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WARNING: Wash and Shine, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester

27K views 60 replies 33 participants last post by  the beard 
#1 · (Edited)
I dropped my car off for a full valet at Wash and Shine, Cheetham Hill Road yesterday, leaving the car in their care whilst I headed into Manchester to do some shopping.

Upon collecting the car I paid, got in, put her into reverse and the parking sensors went bananas as if there was an object immediately behind the car. I got out to check if there was anything behind me or something stuck to one of the parking sensors, to find the third sensor along missing and just a hole in the rear bumper.

This damage was not present when I dropped her off at Wash and Shine. One of the valeters has obviously pushed too hard on it and popped it off it's clip. It has fallen into the bumper leaving a hole. It remains plugged in, causing the shrill tone when reversing as it is rattling round inside the rear bumper.

I immediately complained to the supervisor who looked at the damage and called one of the valeters over. He looked panicked and stammered that it was already like that when the car came in. Obviously it wasn't so I pressed the matter but the supervisor said he could not do anything as his boss was not there. He asked me to call back the day after and speak to his boss Mohammed. He wouldn't even refund the cost of the valet.

On my way home I called into my local garage and we got the car up on the ramp. Just as I had guessed, the parking sensor had been pressed against with such force that it had been forced off it's mounting clip and had fallen down inside the rear bumper. We couldn't get at it unfortunately, so the car now has to be booked in tomorrow so they can remove the entire rear bumper, fish it out and refit the parking sensor. This will cost me at least £25 for an hours labour, maybe more.

I called Mohammed this morning who at first told me it was impossible that the damage occurred whilst the car was in their care. I protested obviously, so he told me he would check the cameras. I think maybe he was trying to call my bluff but I told him I was happy with this as this would obviously show that the car was undamaged when it arrived.

He called me back a few hours later and told me that he had studied the footage and could clearly see that no damage had been caused by any of his staff. He invited me to come and look at the footage. I was skeptical that he could see this as effectively each solenoid is the size of a five pence piece! He also stated that the damage could not have been caused by his staff otherwise why would only one of the four parking sensors have been forced into the bumper? What a totally illogical and ridiculous comment.

I reaffirmed to him that my car was undamaged when I dropped it off with at this premises and was damaged when I collected it. I proposed that if he and his business had integrity then they would foot the bill for the repair which is going to cost me £25. He refused and continued to deny that the damage could have been caused by his valeting team and we ended the call.

As I reflected however I suddenly realised that if I did indeed look at the video footage it would prove my claim. If he could see the parking sensors on the video, it would clearly show the car arriving undamaged. I called him back and stated this and said I would come down tomorrow to look at the footage with him. He then informed me that none of the cameras could see the rear of the car! On this basis then I questioned how he could possibly have confirmed by studying such footage, that the damage was not done by one of his valeters?! He stammered a ridiciulous reply about not seeing anyones eyes catch on what might be a point of damage! After pressing him further he simply refused to admit any liability and suggested I take it to my dealer to have it repaired under warranty. In the end I put the phone down in disgust.

I am really angry and think his attitude and that of his staff disgusting. It is so obvious that a simple accident had occurred whilst the car has was being washed. One of the valeters has pressed too hard on one of the parking sensors and pushed it into the bumper leaving the hole.

Any business or business owner with an ounce of common sense and integrity would simply agree to reimburse the cost of putting the damage right. It is only £25 for crying out loud. It is however £25 worth of damage that was caused as a result of me leaving the car in their care. This is clearly not a business or a man of integrity. He also effectively lied to me by telling me he could see that no damage occured from studying the video footage, but when pressed admitted that none of the cameras even had sight of the rear of the car.

I certainly will not be using Wash and Shine in Manchester ever again and will be sure to warn my colleagues and friends of this incident.

Alfa drivers of Manchester - BEWARE...
 

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#34 · (Edited)
Folks,

I'm sorry to resurrect such an old thread but I wanted to reiterate what others have said on here and share my own personal experience.

I've used these guys numerous times over the past few years, less so in the past year because - inexplicably - the quality of their service has gone steeply downhill: leaving deep swirls in the paintwork of my cars, windows smeared with dirt, huge patches of dirt on the paintwork, and on one occasion - an interior covered in wet spray that hadn't been wiped down.

I've been left with hundreds of pounds worth of damage from them recently, I'll say no more other than: I will never return there with my car and I cannot stress it enough to those of you around here: do not risk your car at this place.

I'm looking forward to getting my car down to Matt at Obsidian once I've had the car repaired and getting it properly detailed and cleaned.
 
#35 ·
Sorry to hear that John - sounds serious. If the damage is major it might be worth speaking to Consumer Direct as they should log it with trading standards. I seem to recall that I did at the time.

