Garage (might) have damaged my car.

[Snails]

Not sure if this is the right section, please move if needed.

I had my car towed to the garage on Saturday for an immobiliser fault. I went to collect it today. The car seems all fine and dandy. They spent 10 minutes trying to work out where my car actually is. They decide it's parked up the road half on the pavement. I get to my car after being driven around the industrial estate twice, looking for my car! I hop in and drive off. I get back to my house and look the car over, i notice the front of the bumper on the drivers side has become unclipped where it joins the front drivers side wheel arch. I push it back in and then i notice the corner of the bumper is scuffed down to the plastic and the plastic itself is scuffed to. Its below the bit of the bumper that sticks out the most, where it curves back in, directly in line with the fog light. I'll try and get a picture up after work tonight.

Anyway, i am sure the scuff was not there before it went to the garage as it was parked on my drive for 5 days before hand and didn't move and i hope i would have noticed during the 10 or so times i was out trying to get he car started.

They had the car Saturday, Sunday and Monday and according to them it was parked up on the pavement on Monday morning.

Do i have to just suck up the cost of getting it respayed or is there anything i can do to get them to pay, remembering that i can't prove they actually did anything or that it wasn't just a careless member of the public during the time they left it parked on the road?

Any ideas?

 

[fUbAr]

have you spoken to them about it?

Be nice, explain the situation and see what they say. They might agree to repair it, they might not and you'll have to cough up the cash yourself due to no evidence.

 

[Sargara]

You drove off so it will be difficult. You would have needed to have noticed this and refused to accept the car before hopping in and taking it home.

They will just say you must have done this

 

[Snails]

That's what i expected. I'll give them a call and see what they say. The worse outcome is that they say no. I'll go get a quote tomorrow morning.

 

[Marv-C]

I presume that the garage didn't inspect the car for scratches prior to taking it in? Do you have any documentation to help you?

 

[Da]

All depends on the garage to be honest and your relationship with them.

Many years ago I had an alloy damaged whilst the car was with Renault, I didn't however notice untill 2 days later.
Anyway I phoned them up and they said they'd replace it FOC as they knew how well I looked after the car

I obviously had no evidence and they could have got out of it very easily, but as I used them often and knew them well there was no issue what so ever.

 

[aliengravy]

Renault dealers should have check the car completely before it goes into the workshop, exactly for this reason! I should know, i worked at a dealer, and it was MY job!!

If it was a Renault dealers they should have this documentation. This should help you a lil!

Could it have been damaged while being towed?

 

[Clio-Ell]

Could it not been damaged by the recovery firm?

 

[Snails]

It was a garage i hadn't used before, only used them as they were an electricals specialist and i was having issues with my immobiliser. The car wasn't moved by a recovery company, my dad gave me a tow to the garage and as far am i aware we didn't have any run ins with the curb! I'm not going to worry about it too much now. I'll give them a call tomorrow and get a quote from the bodyshop just down the road who have done work on our other cars in the past.

 

[kevin.s]

hard to prove anything with out the pre scan sheet than has been talked about and the fact that you drove it away. but if its only a scuff, it shouldn cost the earth to get done.

 

[EngineerD]

The fact that they parked it up the road sounds suspicious - like they accidently did it and parked it on the road so they could blame other people driving past...

 

[danjf]

if youd have asked them about it at the time then theyd have had to do something about it but as youve driven it away they will deny all knowledge of it!!take it to a dif garage next time

 

[Snails]

The fact that they parked it up the road sounds suspicious - like they accidently did it and parked it on the road so they could blame other people driving past...

I was starting to get worried, we literally drove around for 10 minutes around trying to find where they had parked it!

I'll live and learn, i'm sure.

 

[Triki]

The fact that they parked it up the road sounds suspicious - like they accidently did it and parked it on the road so they could blame other people driving past...

They still have a duty of care while the vehicle is in their possession

 

[EngineerD]

I'll live and learn, i'm sure.

Exactly the right attitude