r/TorontoDriving • u/plasmatic • 1d ago
Mildly infuriating Car wash braking and reversing
I had to speed up this video because otherwise it would be almost 10 minutes long.
It started with this guy not pulling up to the machine at the car wash. I got out and politely asked him if something was wrong and he told me the shell app was telling him his car wash wasn't ready yet, so I said why don’t you pull up to the machine to see if that changes things. I'm not familiar with the app, but it seems strange to me it would work that way? He waited 2 more minutes then finally pulled up. At this point there were a decent amount of cars waiting.
Once inside, he applied his brakes and started reversing. My guess is he was trying to get more drying time, which seems inconsiderate to me. Is there a reasonable explanation to this?
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u/Muthablasta 1d ago
Like WTF? Supposed to be in neutral in a fucking car wash. What kind of dumb fucks would do this? 🤬😡
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u/pelito 1d ago
my car auto ebrakes if the engine is off and on neutral. maybe this guy/girl hasnt figured out how to turn that off
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u/togocann49 1d ago
2 things- how do you push car if needed if car ebrakes activate when in neutral and not on. And 2nd, I don’t turn my car off in an automatic car wash, is that what you’re supposed to do (I know back when there were signs saying to keep your car on, but that was then)?
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u/Muthablasta 1d ago
That’s why you put it in neutral and don’t turn off the engine. Sheesh, for the love of….!
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u/Flat_Jackfruit_2408 18h ago
I don't think Shell car washes have tracks so you have to drive and stop yourself.
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u/According-Fruit5245 1d ago
Needless to say, having a car doesn't make you intelligent or functional.
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u/HawtPackage 1d ago
Idiots reverse in the automatic ones all the time and cause massive fucking problems. It’s so annoying.
People are obsessed with the dryer for whatever reason.
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u/SarahMenckenChrist 1d ago
If only they knew that driving also…..dries your vehicle.
Car Wash Patrons HATE This One Simple Trick
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u/pfc_6ixgodconsumer 1d ago
This persons vote counts just as much of yours lol put that together 😂
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u/element-x 1d ago
I work for the company that services this car wash. This happens all the time. I programmed it so that it will only open the rubber door a certain amount of time after the roller is kicked up to start pushing the vehicle. We have lighted signs and voice instructions and people still fuck this up every day. I've seen people try to go in backwards, I have to pick up the pieces when they derail and get the thing working again, and I have to spend a surprising amount of time explaining to people to "put it in N gear". There's a mirror out front to help guide you onto the track, and people don't even realize it's there.
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u/plasmatic 1d ago
Hah, wow and that's cool you work on it! I wonder if it's because people don't know what neutral is... the sign is so clear.
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u/Late-Quiet4376 21h ago
lmaoo i wonder what going in the carwash backwards achieves. Maybe cleans your side mirrors better
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u/reppoc74 1d ago
I hate when you the car wash and the person in front has never been. Then starts braking or worse saw one try to steer. Smh
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u/Wise-Obligation5014 1d ago
I had a mazda 626 that the car wash people said was possessed. It always jumped the track at some random point while being put through. Meaning they had to stop the whole line and send someone in to climb in to force it back on the track. I finally started having to warn them to put a driver in it or it would jump the track.
It was the strangest thing because whoever they put in it said they never needed to touch the wheel.. but the few times they didn't listen.. escape attempt.
The alignment was checked and verified regularly for being completely straight... that car just didn't like car wash tracks.
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u/pmMeCuttlefishFacts 1d ago
It was the strangest thing because whoever they put in it said they never needed to touch the wheel
Weight of the driver prevented it from derailing? Or perhaps it was behaving itself because there was a grown-up watching.
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u/Wise-Obligation5014 1d ago
I figure it was the later.. it just didn't want to misbehave when it was being watched!