I am thinking of having my Spider detailed as the paint could use a refresh. Could you PM me some info and details for Matt please?

BTW since the damage done by Wash and Shine a few years back I now use a place formerly known as The Great British Car Wash, just round the corner from the CIS building. It is a small lock up that looks a bit dodgy and the guys operating it are a bit gruff, but their work is incredible.

A mini valet costs £10 and when I come back to collect the car it looks amazing - they work really hard and have a great eye for detail. I always tip them a fiver as I feel they udner charge for the quality of their work. It is also walking distance to the city centre so not much more pricey than parking in one of the NCPs!
 
#36 · (Edited)
Hi James,

I'll be chasing up the damage issues later on - rather not publish too much about that on here, wouldn't look good to be bad-mouthing anybody just yet..

Thanks for the tip on the Great British Car Wash - whereabouts are they? I live in Green Quarter (directly opposite our friendly car wash in discussion here) so it sounds like it's really close!

Matt is actually a member here on this forum, I found him through another thread on here and we've been emailing back and forth since. The only problem is that he's a little way out - his premises is in Chadderton and he's based in Saddleworth so I've not yet managed to find the time to get up there (and I'm not sure how I would get back again leaving my car there for a few days!).

He comes very highly recommended and seems like a really top bloke so I would have no problem leaving my car with him. I've dropped you a PM with his email address and also dropped him an email to let him know you might be getting in touch. I think his username on here is something like Matt@Obsidian but for some reason he's not in my sent PMs box now..

Drop me a PM with the address for that car wash, sounds like a great place to go for a between-details clean!
 
#37 ·
Its crap when this happens , i had my shopping delivered and the delivery man bumped my car with the crate removed two paint chips and caught the rubber seal on the windscreen .got in the car shut the door and crack £75 out of pocket . Tesco have refused all liability even though i reported it that day letters have been sent , emails phone calls all that it just makes you feel so frustrated no matter what you do you get no response esp when you know the state youre car was in before , i love my alfa its not in best condition but i know where the bumps and brusies are and as i suspect we all do ...
 
#38 ·
as a mobile valeter myself places like this make my blood boil,i watched some amatures at tescos washing a convertable absolutley soaking the roof with a powerful jetwasher which is a definate no no especialy as they were about 6inches away from it,i was taught my trade while working at the old ferrari/masserati dealership in manchester and i respect a 15year old ford escort with same respect i treated a 100 grand ferrari as its still soomeones pride and joy,at the end of the day its money for old rope for these people as any idiot can wash a car but 99% of these car wash places dont give a toss about your car...i have found it increasing difficult to compete with these places as they undercut me no matter how much i charge,but my work is done with care and respect and i use the best products the exact i would expect for my car..
 
#40 ·
Was the Maserati dealer Auto Shield in Chorlton? Anyway, when talking about cost per job, I think Oscar Wilde got it right when he said: "He's the sort of person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." We've been encouraged so often to shop around for the best price; yet that suggestion is based on the principle of all things being equal, and so often they aren't.

In the field of car valeting so many companies are not exactly adhering to certain legal requirement it makes competing with them very difficult if you are. Those requirements? They could include minimum wages, PAYE and immigration rules. I have a sneaking suspicion that quite a few could go out of business if they received a visit from the Border Agency.
 
#39 ·
Have to agree with red devil. There is a reason as to why they can sell their work so cheaply, and it can make it incredibly difficult for others to justify their prices.

Your story is an annoying one, and from what others are saying these guys are con artists. For example, if their sponges pick up grit and this is transferred to the vehicle, then they are accepting they have made a mistake, it isn't something to be shrugged off! And for the sake of a humble apology and a £40 bill they "could" have kept your business, they would have had that back off you in very little time.

As with everything, just cause it says "professional" on the sign it does not make it so.

I hope you find a resolution to your problem, and find a more reliable place/way to look after your pride and joy

Matt
 
#43 ·
major money-laundering route too. cash business, just cook the books to show you've washed 7000 cars a day and - hey presto - dirty money from some of your shadier business interests now looks a little cleaner

anyone who doesn't think that there's a link between some eastern european/asian car washes and people trafficking, drug trafficking and other organised criminality is in la-la land
 
#44 ·
Alas, although immigration can be a stimulus for growth, it also brings other problems with it. Jamaican Yardies in this country and the Mafia in the U.S. are but two examples. Many people who arrive in this country are "sponsored" and it's quite often those sponsors who exploit the immigrants the most.

We've also had Lithuanian and Latvian shoplifting gangs operating out of airports all over Western Europe and using stolen credit cards to book flights on budget airlines then graze their way through Duty Free shops over most of the continent. For over a decade there have been Albanian criminals trying to gain residence here on the basis of them being Kosovan refugees.

