Lost my GPS antenna in the car wash!

[Ranger X3]

Hi all,
I went through the car wash this weekend and ended up losing the antenna. The car wash doesn't have it, do you think this could be a warranty claim? ?

Update: The car wash company employee said they will check the drain pit and give me a call if they find anything. The kid didn't seemed surprised and offered to file a claim with corporate. I reached out to the Ford dealer, $200 in parts and $300 labor.

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[JKocot]

Update: The car wash company employee said they will check the drain pit and give me a call if they find anything. The kid didn't seemed surprised and offered to file a claim with corporate. I reached out to the Ford dealer, $200 in parts and $300 labor.

Good deal. Hope it works out for the best.

 

[Augie81]

Hi Mathew,

We actually do a carwash test as part of the development of a new vehicle. The Ranger passed the carwash testing. There are many car washes in the Detroit area and the prototypes are run through these car washes time and time again, including video if there is a problem and there is a redesign and retest until the antenna passes undamaged over a half dozen times or more depending on the program requirements.

To have something like this happen indicates a malfunction of the car wash equipment more that the design of the antenna.

This is not a case of "yeah...that looks good". There is an actual rigorous test procedure...we usually give this to Engineering Trainees as you likely will get quite wet at times during the testing process....

I have had my Ranger through several brush type car washes in several cities and never had a hint of a problem...

Best,
Phil

Hi Phil,

No offense but as you are retired maybe those carwash tests were on older models? So maybe the new Ranger was not subjected to the same tests? Just curious.

 

[Delirious]

That doesn't hold up in court. Just like the signs in parking lots of shopping centers.

Many people don't bother just because of those signs. Even when you sign waivers for surgeries you can still sue for malpractice and such. The thing is they'll make you take them to small claims court.
Years ago a buddy of mine did that back in the 70s for messing up his paint job. He won.
I think going the Ford route is the easiest. I wouldn't call it dishonest because there's apparently a flaw in the installation of that thing.
My 19 Ranger went through automatic car wash three or four times every week for 10 months and never had any issues other than I could see a few little scratches in the clearcoat. Detailers and paint and body shops will tell you those car washes are the worst thing for a car's paint. They should be touchless or soft car washes.
I like what Phil quoted but I have to disagree with him about most likely it's the fault of the car wash. Maybe it is and maybe its not. Maybe out of every so many thousand, one breaks like this. The thing is you have to get that thing covered up quickly. The car wash might take responsibility for it and they should regardless of whether it was a manufacturing issue or not. Good luck to you and whatever happens and let us know the outcome.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Hi all,
I went through the car wash this weekend and ended up losing the antenna. The car wash doesn't have it, do you think this could be a warranty claim? ?

Wow, I bought the "stumpy" to protect the antennae in car wash situations, as it gives the brushes a lot less to grab. So far, so good, although, truth to tell, I hardly ever take the truck to the car wash.

Unfortunately, Ford techs will take one look at that gaping hole in your roof and realize that it had been pulled out with force and was not just "gone with the wind." They have seen this movie before. So forget about asking Ford to cover it. You might have more success if you ask the Car Wash to make your truck whole again, but if they point to the "not responsible for" sign and refuse, you will have to choose between leaving a bad situation alone or pursing lengthy and expensive legal action against them.

 

[Delirious]

I used a touch less wash once that left a brown film on my previous vehicle turns out the water is recycled and filtered for reuse , so now I either hand wash with some buckets or use a waterless wash like meguiars D115 waterless car detailer.

Consumer reports reported some years ago that only 40% of the water is recycled. That's why I never use a car wash of any sort on the beach. That includes the self wash. I always hated car washes in the north during snow season because of the salted roads.

 

[samsd]

Do the right thing…. karma bites back hard and integrity is the right thing to have.
Don’t go lying to the dealership…. This is why they question everything someone claims as a warranty.
Just buy a new one and install it and start to wash your truck by hand.

Honesty and character, 2 things that only you can take from you.
"The truth can run around naked, lies have to be covered up."

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Phil,

No offense but as you are retired maybe those carwash tests were on older models? So maybe the new Ranger was not subjected to the same tests? Just curious.

Hi Mark,

I seriously doubt tests like the car wash test would be deleted from a program as it would take a Deviation which is signed off by Top Brass, and such would be unlikely to happen. Sure, old tests that are no longer needed....ie those involving Carburetors for example are deleted, but car washes are still in the equasion.

best.
Phil

 

[Augie81]

Hi Mark,

I seriously doubt tests like the car wash test would be deleted from a program as it would take a Deviation which is signed off by Top Brass, and such would be unlikely to happen. Sure, old tests that are no longer needed....ie those involving Carburetors for example are deleted, but car washes are still in the equasion.

best.
Phil

Thanks. As I said I was just curious. With all the budget crunching these days one never knows. But I trust your expertise on the topic.

 

[pa-fatboy]

Guess I will use touchless washes during Winter and hand wash during Summer...

use waterless in winter. If you care about your paint, do not use a car wash! They are evil places ready to apply all sorts of potential damage.

 

[AzScorpion]

this is a typical car in winter in canada.
you need a tsunami of water to get that shit off

I don't miss that look at all! When I sold my house back east I rented a condo for a few years before moving out there. You couldn't wash your vehicle there so I had to use a car wash, I used the self serve ones with the wands. Sometimes in the winter you just have to wait until it warms up enough so it and you don't freeze but they work good enough to get the heavy salt and junk off.

Then once it warmed up I'd bring two of my own buckets and wash it inside the bay the right way using their water and wand to rinse. I was a huge PITA trying to time this during the middle of the week so you didn't have a lot of people waiting while you're in there but it worked for me. I've seen way touch damage from car washes and I'll never take mine through one unless they're touch-less. Problem is both here and back east there were none close by.

 

[towpro]

My take on this is the brush ripped it off, but I think the antenna that sticks up is what the brush hit to pull the puck off. I bet if you had a shorty antenna there would not have been enough leverage for the brush to rip it off. Wonder if the shorty affects the cellular modem or just the am/fm strength? I see another accessory coming my way because I use the car wash.

 

[aeroshots]

Do the right thing…. karma bites back hard and integrity is the right thing to have.
Don’t go lying to the dealership…. This is why they question everything someone claims as a warranty.
Just buy a new one and install it and start to wash your truck by hand.

Yes, yes, and heck yes!

 

[HarryManback]

Wonder if the shorty affects the cellular modem or just the am/fm strength?

The shorty is ONLY for AM/FM radio, nothing else.

 

[Langwilliams]

The only touch free car wash near me is 10 miles away an it takes forever. The nice thing about the brush ones is a conveyer belt pulls the cars through each station. This makes a line go fast. The lazer wash near me does one complete car wash at a time so it's like 5 minutes per car ahead of you. The wash closest to me has the basic wash for $20 a month for up to 4 washes per day. They have improved the brush washes with softer materials an they keep the brushes an cars very wet an soapy to reduce friction. There must be a huge demand for the car washes since about 10 new ones have sprung up within a 20 mile radius an only one of the old ones closed.

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