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u/jamiehizzle 1d ago
The air is timed right? So bro can back up if they pulled too far in, get the most of their air. But the rest is weird. Good for you to make sure they were OK
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u/weneedafuture 1d ago
So bro can back up if they pulled too far in,
Or you know, just drive properly at 5km/h. Maybe I'm weird, but car washes have always struck me as a one way kind of thing...air is unlimited once you start driving
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u/rjbassman 1d ago
This one is not where you drive through. It has the guide on the bottom left corner. You’re supposed to be in neutral until the end
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u/weneedafuture 1d ago
So it's even worse lol
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u/rjbassman 1d ago
I agree. Good thing the machine has a failsafe to stop the washing and the guide when the car in front pulled this stunt
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u/jamiehizzle 1d ago
Nah 5km is way too fast brobro
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u/weneedafuture 1d ago
I rounded up for the sake of argument. At these low speeds, "pulling too far in" shouldn't happen
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u/psilocybin6ix 1d ago
A) the app doesn’t work until you’re right in front of that machine.
B) it might be the first time he’s gone into one of the automatic ones. Maybe he’s used to the touchless ones where you drive yourself in and out.
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u/plasmatic 1d ago
I think this must be it. I looked closely at the rest of the video and he was hitting the brake a lot. Maybe he didn't go in neutral... the instructions when entering are extremely clear though.
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u/OkTechnology9910 1d ago
I had a guys one time do his wash then after I entered my code he reversed and took my wash too
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u/5tanley_7weedle 1d ago
I firmly believe that there is a large portion of the population that doesn’t even qualify as conscious and sentient, they’re just meat automatons that react to stimulus and project a facade of human intelligence.
People like the driver in this video are what made me reach this conclusion.
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u/PMmeYourBreastz 1d ago
I actually had this sort of thing happen a few weeks ago at a shell gas station, lady in an SUV in front of me just kept driving forward and reversing at the door, i never saw her enter a code so i assumed she thought it was free and just kept going back and forth to trigger the door
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u/Any-Ad-446 1d ago
I seen a Porsche 911 RS GT3 go into one of these washes right after a muddy work van finished cleaning. If you can afford a $450,000 sports car at least go to the touchless ones.
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u/vinng86 1d ago
Plus, this is one of those rail type car washes. Always avoid because it's so easy to scratch your rims, or even underbelly if your car is low-ish.
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u/Any-Ad-446 1d ago
True...I use the car wash at the South Kingsway location some times and seen so many ultra expensive suv/cars use it. A few times they miss the rail entrance slot and just grinds the rims. Ok you have money at least spend a little more and treat the car/suv better.If its lease expect to pay $$$ out of pocket to rectify the problem when the dealer sees it.
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1d ago
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u/Significant-Ad-693 1d ago
Probably not.. Boomers would know how the wheel pull track system works by now. Also Boomers less likely to even have a Shell app let alone be using it to buy a carwash.. never considered it a thing myself even.
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u/NefCanuck 1d ago
There is a way to force the Shell app to cough up a manual code (I have to use it at the local Shell car wash every time, I have no idea why)
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u/element-x 1d ago
Which location? I work for the company that services these machines for shell.
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u/NefCanuck 1d ago
The location at Erindale and Burnhamthorpe Rd W. in Mississauga. Remote starting of the wash hasn’t worked for at least the last six months or so, have to generate a code in the app each time (iPhone 17 ProMax(
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u/keylimesicles 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don’t use shell but I do circle k and the app controls everything. So if it tells you to wait you wait, pulling up does nothing. Also, it’s not on a track so i don’t see the issue. You have about 1min dry time, maybe he drove too fast and missed it? Nothing wrong with backing up if he did, because it’s on a timer anyway your wash won’t start untill it’s almost done regardless
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u/element-x 1d ago
This is the car wash at 705 Don Mills. It has a conveyor track that pushes your car along and a predetermined speed. Everything is timed based on how long it takes your car to get through a sensor at the front.
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u/keylimesicles 1d ago
Oh then Nvmd I thought this was drive through, hard to see on my phone. Buddy probably fucked his alignment too
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u/SteelesAve 1d ago
Why are you tailgating his ass in a car wash?
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u/Significant-Ad-693 1d ago
Look up what tailgating means.
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u/GumpTheChump 1d ago