[Meats]

Hey everyone, I need some advice (possibly legal)

I park in a municipal garage (I rent a space there monthly and have been a tenant for almost a year now). Last weekend, I parked on the floor below the roof. I guess the garage salted the roof since people park on that level and a leak in the ceiling managed to drip on my car all weekend and damaged the paint on my car's roof and subsequently rear passenger side door.

I took it to a car wash, but that really didnt help and I think the paint is corroded.

1) What can I do to treat the corrosion in the short term? I will be documenting everything with camera photos.

2) What advice does anyone have about pursuing compensation from the garage?

I dont think they are liable if someone breaks into my car or other things out of their control, but this seems to be their fault since it's a structural problem with the garage. And that caused direct damage to my vehicle.

Any guidance here would be amazing right now.

Photos are below. I apologize if they are not clear. I thinking getting the car washed made photographing it more difficult due to the reflectivity. This pics are after applying a lot of elbow grease with a microfiber towel. It may look like it will come off, but not by conventional means.

[Envious Eric]

you need to ask a lawyer about this, not bmw owners

[ddogg35]

pics of the damage might help, depending on how bad it is you might be able to rescue the paint

[ScheerSpeed]

let me see some pics. ill tell you if any sort of detailing would take it out...

email me

Dom@scheerdetailing.com

[MuttGrunt]

I'd actually think they'd be liable as this isn't theft/vandalism it is the structure itself. That being said, don't expect them to fork over cash. They should have some type of insurance for their building, so find out about that.

Keep in mind on your side, you could go through your insurance as this would be a comprehensive claim. It might be helpful to just talk to your insurance and explain the situation to them and see what they say. Keep in mind you'd have to pay your comp. deductible.

[raceyBMW]

Yes, go to either the parking garage operation company or building owner and talk to them about it and let them know you are seeking compensation for damage from leaking water.

They are responsible for the damage, and will usually give compensation without too much hassle, especially since you are a monthly customer and can prove where you park and where the damage occurred from.

[Meats]

I added pics, see initial post

[Joonsup]

Going through insurance wouldn't be a bad idea if they don't compensate you. Deductible for comp shouldn't be that much...100 or 200. If you don't get compensated AND you don't want to go through insurance, only advice I can tell you is to take it to a professional detailer and have them take a look to see if they can do anything about it. good luck

[enycejason]

from the picture it looks like what i had on my car before.
i used the ps21 total auto wash and it came right off.
just sprayed it let it sit for about 30 sec to a min and then some car wash soap and sponge.

[ScheerSpeed]

P21S TAW, clay bar, Polishing are some ways you can try removing it. where are you located?

[McMuffin]

Originally Posted by Envious Eric

you need to ask a lawyer about this, not bmw owners

He's probably asking cuz we have lawyers on this board, smart ass!

GL man!

[lopealle]

Originally Posted by ScheerSpeed

P21S TAW, clay bar, Polishing are some ways you can try removing it. where are you located?

this

[Tzu]

Is that right down to the metal? If its just surface deposits then a rinse/clay/polish would probably do it justice.

[Envious Eric]

lol, sorry, just seems like his original question was more of a legal one...

but WITH pictures, I would try washing with a citrus cleaner, or an apc wash, then claying to see what comes up, then polishing/compounding, and see where you are left...remember to finish down with the proper steps to ensure a glossy result. then wax.

looks like your car has some pretty decent swirling going on anyway, might be a good time to head to your local recommended detailer to have him take a look and a crack at it...

[Houman21]

Originally Posted by jkurgan

Hey everyone, I need some advice (possibly legal)

I park in a municipal garage (I rent a space there monthly and have been a tenant for almost a year now). Last weekend, I parked on the floor below the roof. I guess the garage salted the roof since people park on that level and a leak in the ceiling managed to drip on my car all weekend and damaged the paint on my car's roof and subsequently rear passenger side door.

I took it to a car wash, but that really didnt help and I think the paint is corroded.

1) What can I do to treat the corrosion in the short term? I will be documenting everything with camera photos.

2) What advice does anyone have about pursuing compensation from the garage?

I dont think they are liable if someone breaks into my car or other things out of their control, but this seems to be their fault since it's a structural problem with the garage. And that caused direct damage to my vehicle.

Any guidance here would be amazing right now.

Photos are below. I apologize if they are not clear. I thinking getting the car washed made photographing it more difficult due to the reflectivity. This pics are after apply a lot of elbow grease with a microfiber towel. It may look like it will come off, but not by conventional means.

