It’s a nice day, you have a few minutes to spare, and your dirty car needs cleaning. You pull into the nearest automated car wash and run it through. But when your vehicle comes out, you notice some damage that wasn’t there before the car travelled through the car wash.

The party that is liable for car wash damage could be the car wash owner — or it could be you. The most common types of car wash damage include damage to your exterior paint finish, water leakage, protruding items like mirrors and exterior trim knocked off, and wheel and tire damage. There’s also a hidden danger of PFAS chemicals in car washes you might not be aware of. Some reasons that the car wash owner could be liable for the damage can include improper cleaning of their brushes, lack of employee training, mechanical malfunction, unclear or unposted customer guidelines, violation of safety standards, or inadequate maintenance. The car wash should have its own insurance for this. Beyond this coverage, the car wash may use an outside maintenance company, which will typically have its own insurance. The manufacturer of the car wash equipment, if found defective, will also be a potential payer.

But if you disregard the car wash’s instructions to lower your antenna, or if aftermarket accessories fall off, you are typically liable for the damage. It is possible that your collision or comprehensive (non-collision) coverage, if you have it, may pay for repair costs that the car wash owner is not liable for.

The first thing you should do is to report the damage directly to the car wash management before you leave. You should also complete an incident report if they have one, in as much detail as you can, and get a copy of the report for your records. Check your car thoroughly, inside and out, and take plenty of photos of the damage before you leave the premises. You can request the security footage of the car wash your vehicle went through to observe any damage that may have been caused. In addition, check whether any other customers who were present also suffered damage like yours. Retain all receipts for the car wash you paid for and any estimates for repairs. In the event that a person was hurt or a major amount of damage was done to your vehicle, file a police report.

If the damage is caused by the car wash’s failure to operate its equipment properly, and the car wash’s insurance company does not give you satisfaction, then you may be able to bring a suit for damages. Be aware that laws vary from state to state, but in many, negligence is harm that is caused by the business’ carelessness, pure and simple. Check with a local attorney before moving forward. An attorney working for you can deal with the various insurers, access security video, and get records of equipment maintenance.

There are a number of different ways that you can recover damages that result from an incident your vehicle was involved in while going through a car wash. These start with the repair costs, including parts and labor, incurred to repair the damage to your vehicle caused by the car wash. Transportation costs you had to pay while your car was being repaired, which could include car-sharing services and/or a rental car, can also be covered. Since any reportable accident repair of any size can reduce your car’s resale value, this is another cost that you could be reimbursed for.

Other costs, such as towing to the repair shop, are also recoverable. And in the event that someone was injured as a result of your car wash incident, you can recover not only any medical costs, but you can also be compensated for both the emotional and physical harm from the injury itself.

Digging deeper, if you should discover a pattern of behavior on the part of the car wash that shows that it disregarded issues with its equipment or otherwise acted in a reckless manner, this could be another source of recoverable damages that you are entitled to. A case like this can get pretty complicated, making it better suited for an attorney to handle.