Garage damage car - outcome?

silkyuk9

So if you take a car to a garage, or mechanic who owns his own private garage/repair shop to be repaired and they repair the fault but damage a part of the car that was 100% ok when you took it there how would you deal with the issue? My garage has called me today saying car is fixed but there has been damage to another part of the car that is now going to need to be repaired. Ive not gone down yet so thought I would ask on here first.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

well i'd expect an apology and for it to be repaired at thier expense.

Delivery_Driver

It depends.I've had jobs done where they've said to me in advance "if we do x thing then because y is seized on we may damage it, do you want us to proceed?" and the way I see it is that the job needs doing so crack on with it and if its extra then I understand.
If they didn't let me know this was a possibility and its down to cack handedness then I'd be expecting it to be replced FOC.

silkyuk9

Delivery_Driver wrote: »

It depends.I've had jobs done where they've said to me in advance "if we do x thing then because y is seized on we may damage it, do you want us to proceed?" and the way I see it is that the job needs doing so crack on with it and if its extra then I understand.
If they didn't let me know this was a possibility and its down to cack handedness then I'd be expecting it to be replced FOC.

ok my issue is a wiper motor needed changing but in result the windscreen has been cracked. no mention any damage could have been caused by changing motor

supermanjo

Depends on the part. For example, I drove a Volvo S40 for a while, which suffered from the bottom radiator hose clip rusting up casuing it to break. The only way they could take the radiator out (due the previous owner neglect in getting a flimsy £2 clip replaced) was to cut the hose itself. They imformed me, and I accepted that I should pay for it.

If they broke something that wasn't in the way, or could be removed by other means and they failed to do so, then it is 100% their fault. I had a problem with my local mechanic who tripped the lambda sensor (he disconnected it to get to something else - the easy way) and told me he wanted £30 to reset it. I refused and he did it for free.

supermanjo

silkyuk9 wrote: »

ok my issue is a wiper motor needed changing but in result the windscreen has been cracked. no mention any damage could have been caused by changing motor

Windscreen damage, ouch! Depending on the size of it, you could get chipsaway to do it for free and bill your insurance company! (I'm sure thats how it works anyways.) However, it is down to THEM to fix it. No questions!

atrixblue.-MFR-.

i fail to see how changing a wiper motor would occur a cracked windscreen unless they were heavy handed with wrenches and smashed it with the end of one when undoing a bolt or something either way that would be neglegant on their part and i would seek to have them replace the screen or pay for a repair at their cost.

gazebo

same thing actually happened last time my car was MOT'd - the wiper motor needed replaced (it stopped working the morning it went in for it's MOT as I'd topped up the fluids) and when I picked the car up there was a crack in the windscreen.

The garage did initially try to tell me it was there before they started, but I'd have noticed at foot long crack in the windscreen, I'm sure I would.

Upshot of it all was they paid the excess on my insurance policy and I got a new windscreen fitted (via my own insurance).

Sgt_Pepper_2

supermanjo wrote: »

Depends on the part. For example, I drove a Volvo S40 for a while, which suffered from the bottom radiator hose clip rusting up casuing it to break. The only way they could take the radiator out (due the previous owner neglect in getting a flimsy £2 clip replaced) was to cut the hose itself. They imformed me, and I accepted that I should pay for it.

If they broke something that wasn't in the way, or could be removed by other means and they failed to do so, then it is 100% their fault. I had a problem with my local mechanic who tripped the lambda sensor (he disconnected it to get to something else - the easy way) and told me he wanted £30 to reset it. I refused and he did it for free.

OPs already said its the windscreen.

s_b

Ive broken a screen replacing a wiper motor
its when you slide the plastic scuttle under the screen if theres any dirt up there it pressurises the glass and cracks it
The garage should have advised that the screen might break but seeing as they didnt i would expect them to replace the screen at their expense

C_Mababejive

I beat a garage who were supposed to MoT a car but gave it back with damaged paint work. The damage wasnt discovered until the car arrived home. Garage denied it. Eventually after stating that i would initiate civil proceedings against them and their insurance co,they fessed up and the car was partially resprayed at a manufacturer certified body shop at great expense. Lesson learned..always inspect your car on delivery and collection. Try to deal with garages that do inspection reports both on delivery and collection which are agreed with owner.