Windshield Cracked in Car Wash

[SavGADawg]

Good afternoon! New owner here. As I mentioned in an introductions post, my local car wash cracked my windshield during my first pass thru with my Grenadier (less than an hour after owning it). I'm obviously hesitant to use an automatic car wash again but would like to hear others' thoughts. Have you and do you use the automatic (conveyor belt style) car washes or not? Anyone else suffer significant damage from a car wash?

Just for fun, here is a pic of me a few days ago. Broke her in as soon as possible.

 

[abbeyroad]

Have you and do you use the automatic (conveyor belt style) car washes or not?

View attachment 7907068

Only if it's touchless.

Welcome!

 

[Gaffer]

I understand that BMWs and Grenadiers don't do well in conveyor belt type car washes. There are special settings that overcome this, but I am too lazy to learn them. So I use in-bay car washes, sometimes touchless sometimes not.

 

[SavGADawg]

Thanks. It seems to me that the vertical windshield played a role in the damage. I may end up getting my own setup.

 

[HeavyFoot]

Hello. I’m new here and very interested in buying a grenadier in the next 12 months. I run a car wash. I can promise you the only way that windshield cracked is due to a prior chip being present. I’ve been in the industry for 26 years now. I’ll bet the crack runs from a chip, likely in the frit (black part along the edge of the windshield). Take a ball point ink pen, run along the crack and you’ll end up at the chip. When the chips are in the frit, you don’t see them when driving. A little cold water on a hot day or warm water on a cold day and chips and small cracks will run. It’s not the car wash’s fault. Had you sprayed the windshield with a hose that same day, it would’ve cracked anyway.
@Gaffer BMWs do just fine in conveyor car washes. Never had a problem and I couldn’t begin to count the thousands of them we’ve washed.
@abbeyroad Touchless is far worse for your car than a quality “friction” car wash with quality materials.

Sorry to stir the pot as a first post, but these are common misconceptions. I’ve learned so much from you all and look forward to learning more and joining the ranks.

 

[Jiman01]

Hello. I’m new here and very interested in buying a grenadier in the next 12 months. I run a car wash. I can promise you the only way that windshield cracked is due to a prior chip being present. I’ve been in the industry for 26 years now. I’ll bet the crack runs from a chip, likely in the frit (black part along the edge of the windshield). Take a ball point ink pen, run along the crack and you’ll end up at the chip. When the chips are in the frit, you don’t see them when driving. A little cold water on a hot day or warm water on a cold day and chips and small cracks will run. It’s not the car wash’s fault. Had you sprayed the windshield with a hose that same day, it would’ve cracked anyway.
@Gaffer BMWs do just fine in conveyor car washes. Never had a problem and I couldn’t begin to count the thousands of them we’ve washed.
@abbeyroad Touchless is far worse for your car than a quality “friction” car wash with quality materials.

Sorry to stir the pot as a first post, but these are common misconceptions. I’ve learned so much from you all and look forward to learning more and joining the ranks.

Why is touchless worse than a quality friction car wash?….And how do you, as a customer, know a quality friction car wash from a lesser one?

 

[HeavyFoot]

Why is touchless worse than a quality friction car wash?….And how do you, as a customer, know a quality friction car wash from a lesser one?

In order to remove the dirt from your car, a series of slightly low or slightly high ph (depending on the dirt in your area) chemicals will neutralize the cling of the dirt on your car, then allow for lubricated gentle foam brushes to remove the dirt gently. A touchless wash requires chemicals that are too strong so that water pressure alone will remove all the dirt. Dish soap is generally too strong for automotive paint, let alone touchless car wash chemicals. There are many chemicals that will give you a clean car, but in the long run, it’s best to use a gentle friction wash. They’re more gentle than a hand wash, unless you are crazy careful and use two buckets, and a screen, and have a specific order, and, and, and….and even then most people won’t have access to the proper chemicals to make it as gentle and effective as a tunnel conveyor wash. Even foam cannons that were all the craze recently are more show. Similar to your shampoo, bubbles make you feel good, but the foaming agents are often fighting the cleaning agents. I like my shampoo to foam by the way.
How will you know? Yea. Good question. Take a look. Ask if you can walk through and see and/or touch the cloth or brushes. What does the owner drive and is it really washed by their machine? Ask. I happily take any customer through our process and let them see and touch if they have concerns. I want them to know and be certain they can trust us. Most washes these days are safe places. Some cheap owners opt for cheap caustic chemicals that are awful for your paint. Look for the shine. Your car should sparkle.
Sorry. Too long.

 

[Jiman01]

Not too long, love the detailed reply. I have always equated those spinning brushes/cloths as dirty worn-out things hitting the cars paint at 100rpm, or flopping and dragging across the body as paint killers vs. brushless where none of that happens.

