car wash .

haha i feel ya. The only one I’ve found that my truck will fit in is on my way home from work which is about 30 minutes from my house. Other than that I have to hand wash it. Every one of the ones near me have the rails on the ground that are not wide enough for the truck to drive into. :wallbash:

that's pretty crazy. i do use a full touch car wash in the winter, and haven't had that issue, but I find they do a crappy job. big areas on the doors and tailgate sometimes don't even look touched. Sucks, but it's the salt life here in the midwest so you just have to get it off there sometimes.

Touch-less leave a film that builds up over the winter, no problems with the touch style so far, knock on wood.

When I was in high school and into college I worked at a car wash. If you want no damage whatsoever, touchless is the way to go. If you want it clean, soft cloth.

I always do soft cloth.

No, not touchless. But, it's the newest of their 18 or so soft cloth locations around OR and WA.

90% of the time I wash it myself, but just get lazy sometimes. And, my son loves to ride through the "wash car".

Also appreciate they owned up and I let them know this.

Ha ~ I thought the same thing about the flair. You wonder if it was not installed as well as the others.

This place does a good job getting it clean. It just cleaned the front wheel well a little too aggressively this time.

That's an uncalled for ASSumption on your part.

Judging from the wheel well radius dirt line I'd say it was pretty tightly attached.

I use the self-wash, can wash the whole truck for $4.50 vs. $8 for the cheapest automatic car wash. It's a lot better when I'm just trying to hose off some dirt or road salt or something.

my car wash is hand wash.. instead of brushes they have humans with smocks inside the car wash washing the truck down .. its also 1 price no matter how big or small your car is

Don't have time or drive to hand was my truck. I don't take it to shows so a little swirls aren't important to me. Glad they admitted to the damage. This stuff happens to cars as well.

First and last time I ran my magnetic F150 through the car wash cost me just under $200 to have all the scratches buffed out. OP is lucky that they will cover it. Here they all have a sign "not responsible......"
Now I hand wash or use the DIY wand carwash

That's what I was thinking. Built Ford Tough. LOL ha ha ha NOT !!!

I got through a brushed car wash alot and never seen this happen... Kinda funny but not really. :(

Ford has gone down hill for sure...

I use a touchless Car Wash, I always take my Antenna off because High pressure water and air blowing on it to dry I've never had a Problem

I bring two homer buckets and telescoping wash mitt to the high pressure bays. Fill up the bucket with water at the bay, the other bucket as a rinse bucket, choose the soap mode and have at it. Under $8.00 and a clean car.

I used a touchless car wash once and the water pressure was so high I thought it was going to dent the hood and roof. It did strip more than half the tape pinstripes off both sides of the truck. I only hand wash my vehicles now.

I use touchless only, have not had a problem, but it doesn't fully clean, always leaves a thin film. Once I get home I get out the waterless wash and a few towels and give it a once over to get rid of the rest, but only during the winter, I hand wash the rest of the year.

As far as that fender lip goes, I found mine were glued on as well ad clips. There was double sided tapes on the rear flares on my 16. I tried to pop them off when I was installing my liners and flaps and discovered that I couldn't without ruining the tape.

Only run mine through the car wash in the winter. It's not touchless but there aren't any around here so it's brush or nothing. I've never had a problem with scratches on my last 3 trucks so perhaps I'm lucky. I would never run my vette through but then I don't drive it durring the winter... lol.

It's either leave the brine/salt/dirt on it or take it though the car wash. Leaving the salt brine on your vehicle is a recipe for disaster long term imo. I'll take my chances with the car wash....

That's surprising, all the self wash bays here have big signs that say "NO BUCKET WASHING" and if they catch you doing it, they will run you off!

Don't see any good doubled sided automotive tape on the fender well, is it on the trim piece? If not, then the install was pretty shabby for sure.

I've taken mine with my Bak Flip through a couple of times this winter. No damage to the cover. But now weather is getting nice again, I wash it at home by hand. Actually after the touchless, I go home and finish in the garage with a rinse less wash.

There s not supposed to be double sided tape. i removed several of these to install bushwackers and not one set had double sided tape,they simply pop in with plastic clips.

Exactly. There are about 9 clips on them - no tape.

Yup. No tape on there. Bunch of clips. Where you see the yellow on the right side, that piece is supposed to be connected to the flair making one piece, but it snapped off leaving the clip behind. So, new flair is needed. The dealer said they could have put the old one back on but it would not be very secure. I said "no thanks."

I can't believe you didn't hear that being ripped off. I have pulled the first three clips from the front of the flairs when replacing headlights using a trim tool. Not only is it difficult it is noisy. I also can't believe that the Ford installer messed up either. It would be pretty obvious going down the production line that something wasn't right.

I can only assume that one of the bristles caught a gap on the leading edge of the flair and ripped it off.

So I assume that you went to the colored teddy bear car wash? I have an annual membership to them and use it at least weekly, never had a scratch. The only issue I ever had was when the lady in front of me stepped on her brakes and I rear ended her, not a car wash issue.

Just bad luck, sorry that happened to your truck.

Funny, the rear flares on my 2016 did have double sided tape on them.

Well actually....this is a trim piece. That has no bearing on the function of the vehicle. You can still offroad, launch from a light, etc.....with a missing wheel well flare.

People that rag on the "toughness" based on a trim piece coming off are the same people that root for a football team because they like the color of their uniforms..................

I am 66 years old and wife is 62. Ya'all just need to get off your butts and hand wash.
However, I do understand if you live up north there is the occasional need to take it into a spray booth and hose off the salt now and then.

Some of us like myself live in condo complexes that do not allow washing on the property due to drains that feed directly into the local river instead going through the city sewer system.

It has nothing to do with my butt when it is 15 below zero.:jester:

I disagree. It it about us not wanting to get our butts cold! LOL

I take my trucks through automatic washes all the time and I don't care what anyone thinks about it.

I used to mostly power wash my vehicles myself at self serv places, but they are dang near as expensive as an automatic wash these days. Part of that is it just takes longer to properly wash an F-150 than a Mustang, especially if you use it as a truck. Time is something I have a lot less of compared to 20 years ago when I was a single guy living in an apartment. My vehicles today are tools, not toys, and are treated as such. Yeah automatic washes may leave some superficial swirl marks, but they are no worse than the door dings I get from parking lots. I'm not going to worry about it.

I used to pride myself on being able to get the self spray wash done with the minimum 6 quarters. Now that I am retired it seems to take me 7. When I start needing the handicap parking spots, I will weigh back in.

My 16 Race Red has been through the soft brush/cloth car wash at least 100 times. Zero scratches, zero swirl marks and I have never waxed or polished my truck. It did bend my antenna so I bought a shorty rubber antenna.

You may very well not notice them but I'd bet my life on it you have swirl marks in it. Next time sun is shining look at the reflection of the sun on the paint, you'll see them.

When I was shopping for my truck and my wifes Lexus all the new cars and trucks on the dealer lots already had them.
The dealers pay those services to come through and wash to keep them nice for potential customers.
They use dirt filled shammies and cotton towels on hundreds of cars a day and introduce swirl marks in the clear coats.

This pic is the day after I bought my latest 2018 Platinum... Came home and spent about 3 hours 2-stage polishing the clear to remove swirls. Most people don't realize what their paint could look like or simply don't have the time or concern.
I enjoy drinking beers listing to my garage stereo while tinkering on the cars so for me its fun.. To others its a chore which I get.

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Don't really have a choice for about 4-5 months out of the year here in North Dakota. Got to -55 here one day this winter. I go thru a soft brush but it is what you gotta do. Thankfully they don't salt around here, just dirt the roads.