Car not the same after repair - anything we can do ?

Dan-Dan

Hi All

Just a bit of advice please

Car involved in a non fault accident back in October, car died once we got it home (accident was 500 meters from home), received car back after repairs last week, not the back windscreen doesn’t defrost and the battery barely starts the car.

The garage concerned collected the car this morning, have just called, and said sorry, nothing to do with us, your cars on its way back

What can we do , if anything , as we find it unacceptable that a car that was working perfectly prior to the accident , leaves us , dead on a back of a lorry , and now a week after repairs , still has problems , and the garage concerned are not interested ?

If it helps , we claimed on our policy , not directly to the third party

Thanks

colino

It may well be your mystery car needed a new battery and a dormant period killed it off. Some cars are also very clever at managing their power and if there was only enough juice to start it, wouldn't immediately have had enough in store to power up a hungry user like a HRW. Get your battery checked before you hunt for anything else.

Dan-Dan

Thanks for your advice

Is it in the realms that if it is a case of we just happened to have a battery on the way our pre accident , that a battery not performing , one symptom, is the back windscreen not defrosting?

The reason i ask this , is because the shunt from behind was quite hefty and the last thing we want to do is shell out for a new battery and the windscreen issue is still there

Thanks

colino

Have a look at post #2 and think about getting your mystery cars battery checked. Not replaced, thrown away or hidden under a hedge. Obvious things get checked first then you could check connections, circuits, switches and relays on expensive components like HRWs.

forgotmyname

The heated screen can take white a bit of power. Its common for the cars ECU to detect a low voltage at the battery and disable power hungry items.

Get the battery charged/replaced/checked and also the alternator.

Give it a good blast up the motorway for 20 minutes and see of the heated screen then switches on.

Strider590

It's possible and likely the rear demist wasn't connected up after the repair OR the shunt caused it's fuse to blow.
The battery I think was probably on it's last legs anyway.

Reminds me of the time I replaced the CD drive on someones PC, they called me up 2 weeks later complaining that since the repair, they can't get their emails in MS Outlook.

Dan-Dan

OK , so i need to check the garage has 100% confirmed it isnt a blown fuse or connected back up after repair (which was my suspicion to start) then focus on the battery ?

One thing worries me , one `line` of the windscreen did defrost but none of the rest of it , is this `normal`?

Strider590

Dan-Dan wrote: »

OK , so i need to check the garage has 100% confirmed it isnt a blown fuse or connected back up after repair (which was my suspicion to start) then focus on the battery ?

One thing worries me , one `line` of the windscreen did defrost but none of the rest of it , is this `normal`?

No, that indicates the lines are broken, literally there will be a hairline cracks in the ones that aren't working.

So basically the fuse is ok, it's been connected, but the actual heating element is damaged.

JustinR1979

Maybe the few days during repair and cold weather found out an old battery.
Maybe they stop started it a lot to shunt it around.
Whack a battery on, euro's often have sales on.

Dan-Dan

My concern is as strider says , heater element damage , and we just happen to have been hit from behind , surely connected

Slowly_does_it..

Have a careful look at the orange lines - my old car used to burn them out regularly. With only one heating line working, the break might be on the side, where someone has scratched it with a screwdriver trying to take out the glass, or put the glass in.

This stuff works, but is a nightmare to get right (lying on your back, looking up, painting the glass like Michelangelo) - http://www.amazon.co.uk/ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE-SILVER-PAINT-SURFACE/dp/B00766FG2I

There are probably others out there that would do the job better, but I have not found them.

Regarding your battery, make sure the connections are nice and tight and clean. Sometimes removing the battery and giving the connections a good clean has helped me.