Garage jacked up car - slightly damaged under door sill

micks_address

Hi Folks,

I got my winter wheels swapped on to the car a few weeks ago. Only noticed at the weekend when washing the car but it looks like a car jack was put in the wrong spot and there's a dent under the drivers door where the car was jacked up.

You cant really notice it in on the car unless you really look for it, but now that I know its there its hard to avoid it.

I haven't contacted the garage yet as they are really sound and I'm not sure how hard the like of it would be to fix.. I'm not sure it could be 'panel beaten out' because of where it is..

The other alternative would be to add something like side skirts to cover it up..

Or of course i could just forget about it..

Should I give the garage a shout?

Cheers,
Mick

Alanstrainor

What car is it? Considering the time frame since it was done, and you noticed the damage I would think it would be unlikely that the garage would do anything. But it would be worth mentioning it to them I reckon.

micks_address

142 Honda Civic Tourer..

Yeah I don't know if its even worth bringing up with them.. kinda would feel like a tool.. and of course there's no way to say for definite it was caused by them.. but it must have been cause haven't hit anything or been hit etc

Just unfortunate really

Cheers,
Mick

Alanstrainor

micks_address wrote: »

142 Honda Civic Tourer..

Yeah I don't know if its even worth bringing up with them.. kinda would feel like a tool.. and of course there's no way to say for definite it was caused by them.. but it must have been cause haven't hit anything or been hit etc

Just unfortunate really

Cheers,
Mick

In that case I would bring it up with them...the car is less than a year old, if it was an older car I would have doubts. But I'd be raging if I found my car to have such damage.

micks_address

Alanstrainor wrote: »

In that case I would bring it up with them...the car is less than a year old, if it was an older car I would have doubts. But I'd be raging if I found my car to have such damage.

i might call in to them on the way home this evening and see what they say.. i'm not looking to cause a big deal about it...

biko

Yeah, just call in say that you noticed this and could it have been them?
I don't know the history of the car, is it possible it could have been another garage or yourself/previous owner?

micks_address

im the only owner.. i wash it every couple of weeks, but hadnt since christmas and it was about 3 weeks after the tyres were fitted that i washed myself again.. i guess its important to check these things before you leave the garage

R.O.R

Is there definitely damage? The sills on some cars look like they've been damaged, but they are actually designed that way.

Check and see if the other side is the same - it's something you don't notice until you have to look for it.

bucketybuck

If you trust the garage and want to keep a good relationship it may be worth letting it go, especially if it isn't really visible.

Without pictures, it would seem clear that the jack was put in the wrong spot, I've seen it happen quite a lot. But to be honest the majority of the time although the sill gets a little bent it doesn't really affect the look of the car, its the underside of the sill and other people never notice it.

If the sill is bent its not really an easy fix, so if you want the garage to repair it they will be looking at quite a cost for bodywork and painting. Thats fair enough, if they damaged it they should put it right, but it is a factor to be considered.

You are going to have to ask them to be out quite a lot of money, you will have to consider if its worth it long term to damage your relationship with the garage over what may be a minor issue, depending on the severity of the damage. On the other hand, even asking them to repair it may not damage the relationship, they may take the hit and pay for the repair without any rancour.

Its a judgement call really.

micks_address

bucketybuck wrote: »

If you trust the garage and want to keep a good relationship it may be worth letting it go, especially if it isn't really visible.

Without pictures, it would seem clear that the jack was put in the wrong spot, I've seen it happen quite a lot. But to be honest the majority of the time although the sill gets a little bent it doesn't really affect the look of the car, its the underside of the sill and other people never notice it.

If the sill is bent its not really an easy fix, so if you want the garage to repair it they will be looking at quite a cost for bodywork and painting. Thats fair enough, if they damaged it they should put it right, but it is a factor to be considered.

You are going to have to ask them to be out quite a lot of money, you will have to consider if its worth it long term to damage your relationship with the garage over what may be a minor issue, depending on the severity of the damage. On the other hand, even asking them to repair it may not damage the relationship, they may take the hit and pay for the repair without any rancour.

Its a judgement call really.

