Car Lease Nightmare: Accident Repair

ddsull

Though ultimately the reason they are without a car is because they were at fault for the accident. Had they not hit the lamppost, or whatever it was, they'd still have had the car.

The fact that there was an accident is not the issue here. It went in for a cosmetic repair (I was even driving it for a couple of months as it was only a dent scratch in the bumper). Who is at fault (in terms of the accident) is not an issue either as the repair cost is the repair cost (it just comes down to who pays the excess). The (approved) auto body shop were fixing the car and when they went to add the radars on to the new bumper they couldn't calibrate. The Skoda authorised network have had the car for 3 months. That's the bottom line. The problem is an issue happened and the supply chain/repair shop/dealership has fallen down. The issue didn't exist before it went in. If the car went for a service and the car developed an issue in the garage when replacing parts it's the same thing, i.e. no issue before, issue afterwards. There has to be some reasonableness in this. The current situation is not reasonable (12 weeks today and counting!)

Given its just a sensor couldn't the car be returned to the road minus this sensor and then it go back in when the part is ready? Cost is likely modest to the cost of a hire car etc


The insurance company won't release the car as I would not be insured as the safety systems aren't working. There are many parties involved but no one taking any action: VWFS, SKODA, the bodyshop, the insurance company.

MyRealNameToo

ddsull said:

Given its just a sensor couldn't the car be returned to the road minus this sensor and then it go back in when the part is ready? Cost is likely modest to the cost of a hire car etc


The insurance company won't release the car as I would not be insured as the safety systems aren't working. There are many parties involved but no one taking any action: VWFS, SKODA, the bodyshop, the insurance company.

I would challenge them on that point... whilst I can't read your policy book from here I would be willing to bet that there is no clause in your policy that states that the safety systems need to be in working order or even turned on. There will be a general clause about the car being in a roadworthy condition but people have been driving for over 100 years without these sensors and the MOT test, the general accepted view of a roadworthy car, doesnt test them. 

daveyjp

Official bodyshop overegging the pudding in terms of the repair required to maximise their income.  They have been doing it for years.  A back street body shop would have done a comestic repair for a few hundred pounds.