Garage - screwed us over

salthillchick

Hi all,

Just wondering should main dealers keep records? A main delearship carried out work on our car and say they have no record of it from last August.

Background to our issue: A worker in the garage crashed into our car. They assured us they would look after the damage and give us a rental car. They initially postponed repair due to 'ordering parts'. We were fully under the impression they would replace our badly damaged bumper. Eventually we got the car to them and it took a day and a half to repair.

Fast forward 10 months: We are crashed into from behind again. Only a light tap but this time bumper crumples and it is obvious that the garage has only remoulded the bumper. We are told the assessor will try to reduce their contribution to repairs due to previous damage.

I have visited the garage and the manager there told us that the job was done to high spec. (can't argue there if remoulding is what you're after) and that it was agreed with us beforehand (absolutely untrue). We were given no brief on work carried out and no paperwork. When we went to collect car it was hard to find somebody in the garage let alone get paperwork as they only had one guy there closing up at the time.

We are now stuck in a rut of having to cover damage which wasn't caused by us. It was caused by them and they're refusing to look after any shortfall between the incident this week and what took place last year. The crack is in exactly the same place. They're claiming we're changing our minds a year on which is untrue. When asked what parts they had to order for us, they couldn't answer.

What is your advice? Are we caught out on this one? I will only have circumstantial proof on this now of phone calls, rental sub on insurance...

If I can give advice to anyone out there: do not trust anybody! Not even a main dealer!!! Go to your insurance always and nominate a mechanic independent of the incident for repairs. Sorry if that sounds obvious.

Atlantic Dawn

Talk to a solicitor and get them to send a letter to the garage, detailing call logs, car rental etc.

Toyotafanboi

without seeing the first and second instance of damage its hard to speculate.

it's unlikey (in my opinion) they "remoulded" your bumper out of filler because the labour time costs involved would most likely be more expensive than a new spurious bumper. unless your car is something quite obscure.

using a little filler is no harm if it had a graize on it etc. otherwise the product wouldn't exist.

i think (but have no legal understanding) that if someone has rear ended you (like what has happened) that things are not really up for debate and they simply have to repair your car to pre accident condition.

Shakti

but they may* have got a bumper from another car which was filled at some point

*probably

Toyotafanboi

does anybody really heavily fill bumpers in this day and age?

colm_mcm

Take the bumper off the car. Say it was catching the back wheels

kyote00

I wonder was the first job done as a nixer - off the official books, hence the lack of paperwork.

(I was recently able to get service history for a 1996 Carina from Toyota dealer).....

Shakti

depends on the damage

colm_mcm

Its very easy to hide a few hours labour and no parts bought. I'm guessing this is the case here

MidlandsM

Get a solicitor, and they'll find their records fairly quickly

Jesus.

Maybe its just me but I think the OP is going a bit OTT. Some clown broke his bumper a year ago and now its happened again.

Just get it fixed and calm down is what I would say.

ba_barabus

Jesus. wrote: »

Maybe its just me but I think the OP is going a bit OTT. Some clown broke his bumper a year ago and now its happened again.

Just get it fixed and calm down is what I would say.

I think you've missed the point. The insurer is refusing to cover the full cost of a new bumper as it was previously repaired.

OP what insurance company is this? They have to return it to pre accident condition which I'd assume is fully repaired

corktina

yes they would have to return it to pre accident condition, which was a repaired bumper, not a new one.You can hardly blame them for that,

OP should have been clearer with the garage about what they were doing, he could talk to them and see if they will cough up the rest of the cost of a new bumper, might work...might well not though

Jesus.

ba_barabus wrote: »

I think you've missed the point. The insurer is refusing to cover the full cost of a new bumper as it was previously repaired.
OP what insurance company is this? They have to return it to pre accident condition which I'd assume is fully repaired

Fair enough.

Oh, I've a bone to pick with you Barabbus. I got crucified when it should have been you!

ba_barabus

Jesus. wrote: »

Fair enough.

Oh, I've a bone to pick with you Barabbus. I got crucified when it should have been you!

Do tell......( or PM rather than take this off topic)

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

corktina

ba_barabus wrote: »

Do tell......( or PM rather than take this off topic)

hint...check out his user name....

corktina

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

The point is he is going to have to, the old one has disintegrated having been repaired previously when he thought he was getting a new bumper and his Ins co wont pay for a new one as it had been repaired....he wants to get the dealer responsible for the original repair to cough up..

or did i get it wrong?

colm_mcm

My impression was that somebody not in the insurance company said this.

How bad was the damage the first time?

ba_barabus

corktina wrote: »

hint...check out his user name....

I'm a spakker