Car stuck at the garage indefinitely

lizzywig

Hubby took car into the garage two weeks ago because he thought the suspension had gone, it turns out it was fine but as ever they found something else. This something else was apparently minor. Our car is under warranty and the work required is covered under the warranty (phew). Hubby asked garage if it was urgent work because I am heavily pregnant and about to drop and also because I am on crutches atm and without a car can't get around, not to even mention if I were to drop and needed to get to the hospital. They said the work would only take a day, he asked them to guarantee this (with their word) as since it was only minor he would prefer to bring it back once I'd had the baby and off the crutches if it was going to take longer. They assured him that it would be done in a day.

He booked the car in for last monday (10th Oct) and got a call from them on the Tuesday saying the car was ready for collection. Hubby left work early to go and collect car and on the way got a call from (someone else at) the garage saying they're really sorry but would need to order parts in to mend the car and that it wasn't ready. Hubby explained that he'd already had a call saying car was ready, no one can seem to account for this call. So they offered him a courtesy car as their policy is to give one out if a job is going to take longer than 24 hours. However, they explained if hubby were to cause an accident he would have to pay an excess fee of £5000 (not the usual £500), he asked why and they say lots of people haven't paid in the past and so they have increased the excess (btw they are a big nationwide chain and not just a small garage). Although hubby is a good driver this is a huge risk with a baby on the way, or for anyone, not many people have £5000 knocking around. So hubby called our car insurers and asked to put the courtesy car on our insurance until end of Thursday (which is when they said car would be ready by). Our insurers did this and all was ok until Thursday when the garage called to say that the parts that had come in were the wrong ones, they said that they would reorder and he could collect car on Friday (does it strike anyone else as odd that originally it would take 2 days and now only 1?). So hubby calls our insurers to extend the insurance and they refuse saying they had made an error and that as xxx company were not on their prefered list of suppliers they issued the insurance in error and although they would have honoured it if anything had happened they wouldn't be extending it. So hubby agrees to take the insurance with the courtesy car, but ever since I have been incredibly worried about it.

Then yesterday the garage call up and say that the car is not ready as the parts have come in but they're damaged and they'll call on Monday to update him, but don't worry you can keep the courtesy car as long as you like.

I wasn't very well yesterday and the doctor sent me up to the delivery suit thinking that I might be in the early stages of labour. After lots of monitoring and some tests they said I was not in labour but did the right thing going in and that I should rest and was I under stress because my steady blood pressure (throughout my whole pregnancy had shot up), that I should go home and relax. So I've just woken up after a really bad nights sleep dreaming about hubby crashing courtesy car (I really do have faith in his driving skills) and me having to go back to work and giving birth at my desk. I can't get this blasted car off my mind and I don't know what to do.

Hubby has worked in service departments in car garages in the past and says that it's probably their low priority but that they could be being genuine. Does anyone know how to take this forward, as far as they're concerned we have the courtesy car so everything is ok. But I would like to know when it's going to be ready so that we can decide what to do. I think if it's going to take a while we'll return the courtesy car and ask family/friends to help us out for a while because I can't take this worry of losing £5000 if anything were to go wrong. On that note does £5000 excess sound normal? Sounds crazy to me.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Remember this episode with the lack of courtesy car and general incompetence when you buy again, i know you've technically got one but apparently only if the job is over 24 hours and then with such a ridiculous excess that you wouldn't dare use it.

Until then, ring your own insurance and put the courtesy car on your policy, my insurance automaticaly covers them, yours might to.

Then they garage can take as long as they like and make up as many stupid excuses (lies) as they like for the delays.

National chains are invariably incompetent and useless, you can't beat family owned smaller dealers.

All the best with the forthcoming happy event.

lizzywig

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my lengthy post. We did insure the courtesy car with our own insurers, see my quote below. It's just that they now won't insure it as they said they did this originally in error as the garage as not on their list of prefered suppliers.

lizzywig wrote: »

So hubby called our car insurers and asked to put the courtesy car on our insurance until end of Thursday (which is when they said car would be ready by). Our insurers did this and all was ok until Thursday when the garage called to say that the parts that had come in were the wrong ones, they said that they would reorder and he could collect car on Friday (does it strike anyone else as odd that originally it would take 2 days and now only 1?). So hubby calls our insurers to extend the insurance and they refuse saying they had made an error and that as xxx company were not on their prefered list of suppliers they issued the insurance in error and although they would have honoured it if anything had happened they wouldn't be extending it. So hubby agrees to take the insurance with the courtesy car, but ever since I have been incredibly worried about it.

Incidentally under our warranty we are also enetitled to a courtesy car (rather than the garages courtesy car) however they do not provide insurance at all (or at least for my hubby who has not been driving for a year) which leaves us with the same problem. It seems to be a case of either a case of insure with the garage with an excess of £5k or go without a courtesy car at all.

gilbert_and_sullivan

lizzywig wrote: »

It's just that they now won't insure it as they said they did this originally in error as the garage as not on their list of prefered suppliers.

Never heard anything so ridiculous, they have a list of the nations garages who they will/won't insure courtesy cars from?

A courtesy car is a courtesy car, unless they supplied something like a Ferrari.

Remember this when you buy insurance or another car in future.

agrinnall

I would suggest that you look at something like this http://www.dailyexcess.com/index.asp?refID=100&subRefID=1395&curID=1&langID=1 to cover the excess - I'm not sure whether it can be applied to courtesy cars but it may be worth asking. there are other companies that offer it too. And then I'd insist that the garage pays the premiums given that it's their fault that you don't have the use of your own car.

vaio

agrinnall wrote: »

I would suggest that you look at something like this http://www.dailyexcess.com/index.asp?refID=100&subRefID=1395&curID=1&langID=1 to cover the excess - I'm not sure whether it can be applied to courtesy cars but it may be worth asking. there are other companies that offer it too. And then I'd insist that the garage pays the premiums given that it's their fault that you don't have the use of your own car.

or just go hire a car with a sensible (or zero) excess and then reclaim the costs from the hopeless garage.

maninthestreet

If people havn't paid the £500 excess in the past, no one is going to pay a £5000 excess.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

this is a case of the garage bumping labour charges to the warranty company, and as long as your willing to accept their excuses they will hold for as long as possible to rack up labour to claim for! yes parts do get damaged but no motor factor will send out damaged goods, i would write a letter of complaint to the head office of nationwide (halfords) For all other enquiries, call 0800 037 0800. make a complaint then get hold of your warrenty company and explain the issue they may decide to remove the car and take it to another garage

Hammyman

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

yes parts do get damaged but no motor factor will send out damaged goods

ROFLMAO. You have NEVER EVER worked in a garage. They never open the boxes to check..

And how did you work out it was Halfords? The last time I looked, Halfords didn't do warranty work and AFAIR they shut all their workshops.

rs65

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

Never heard anything so ridiculous, they have a list of the nations garages who they will/won't insure courtesy cars from?

A courtesy car is a courtesy car, unless they supplied something like a Ferrari.

Remember this when you buy insurance or another car in future.

I think they are getting confused between a temporary additional car and a courtesy car provided following a claim (which they would probably cover automatically and free of charge). Can't think of any reason why they won't add a car in the circumstances described.

molerat

Hammyman wrote: »

ROFLMAO. You have NEVER EVER worked in a garage. They never open the boxes to check..

And how did you work out it was Halfords? The last time I looked, Halfords didn't do warranty work and AFAIR they shut all their workshops.

They bought Nationwide service centres and rebranded them. They are now opening more, many of which were the original closed Halfords then AA garages that were tacked onto the stores.