Problem with garage not fitting waterpump properly

BlueDragon

I am posting this for my dad
He got his timing belt and water pump done by a garage down in bandon in cork
It cost about 300 for labour as he bought the parts new from a place that sells them.
His car is a 2005 Peugeot 307 by the way

About 2 weeks later his car started displaying the STOP flashing light so he turned the car off and turned it back on, it was ok for a few minutes and it stared again,
He was on his way to work and he had to turn around to go home, ad his car started shuddering badly

He left it for the night and tried it again in the morning and it worked fine for about 5 - 10 minutes and the same thing happened.

He called the garage that put the timing belt in his car and was told they went out of business one week prior to that.

So he got the car towed to a Peugeot dealership to get it repaired.
The car was in there for just under a week and he got it back today,
The bill was €700
They said that whoever put the water pump into the car didn't put it in properly and one of the screws came loose and damaged other parts in the car.
They said they used the old screws that the original water pump had and used them again and they either tightened them way too tight and the vibrations broke it and it came off or else they left it very loose and it came off that way
He said we should defiantly go back to the garage and tell them what happened
They took pictures of the car and emailed them to us to prove that this was the case and they left the old parts in the boot for us to show the garage which put it in in the first place

Can anyone tell me what my rights are in this case?
I've gotten the owners home phone number but if i call up and tell him about this is he just gonna tell me **** off and there's nothing i can do about it?
Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated

mickdw

Who told you the garage went out of business? Go around there and have a look at least.

BlueDragon

My dad told me they did,
And my sisters boyfriend said he called up but it was gone out of business and not open anymore
I was told that they must still honor the work they did on the cars they worked on is this right?

dev100

More than likely they have gone out of business because of money issues if so
I think it will be no chance in getting your money back. It d cost you money to chase after them

If they're no longer trading than that's that I'd say. What did the main dealer do exactly ? Replace the belt and pump again, was there anytimg else required? 700 seems a lot for that but not enough to cover any other damage. They didn't mention anything about a tensioner did they ?

BlueDragon

Can i threaten them with legal issues at all?

mickdw

If gone out of business, they will most likely have a long list of suppliers/banks that they owe money too. Even if you were to prove a cast iron case again them, I think you would be at the bottom of the list and unlikely to get anything.

Unless they had any insurance cover in place that would cover your problem, you have no chance of getting anything ouot of them

MugMugs

I assume they would have had Insurance. Motor Traders Insurance which would potentially cover Liability to third parties. It does exist and it does happen but isn't my forte so to speak. Can't hurt to submit a claim.

bazz26

OP, maybe you or your dad should have a chat with your local Citizens Information Board. They will be able to tell you if you have any chance of getting money back from the former business or not. There advice is free so well worth a call even if to be told you have no chance.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/

-Chris-

I'd get in touch with the owner, nicey nicey, and explain the situation.

I'd be as nice as possible as the likelihood is that the owner will re-open under a different company (he can't stay unemployed for the rest of his life) and may want to hang on to as many customers, and community goodwill, as possible as he reopens the business.

If that doesn't work, and you're getting completely stonewalled, then I'd look at what the legal remedies are.