Now we have Thai and Chinese people setting up nail parlours and massage parlours which may, or may not, be a method of laundering money from other sources of income. We've also been hearing for over 10 years that when people from abroad commit offences over here that they should be excused because of cultural differences; whether that be putting 6 adults and 3 kids in a car or avoiding payment of taxes. It seems that only when they murder their children that this country takes action.

Oh dear, I seem to have gone off on a rant. Better go and lie down in a darkened room.
 
#46 ·
Folks, to help counter-act the negativity about a certain Cheetham Hill carwash, I wanted to give you guys a review on a very viable alternative. Since my own little run-in with out Cheetham Hill friends I've been taking my Mito to another nearby carwash (on the recommendation of one of the guys on here).

They're called City Carwash. I don't know whether it's the same people, but it's at the same place as the All-American Carwash used to be on Dantzic Street - quite literally 30 seconds away from Wash and Shine.

They look a little bit like they specialise in taxis (80% of the cars there are always either black cabs or have the yellow stickers on them), but they do an incredible job. I've used them several times now and - aside from costing the same as the other guys - their attention to detail is really impressive.

They get very busy so it's worth planning to leave your car with them for a while rather than while-you-wait, I left mine with them for an hour today, picture below.

When I got back the car looked absolutely pristine but they spent another ten minutes apologizing and going over every pannel at eye-height polishing out any tiny little smudges. When then handed the keys and I pulled it out into the sunshine they even went around it again before letting me go.

I almost felt bad getting a hand print on it closing the door after getting back out..

Of course, nothing matches a proper full clean/wax/detail, but if you're looking for a hand carwash in this area of Manchester, do give them a try, I really can't recommend them enough.

One thing worth mentioning: you can't get through to Dantzic Street from Corporation Street anymore because of the Noma/Co-op development, so to get to them you either turn off Cheetham Hill at the traffic lights (by the petrol station) and then go up Red Bank, or else approach it from Rochdale Road onto Gould Street.
 

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#49 ·
That place needs shutting down

Hi James, that place needs shutting down! I left my Bentley GTC with them to be valeted on May 2nd of this year and about an hour later i got a call from the police saying that my car was reported to be inside the reception of a car wash, i hurried over to find my car in the side of the building!

Mohammed told me that he was very sorry but there was nothing he could do as the person i handed my keys to didnt work for him and has fled the scene. It is laughable as the person i gave my keys to was washing the car in front of me when i arrived. He also told me that the cameras weren't working that day!!! the police called bull **** on it but he is still refusing to take responsability and even told residents in the area that I did it myself.... he has a cheek!

I was hoping that if you got any information regarding an insurance policy number etc that you could contact me and help me out as i just feel so frustrated that he is totally getting away with this time and time again! He told me he had been to the Mosque to pray for me and thats all he could do... not going to fix £38 000 worth of damage to my car though is it.

Please see pictures attached.

Please help if you can :)
 

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#53 ·
Hi James, that place needs shutting down! I left my Bentley GTC with them to be valeted on May 2nd of this year and about an hour later i got a call from the police saying that my car was reported to be inside the reception of a car wash, i hurried over to find my car in the side of the building!

Mohammed told me that he was very sorry but there was nothing he could do as the person i handed my keys to didnt work for him and has fled the scene. It is laughable as the person i gave my keys to was washing the car in front of me when i arrived. He also told me that the cameras weren't working that day!!! the police called bull **** on it but he is still refusing to take responsability and even told residents in the area that I did it myself.... he has a cheek!

I was hoping that if you got any information regarding an insurance policy number etc that you could contact me and help me out as i just feel so frustrated that he is totally getting away with this time and time again! He told me he had been to the Mosque to pray for me and thats all he could do... not going to fix £38 000 worth of damage to my car though is it.

Please see pictures attached.

Please help if you can :)
Hi Jessica,

I sent you a private message last week. Please feel free to get in touch if you think I can be of any help.

Regards

James
 
#51 ·
I hope you called the police on that one, I would also speak to local trading standards. You should be able to claim on their liability insurance.

Owning a Bentley, I would also think you should have access to a good lawyer who can advise you on that, you can claim against the garage without knowing the insurance particulars). They should have public liability insurance on it, trading standards should be able to help get it for you.
 
#55 ·
The Mail Online has picked it up as well.
 
#61 ·
I'm wondering whether it's about time to have a drive-by protest of this location. You know the kind of thing, a line of slow, but not slow enough to attract the attentions of the Constabulary, line of cars. Perhaps with some placards stating how crap this place is.

As long as the statements aren't defamatory I don't see the problem. Perhaps the cars could drive onto the premises and then slowly drive off.

Perhaps after their previous interest the MEN could be prepared to send a snapper along, or maybe even accept images from members of the public. Just a thought.
 
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