Amtrak Amtrak Auto Train Car finish destroyed by AutoTrain Washington DC

My wife and I took the Amtrak Auto Train from Sanford, FL to Lorton VA in December 2013 with an ultimate destination in Baltimore, Md. The train ride was nice but Do Not Take your car. Our car is a 2014 Kia Sorento SX that was 3 months old at the time. I had washed and waxed the car the day before and it was in better shape than showroom condition when it went onto the train in Sanford.

When I retreived the car in Lorton it looked like it had just finished racing in a muddy field; as a result, if I tried to clean off the dirt without water it would have ruined the finish and the attendents were telling everyone to hurry along. Next morning (Saturday) in BaltimoreI washed the car and found the hood was severly scratched and gouged a total of 27 locations. I immediately called Amtrak who advised the complaintd department did not work on weekends but did provide a case number. Due to the complaint department being on holiday I was unable to talk with a representative until 30 December (10 days later).

Amtrak Insurance company said that since I did not report the damage at the time the car was returned, they stated that they could not have done the damage and I must have caused the damage. As a result I am on the hook for $500 to repaint the hood on my 3 month old car.

Bottom line is hte auto train is OK for the personnel transport portion but do not put your car on the train unhless you are prepared to wash your car in the reception area of Amtrak prior to departing.