I also assumed that the soap in those places were the same regardless of which style you used. If i’m understanding correctly, the soap in the friction bays is more gentle for the paint.

 

[SavGADawg]

I’m going to respectfully disagree. I had taken delivery less than an hour prior to the damage. Additionally, the roller stopped rolling up the front of the vehicle and rested near the top of the vehicle. The conveyer kept moving forward and the roller prevented the vehicle to continue to move, causing it to rock several times. The windshield then cracked before the roller finally moved clear of the roofline and the vehicle rolled onwards.

Hello. I’m new here and very interested in buying a grenadier in the next 12 months. I run a car wash. I can promise you the only way that windshield cracked is due to a prior chip being present. I’ve been in the industry for 26 years now. I’ll bet the crack runs from a chip, likely in the frit (black part along the edge of the windshield). Take a ball point ink pen, run along the crack and you’ll end up at the chip. When the chips are in the frit, you don’t see them when driving. A little cold water on a hot day or warm water on a cold day and chips and small cracks will run. It’s not the car wash’s fault. Had you sprayed the windshield with a hose that same day, it would’ve cracked anyway.
@Gaffer BMWs do just fine in conveyor car washes. Never had a problem and I couldn’t begin to count the thousands of them we’ve washed.
@abbeyroad Touchless is far worse for your car than a quality “friction” car wash with quality materials.

Sorry to stir the pot as a first post, but these are common misconceptions. I’ve learned so much from you all and look forward to learning more and joining the ranks.

 

[HeavyFoot]

I’m going to respectfully disagree. I had taken delivery less than an hour prior to the damage. Additionally, the roller stopped rolling up the front of the vehicle and rested near the top of the vehicle. The conveyer kept moving forward and the roller prevented the vehicle to continue to move, causing it to rock several times. The windshield then cracked before the roller finally moved clear of the roofline and the vehicle rolled onwards.

Well. There’s more info here than in the OP. Industry jargon- the rolller is the small wheel that pushes on the rear or front tire. A top brush is a horizontal brush that spins perpendicular to the travel of the vehicle. Are you saying the top brush stopped spinning and was pressing on the windshield as the conveyor kept moving, but the car didn’t move anywhere and then the car began moving again while the conveyor was running the entire time? Can you please include a pic of the crack showing its location too? I know those sound like skeptical questions. They’re not. I’m just trying to understand the full picture. Something’s may be possible with the more info you’re giving. If you can help me understand what took place I’d appreciate it. Also it is possible for a chip to occur in the frit in transit, on a test drive someone else took, or even during the one hour. I’m not saying it necessarily is, but I’ve seen a lot of damage on “showroom new” cars. Mine included! Again, please describe better what occurred as your car was moving through.
Also, is this a wash you get out and they send through, or were you in the driver’s seat the whole time? Lots of details please.

 

[SavGADawg]

it wasn't a brush actually. it is more a giant microcloth roller designed to augment the blowers drying the vehicle. it does operate like a top brush in that it is perpendicular to the direction of travel and rolls up the hood, over the windshield, and ultimately onto the roof. that mechanism grabbed my windshield wipers, pulling them off the male post they're attached to and misaligning them. It then stopped rolling up the vehicle when it was at the top portion of the windshield. The roller kept pushing the truck forward (it never stopped), but the top dryer (brush) wouldn't allow the vehicle to proceed. As it rocked back and forth, the windshield cracked. After a few seconds (after the damage), the drying mechanism finally rolled the remainder of the way up and the truck continued out of the car wash.

 

[SavGADawg]

good news is that the car wash reimbursed me for the damages. they were pretty easy to deal with. it took them about to a month to send the check, but this chapter is closed.

 

[Tom109]

Hello. I’m new here and very interested in buying a grenadier in the next 12 months. I run a car wash. I can promise you the only way that windshield cracked is due to a prior chip being present. I’ve been in the industry for 26 years now. I’ll bet the crack runs from a chip, likely in the frit (black part along the edge of the windshield). Take a ball point ink pen, run along the crack and you’ll end up at the chip. When the chips are in the frit, you don’t see them when driving. A little cold water on a hot day or warm water on a cold day and chips and small cracks will run. It’s not the car wash’s fault. Had you sprayed the windshield with a hose that same day, it would’ve cracked anyway.
@Gaffer BMWs do just fine in conveyor car washes. Never had a problem and I couldn’t begin to count the thousands of them we’ve washed.
@abbeyroad Touchless is far worse for your car than a quality “friction” car wash with quality materials.

Sorry to stir the pot as a first post, but these are common misconceptions. I’ve learned so much from you all and look forward to learning more and joining the ranks.

@HeavyFoot - It great having experts on the forum.

