The Power of Positive Intent: My Car Wash Misadventure

I've wanted to write an update about an article I wrote a few years back about Assuming Positive Intent. This week gave me a good example of assuming positive intent and not getting angry when something goes wrong.

My car was a mess since it is now wintertime here in Michigan, and we've had some snow and salt on the roads. Yesterday, the weather was clear, and so were the roads, and I decided that I was going to go through the automatic car wash on the way to work as I typically do. I like to go there first thing in the morning because the line is empty, and either I am the only one there, or there are one or two others there. If I wait until the middle of the day, there is usually a long line, and I might have to wait 20 minutes or more to get through. So I go there at 7:30 am when they open or 8:00 am on the weekends.

I got to the car wash and was the only one there, though not the first of the day. One vehicle exited the wash as I pulled into the parking lot. I have a quick pass sticker on my windshield, allowing me to get through the paywall gate and in line quickly. The guys start spraying bug cleaner on the front of the car, and I slowly enter the building while they are pressure washing the car. Then they get the big mop brushed with soapy water and brush down the car as they press the button to have the track pull the car through the automatic part of the wash. My car's transmission is already in neutral, and my hands are off the wheel. Everything is normal, and I get through the wash and exit.

The morning temperature was about 34F, or 1C, and it's still dark outside. I first noticed it wasn't easy to see where I was going as the windshield appeared fogged. This happens sometimes when I leave the car wash, where it's significantly warmer inside than outside. Though at 34F, I wouldn't have expected the fogging to be much. I turn on the defrosters at maximum as I try to drive down the street to my office, about a mile and a half away. The glass isn't clearing up, so I tried using the wipers with the washer fluid. That's not helping either, and it even looks like it's smearing.

As I make it to the office and park the car, I feel frustration and mystery. While at the car wash, I received a text message asking if I could attend a breakfast meeting with colleagues. I respond that yes, I can. The meeting is at 8:30, just a mile down the road. So, I don't have much time to return to the car wash to tell them something is wrong. I have to wait until after my breakfast meeting. At least the sun was coming up, and despite the overcast sky, it was light outside, and seeing while driving was a little better.

After the meeting, I returned to the car wash and pulled up to the building. Again, even though it was close to 10:30 am, there wasn't anyone else in line, thankfully. I put the window down and waved one of the guys over. I told him that I had been through earlier in the morning and that I could hardly see anything through the windshield when I left. The other two guys go through their usual routine of spraying and pressure washing the car while the first guy calls for the manager and tells him what I have said. The manager starts to walk down the line, and I can see him grab a ladder, and then I lose sight of him as he walks a little further along the line.

The guys continue hosing down the car while they wait for the manager. Then I can hear the manager from down the line shouting back, "Shut it down." Two other vehicles behind me were in line, waiting for a wash. The manager walked back up and said that one of the machines had a leak of hydraulic fluid, and that's probably what was all over my car and why I couldn't see very well going down the road.

They diligently worked on my car, removing every trace of the hydraulic fluid, especially from the glass. They turned the other two cars around and sent them on their way without cleaning them. They had to shut down the car wash until repairs could be made, but their dedication to cleaning my car was evident.

Now, at this point, I had a choice to make. My car had been covered in hydraulic fluid, which is clear, or mostly clear, so I couldn't tell what it was, and there is the potential that there could be damage to the paint, too. This was a serious situation, and my choice was to get angry about it and yell, scream, and jump up and down at the car wash employees for the damage or potential damage to my car. My new car has only 6,000 miles on it. Or, I could thank them for working extra hard at getting the hydraulic fluid off and apologizing for what happened.

I know that in customer service jobs, many employees get yelled at by angry customers for problems, accidents, and perceived wrongdoings. Often, it's a thankless job, and the employees get yelled at or worse.

In this example, I took my advice and assumed positive intent from the car wash and its employees. A reasonable deduction tells me that this was an unintentional accident: a machine had started leaking hydraulic fluid. I don't believe that an employee made the machine break or leak on purpose to ruin some customers' cars. It is possible, of course, but it isn't probable. Had I assumed negative intent and reacted angrily, the situation could have escalated, and the employees might have felt unappreciated for their efforts to clean the car and resolve the issue.

I reassured the manager that 'stuff' happens, and it's not a big deal. I appreciated that they went the extra mile to clean the car off when I came back and that he apologized for the problem. I get it. Nothing is perfect, and things break. After all, it's only a car - a machine. It already has a couple of stone chips in the paint, and it will probably get more as time goes on. The car will eventually be replaced by another car. Life goes on, and this incident is just a temporary blip in the car's journey.

Now, getting angry over the event wouldn't solve anything. It won't fix anything and won't allow anyone to go back in time and do something to prevent it from happening in the first place. So what would getting angry do? Nothing good. It would make the employees feel worse than they probably already did after discovering the problem.
Furthermore, they'd probably stop trying to help clean the car off if they started at all. Why would they go the extra mile when someone is berating them? I wouldn't. Then, the next time I'd go through there, the employees would recognize me and probably not do as good of a job of cleaning the car, knowing that I treated them poorly. Nothing good can come from getting angry over the situation - or assuming negative intent.

Assuming positive intent is the better choice. If I were the manager or one of the car wash employees and this happened, I'd feel bad that some customer's cars got washed down with hydraulic fluid. I certainly didn't mean for it to happen, as that wouldn't have been my intent. So, as the customer, assuming positive intent in this situation helps solidify that despite what happened, it's okay. I recognize that accidents happen sometimes, and I don't believe there was any malicious intent on behalf of the car wash people. I also know that the next time I go through there, they will remember what happened and how I treated them well and was forgiving. They might go the extra mile for me again and ensure my car is extra shiny!