Cracked Windshield Thanks to Carwash

[pigsareus]

Talking about my shark? Got it from a MTC member.

Indeed!

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[MaverickDragon]

Can car washes actually dissolve themselves of any damage to your vehicle ?

They can attempt to dissolve themselves, but it typically takes the correct solvent.

 

[MaverickDragon]

It wasn't till I was able to replace it with a new car until I got my first date and lost my veganity at 45 years age

So you waited until 45 to eat any meat?
Was "veganity" just a habit or a lifestyle choice?

 

[DGMavLove]

The chip came from the carwash. I plan to have entire thing replaced.

Sorry this happened to you. When Delta Sonic damaged my Escape, they immediately took responsibility and had me fill out a form, take it to a collision shop/ dealership of my choosing and get it rectified. Easy-peasy.

 

[commadorebob]

Was able to confirm the glass had the wiper heater and was acoustic glass. He is currently making quick work of it. Still needs to drive it to calibrate the camera.

 

[commadorebob]

Done. $1,119.63 later and the windshield has been replaced. They did a fantastic job with it. Took a little over an hour total.

 

[dochawk]

Living in the Upper Midwest back in the 70s-90's when you got a free car wash, if you bought 10-12 gallons of gas.

These days, it's that if you buy a car wash, you only have to pay 50c/gallon over market for the gas!

Sorry this happened to you.

I dunno, I have a lot more sympathy for the chap that couldn't have meat until 45!

$1,119.63 later and the windshield has been replaced.

For a windshield???

decades ago, my father had California Casualty.

They had a deal with a windshield place, and waived the deductible if you used it.

Even if you did something stupid, like, say, balancing a ladder across the front and back seats of your '64 VW and stopped, ejecting the ladder.

Not that we'd know anything about that particular fact pattern!

 

[commadorebob]

For a windshield???

The windshield was only 450. The rest was calibrating the camera for Co-Pilot.

 

[Finnster]

The windshield was only 450. The rest was calibrating the camera for Co-Pilot.

Do you happen to know if the calibration cost is the same for lower trims of Mavericks with only the basic Co-Pilot 360? Thanks!

 

[MaverickDragon]

@Finnster
I would think that a camera calibration isn't going to be different based on what systems use the camera.. I guess there could be a price difference if the functionality of every system used was tested, but would they do that?

The camera is on the truck even without CoPilot, so my vote is it doesn't matter.

Of course, my vote doesn't change the calibration cost..

 

[notfast]

I'm baffled that people are still using touch washes, on new paint/vehicles, in 2026.

I do, and I was a former professional detailer. I'm not obsessed with getting every swirl and scratch out anymore.

And yes, I know these touch washes are everywhere, why?

They are extremely profitable businesses and are coming about as more EVs (which don't need oil changes) have hit the road in the last 10 years or so, along with water restrictions in many municipalities. And unlike oil change places, conveyor tunnel car washes don't really need much in terms of skilled labor. Just a couple teenagers to guide vehicles and operate the equipment.

Just for a comparison I recently got a quote from Safelite for the windshield on my 2002 Explorer. $246.83. That's with a $45 discount they sent me after I didn't bite at the first quote.

Was about the same for my 2019 Nissan Frontier from a local auto glass shop. No ADAS and I am the drive mode. Ended up paying less when they saw I was paying literal cash.

FWIW, “Not responsible” signs generally mean virtually nothing and do not override legal liability, negligence, etc. .

They do ward off many potentially legitimate claims however from the unknowing….

Same goes for those "Not responsible for broken windshields" signs on the back of dump trucks. You cannot waive liability for your own negligence. It'd be like a restaurant putting up a sign that says "Not responsible for food poisoning".

Proving negligence is a different story. A more open-and-shut carwash example would be like, if the brush slammed into the windshield and it immediately cracked, that's on the car wash operator. A "not responsible for damage to vehicles" sign won't save them because they are responsible for maintaining the equipment.

But if the vehicle had no visible damage entering the car wash and the windshield just cracked under normal operation of the wash, that would likely be considered accepted risk on behalf of the vehicle owner, who voluntarily entered the wash.

 

[BlueOval1954]

Agreed.
I'm not saying it can't happen. Some people have found mice in cans of food. Just because I never have, doesn't mean it hasn't happened.
Living in the Upper Midwest back in the 70s-90's when you got a free car wash, if you bought 10-12 gallons of gas.
I got my car's washed every week summer and winter down to 35°. Never ever have I had a windshield crack. Doors freeze shut yes, windshield crack no, but I've never owned a vehicle with such a thin windshield as the Maverick may have.
My questions are. Did they shut down the car wash until the problem was solved?
Did any other cars in the wash end up with cracked windshields?

And those 70s-90's car washes had stiff bristles that scratched the hell out of your car. Some free deal.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

And those 70s-90's car washes had stiff bristles that scratched the hell out of your car. Some free deal.

Yes it was a good deal when you consider the alternative
Which is worse driving your car caked with filthy road salt or having it washed off once a week?
For me I took the weekly wash, thank you very much. The salt was so bad you could taste it when driving.

Miraculously never broke a single windshield.
Beside, back in the day we considered them daily drivers, not fabergé eggs.

 

[commadorebob]

Alright, so I'm willing to concede that my literal deaf wife likely didn't hear if a rock chipped the windshield while she was driving behind a dump truck (a piece of information she only told me last night). If that was the case, then the carwash is absolved and it is on us.

That said, they didn't quite put the wipers on correctly, so I'll need to loosen and correct their starting position.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Alright, so I'm willing to concede that my literal deaf wife likely didn't hear if a rock chipped the windshield while she was driving behind a dump truck (a piece of information she only told me last night). If that was the case, then the carwash is absolved and it is on us.

That said, they didn't quite put the wipers on correctly, so I'll need to loosen and correct their starting position.

I'm assuming that this was a voluntary confession and that no bamboo shoots were employed?

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