Don't be discouraged by what is written on the ticket and anything you may have signed. There are laws that supersede those contracts.

You should ask yourself this, is it worth it to spend time and money (I say yes) to make them pay for damages, or is it more cost effective to just pay for it yourself or have your insurance pay for it.

At the very least, if you can find a lawyer, or law student on the a bulletin board (maybe it'll be cheaper) at a university. It won't hurt to ask and may cost you nothing.

Remember not to get discouraged.

[TOGWT]

This problem comes up often (I’ve answered two similar posts with removal advice in as many days) so if legal advice says the parking garage is responsible please let us know.

[Meats]

Originally Posted by ScheerSpeed

P21S TAW, clay bar, Polishing are some ways you can try removing it. where are you located?

Northern NJ, near NYC.

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by ScheerSpeed

P21S TAW, clay bar, Polishing are some ways you can try removing it. where are you located?

Good advice here. That's much easier/cheaper than going through insurance and getting it repainted or something drastic. Invest the $25ish in some TAW and a clay bar to see if that takes care of it. If it doesn't, then you can decide between taking it to a detailer in your area for polishing or putting the whole thing through insurance (or taking other legal action). I think it's worth trying to handle yourself though.

[Meats]

Originally Posted by jopa489

Good advice here. That's much easier/cheaper than going through insurance and getting it repainted or something drastic. Invest the $25ish in some TAW and a clay bar to see if that takes care of it. If it doesn't, then you can decide between taking it to a detailer in your area for polishing or putting the whole thing through insurance (or taking other legal action). I think it's worth trying to handle yourself though.

do you guys know any B&M stores where i can pick up P21s Total Auto Wash?

I searched online but didnt see any big name local places that sell it.

[Meats]

Update: The parking management company has seen my car and the leak and have agreed to pay for the repairs. I will now be soliciting some estimates for the repairs.

[BMW603]

That is calcium, I had a car brand new-- black.. when I parked in Boston. (same thing happened) almost looks like glazing on a nice doughnut.

Anyway.. dealer wanted to repaint the car, parking garage wanted nothing to do with it.. went to the better garage in boston, they have an onsite detail shop (prudential) the guy said .. stand back and he sprayed this bottle of stuff on my car... waited 2mins.. rinsed.. it came right off.. (must have been a CLR type of solution)

moral of the story.. this is VERY common.. water in parking structures runs thru concrete-- this calcium forms on your car.. (you might have been under a crack in ceiling or pipe)

Parking garage folks know all about this but will deny it.

FYI- and don't ask me how I know--- the following WILL not remove the marks:

WD-40
Nail Polish Remover (aka lacquer thinner)
Mineral spirits
buffing/grit paste or not
Clay bar
gas (unleaded)

Hope this helps!

[BMW603]

Calcified Water Marks

Often found from parking in municipal or underground parking facilities, calcified water spots on paint and glass, water and concrete spots are pretty much the same chemically; they are consist of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) both of which are basic (alkaline pH 10) with the concrete being cross-linked with water

Correction
· These can usually be removed by using detailer's clay to remove any hardened surface deposits
a) Apply 1:1 ratio distilled water with distilled White Vinegar (Acetic acid) solution, and using a spray bottle, spray that mixture on the spots and let them "soak." Then rinse with water and repeat as necessary.
b) If the ambient temperature water/vinegar mix does not work, warm (100-120 degrees) 100% distilled White Vinegar, saturate a clean kitchen sponge with pure vinegar and hold the sponge over the concrete spots for a few minutes
c) If the above do not remove them try equal parts distilled water, isopropyl alcohol and distilled white vinegar. The acid in the vinegar will help etch and dissolve the concrete.
· Rinse the area thoroughly with water after the vinegar and then reapply wax or sealant to that area.
· To remove any surface etching use a machine polish ( Optimum Polish, Optimum Compound, Z-PC Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner or Klasse All-In-One (AIO) and a cutting (LC Orange or Yellow) foam pad (speed # 4-5.0 ) to level the surface (use the least aggressive polish/foam pad first, if this doesn’t remove the problem step-up to a more aggressive set-up)
· Work on a very small area at a time (2-foot x 2-foot) until the polish has run out
· Repeat this process two or three times, as necessary
· If none of the above methods remove the etched water spots consider wet-sanding the paint finish
· Reapply surface protection once spots have been removed