Say my name

 

[HereinDaRockies]

Bro… auto wash.. come on… avoid those like a covid cough cloud

 

[HeavyFoot]

Nah, our customers have his and hers and we’ve washed them many times. Mine (when I get it) will be washed at least weekly through our automatic car wash. The grenadier is so tough, but can’t go through a car wash? Come on. A high quality car wash won’t be a problem at all. It’s the lie that keeps perpetuating. “I just got my new mustang. It’s a special edition. I only want a touchless car wash.” If I had a dolllar for each time I heard this, I’d be a rich man. Yet our customers that also have special edition mustangs and wash them 2-3 times a week still look as new as they were when bought and don’t have issues, ever. I get it - People get worried and act accordingly. But I stand by high quality places. I’ve been in the industry 26+ years

 

[SavGADawg]

Bro… auto wash.. come on… avoid those like a covid cough cloud

I wish I had the time to...

 

[Tom109]

In my area it rains.

 

[HereinDaRockies]

Nah, our customers have his and hers and we’ve washed them many times. Mine (when I get it) will be washed at least weekly through our automatic car wash. The grenadier is so tough, but can’t go through a car wash? Come on. A high quality car wash won’t be a problem at all. It’s the lie that keeps perpetuating. “I just got my new mustang. It’s a special edition. I only want a touchless car wash.” If I had a dolllar for each time I heard this, I’d be a rich man. Yet our customers that also have special edition mustangs and wash them 2-3 times a week still look as new as they were when bought and don’t have issues, ever. I get it - People get worried and act accordingly. But I stand by high quality places. I’ve been in the industry 26+ years

Have you seen how the raised air intake attaches to the body? I don’t trust any automated machinery to have the nuanced sensor to detect those body bits and avoid them accordingly. Why take a leap of faith? For the benefit of the industry?

That stupid underbody blast of water as you pull into the bay? lol they don’t do jack.. they stop blasting after 1/3 the length of the car.

One can make the argument automated bays are rather scammy. Upselling useless “features” and optimize for outcomes that are simply window dressing - cleaning the aspects that are easily visible, but de-emphasizes the parts that need washing the most - the under body. If you live in a salty environment, automated bays will not clean your underbody properly.

just pull into a self service bay and go to town with the sprayer.

 

[Pat]

I have have washed my Fieldmaster for at least 20 times in an automatic car wash and no window crack after 68,000km (two chips and one of them already after two months of ownership earned on-road). I only can immagine windshield temperature and washing water difference might too huge causing a thermal shock with a crack as consequence.

 

[HeavyFoot]

Have you seen how the raised air intake attaches to the body? I don’t trust any automated machinery to have the nuanced sensor to detect those body bits and avoid them accordingly. Why take a leap of faith? For the benefit of the industry?

That stupid underbody blast of water as you pull into the bay? lol they don’t do jack.. they stop blasting after 1/3 the length of the car.

One can make the argument automated bays are rather scammy. Upselling useless “features” and optimize for outcomes that are simply window dressing - cleaning the aspects that are easily visible, but de-emphasizes the parts that need washing the most - the under body. If you live in a salty environment, automated bays will not clean your underbody properly.

just pull into a self service bay and go to town with the sprayer.

This made me laugh out loud. But not in a way mocking you at all! It sounds like you have a shoddy car wash near you!! Let’s take them one by one.
I’m looking at a trial master, so it will have a raised intake. Snorkels have never been a problem. How hard do you think the material pushes in the car? Most places will be using a foam material that cannot absorb water, so the weight of the material spinning next to the car is minimal. There’s very little force. You can stand next to it and fell them with your hand as they gently spin. Add to this the lubricity of the chemicals and the material glides gently over the car. The equipment is set to a certain pressure. For example, it can be set to 10psi. The brush will press against the car at 10psi regardless of the size or shape of the car. So if you have a narrow car or a wide car, the pressure along the side or top etc, remains the same.
No need for a leap of faith. Proven things don’t require such a leap. I can send you a video when I have one.
Underwash. No wash I know of will clean your wheel wells after mudding. In fact, if you come to us with a muddy car, we’ll turn you away. Yes if it’s muddy you need to spray it all off. But a dirty car and a muddy car aren’t the same thing. The underwash should be on for the whole car. If it’s not, they need help
I’m a fan of high volume, low pressure under washes. High pressure ones that are too high, could in theory knock wire harnesses loose. There’s no need. Again, it’s not meant to de-mud a car. It’s meant to wash it.
Useless features. Get the bottom, basic wash, or get the top one. Too many operators pack four to five packages that while, yes they do actually do stuff, it’s more of a marketing idea to get you to spec up to the top one and justify the increase to the top wash. Just look at the prices of each and you’ll see what I mean. We eliminated everything except the bottom and the top. No need for confusion or long explanations. No need for the middle stuff. I can promise you that the % of people that get the middle washes is so small, that I cannot comprehend why operators do this.
Pulling into town and hitting it with a sprayer will not give you a clean car, just a rinsed one.