Garage Issue - Advice

chris.tarry85 · 12 Nov 2013 at 11:30

Hi All,

Looking for some advice before I speak to a Garage about a problem I have please.

My car was given a full service approx.. 3 weeks ago by this garage (main dealer)

Fast forward to last week and the engine management light comes on and the car starts to idle really roughly, cuts out a few times.

We called the AA who recovered it to a local garage (not the same one that serviced it) and after some investigation it turns out the problem was that the original garage had fitted the wrong fuel filter, therefore messing up the fuel pressure etc.

Obviously I am less than pleased with this and will be speaking to the garage with the following documentation:

- Receipt from them showing the fuel filter was changed.
- Old, incorrect fuel filter as removed by the other garage.
- Invoice from the other garage which clearly states that the filter was the wrong type.

Do you think I need to provide anything else to prove my point?

What do you think is reasonable for me to ask for here? I am expecting the cost of the correction of the problem to be covered at the very least. Do you think I should ask for the original service cost back too? Perhaps a free service for next year?

Any advice welcome.

Chris

Havana_UK · 12 Nov 2013 at 11:51

I think you're perfectly within your rights, and being perfectly reasonable to expect:
- cost of fixing the problem refunded
- service cost (or at least a part of it) refunded as they've made a mistake
- some sort of goodwill gesture (1/2 price for the next service, or something along those lines)

div0 · 12 Nov 2013 at 12:06

Havana_UK said:
I think you're perfectly within your rights, and being perfectly reasonable to expect:
- cost of fixing the problem refunded
- service cost (or at least a part of it) refunded as they've made a mistake
- some sort of goodwill gesture (1/2 price for the next service, or something along those lines)

I would agree, but depending on how much the garage value their reputation and your continued custom, then you may not have much luck with anything beyond point 1.

On the plus side, you'll at least get to see whether they're a garage you'd want to deal with again or not.

pepsilol · 12 Nov 2013 at 14:14

Havana_UK said:
- some sort of goodwill gesture (1/2 price for the next service, or something along those lines)

MURICA

tom_e · 12 Nov 2013 at 14:17

pepsilol said:
MURICA

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a bit of a "Sorry we messed up gesture" considering the other 2 points should be done without question. I'm not saying it's something you should go demanding though.

frying_pan_cat · 12 Nov 2013 at 14:20

I don't really see why the service cost should be refunded. If they pay any out of pocket expenses (replacement filter plus any recovery costs) then surely anything past that is simply a goodwill gesture

tom_e · 12 Nov 2013 at 14:24

frying_pan_cat said:
I don't really see why the service cost should be refunded. If they pay any out of pocket expenses (replacement filter plus any recovery costs) then surely anything past that is simply a goodwill gesture

because they didn't provide the service the customer paid for, so at the very least there should be a partial refund of the original service charge.

pepsilol · 12 Nov 2013 at 14:39

tom_e said:
because they didn't provide the service the customer paid for, so at the very least there should be a partial refund of the original service charge.

They'd turn around and say, you should have recovered it to us.

The AA garage could have fitted the wrong fuel filter on, and then removed to, aka scamming.

OP didn't give the original garage the opportunity to fix anything.

chris.tarry85 · 12 Nov 2013 at 14:47

pepsilol said:
They'd turn around and say, you should have recovered it to us.

The AA garage could have fitted the wrong fuel filter on, and then removed to, aka scamming.

OP didn't give the original garage the opportunity to fix anything.

Because the car handbook says do not drive the car when this light is on and our AA cover is only recovery to the nearest suitable garage, which the original garage was not.

To do this I would have therefore had to presumably pay out of my own pocket to get the car back to them for them to (presumably) deny they had done anything wrong whilst covering their own tracks!

chris.tarry85 · 12 Nov 2013 at 14:51

tom_e said:
I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a bit of a "Sorry we messed up gesture" considering the other 2 points should be done without question. I'm not saying it's something you should go demanding though.

Just to be clear, I would only ask for either a partial refund, or some kind of incentive to return next year.Asking for both is rather OTT

I do however think the hassle of being without a car for several days, going to and from the garage, having to cancel weekend plans because of what is ultimately their mistake should be recognised somehow.

