Car wash problem

[GCyr42]

GCyr42...any chance you could take a look at your rear control arm assembly and see if you have any similar damage? I'd love to see a photo if you do see something

I have an appointment for Monday @8 am at the local tire shop I use to get it on a lift and check under the car. I'll post the results... Thanks again for bringing this to my (our) attention.

 

[Brooklynk5]

I had my car up on a lift for an oil change and my control arm has a minor dent drivers side but yours is 100x worse. iv only taken my car to a car wash 2-3 times since November 2014 of owning the car

 

[goochylittlepig]

You really get your car washed 2-3 times per week?? Where do you live that your car gets that dirty so quickly? A dirt road?

i just assumed he took it off-roading. that's why people get the AWD, right?

 

[Mark_888]

I had my car up on a lift for an oil change and my control arm has a minor dent drivers side but yours is 100x worse. iv only taken my car to a car wash 2-3 times since November 2014 of owning the car

What model year and trim level do you have?

 

[Pamplona/Beige]

Letting any amount of buildup of what is in the air stay on your car including tree sap, Bird droppings and soot,sand in the air has to do more damage than frequent car washes especially if you wax the car a few times a year.

Into trade in often and have never once been dinged for paint swirls which you can easily get from hand washing as well.

 

[coolasice]

have you verified that it is actually the car wash? and not just something you might have hit or from factory that just happens to be in that spot?

can you go with a friend to the wash and watch the rails hook the car? even if it was from the wash, maybe it's a one time damage? so you can just keep doing it and just plan for replacement down the road?

I'll take a look at mine next time but i don't recall anything like that

 

[Huddleston]

Letting any amount of buildup of what is in the air stay on your car including tree sap, Bird droppings and soot,sand in the air has to do more damage than frequent car washes especially if you wax the car a few times a year.

Into trade in often and have never once been dinged for paint swirls which you can easily get from hand washing as well.

dealers don't care at all about real paint condition beyond oxidation or shoddy paint jobs. 90% of car buyers have no idea to actually take care of their paint and most people don't care. This being an enthusiasts forum I thought the likelihood of the OP being concerned about his paint would be higher. If he flips cars every few years he wouldn't care, and it looks like the car is more of a tool for him than something he enjoys driving - I understand that.

the best solution for someone that doesn't want to spend the time to correctly care for paint is a quality paint correction topped with a ceramic coating like CQuartz or Xpel protection film. These solutions last for years and take the abuse of driving on salty roads, bird droppings, and a multitude of other things. they also make the car infinitely easier to maintain as the dirt and grime just washes away. Even on my 1991 LS400 and 1985 pickup these coating are applied because I know I am not going to spend the same amount of time maintaining them as I do on the Cayenne or the Genesis.

 

[ksoze]

Letting any amount of buildup of what is in the air stay on your car including tree sap, Bird droppings and soot,sand in the air has to do more damage than frequent car washes especially if you wax the car a few times a year.

Would respectively disagree. Although tree sap and bird dropping need to be removed as soon as possible and are the most destructive, frequent car washes in automated washes is also damaging to the paint surface. You cannot have spinning, dirty brushes or rags pressed against a car regularly and not have damage, as well as increased wax deterioration from the harsh commercial soaps used. Then there is the potential wheel/tire damage from the pull tracks. A brushless car wash can remove the surface dirt and salt that can over time effect a cars paint surface without creating new damage.

Into trade in often and have never once been dinged for paint swirls which you can easily get from hand washing as well.

Improper hand washing can be as destructive as an auto car wash. Proper hand washing technique can keep the cars finish intact.

 

[amartz]

i just assumed he took it off-roading. that's why people get the AWD, right?

I take it you've never driven on northern roads during or after a snow storm....

 

[rjazz66]

have you verified that it is actually the car wash? and not just something you might have hit or from factory that just happens to be in that spot?

can you go with a friend to the wash and watch the rails hook the car? even if it was from the wash, maybe it's a one time damage? so you can just keep doing it and just plan for replacement down the road?

I'll take a look at mine next time but i don't recall anything like that

Yes, it is definitely from the car wash. I even met the owner there and drove through it with him and he agreed...but his measurements were right and he claims he's never had an issue like this on anything other than something much lower to the ground.

It appears to definitely be caused by the wash and no, I haven't hit anything.

I was hoping to learn others have this issue before going to the dealer to argue with them, because I'm sure they'll find it's my fault, not a design flaw.

Needless to say, I'll be sticking to the washes that have been ok from what I can tell...I just don't know if they're only OK because I've already worn down the part that cause the problem.

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[rjazz66]

I have an appointment for Monday @8 am at the local tire shop I use to get it on a lift and check under the car. I'll post the results... Thanks again for bringing this to my (our) attention.

Awesome, thanks. I'll look for your results

You can actually see the part and any possible damage by just looking beneath the car from the rear. The control arms etc hang down right behind the rear wheel.

 

[GCyr42]

Awesome, thanks. I'll look for your results

You can actually see the part and any possible damage by just looking beneath the car from the rear. The control arms etc hang down right behind the rear wheel.

