garage starting to charge for storage - is there a minimum notice period?

Herzlos

Well, yes, a paper trail will always help if you go the legal route. Does it help you now?

Assuming he gave you a detailed statement, which you agreed with, today, what would you need to do to collect the car?

AdrianC

purrple-haze wrote: »

I'm assuming having paper evidence of work carried out, costings etc, is preferable than not having it and relying on recollections of phone calls?

Yes, it is. But you're asking for something that you very strongly suspect he can't produce.

You agree you owe him money for work.
He can't produce a breakdown of time and hours.
You really shouldn't be surprised by this, because you knew how he worked before you contracted him to do the job.
So... you and he need to agree a price WITHOUT insisting on paperwork that's just not going to happen.

By saying he's (perfectly legitimately) going to start charging you storage, he's trying to kick things along. He wants your car out of his way, too.

TBagpuss

To go back to the original questions, there is no set time which would be appropriate for notice that they will start charging.

It would come down to waht is reasonable - which would take into accountthings like why it needed to be stored (more reasonable to charge if it is for your conveneience, becuase you have not sorted out transport, than for theirs e.g if they want to delay starting work, or had b******ed up ordering parts), how disruptive it is (e.g. more likel to be reasonable to start charging sooner in a small yard with limited space than a big one with lots of spre capacity.

It would be harder for them to justify charging you storage if you were there ready and willing to take it away and they were refusing to let you becuae of the bill.

Can you ask the guy who did the work to date what he thinks the reasonable cost would be? You could then offer that fo rthe labour done, the basis that you remove the car immediately and tell them that you will pay for all the parts as soon as they provide you with the invoice detailing them

NBLondon

purrple-haze wrote: »

Another reason I don't want to build attention to the car as the garage in question are known and renowned for this model and mark across the UK. Whilst Joe Public wouldn't have heard of them I can guarantee that anyone who knows the mark will.

I want to pay for what's fair. Yes there's no contracts as we were a group of friends, more fool me. I don't have a problem paying for what's owed and have not said otherwise.

PH.

Are they also known and renowned for being amateurish and not knowing how to produce an invoice? That doesn't quite fit in my mind. Or is it actually that the engine guy is the one renowned?


Are you mechanical enough to be able to judge what has (or hasn't) been done yet and see if the figure is reliable? Has the garage owner paid out for parts that haven't yet been installed? If you are going to need those to finish the job, are you suspecting he has inflated the cost of those parts? Is there an owner's club/forum where you could ask the question - there probably is but it would be harder to stay anonymous if anyone who knows the marque will know the garage.


I'm going for a guess - rare, too wide for a standard trailer and also clearance issues, not that many in the UK, used parts have a trade-in value - 70s Muscle Car?

bod1467

Is the vehicle mobile? Can it be towed? Either with a tow-bar or raised tow attachment (which one set of wheels fits in to .. I can't think of the term). The idea being that the car doesn't need a driver whilst being towed. This may also get around any height/width issues with a flatbed.

AdrianC

bod1467 wrote: »

Is the vehicle mobile? Can it be towed? Either with a tow-bar or raised tow attachment (which one set of wheels fits in to .. I can't think of the term). The idea being that the car doesn't need a driver whilst being towed. This may also get around any height/width issues with a flatbed.

A towing dolly?

Bear in mind that if any of the towed car's wheels are on the road, it needs to be fully braked by the towing vehicle, or it needs to be road-legal as an emergency recovery.

Herzlos

If there's no engine in it, you're really looking at having it on a trailer or flatbed.

NBLondon wrote: »

I'm going for a guess - rare, too wide for a standard trailer and also clearance issues, not that many in the UK, used parts have a trade-in value - 70s Muscle Car?

Even still, it's pretty easy to find a way to transport something as long as it isn't an American RV. Shouldn't be a problem finding a trailer or recovery vehicle that can cope with the size/clearance/weight; it's possible to get tanks moved.

However, I don't think the OP is interested in trying to find a way to move the vehicle.

OP - what advice are you looking for here? A way to cut down the bill and make them store it for longer, for free?

mchale

purrple-haze wrote: »

I suspect that the garage owner knows I am out of the country next week hence they're making it awkward at the moment for me.

In that case get ready for a message from garage that if car is not removed within x number of days it will be left outside garage at your own risk.

forgotmyname

I wouldn't leave it too long. I bought a car from a garage when the owner didn't pay for the repairs in a timely manner.

I got the car for what it cost the garage to do the head gasket on it. The garage had contacted the owner several times to pay and collect.

I bought it for peanuts and the garage owner said any issues with getting the logbook just come back and he will bill him for storage also, which would be more than the car was worth.

A good few months later some guy (drunk) did shout thats my car, but his mates dragged him away telling him to leave it.