Think IMO car wash should pay for car damage!

[PurpleStarrySocks]

I took my car into an IMO car wash and a piece of metal trim on one side was bent back. I filled out an incident form afterwards and the parent company emailed to say that they don't accept any responsibility for the damage, as the trim could potentially have been loose prior to the car entering the car wash, making it susceptible to damage! (I bought the car just two weeks before I took it to the car wash and it's a treat old.)

The repair will cost around £600 and IMO has offered £125, but accept no liability. When I filled out the incident form at the car wash, the car wash attendant said "Don't worry, IMO has insurance and will pay for the repairs", but that's not the case at all and now I'm going to be left out of pocket.

Has anyone had their car damaged in an IMO car wash and managed to get them to pay for the damage in full?

did you fill in a damage form at the time? They are franchised and the ‘name’disassociate pdq when there is damage! I eventually got my £ after a letter before action.

This is why I don’t go in car washes. Too many horror stories.

@Jauntyangles Yes, I filled in the damage form pretty much straight after it happened. Please can you tell me what a ‘name’ disassociate pdq is and how a letter before action works and what it contains?

Why do folk still use mechanical car washes? They slowly destroy your paintwork anyway so long-term missing trim is the least of your concern.

It clearly says before you drive in they accept no liability for loss or damage.

Your only claim for damage is if the machine was not operating correctly and you can prove negligence on their part. The offer of £125 is rather generous. I doubt you'd succeed in the small claims court, though the threat of this route may prompt them to offer more compensation to avoid the legal hassle and fees.

although the car parks are a name or a brand, when I wrote to them explaining the experience to get a written thread of evidence going, they said they, like most, were franchises and were prepared to offer £15 as a token 😤 Martin Lewis on his Money Saving Expert has a section on letters before action with templates. Basically, they hang on and hope you’ll forget. A letter before action is the sign that you e tried to resolve things before going through small claims court and goes in your favour there too. Have you got an estimate from a garage about the cost you are going to claim (as well as your time/effort etc)?