Halfords fitting service damaged my car headlight - Advice

msajidshafique

Hi Everyone,

Halfords fitting service broke the headlight whilst replacing the car bulb and left me without any lights working on the car. Once I registered a claim they sent me to different garages to get it checked. They tried to find the replacement part or even the complete headlight. As it's a 2006 model VW stopped manufacturing so they can't source it. They left me without a car for 2 months before they gave me a hire car.

Now after 5 months later they offered to pay the price of the car valued on autotrader, which is not much and I won't be able to purchase a car in the current market. I rejected the offer explaining the reason that I will not be able to purchase a different car as my car was working fine till I took it to the the Halfords garage plus I have asked them to pay more as they have cause me inconvenience and specially at the time of Christmas and new year. In addition they have took the hire car away and left me without any car.

Should I accept what they offered as it do not justifies what they have put us through in the last 5 months.

Thanks

Jumblebumble

Since you are unlikely to get any kind of better offer I would accept it
As your car is over the average age of scrappage in the UK it is not any great surprise that the headlight had reached the end of its life
The headlight was not working fine as you took it to Halfords to be repaired.

tightauldgit

msajidshafique said:

Hi Everyone,

Halfords fitting service broke the headlight whilst replacing the car bulb and left me without any lights working on the car. Once I registered a claim they sent me to different garages to get it checked. They tried to find the replacement part or even the complete headlight. As it's a 2006 model VW stopped manufacturing so they can't source it. They left me without a car for 2 months before they gave me a hire car.

Now after 5 months later they offered to pay the price of the car valued on autotrader, which is not much and I won't be able to purchase a car in the current market. I rejected the offer explaining the reason that I will not be able to purchase a different car as my car was working fine till I took it to the the Halfords garage plus I have asked them to pay more as they have cause me inconvenience and specially at the time of Christmas and new year. In addition they have took the hire car away and left me without any car.

Should I accept what they offered as it do not justifies what they have put us through in the last 5 months.

Thanks

When you say the offer is not much do you mean the car isn't worth much, or the offer is for less than you think the car is worth?

If it was to go to court I would expect you would be able to claim the true market value of the car plus any genuine reasonable expenses incurred through not having a car - such as hiring a car in the interim. But you won't get compensation for inconvenience or stress or anything like that. 

Now that you've had an offer I would also think that if a court felt it was a reasonable offer that you wouldn't be able to claim for any further expenses as those have been incurred at your own choice. 

Do you have any solid evidence that their offer does not meet the market value of your car? Have you contacted your car insurance incidentally? Did they suggest anything?

powerful_Rogue

Have you tried sourcing the replacement part? Ebay, breakers yards, VW forums/groups etc?

I've got a 56 plate Punto and can still manage to get parts, might not be direct from Fiat, but plenty of aftermarket out there.

HillStreetBlues

I would be beyond amazed if it can't be sourced somewhere.
It's not that old for it to be impossible.

msajidshafique

Jumblebumble said:

Since you are unlikely to get any kind of better offer I would accept it
As your car is over the average age of scrappage in the UK it is not any great surprise that the headlight had reached the end of its life
The headlight was not working fine as you took it to Halfords to be repaired.

Appreciate your comments.

I was not clear in my earlier message that I took the car to get the bulb replaced, the headlight was OK; It's just the they have to take out the headlight on VW to get the new bulb in.

powerful_Rogue

msajidshafique said:

Jumblebumble said:

Since you are unlikely to get any kind of better offer I would accept it
As your car is over the average age of scrappage in the UK it is not any great surprise that the headlight had reached the end of its life
The headlight was not working fine as you took it to Halfords to be repaired.

Appreciate your comments.

I was not clear in my earlier message that I took the car to get the bulb replaced, the headlight was OK; It's just the they have to take out the headlight on VW to get the new bulb in.

What's the year, model and version of the VW?

Brie

When we had a VW we found it very awkward for some seemingly minor repairs.  And try as they might most of those working at Halfords are just sales clerks who twiddle with cars - not mechanics.  Very good at some stuff but not always.  I'd want to be put back in the position you were when you took the car in - a working vehicle except for 1 bulb which you then paid them to replace.  That they weren't able to do it properly shouldn't be on you.

noitsnotme

Have you checked eBay?  I’ve always managed to source parts for vehicles older than yours.  A 2006 VW is not likely to be that rare and a second hand headlight is likely to be less than the value of the car they are offering you.

I assume they don’t want your car if they pay you the value of it so you could be quids in!

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

msajidshafique said:

Now after 5 months later they offered to pay the price of the car valued on autotrader,

Do they want your car in exchange for that money? Logic would suggest yes but at the same time what are they going to do with it.

eskbanker

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

msajidshafique said:

Now after 5 months later they offered to pay the price of the car valued on autotrader,

Do they want your car in exchange for that money? Logic would suggest yes but at the same time what are they going to do with it.

Train their staff on bulb replacement perhaps?