Car polish demo gone wrong: Singaporean slapped with $900 repair bill after JB car wash worker scratches his car and runs away

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man, Mr Li, whose car was polished in Johor Bahru, had serious regrets after his car sustained damage that cost S$900 to repair. The incident occurred on Sept 28 at a car wash station at Taman Maju Jaya, not far from Woodlands Checkpoint.

Mr Li was only asking for the price of the station’s services when an overly eager worker showed him a polishing tool and began to use it on the hood of Mr Li’s car. The car owner was never asked, nor did he permit the worker to polish the vehicle.

Unfortunately, it left spiral-shaped marks on the car’s hood, which did not easily disappear. Seeing this, the worker fled the scene.

When Mr Li asked the boss of the car wash station who would compensate him for the damage, the boss offered to polish the entirety of the vehicle for RM450 (around S$138).

The boss added that this would remove the marks the worker had made and began to tackle the marks on Mr Li’s car himself.

However, seeing that the marks the workers made were hard to remove, he lowered his asking price to RM100 (around S$30). Then, when he failed to remove the marks, he said he would polish Mr Li’s car for free.

However, when Mr Li asked for compensation for the damage to his vehicle, the owner refused, claiming it wasn’t his fault and that he had no money to pay Mr Li back. The owner allegedly told him he should demand compensation from the worker who damaged his car.

Mr Li brought his vehicle to a shop in Singapore for repairs on Monday (Oct 7) and was told the repairs would cost him S$900.

And when Mr Li told his unfortunate story to Shin Min Daily News, it was reported on by other media outlets as well. This resulted in netizens commenting on the story and sharing their recommendations for reliable carwash places.

One called the F1 car wash “the best” but warned that it would cost more and that there would be a longer wait, as many Singaporeans go there for their services.

Another recommended car wash in Taman Johor Jaya. “The best car wash is at B point JB. Get 6 stickers and the 6th time wash for free,” wrote another. One vouched for Alam Shah car wash at Pelangi.

“Go to speedzone carwash Setia tropica. They trusted the owner and the excellent workmanship,” wrote another. A commenter suggested that Mr Lee try Bossgo Carwash.

Some suggested, however, that he stay close to home. “Wash in HDB car parks with jet spray, all under $3. Get a good workout, too,” wrote one.

“The cheapest, and without paying a cent, we wash it ourselves. Satisfied,” another agreed. /TISG

Read also: Maids say after working in Singapore, they can now own more than one house back home and even buy land and own a car

Featured image by Freepik/senivpetro (for illustration purposes only)