A car owner went viral on TikTok after sharing the gruesome footage of his BMW after it went through an automatic car wash.
Alex (@alex80769) posted the nearly 30-second clip without speaking. But, in fairness, he didn’t need to. The video shows the content creator’s BMW after it was crushed by an automatic car wash. It appears as though the car was empty when it was demolished.
In the TikTok, which has amassed more than 16.4 million views as of Monday afternoon, Alex panned around the car’s perimeter. Viewers can see that the automatic washer fell primarily on the BMW’s backseat, but that the vehicle’s airbags deployed. The car’s hood also opened.
Are automatic car washes safe?
Alex is certainly not the first content creator to express displeasure with an automatic car wash. In May, another car owner said that her vehicle got “destroyed” in a similar machine. In her video, the woman went through the wash, and then assessed her car’s damage. Viewers saw then, too, that the wash left dents and scratches on the car’s exterior.
Other drivers have shared similar horror stories. That same month, another driver said that an automatic car wash damaged her side mirror. And in June, a washer at Quick Quack Car Wash caused a teenager’s back windshield to shatter.
Because of tales like these, some content creators have sworn against using automatic car washes. It’s just not people with active TikTok accounts warning about the dangers potentially associated with these machines, though. Car experts, like the Auto Detail Doctor, also recommended steering clear of them. (Their warning, however, was primarily focused on how automatic washes can ruin a vehicle’s paint finish. It didn’t touch on whether the wash might crash on your car—as it appeared to have done in Alex’s situation.)
What happens if your car is damaged by an automatic wash?
Though the answer to this question may vary based on your insurance provider, some large agencies report that the owner of the wash may be responsible under certain conditions. Progressive insurance, for instance, said that an owner may be liable for damage if “a piece of equipment malfunctioned or fell on your vehicle.”
Other sites, however, report that car owners have to prove that the wash caused the damage. Though this shouldn’t be a problem for Alex, WashTec advised getting concrete evidence that your car wasn’t bruised or dented before entering the machine.
“If this cannot be traced back to the car wash, the burden of proof initially lies with the customer. In most cases, an independent expert is called in to determine the origin of the damage,” it reported. “If this expert opinion is to your disadvantage, the burden of proof lies with you to prove that the damage did not occur in your car wash. If you are unable to provide proof, you or your insurance company will be liable.”
Customers swear against automatic washes
Due to the various snafus associated with automatic washes, some commenters who watched Alex’s TikTok said they refused to use them.
“If this wasn’t caused by a tornado, I’m never going through another car wash again,” one woman said.
“That’s exactly the reason I don’t use them things,” another added.
“My husband always told me not to use… brushes because they can scratch the car paint,” a third viewer wrote. “I believe him now.”
Others, however, wanted the content creator to provide more context to what happened to his car. Some questioned whether he was on a movie set or playing an elaborate prank on viewers.
“My questions have questions,” one viewer quipped.
“Is this a movie set?” another questioned.
@alex80769 ♬ suono originale – alex
The Daily Dot has reached out to Alex via TikTok comment.
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