A surprise boot opening spelt disaster for this poor Evoque, which ended up with significant damage
Automated car washes are best avoided if you value your paintwork. Brushes are fantastic at leaving horrible swirl marks in the finish, especially when they’re large and rotating quickly.
However, one Range Rover Evoque went through such a facility and came out with much more than scratches. The boot on a first-generation mini Range opens mid-wash in the video above, and no one thinks to hit the emergency shut off switch.
As a result, the open tailgate is bent back on itself, destroying the hinges and likely causing some roof damage. The immediate aftermath isn’t pretty.
We’re not sure where this particular Circle K car wash was, but the Evoque appears to have a continental European license plate, which doesn’t help much. The video isn’t clear enough to make out the country name. There’s also a question mark over the ‘when’ – the time stamp in the CCTV footage says 2020, but it only recently gained online attention.
As for why the Range Rover’s boot opened, we have a number of theories. The owner might have just knocked the button either in the cabin or on the key. The Evoque does have a ‘gesture open’ function for the boot, which could have been triggered by the elements of the car wash moving under the car, although it’s only supposed to do so in close proximity to the key. Or it could have simply malfunctioned – there are reports from some Range Rover owners about issues of this nature.
Whatever the cause, the result is the same – one very sorry-looking Evoque.
