Courtesy cars

Allan87

My car has been in the garage since last Monday, mechanics are still trying to diagnose the problem. It's getting to the stage where I need it back so if they can't give it to me by tomorrow I'll ask about a courtesy car. I'm wondering if courtesy cars are just a gesture of good will or whether I can reasonably expect to have one if the garage intends to hold the vehicle any longer?

plane_boy2000

You have no right to one - its just a goodwill / customer benefit really.

Is it a main dealer? If it is and the car is under warranty then I would say you have a right to expect one, but other than that then it would be more luck if you got one.

TangledMemories_2

I know at OH's garage they will lend out the "pool car" which is normally driven by the manager to customers who have to wait longer than usual for their car to be fixed.
It may be worth asking, but I doubt you can "demand/expect" one from them?
They could easily just tell you to take your car elsewhere.
One thing to remember is that dependant on the car and the fault, sometimes the simplest of diagnostics tests don't work.

pir

If the car is under warranty and you take it back to the official garage you will normally get a courtesy car. If booked in for general repairs my garage would normally ask if I want a car or not. Asking for a car means I have to wait a couple of weeks to book the car in.

If you don't ask you'll never know but don't be surprised if you don't get one. As they don't have to give you one there is no point demanding one therefore I think asking politely, explaining the situation might help. I always find that being nice to staff in these places means they are more likely to go out of their way to help me out.

harveybobbles

We will loan out a car if the customers is in for a repair that will take long-ish.
It's usually a px car that has some road tax left.

almillar

If it's a big enough garage, and you were told it wouldn't take this long, or it's where you bought it from, even if out of warranty, definately ask for a car. If it a wee local garage that you've chosen specifically for a cheap job, don't. They'll probably be charging you less because they don't have coffee machines and courtesy cars!