Woman thought she was 'going to die' when car wash malfunctioned

A Christchurch woman experienced a malfunction while using a car wash, resulting in over NZ$7000 (approximately AU$6348) worth of damage to her vehicle. She expressed being "shocked and disappointed" by the company's "poor" response and stated that she had feared for her life at one point during the incident.

On October 25th, Jessie Davidson was using the car wash at the Z Energy station on Linwood Avenue when things initially seemed normal. However, as the brushes began making contact with her car, she felt they were "hitting too hard," and the car made "creaking and cracking" noises as the brushes rolled over the bonnet. She started to feel anxious, sensing that "something wasn't right," and when the machine rolled over the roof, she began to fear for her life as she heard her car being crushed.

"It didn't feel like the machine was recognizing my car at all," she said. Thinking the brushes would go through the windscreen, she began looking for an emergency stop button or a way to communicate with the gas station staff. "I was just sitting there thinking, 'What do I do?' 'When is this going to stop?'" she said, adding that her life flashed before her eyes. Subsequently, the same thing happened again when the car wash ran a second time. She said that during the second run, the wheels were spinning, and the whole car was moving.

After the car wash finished, a man knocked on her window to ask if she was okay. He had been in line behind Davidson to use the car wash and witnessed the entire incident. He informed her that pieces of her car were scattered on the ground and that the car wash machine displayed a "machine error." The car's spoiler was completely ripped off, and the antenna cover and wipers were also bent and deformed. The bonnet, roof, and sides of the car were dented and scratched. Recovering from the shock, Davidson went inside to seek help from staff. She was told to contact an 0800 number, but after calling, the promised call back never came.

Concerned for the safety of others, she called the gas station directly to ask if the car wash was still in operation. Staff told her that the machine had been repaired that evening and was open for use. "It seemed like the priority was fixing the machine, not addressing the damage it caused." When she made a formal complaint, she received an automated response informing her that the damage would be assessed within 10 working days. "I still haven't received an apology from anyone or any kind of sympathy," Davidson said, "I think it's a poor response." As a nurse, Davidson relies on her car to get to and from work, so she decided to make an insurance claim to begin repairs. She was told it would cost $7238 to repair her car. Davidson stated that she will never go through a car wash again. "It was terrifying. I thought I was going to die."

Z Energy corporate affairs manager Kiri Shannon stated that the company is aware of the complaint. "We want to sincerely apologize to the customer for her experience," she said. Shannon stated that after Davidson's experience, an issue was found with one of the car wash's brushes. She said that the issue was "immediately" reported to the company's maintenance provider, who arrived on site that day to fix the problem and ensure the car wash was safe to use. "Z is committed to resolving issues for our customers, and we will follow up directly to progress this claim and rectify the matter as soon as possible," she said.