Well, I looked under the car from the rear but I'm not "young" enough to crawl under enough to get a decent picture. I have a flat driveway into my garage but my neighbor has a steep grade in his driveway. When I see him outside, I'll ask if I can back up to the entrance of his garage and that should allow a better picture. But, I did cancel my appointment for a lift on Monday because something else came up. However, from what I can see, I do NOT have the dented area you have in the lower right of your left control arm assembly.

I also stopped by the car wash and talked to a knowledgeable manager. I explained that most of the time I get hard hits on the control arm while going through the wash but I have been through without the hits. I explained that I wasn't blaming the wash but trying to figure out why the control arm hit some times and not other times. Especially since the stated clearance for the Genesis V6 AWD sedan is 5.1" and my previous Chrysler 300S V6 AWD was 4.8 and I never hit anything in the wash with it.

The manager had me bring the car around so he could align it for a wash and check the clearances--it went through without a control arm hit! He told me to tell whoever is aligning cars for the wash that the sides of my left-side tires have to be 1" away from the guide bar that runs along the left side of the car.

Yes, everyone, I know not all car washes are the same, but this is what worked for mine at this car wash in Charles Town, WV. If I can get the car aligned this way every time, I won't hesitate using this car wash again, especially during the winter months.

 

[rjazz66]

Well, I looked under the car from the rear but I'm not "young" enough to crawl under enough to get a decent picture. I have a flat driveway into my garage but my neighbor has a steep grade in his driveway. When I see him outside, I'll ask if I can back up to the entrance of his garage and that should allow a better picture. But, I did cancel my appointment for a lift on Monday because something else came up. However, from what I can see, I do NOT have the dented area you have in the lower right of your left control arm assembly.

I also stopped by the car wash and talked to a knowledgeable manager. I explained that most of the time I get hard hits on the control arm while going through the wash but I have been through without the hits. I explained that I wasn't blaming the wash but trying to figure out why the control arm hit some times and not other times. Especially since the stated clearance for the Genesis V6 AWD sedan is 5.1" and my previous Chrysler 300S V6 AWD was 4.8 and I never hit anything in the wash with it.

The manager had me bring the car around so he could align it for a wash and check the clearances--it went through without a control arm hit! He told me to tell whoever is aligning cars for the wash that the sides of my left-side tires have to be 1" away from the guide bar that runs along the left side of the car.

Yes, everyone, I know not all car washes are the same, but this is what worked for mine at this car wash in Charles Town, WV. If I can get the car aligned this way every time, I won't hesitate using this car wash again, especially during the winter months.

Thanks for your investigation and report...I'm going to measure the clearance on my car and see how it measures. The owner of the wash measured his track when I was there with him and it was clearly 4 5/8" so it should clear it by 1/2" with no problem. My tires are properly inflated.

 

[goochylittlepig]

I take it you've never driven on northern roads during or after a snow storm....

My entire life except the last 6 years. Never with AWD, though I would certainly get it now. I was just joking anyways.

 

[GCyr42]

Thanks for your investigation and report...I'm going to measure the clearance on my car and see how it measures. The owner of the wash measured his track when I was there with him and it was clearly 4 5/8" so it should clear it by 1/2" with no problem. My tires are properly inflated.

Don't forget--I quoted what the stated clearance is, not what it actually is or what I measured--which I didn't do.

 

[amartz]

My entire life except the last 6 years. Never with AWD, though I would certainly get it now. I was just joking anyways.

Must have missed the smiley face.

 

[GCyr42]

Don't forget--I quoted what the stated clearance is, not what it actually is or what I measured--which I didn't do.

Here's a Hyundai Product Information website with the ground clearance measurement:
http://www.hyundaiproductinformatio...edan/genesisSedan_featureslist_dimensions.asp

5.3 for RWD & 5.1 for AWD

 

[rjazz66]

Here's a Hyundai Product Information website with the ground clearance measurement:
http://www.hyundaiproductinformatio...edan/genesisSedan_featureslist_dimensions.asp

5.3 for RWD & 5.1 for AWD

I just got on the ground with a tape measure and it appears to me that the control arm on my car only clears 4.5", but it's difficult to say for sure because of how it's been chewed up. Seems to me its a design flaw and everyone should be careful using a wash with a track. The published clearance isn't accurate.

 

[GCyr42]

I just got on the ground with a tape measure and it appears to me that the control arm on my car only clears 4.5", but it's difficult to say for sure because of how it's been chewed up. Seems to me its a design flaw and everyone should be careful using a wash with a track. The published clearance isn't accurate.

You've been doing all the work here, so I spread my body out along the left rear side of my car with a flashlight and a steel 6" ruler. The body and tire are in the way to get an accurate measurement but I estimate the height from my garage floor to the bottom of the control arm to be about 4.25".

My control arm joint doesn't appear to be damaged--certainly not like yours. If it was, I would be requesting a meeting at the dealership with the district service rep to compare the actual measurement with the Hyundai stated clearance from the website I provided earlier, and request that Hyundai fixed the control arm under warranty.

Again, I can't thank you enough for bringing this topic to our attention so we're aware of it and can deal with it. I'll certainly make sure my car is aligned properly when I go to the car wash from now on.

 

[Brooklynk5]

What model year and trim level do you have?

2015 3.8 signature I believe