Car accident and issues with garage

JamJam30

Hi All

A week ago while I was going to work (6.30 am ) my car skied on the ice and I hit the curb. I realized something was wrong with the steering and I parked the car and called the insurance and they towed my car to a garage I have chose.

After an hour I got a call from the garage that my steering rack is damaged and they can fix it for 600 euros , I called my insurance and they asked me if I want to do it privately because I will lose my no claim no bonus protection and I had to pay 300 excess fee. I thought okay then I will do it privately.

I confirmed with the garage that they can go ahead with the repair after two days I took my car and car was terrible and it was driving to the left steering was not straight etc , I take it back to garage and they said they would fix it and I got my car again this evening and yes it was better but car still would drive to the left when the steering was straight.

I have also failed the NCT after the repaid and I am due to retest in 5th of January and car is still not fixed properly...

Can you please advise what should i do and where do I stand ? I have already paid a fortune on this and seems garage cant fix the car !

Thanks

Stheno

Did the garage or you get the wheels realigned after the rack was replaced?

IIRC I'd to get that done after replacing a steering rack

Think it was called four wheel alignment

MugMugs

So your car has been repaired but it's not repaired?

Complain to the Garage again?

Is it a hard pull? Does she just need tracking?

navara man

what did it failed the nct on was it the sideslip/alignment part of test ?

Dingle_berry

Sounds as if the tracking might be off or wheel balance or something to that effect. Should probably have been done after working on the steering.
If the garage aren't doing a good enough job complain until they do. Don't pay any extra. Otherwise complain to SIMI?

JamJam30

I got my car back on Friday evening and failed the NCT on Saturday on wheel alignment , please see picture.

I returned the car to garage on Monday and they apologized and promised to repair the car and I got my car back this evening and okay it is better than previous time but car is still slight left I can feel it.... I assume they cant fix it or the car will never drive alright after steering rack is damaged. But they told me they can fix and it will cost me 600 euros and I said okay go ahead and fix it !!

I just dont know what to do with that car , should i take it back to garage ? or try another garage for wheel alignment ? I think I will fail NCT again and it unsafe to drive like that !!

Please see pictures in the attachment you will see NCT failure and garage invoice !!

Kenny Logins

Looks like they just lashed it on without checking/aligning the steering. Cowboys.

HungryJoey

I would of thought the trackrod would of suffered the mostdamage in a kurb incident and not the steering rack?

MugMugs

I'd take it elsewhere for wheel alignment and see what comes of that OP.

If it's something more sinister then return to the Garage and pursue this.

Dingle_berry

Don't assume what they can or can't do. They offered you a fix for €600, no "maybe the tracking/alignment will be off". You paid €600. They haven't finished fixing the car.
If they say they can't fix it ask for a refund of whatever it will cost to get tracking done elsewhere (ring around yourself don't take their word for it)

JamJam30

True , I don't really understand about engines or the parts , I just need my car to go to work and this has given me so much stress , I will take the car back to garage tomorrow and ask them for them to check again and if they still cant fix it I will take this to court i think.

I am just so tired and I need my car to go to work

Nissan doctor

Front alignment off by 24.8m/km:eek::eek:

That amount off is not just a slight mis-alignment, that is absolutely miles off.

I would be getting the full suspension geometry of that car checked properly on decent 4 wheel alignment equipment to see if there is any chassis/subframe damage.

OldmanMondeo

€600 is not a replacement rack, and if the rack was damaged that is what is needed. You are looking at €600 for a reconditioned rack alone, then add labour on top.

Just seen the invoice for the rack, that is a cheap rack.. We sell a budget recon rack and it would cost us near that.

sumo12

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Front alignment off by 24.8m/km:eek::eek:

That amount off is not just a slight mis-alignment, that is absolutely miles off.

I would be getting the full suspension geometry of that car checked properly on decent 4 wheel alignment equipment to see if there is any chassis/subframe damage.

+24.8 is pulling to the right. OP says the car is pulling to the left? Something not right here. OP you need a second opinion. I suspect there is something bent underneath or the tracking has been done (twice?) by a chimp.

JamJam30

OldmanMondeo wrote: »

€600 is not a replacement rack, and if the rack was damaged that is what is needed. You are looking at €600 for a reconditioned rack alone, then add labour on top.

Just seen the invoice for the rack, that is a cheap rack.. We sell a budget recon rack and it would cost us near that.

As I said I don't know much about parts , They told me the original from ford would cost 1100 but they can repair it for 600 euro , I said fine then go ahead and fix it.

sumo12 wrote: »

+24.8 is pulling to the right. OP says the car is pulling to the left? Something not right here. OP you need a second opinion. I suspect there is something bent underneath or the tracking has been done (twice?) by a chimp.

Yes car is pulling left and and i hit the curb on left side too.

I am so confused now should i call my insurance and tell them my story that car is still not fixed and it is dangerous to drive ?

JamJam30

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Front alignment off by 24.8m/km:eek::eek:

That amount off is not just a slight mis-alignment, that is absolutely miles off.

I would be getting the full suspension geometry of that car checked properly on decent 4 wheel alignment equipment to see if there is any chassis/subframe damage.

Yes it was horrible first time , can you imagine they let me drive the car like that !!

Stheno

JamJam30 wrote: »

Yes it was horrible first time , can you imagine they let me drive the car like that !!

Did they tell you you needed to get the alignment sorted?

When I got my steering rack replaced I was told I needed to do so (was an indy who didn't have the equipment to do it)

Nissan doctor

Stheno wrote: »

Did they tell you you needed to get the alignment sorted?

When I got my steering rack replaced I was told I needed to do so (was an indy who didn't have the equipment to do it)

IMO a customer should never be given a car back in an unroadworthy condition, if the garage doesn't have alignment equipment then they should bring it somewhere and have it done before returning the car to the customer.

It also, looking at the bill, mentions nothing about any alignment checks before or after replacing the rack, meaning that they likely only did a visual inspection for damage, which is stupid when dealing with accident damage to suspension.

Stheno

Nissan doctor wrote: »

IMO a customer should never be given a car back in an unroadworthy condition, if the garage doesn't have alignment equipment then they should bring it somewhere and have it done before returning the car to the customer.

It also, looking at the bill, mentions nothing about any alignment checks before or after replacing the rack, meaning that they likely only did a visual inspection for damage, which is stupid when dealing with accident damage to suspension.

Fair enough, I was told from the outset I'd need to sort it and collected the car, brought it to the alignment place and that was that.

If they didn't bother that's bad work on their part.

Voodoomelon

They reconditioned/put a reconditioned rack in, its been in with them two times and not once was it tracked?

I'd question was anything done to the rack at all.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Nissan doctor wrote: »

IMO a customer should never be given a car back in an unroadworthy condition, if the garage doesn't have alignment equipment then they should bring it somewhere and have it done before returning the car to the customer.

It also, looking at the bill, mentions nothing about any alignment checks before or after replacing the rack, meaning that they likely only did a visual inspection for damage, which is stupid when dealing with accident damage to suspension.

remember some of the stuff that went into my yoke after hitting a kerb at a mild speed ?

i think it went something like this.

wheel alignment,
wheels balanced,
bent alloy replaced,
wheel alignment,
tracking rod replaced,
wheel alignment,
wheel bearing replaced,
and a final wheel alignment and finally sorted, that was the front right wheel hitting the kerb while turning.

scooters

Very unusual for the steering rack to be bent, the wishbone or track rod end will nearly always bend first as that's the way they are designed. Even a slightly bent wishbone will cause a big problem, you may not even see the bend in it.