Car Garage & Wheel Change Issue

Modelman_2

Hi all, I have a potentially legal question regarding a car garage issue while changing our car tyre.

It took my wife’s Ford Fiesta in for a routine front tyre change prior to a M.O.T at my local garage. I was waiting inside their premises when I could hear “bang crash wallop” I thought this doesn’t sound right so went outside to investigate what was going on. On arrival they had a long wrench on the special locking wheel nut and was thumping it with a large mallet. They couldn’t remove it and gave up saying other methods would be needed to remove the wheel. At that point I had to leave due to other commitments. Once home I discovered they had destroyed the special shaped socket that removes the wheel locking nuts. It now won’t even fit on any of the other wheels. I am now left with a car that none of the wheels can be easily moved because the special socket key is too deformed. This could now work out expensive to fix. They have not damaged the alloy wheel or charged me for anything however we have now lost the ability to remove any other of the wheels. Also replacement ford socket key is not cheap.

Question. How do I stand legally with this situation?

OK the wheel may have been so tight that it would have damaged the special socket key in any scenario however they didn’t consult me before destroying it. I believe they should have at least asked if I wanted to proceed with the removal when discovering this issue, highlighting the possibility of damage if brute force was required. This would have then been down to me.

Before returning to the garage to confront them I would love to hear your comments on how I stand.

Many thanks…

JJ_Egan

Ask them to pay for a replacement key .

Modelman_2

Yes however I must first establish the blame is all related to them which I believe it could be. The other issue is the key came in a plastic bag with a coded number on it. I don't unfortunately have this even though it came from a main Ford dealer. This could make sourcing a replacement even harder. 

Hasbeen

JJ_Egan said:

Ask them to pay for a replacement key .

Or ask them to take the 4 locking wheel nuts off and replace with normal wheel nuts.
Locking wheel nuts more hassle than they are worth unless it is a top of range new car with very expensive alloys?

Replaced 4 today on a ford focus. Told owner last time the key was worn out. And to get new one. This time could not get rear wheels off to replace top suspension mounts.
Chiseled and split locking rings belted a socket on rear 2 and replaced all 4 with normal nuts. Job done.

Modelman_2

Agreed locking nuts are more hassle especially when you don't know who tightened them last. I am more than capable of doing the work myself however I feel why should I. Also if the wheel is really that tight where a 2 foot bar and hammer couldn't remove it would your method work? 
 If they refuse to do the work do I still have rights? 

bris

They can't be held liable for your stuck part.  They are only trying to do there job, these nuts can get locked on so tight they are practically impossible to remove. You need to prove negligence. were they negligent or was the locking nut remover just not up to the force required? 

Sue the car manufacture for supply crap locking nut removers.

se2020

Ring a ford dealer with the vin number and ask for the price of a new key that way.

If you go back to the garage that broke it you will have a better chance of them sorting it out if you can walk in and tell them exactly what you want them to do.

If you walk in and say "that key you broke is going to cost £28 do you want to pay for it?" more than likely they will just cover the cost to save any arguement or hassle.

If you walk back in telling them you want them to try and take all 4 lockers off and replace for free (remember they have already tried and failed on the first one) its likely to end up in a long discussion and a load of head scratching. 

You are only entitled to be put back in the same position you were before. 
It's unlikely they will be able to do that unless they can find a used key with the same code so, apart from the wasted time for you and the garage, you will get betterment if they pay for a new key.
You can then work out how to get the nuts off yourself.

Or, you could go back in, ask nicely if they will have another go at removing the locking nuts and replacing them with normal ones and if they would knock whatever the key would have cost off the final bill.

Personally, if a professional garage with a long wrench and a mallet can not get it off I would count myself lucky that I found out then. Not at 8pm on a rainy sunday night when I got a call from the wife saying she has a puncture and she can't get the wheel nuts undone.
If the key won't undo the nuts then its worthless anyway. I would buy 4 normal nuts from ebay and go back to the garage, remind them that this is the car the nuts were so tight on that the key broke and ask how much to get them out and put the others back in.

fred246

This problem is caused by a previous garage overtightening the wheel nuts. They always seem to escape criticism. If a garage has removed my wheels I always slacken them off and retorque them myself. I have had occasion when I can't remove them and gone back to the garage and they had trouble too. If you don't do this you risk being unable to remove your wheels in case of a puncture. Ideally the garage would do the job properly in the first place but they don't because it's not their car and they don't care.

Modelman_2

Thanks for the responses everyone. It's a tricky one regarding blame or whether this might or might not have happened. My only defence is the fact that they didn't ask or advise me before proceeding with the heavy treatment. If I hadn't heard all the banging / crashing and investigated what else might have happened, perhaps a damaged alloy wheel !

Hasbeen

Modelman_2 said:

Agreed locking nuts are more hassle especially when you don't know who tightened them last. I am more than capable of doing the work myself however I feel why should I. Also if the wheel is really that tight where a 2 foot bar and hammer couldn't remove it would your method work? 
 If they refuse to do the work do I still have rights? 

Removed worse before. Have Dewalt Impact, beats the Snap On ones at the moment. "950Nm of torque and 2400 impacts per minute for heavy duty fastening applications. It also provides up to 1625Nm of breakaway torque, that ensures removal of the tightest bolts." 

You can take the suggestions on board and see what garage agrees with.

Hasbeen

se2020 said:

Ring a ford dealer with the vin number and ask for the price of a new key that way.

If you go back to the garage that broke it you will have a better chance of them sorting it out if you can walk in and tell them exactly what you want them to do.

If you walk in and say "that key you broke is going to cost £28 do you want to pay for it?" more than likely they will just cover the cost to save any arguement or hassle.

If you walk back in telling them you want them to try and take all 4 lockers off and replace for free (remember they have already tried and failed on the first one) its likely to end up in a long discussion and a load of head scratching. 

You are only entitled to be put back in the same position you were before. 
It's unlikely they will be able to do that unless they can find a used key with the same code so, apart from the wasted time for you and the garage, you will get betterment if they pay for a new key.
You can then work out how to get the nuts off yourself.

Or, you could go back in, ask nicely if they will have another go at removing the locking nuts and replacing them with normal ones and if they would knock whatever the key would have cost off the final bill.

Personally, if a professional garage with a long wrench and a mallet can not get it off I would count myself lucky that I found out then. Not at 8pm on a rainy sunday night when I got a call from the wife saying she has a puncture and she can't get the wheel nuts undone.
If the key won't undo the nuts then its worthless anyway. I would buy 4 normal nuts from ebay and go back to the garage, remind them that this is the car the nuts were so tight on that the key broke and ask how much to get them out and put the others back in.

Long breaker bar and mallet would not work. To much give / spring.
One person sitting down back against wall and pushing the socket with foot and one standing both feet on bar would be better.

But as you say not for wife LOL.