Where Do I Stand ?

[ItsAllAboutTheE30]

Hello everyone!

I took my car into a garage the other day before i went on holiday. The idea was to get a few bits sorted while i didn't need my car. However, upon returning i found that my parents had not heard anything from the garage and the car was still there. After contacting the main guy that works there i found out that in the four days he'd pretty much done nothing. All that was achieved was cleaning underneath the car where there was an oil leak, but not actually fixing it and checking out my breaks, which turned out to be fine.

The problem, however, lies in the fact that when i originally rang him he told me he had been driving my car to and from the garage everyday. At the time i didn't say anything as i wanted my car back and he was to drop it at the garage for me so i could pick it up. Before dropping the car off to him last Monday I had filled up the tank and reset the journey counter. It's roughly 7 miles from my house to the garage, but when i got in my car for the first time the journey counter read 68miles and i had less than half a tank of petrol. Not only that, but in the 6 months i have had my car only one of the lights on the dashboard that indicates how close the car is to needing a service has gone out, yet in the four days he had been driving it to and from work another one has gone out.

My point is that this guy has been illegally driving my car with no insurance and has used up half a tank of petrol, costing me £15. Also over the four days i have had no idea where the car has been parked, I don't know the sort of area where he lives to determine whether or not my car was at risk, and at the end of the day it was suppose to be behind a locked fence at his place of work, so he's basically just been using my car as a toy for the four days he's had it, rather than doing the work i asked him to.

He has told me i owe him £30 for looking over the car, which i do not intend on paying due to what he has done. Basically i was just wondering what other people think, I'm going to see him tomorrow to pick up my spare keys anyway, so will be having words with him then.

What do people think??

Thanks
Dave.

[nzracer]

why does he have your spare keys mate?

[touringandy]

bizzare one this but he does have insurance through his gagrage to drive vehicles as to the taking of car to do his running around thats ye problem . it should of bin left at the garage yes you cant claim for it bieng left some were dodgy cos the car aint damaged go to the c.a.b ,weve had one like this before on ere it throws up loads of arguements as to what you can an is it worth questions . i how ever would tell the garage there not getting paid youve bin in touch with the police and c.a.b and you will take it from there . they may tell you theres nothing they can do proof and evidence of milage who dunnit but at least the garage dont get paid and you how ever have still got dollar in your pocket it is a tough one mate hope you get it sorted .....

[ItsAllAboutTheE30]

Whats the c.a.b ? Also there's only really one bloke at the garage, and he has already admitted to driving my car.

Dave.

[touringandy]

citizens advice bureau

[touringandy]

basically if hes admitted to it youve got somethink then to tell the cab what you need to do is find oput what
hes willing to do to rectify the matter before you drag his name and company through the mud ?

[fuzzy]

as said if he is a legitimate business he will have insurance to cover him but one thing id do is to get him to sign a bit of paper stating the date and times you dropped the car off to him and when you picked it up just in case you get a surprise speeding/parking ticket through the post that he may have picked up. id also tell him i was deducting the cost of the half tank of petrol for the 61 miles hes covered in it.

[fuzzy]

to add to my above post as long as you are not refusing to pay anything at all he cant stop you from removing your car.he may call the police but as long as you are willing to pay a fair figure for what he has done the police will not stop you either as its classed as a civil dispute. if you take the car without offering to pay anything it then becomes a criminal matter with the police. i would go down offer him half ,if he refuses and wont hand over your keys you should offer to involve the police yourself as they will side with you when its explained . whatever happens dont phone him first and dont leave the car with him after it becomes nasty as he would almost certainly sabotage your car in some way before you come back .

[touringandy]

referring to my above comments, i wasnt stating just drive off in the car with out paying tell him why and your reasons this is still classed as a civil dispute even if police were involved at this stage they would favour the customer as your not hasppy with the work you have given them full reason why they wouldnt stop you. point made by fuzzy hes right in saying at least make some form of effort towards paying shows you have tried aswell in future areas thuis will help you out a great deal hope it gets sorted for you asap . av never bin in this situation so all i can say is hope it goes well fella

[Brianmoooore]

There's a compliment to your car in here somewhere, in that it was an E30 he chose to drive around in.
The man has taste, at least.

