alleged warranty over car engine rebuild

Jack Frost2020 · 14-01-2021 11:49AM

the_pen_turner wrote: »

Did you fit the engine or someone else.

I fitted the engine, the owner blew the original engine in his car, I removed it, rebuilt it, new pistons, gaskets etc and reinstalled it.
My reading into the situation is he has now got someone else to replace the engine and wants to dump the one I rebuilt back to me, with no way of me seeing the condition of the car, i.e., the radiator, was it run without water, the state of the oil etc

Johnthemanager · 14-01-2021 02:27PM

Jack Frost2020 wrote: »

I fitted the engine, the owner blew the original engine in his car, I removed it, rebuilt it, new pistons, gaskets etc and reinstalled it.
My reading into the situation is he has now got someone else to replace the engine and wants to dump the one I rebuilt back to me, with no way of me seeing the condition of the car, i.e., the radiator, was it run without water, the state of the oil etc

If he has removed the engine, before he got an engineers report to Assess any "damage" with the engine in situ, I wouldn't even entertain him anymore.

Sounds dodgy to be honest, if the solicitor is crossing out spelling mistakes with a biro!

Is the phone number that of a registered solicitor, or just a mobile?

enricoh · 14-01-2021 02:37PM

I wouldn't spend a fiver on him with solicitors letters, ignore him. I wouldn't write back or anything, a spoofer hoping you'll crack.

You can get your phone records to show the dates of calls to verify your timeframe if needed.

Jack Frost2020 · 25-02-2021 03:41PM

Again thank you all for the replies.

I responded to the letter, telling the solicitor to inform his client to bring back the car so I could assess it (my third time asking for car to be brought back, twice in writing and once via telephone call)
Another solicitor letter today, (complete with spelling mistakes) telling me that due to the faulty engine, his client had to have it taken out and replaced with another one and I need to pay his client for the engine and come pick it up from his house....

I take offence to the line regarding the faulty engine, as it was 100% leaving my premises. I certainly can’t assess the engine now to see why it failed, it’s thrown in a corner somewhere and who knows what damage was done to it taking it out.
I am a reasonable person, I’m in this game with 40+ years of experience and if I has the car with engine in situ, I could tell a lot as to why the engine packed up, was the oil changed after 10k km like I told him to break in the rebuilt engine, was it run without water, how did the radiator look, etc etc etc. Might I also mention this person tows his livestock also, so weight of trailer/load can also be factored in, ie if the weight exceeded the recommended limit what’s to say he didn’t redden the engine??
If i determined the fault was due to an error on my behalf, I would 100% take care of it, however I was not given the chance.

I have not consulted with a solicitor on this as I was managing away by myself responding to the letters, but I’m wondering if I need to. However before I do, any ideas on how to respond to this latest shakedown?
Thanks

Seve OB · 25-02-2021 03:52PM

What a chancer.
OP I think you need a solicitor to write a letter back at this stage. I would imagine a good solicitor will point out all the legal aspects where your client has cocked up and absolve you of any liability.

Sounds like a nice fella anyway!

Jack Frost2020 · 25-02-2021 04:16PM

Thank you Seve OB, yes the man in question is a really nice fella...have since found out this is his MO, I’m not the first mechanic to get a solicitors letter from him, but I’m prob the first to stand my ground and not cave to his demands...

Jack Frost2020 · 06-10-2023 11:13AM

Just getting back to this saga…. As I suspected all along, this was nothing but a complete shakedown from a despicable individual who destroyed the engine I replaced towing horse boxes which the car was clearly not designed to pull. The same man thinks nothing of sending solicitors letters to bully his way through life, heard he pulled a similar stunt with another mechanic prior to me working on his car. That poor mechanic caved and did whatever work yer man demanded, losing money.

The last letter I got from the solicitor was to demand I take the engine from the clients yard, at my expense, after he got someone else to replace it, and give him an undetermined amount of money for it. At this stage I decided to cease contact and wait for them to issue court proceedings.

Now here is the kicker….. on examining the solicitors letters, they start off describing the vehicle, eg. Toyota Avensis, registration 07-D-22224 (just an example), however the cars registration is 07-D-22225. The wrong registration on all the letters, which would be for a different vehicle altogether

Now, is it a stupid error on the solicitors part? You’d imagine they’d have the correct reg, or is it just what I thought all along, the threat of a solicitors letter and I would do anything for them.

PS, I have rebuilt and fitted approx 100 engines since then and not one returned back with any issues

Seve OB · 09-10-2023 10:55PM

Thanks for update

have they left you alone since?

Jack Frost2020 · 09-10-2023 11:27PM

Not a word from them since the last letter from February 2022, so I imagine case closed!!!

I guess all their threats of bringing me to court backfired, I was all set to go there, which I’d imagine they didn’t want, as I’m sure it would have got thrown out, over the incorrect registration number

enricoh · 10-10-2023 08:25AM

Well done for calling their bluff. Hopefully they are down a few hundred from their solicitors letters- thatsif they were real ones!

Jack Frost2020 · 10-10-2023 08:24PM

Funny enough, the letters were real, as I called the solicitor involved. The letters were very unprofessional though, as if they were typed by a ten year old, spelling mistakes corrected in biro, poor grammar, laughable really coming out of a solicitors’ office. But then again when one of the solicitors in said office gets themselves struck off, kinda shows the calibre of people they are and represent.

I would be very concerned if I employed a solicitor engaging in sloppy work like this.

chrisd2019 · 10-10-2023 08:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121200614#Comment_121200614

Did you check with the law society and online ect, that the solicitor was genuine, not the car owners buddy with some mobile number?

Previously had an incident myself with such letters, where once I did some digging I discovered the solicitor was a friend who had done a law course and was impersonating a genuine solicitor by using a mobile number and a virtual mailbox as an address for correspondence. He also didn't seem to know about spell checker !

alleged warranty over car engine rebuild

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