Car MOT/service ... Worse than when it went in

Pennylane

My car is about 5 years old. It went in for service and MOT to main dealer and was driving perfectly. The only issue we mentioned on the questionnaire was we'd noticed a very small amount of oil on the ground when the car was parked.

They say the problem is the Eolys fluid tank which needs replacing but the problem is worse than that. They said while the mechanic was working on it doing the emissions test, the engine stopped. He apparently "waggled some wires about" and got it going again but they consider it too dangerous to drive home in case it cuts out again.

We said we have never, ever had such a problem and it always starts first time and it's never cut out on us so the mechanic must have damaged something. They are insisting he didn't and it will cost about £700 to put right.

They have loaned us a courtesy car but we are far from happy. We will pay for the service but not for any damage they've done to the car.
We have driven in with a perfectly functioning car and now it's not!

any advice appreciated. Thanks

arcon5

Doesn't mean they've damaged it. Cars go wrong , could just be unfortunate timing.

You need them to tell you Exactly what they did and what those wires was.

bartelbe

To be honest, more information is needed. With a modern car, the onboard diagnostics should give a fault code. If it is just a faulty wire, easy to fixes. If it something else, it could be expensive. What is the fault?

telboyo

Just pay for the work you have authorised and take YOUR car with you.

colino

They haven't given you a courtesy car to think about it, so what have you authorised them to do?

deanos

if this was during the emissions test then isn't this when the engine is revved very high on diesel engines

AdrianC

If wires are corroded or damaged, then merely brushing against them whilst working on something nearby may well be all that's needed to turn a reliable connection into an unreliable - or totally absent - one. That doesn't mean the person working nearby was at fault - the wires were corroded and/or damaged beforehand, and were likely to fail sooner rather than later.

"Cause damage" assumes negligence, which there's absolutely no proof of.

Pennylane

Very honest garage. :T They have now admitted mechanic caused the problem so we won't be charged. They also knocked us a fair whack off our bill. We have dealt with them for many years though and bought about 6 cars and at least 4 brand new vans from them.

[Deleted User]

When do you need to go wiggling wires during an emissions test? Sounds like a dodgy garage trying to make car fail so they can scam you.

Kwikfit tried to make my car fail the emissions test a few years ago on a cheap MOT.

enfield_freddy

emission test = placing a pipe up the exaust , and then leaning into the drivers side and pressing the throttle , at this point the bonnet can remain closed