[touringandy]

lol

[ItsAllAboutTheE30]

Lol nice one Brian . Well i have my car back already all i need off him is the spare keys which he had, which i intend on picking up tomorrow. As for paying I'll see about that tomorrow when i talk to him. I'm going to explain that I'm obviously not pleased and see what he says to that and if he gives any reasons for taking my car. It's little things as well though, for example I warm my car up every time I use it, something I'm sure he wouldn't have done. Also the road leading up to the garage is very bumpy, so i drive nice and slow down it, however, i don't know how he's driven it, which is a point I'll make to him tomorrow. Also the fact that he chose to drive my car for obvious reasons, would suggest that he's not exactly going to have driven like an old lady, a point backed up by the fact that another light has gone out.

Dave.

[fuzzy]

im sure the lights are timed to go out rather than responding to a particular way of driving.

[touringandy]

wrong section fuzzy you on about the pod lol

[Brianmoooore]

im sure the lights are timed to go out rather than responding to a particular way of driving.

They go out on a mileage determined basis, but if the engine is revving above a certain level, a multiplier of 1.5 (IIRC) is added in so they go out quicker.
There's also a multiplier for when the engine temperature is below a certain level.

[touringandy]

mine go out roughly every 900 1000 miles averaging my 6000 mile service it has done if that any help

[pacerpete]

So the mechanic has checked your brakes , cleaned off all the oil from underneath your leaky old turd and driven it around to see where the oil leak originates from and after all that only wants £20 ? and you reckon you have been robbed ?

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Stop being a pussy, chuck the bloke £20 and be done with it. Your car has effectively been in storage while you were on holiday. Try pricing that up.

You'll get no sense out of him, just don't go back

[ItsAllAboutTheE30]

No i think your missing the point pacerpete. He cleaned the oil yes and checked the brakes, for this he wanted £30, a fair price i agree he is a good/fair mechanic. However, he hasn't fully discovered where the oil is coming from, which is why i'm suppose to be going down today so he can have a proper look, as in the four days he had my car he didn't manage to do this. Also it doesn't take 60 miles of having fun in my car to find out where the oil is coming from, he could have put it up on a ramp and had a proper look to find that out. This is why i'm annoyed more really. This bloke is a good mechanic and is usually very fair with the prices he charges. But this time he's just had my car as a runaround for 5 days. When i spoke to him to get it back it was at his house and that was on Saturday, which would have meant he would have had a nice weekend to enjoy my car at my expense, as it was me that rang him, despite the guy having two different numbers to get hold of me on.

Dave.

[ItsAllAboutTheE30]

Hello again!

Just got back from speaking to the guy and everything is ok! When i spoke to him over the phone he made it sound like he had just been driving my car to and from work for the hell of it. However, after speaking to him today he said he was driving it as he couldn't hear the noise that i had been told was the clutch. Also i know he lives local to the garage and he had done 60 miles over the course of 5 days, which averages out at 6 miles there and back, so 12 miles each day. Apparently the noise that i have been hearing is the gearbox, but isn't anything that needs sorting soon. Another thing he pointed out which was apparently the only real problem, is that i need a new exhaust manifold gaskget because the other one is knackered and causing my car to shake a bit and not idle smoothly, which he says could be partly why the gearbox is making a noise. Along with that my handbrake needs looking at, something that i already knew. So i've booked it in for 2 weeks today to get that lot sorted, after which my car will sound and run smoother as he's going to give the engine a little tune afterwards.
Just goes to show what a lack of explanation can lead to, and after a brief chat everything is all good. So thank you all for your help and comments!

Dave.

[Geoff]

Personally, and i might be seen to b eover the top here, but depending on your disposision i would be having an almight big row with him and paying him sweet f.a for the so called work he thinks he has done.

Despite him potentially having a cover note for all cars that come into the garage, i doubt that covers him for joy riding customers cars out of company hours.

Demand your spare keys back, and just drive off. If he protests just get straight onto the blower and call the police. Im certina he will not want them involved at all. Its not like hes actually going to be out of pocket.

As a certion old gran says..."what a fukin liability!!"

[Geoff]

Ok, why do these additional posts surprise me only AFTER i have jumped in with my size 12??

Oh well

[munky30]

to add to my above post as long as you are not refusing to pay anything at all he cant stop you from removing your car.he may call the police but as long as you are willing to pay a fair figure for what he has done the police will not stop you either as its classed as a civil dispute. if you take the car without offering to pay anything it then becomes a criminal matter with the police. i would go down offer him half ,if he refuses and wont hand over your keys you should offer to involve the police yourself as they will side with you when its explained . whatever happens dont phone him first and dont leave the car with him after it becomes nasty as he would almost certainly sabotage your car in some way before you come back .

Interesting... does this count for a bodyshop thats bodged a spray job?