Midway, mayhem broke out. Cara, a nurse, said: \u201cDuring the wash cycle, the machine caused the rear passenger door to open \u2013 it appears the rotating rubber brush caught the rear door handle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWater was sprayed into the car and onto our toddler, who was sat in the back seat. Andrew was able to twist from the drivers seat to shut the door. Then it happened again – the door was opened and more water was sprayed in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were shocked because you don\u2019t expect a car wash to be capable of doing that, especially with a child sat in the back at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext thing, we heard a massive bang. As the machine was behind us, we decided to get out quickly, leaving the wash to continue its cycle. It was pretty scary.\u201d Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter<\/a> sent twice daily to your inbox<\/p>\n Outside, the Wrexham<\/a> couple discovered the SUV\u2019s top spoiler had been torn from the roof, leaving a hole and exposing electrics. The repair bill came to an eyewatering \u00a31,800.<\/p>\n The roof was holed and electrics exposed when the top spoiler was torn off(Image: Cara Burke)<\/p>\n Tesco said subsequent investigations showed the car wash was operating correctly and a disclaimer advised against its use by Range Rovers.<\/p>\n Jaguar Land Rover said it was “common practice” for car manuafacturers to advise customers not to use commercially operated automatic car washes.<\/p>\n After the incident, Andrew, 31, who runs a window film business, asked to speak to the Tesco store manager. During the 40-minute wait, his mother arrived to collect Otis.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was very distressed,\u201d said Cara, who is eight months pregnant. \u201cIt was terrible trying to persuade him to go into her car. It\u2019s been horrendous. He’s slowly getting better but he’s still very upset by the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n A manager said he would complete an incident form and Tesco would be in touch. Having not heard from the store, Cara said she returned the next day and was assured she\u2019d be getting a call. When nothing was forthcoming, she returned a second time and was again told to await a phone call.<\/p>\n \u201cSoon after I was rung by a store manager saying the incident hadn\u2019t been recorded properly and could we do it now,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was quite concerning considering how serious the damage was.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilcomatic car wash at Tesco Wrexham(Image: Google)<\/p>\n Cara, 27, was referred to head office, who told her the claim had been passed to Tesco\u2019s insurers. This week the couple learned that Tesco\u2019s claims handlers had rejected their claim, stating the car wash was \u201cfully operational\u201d and that no defects were found.<\/p>\n The car was in a garage for a fortnight undergoing repairs. When it was collected this week, the bill came to \u00a31,800.<\/p>\n The couple have yet to see the engineer\u2019s cash wash report. Cara said: “With these automatic washes you might expect a few scratches at worst. What you don\u2019t expect is the doors to be opened and part of the roof taken off.”<\/p>\n What Tesco and Jaguar Land Rover said<\/p>\n Tesco said it was sorry about the family\u2019s experience while using its Wrexham car wash, and their subsequent dissatisfaction with its investigation.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_AFRDPW200526CarWashDisaster_03.jpg\")
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