I called in on way home, was kinda embarrassed bringing it up. Lad came out to look at it and said no way could it have happened from the Jack. They use a platform lift that goes all the way under the car... He suggested I may have hit something but obviously I didn't as I'd have realised.. He showed me the jack and I've a pretty good idea how it might have happened.. They had the screw gun sitting on it.. Which suspiciously matches my dent pretty closely... suggested that they maybe have lifted the car and the gun got caught but he says no way.. Anyway I wasn't going arguing as it's pretty much my own fault.. I should have checked the car before I left when they changed the tyres... Lesson learned.. Honda do a side skirt accessory that I might get fitted to cover it up... Probably as cheap as getting someone to remove the dent...

http://www.coxmotorparts.co.uk/genuine-honda-civic-tourer-side-skirts2014-p-3062.html

Anyone know if it's cheaper to order the likes of this from the UK and have fitted or just go through my Honda dealer?

I guess I could go through my insurance as I've a staff policy which would affect my no claims bonus and my excess is only 150 so that's also an option..


Cheers
Mick

jca

micks_address wrote: »

I called in on way home, was kinda embarrassed bringing it up. Lad came out to look at it and said no way could it have happened from the Jack. They use a platform lift that goes all the way under the car... He suggested I may have hit something but obviously I didn't as I'd have realised.. He showed me the jack and I've a pretty good idea how it might have happened.. They had the screw gun sitting on it.. Which suspiciously matches my dent pretty closely... suggested that they maybe have lifted the car and the gun got caught but he says no way.. Anyway I wasn't going arguing as it's pretty much my own fault.. I should have checked the car before I left when they changed the tyres... Lesson learned.. Honda do a side skirt accessory that I might get fitted to cover it up... Probably as cheap as getting someone to remove the dent...

http://www.coxmotorparts.co.uk/genuine-honda-civic-tourer-side-skirts2014-p-3062.html

Anyone know if it's cheaper to order the likes of this from the UK and have fitted or just go through my Honda dealer?

I guess I could go through my insurance as I've a staff policy which would affect my no claims bonus and my excess is only 150 so that's also an option..


Cheers
Mick

It isn't your fault. They damaged a brand new car through shoddy workmanship. If it was my car they'd bloody well fix it, end of:mad:

micks_address

jca wrote: »

It isn't your fault. They damaged a brand new car through shoddy workmanship. If it was my car they'd bloody well fix it, end of:mad:

But I can't prove it happened there... So no point causing to much of a fuss over it.. Have dealt with them a few times and never had problems before..

Slicemeister

It's his word against theirs. Gonna be hard to hold them liable. They'd have me lost as a customer, but that's about all of it. Unlucky OP, very maddening(had lock nuts rounded on me once and got no joy).

mickdw

micks_address wrote: »

But I can't prove it happened there... So no point causing to much of a fuss over it.. Have dealt with them a few times and never had problems before..

Pictures please

Supergurrier

I had a mechanic bend the front my my bonnet near the lip when fixing my bonnet locking mechanism, didnt notice the slight vent in the metal until paint started peeling off, pain in the ass as it would be almost impossible to straighten out 100%.

Might just buy a new bonnet tbh

micks_address

mickdw wrote: »

Pictures please

I'm on the ferry to Manchester so might take a few days but I'll get a picture up...

MuppetCheck

Follow it up. You've nothing to lose.

With a lot of places you nearly have to stand over people doing the work. You'll come across like a pr1ck but fcuk em.

I had this happen a few years back - it's very hard to prove if time has elapsed. It all depends how decent they are and how good a relationship you have with them.

jca

If you'd paid them by cheque which later bounced they wouldn't be as nice as you are being about it.

Kristopherus

micks_address wrote: »

I'm on the ferry to Manchester so might take a few days but I'll get a picture up...

If you get a chance while you are over there, you could price those side skirts from the Honda garages there. Will probably be a lot cheaper than the Irish Honda garages. Though with the Euro on its knees against Sterling, you will have to do your sums.

DanWall

I had this happen on my Scoda Octavia which is a bad design, I had to bend it back with my pump pliers. It has a sharp ridge along the bottom of the sill, if it is jacked at the jacking points its possibly OK, but always happened in the tyre places which use those 4 point jacks. I made some wood blocks with slots in for jacking and insisted that they use them.