Think my garage has screwed me over for warranty work

ispartacus75

I put my car into my local garage to have a drive shaft replaced under the warranty I paid for when I bought the car. I bought the car and the warranty from somewhere else. I was away for the weekend so asked the garage to keep me up to date.

I got a message from the garage to say that the warranty company were not prepared to cover the full cost of the replacement, blaming wear and tear, but would cover a bit under 50% of the part cost as a good will gesture. I found this to be ridiculous given that I had paid for the warranty to cover me specifically for this kind of situation. I told the garage to do the work and I would deal with it when I get back.

Upon returning I picked up the car, paid the bill in full then rang the warranty company to see how I claim the money back. I also asked about this part payment. I got a completely different story from the warranty company.

The part is a drive shaft for a Ford C-max. The warranty company told the garage they would pay £90ish inc VAT for the drive shaft plus 1 hours labour. The garage had requested £160 plus VAT for the part plus 1 hours labour. The reason the warranty company would only agree to £90 inc VAT for the part is because that is the cost of the part, brand new, from EuroCarParts. I checked this out myself and found it to be accurate. However the garage have still charged me £160 plus VAT for that part.

This means that once I am reimbursed by the warranty company I will still have paid £70 plus VAT for this part on my car that the warranty company were willing to pay for in full based on EuroCarParts price.

Either the garage have fitted a more expensive part that was available or they are simply adding 100% profit to the cost of the parts to them. Either way I'm out of pocket when I feel I shouldn't be.

From my understanding the warranty company are in no way at fault. In my conversation with them they did not mention a good will gesture or wear and tear at any point. They only stated that they would cover the full cost of the part at the cheapest available price.

The garage however appear to have lied to me, blaming the warranty company, in an effort to get cash out of me for a job that could, and should have, been fully paid for by the warranty company.

So, does anyone know if there are rules/laws about the costing of warranty work, and of using more expensive parts without informing the customer first?

Thanks.

AdrianC

Without the warranty, you would have paid this garage £160 + vat + labour for the driveshaft.
The warranty company have said that, in accordance with the terms of your warranty, they will pay £90 + vat + labour.

What does the warranty documentation say about how they determine what they pay?
Did you get a quote or an estimate from the garage before giving the go-ahead?

As far as the part goes, there are some terrible-quality parts on the market, which really aren't worth fitting at all. Even then, just because one particular discount supplier lists a part at a certain price does not mean that a garage are somehow obliged to source from that supplier, or even supply at that price.

The reason for the part-payment is more-or-less immaterial, and could easily be blamed on Chinese Whispers. You were told by the garage that the warranty would not pay their full bill, and you still gave the go-ahead to do the work.

ispartacus75

I did give the go-ahead, but it was based on a lie. Had the garage told me that the warranty company were basing their price on EuroCarParts prices I would have instructed the garage to use that part.

Car_54

ispartacus75 wrote: »

So, does anyone know if there are rules/laws about the costing of warranty work, and of using more expensive parts without informing the customer first?

But they did inform you, and you told them to go ahead!

Have you checked the price of a genuine Ford part?

AdrianC

You can instruct them to buy whatever parts from wherever you like. It doesn't mean they have to - nor does it mean they have to adjust their margin to suit you. They would be well within their rights to simply refuse to do the work on your terms.

arcon5

Have you spoken to the garage and asked why they have blatantly lied to you about the warranty companies position?

ispartacus75

At the time I wasn't aware the part was more expensive. I was simply told that the warranty company were using wear and tear as an excuse not to pay for the part in full. I was never told that part A is this much and part B is that much.

ssparks2003

The garages business model is to mark up the cost of the parts that they buy, that is their choice. It is not up to you or some third party warranty company to try to dictate how they run their business or what they charge. You don't like it then vote with your feet

TheMoonandBack

Sounds like a loss of communication somewhere. The warranty company are never going to pay full retail price for the genuine Ford part. The garage have let you down by fitting an expensive part you didn’t want to pay for, or putting a big mark up on the cheaper part.
Once you said do it and I’ll sort it out later, you lost the chance to clarify who, what, where, when and how much ?
If they fitted a Euro car parts driveshaft and charged you £160 for it, then they ripped you off. If they fitted a genuine Ford driveshaft then you’ve had it done at a cost of £70, and either way, you know not to use them again.

esmerobbo

What side was it? Left hand is a lot cheaper then the right hand.

ispartacus75

Right hand side