PITTSBURGH — Two Pittsburgh drivers claim their vehicles were damaged inside Clean Express Auto Washes.
A Pittsburgh mom said she went through the location on Route 51 in Pleasant Hills and it caused extensive scratches all across her SUV’s roof and hood.
“I get home and notice my car is completely scratched from the hood from the back of the roof. I went back the next morning, and they had me fill out an incident report and said wait to hear back,” said Katie Yeschenko.
Katie Yeschenko did hear back from an insurance company saying her claim was denied. The autobody shop estimates the repairs will cost nearly $2,500.
“I put a post on Facebook warning people and I had several people come forward saying they had similar experiences with the same company in different locations. Same thing. Won’t accept responsibility or pay for any damages to the cars they damaged.”
Katie documented the damage, with photos that show extensive swirling scratches.
Another woman said her windshield was cracked going through the location in Brentwood. Photos show her windshield right after the car was washed, still in the parking lot.
Clean Express Auto Wash tells Channel 11 the have a third-party insurance company that reviews all claims.
The Brentwood location has washed 21,500 cars and had eight claims, and the Pleasant Hills location has washed 93,200 cars washed and had 15 claims.
The insurance company denied both driver’s claims. The insurance company claims surveillance video showed a crack in the windshield before the incident. The driver disagrees. The insurance company says the soft foam material doesn’t hold onto debris that would damage a vehicle. They also believe the scratches were inconsistent with the direction of their wash brushes.
“The last thing I want to spend money on right now is getting my car fixed when I have two kids to give a Christmas to,” said Katie Yeschenko.
Yeschenko said she is pursuing legal action. Both women hope to warn other drivers.
“Go touchless, or do it yourself. I know it’s not the time of year to do that, but I would go touchless.”
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