A mum-of-two was left shaken up after her car was trapped inside a car wash in Cardiff when the machine malfunctioned – while she was still stuck inside her car.
Sarah Powell said £2,000 damage was caused to her Tesla Model 4 after it became lodged in the machine at IMO Carwash off Excelsior Road, Cardiff.
Sarah said the incident happened after the conveyor of the machine jolted her forward and into the car in front – lodging her car in the car wash in the process.
The mum was trapped in the vehicle for almost half an hour while waiting for a manger to come and release the machine.
She said two workers had to pull the machine away from her car and claimed she was blamed by workers for using it incorrectly.
Due to the model of the car Sarah claims she received two quotes estimating that replacing the front sensors, the number plate and the front bumper would cost around £2,000.
She said: “I drove into the machine as you normally would – admittedly I got my phone out but you’re usually sitting there for a few minutes.
“Suddenly the conveyor launched my car forward to the one in front and the machines locked around my car.
“It was sort of stuck around the car. I just had to sit there waiting to be told what to do – all of the bristles were covering the windows."
Sarah, from Efail Isaf, Church Village, said she was trapped until a manger came to release her.
“The boy who was managing the machine looked mortified,he didn't know what to do so he had to ring the manager and wait for him to come," she said.
The experience has put Sarah off using the machines.
“It’s made me really worried. I was physically shaking, I was quite worked up.
“I’m just thankful the children weren't with me. My husband went to pick them up and had to deal with me when I got home too – I was a bit of an emotional wreck."
Since the incident happened on January 15, Sarah claimed the company have offered little guidance or compensation.
“The company have been in complete denial since it happened," she added.
"They’ve now said I’ll have to sort it through my insurance and that there’s nothing they can do.
“After having quotes from two different garages, because of the type of car it is it looks like the damage is going to cost around £2,000 – as well as my insurance premium going up.
“I’m so frustrated, I feel like I’m having to suffer for something that was absolutely not my fault."
A spokesman from IMO Car Wash said: "Our company has been in touch with the customer and we have requested that she contacts her insurance company so that we can deal with the complaint and claim direct.
"Our investigations indicate that there was no fault with the machine. We take such matters seriously and will always communicate with the customer throughout the process."