Parabellum · 12 Nov 2013 at 15:00

1st off you want to speak to the MD of the company "no monkeys - go straight to the organ grinder with your complaint" Be calm & always keep the upper hand. Have the AA report + the report from the garage that found + fixed the problem. Then simply ask for for a refund of the original service cost incurred... as you "HAVE NO" confidence in the original service that was carried out - put it to him was there a full service carried out at all... questing if the correct parts where fitted. Then hit him with the 2nd cost of fixing the problem. Whatever you do don't back down and make them pay.

play hardball & let them know you are prepared to lock horns over this. You are the customer & its up to the garage to provide a quality, satisfactory level of service.

realscot · 12 Nov 2013 at 19:43

The problem with car parts, especially after market ones is the garage just has to assume their supplier has given them the correct parts for the car as unless there is a visible difference between the filters it'd be extremely hard for them to know they were fitting the wrong filter. Part numbers may not be the same as different brand filters may have been used.
I've never heard of an incorrect filter causing a car not to run as at the end of the day as long as the connections on the filter are the same inside the filter will be pretty much the same. Usually if it fits it'll work, problems tend to be more due to not fitting correctly, not what happens inside the filter.
Ideally also yes you should have called the garage that did the work before calling the AA (assuming business hours) and even then you should have told the garage it was taken to not to do any work untill you spoke to the garage that service the car.
The problem now is the garage that did your service will just have to take you on blind faith that it was their fault and most garages are reluctant to do that as they constantly get "this happened because you changed something on my car now its broke" complaints.
Only this week at my garage we changed a flasher relay on a meriva as the indicators weren't working (common problem). The next day the ABS light came on, now the customer says its our fault because it was fine before we changed the relay. These systems aren't even connected.

As said make the garage that service your car aware, whatever they decide your stuck with i'm afraid, so be nice when you approach them.

sovietspybob · 12 Nov 2013 at 20:27

I've had a main dealer fit the wrong spark plugs to my wifes old MX5, it made the car drive a bit lumpy and did a weird pulsing things at certain revs. I changed the plugs myself to try and diagnose the problem as it was doing our heads in driving the car. Was a good 9 months after the service when i realised what the issue was and I contacted them and they offered half price on whatever we had done next at the dealer so i'd expect a similar sort of gesture.

chris.tarry85 · 13 Nov 2013 at 08:47

realscot said:
The problem with car parts, especially after market ones is the garage just has to assume their supplier has given them the correct parts for the car as unless there is a visible difference between the filters it'd be extremely hard for them to know they were fitting the wrong filter. Part numbers may not be the same as different brand filters may have been used.
I've never heard of an incorrect filter causing a car not to run as at the end of the day as long as the connections on the filter are the same inside the filter will be pretty much the same. Usually if it fits it'll work, problems tend to be more due to not fitting correctly, not what happens inside the filter.
Ideally also yes you should have called the garage that did the work before calling the AA (assuming business hours) and even then you should have told the garage it was taken to not to do any work untill you spoke to the garage that service the car.
The problem now is the garage that did your service will just have to take you on blind faith that it was their fault and most garages are reluctant to do that as they constantly get "this happened because you changed something on my car now its broke" complaints.
Only this week at my garage we changed a flasher relay on a meriva as the indicators weren't working (common problem). The next day the ABS light came on, now the customer says its our fault because it was fine before we changed the relay. These systems aren't even connected.

As said make the garage that service your car aware, whatever they decide your stuck with i'm afraid, so be nice when you approach them.

Agree, I'm certainly not going to go in there shouting and screaming and demanding all sorts!

The only points I have on the above are:

- Agree that there must be lots of people trying this on like in your example above, but think that my point is rather more clear cut than your example. This is a specific part which I have an invoice from them to say they have changed.

- How was I to know that the issue was related to the service? If it had been the very next day fair enough, but this was over 2 weeks later. Surely I shouldn't have to commit to letting that garage look at any issues first just because they serviced it? This is rather beside the point anyway as the issue appeared on a Saturday afternoon.

- At the end of the day if the garage can prove that they asked their supplier for the correct part but were given the wrong one (presuming they will have an invoice or something) then surely they can pass any cost back on to the supplier?

telewebby · 13 Nov 2013 at 22:36

so the car has been running fine for 3 weeks since the filter was changed? what car is it and what light came on? what did the codes read?

Alex

lemonade · 13 Nov 2013 at 22:41

This is why I decided to jobs on my car myself, I don't trust any grease gimp to work on my car, I dread to think where I would go when I do need to use them.