Requesting a refund from mechanic
Discussion
Hi all,
Just wanted to run this past you all to see if I'm being reasonable.
Scenario: I purchased a used car privately. It turns out the car has a water ingress issue, which is a common fault linked to sunroof drains. After chatting with my mechanic (who advertises himself as a specialist for this marque) I took the vehicle to him, to be dried out and repairs / modifications made to the sunroof drains. He noted that the sunroof motor was inoperative, and replaced that as well.
When I got the car back, parts of the interior had not been refitted properly due to reusing trim clips and several locating lugs on trim pieces had been damaged - I was able to rectify these issues easily and get the interior parts refitted properly myself. I also noted that the foam backing on the carpet was still sodden, so over a three week period I managed to dry this out completely - using lots to kitchen roll, newspaper and silica gel pouches! I contacted the mechanic who advised that he didn't dry out the carpet, and it would have been residual damp from the previous water ingress. I also noticed that the new sunroof motor didn't work properly, and the 'tilt' function does not work.
This afternoon after heavy rain, I noticed that the windscreen wipers were operating of their own accord when the car was parked and locked. On further investigation, the carpets are sodden again, and I expect water has got into some electronics somewhere. For now I've disconnected the battery to stop the wipers!
I'm asking the mechanic for a refund of £450, as this is what he charged me in parts and labour relating directly to water ingress and replacing the sunroof motor. I don't have a lot of faith that he'll do the job properly if it goes back to him!
Am I being reasonable, or do I have to offer him the opportunity to fix properly?
Just wanted to run this past you all to see if I'm being reasonable.
Scenario: I purchased a used car privately. It turns out the car has a water ingress issue, which is a common fault linked to sunroof drains. After chatting with my mechanic (who advertises himself as a specialist for this marque) I took the vehicle to him, to be dried out and repairs / modifications made to the sunroof drains. He noted that the sunroof motor was inoperative, and replaced that as well.
When I got the car back, parts of the interior had not been refitted properly due to reusing trim clips and several locating lugs on trim pieces had been damaged - I was able to rectify these issues easily and get the interior parts refitted properly myself. I also noted that the foam backing on the carpet was still sodden, so over a three week period I managed to dry this out completely - using lots to kitchen roll, newspaper and silica gel pouches! I contacted the mechanic who advised that he didn't dry out the carpet, and it would have been residual damp from the previous water ingress. I also noticed that the new sunroof motor didn't work properly, and the 'tilt' function does not work.
This afternoon after heavy rain, I noticed that the windscreen wipers were operating of their own accord when the car was parked and locked. On further investigation, the carpets are sodden again, and I expect water has got into some electronics somewhere. For now I've disconnected the battery to stop the wipers!
I'm asking the mechanic for a refund of £450, as this is what he charged me in parts and labour relating directly to water ingress and replacing the sunroof motor. I don't have a lot of faith that he'll do the job properly if it goes back to him!
Am I being reasonable, or do I have to offer him the opportunity to fix properly?
Blocked sunroof drain - standard BMW panoramic roof issue as I have suffered this myself. Sounds like maybe a few other cars do too!
Refund of labour would be fair as then he doesn't get paid for his time, refund of parts would mean out of pocket as he had to buy them so harder to get I would think.
Refund of labour would be fair as then he doesn't get paid for his time, refund of parts would mean out of pocket as he had to buy them so harder to get I would think.
I'd say that you should give the mechanic the opportunity to rectify all the defects. Keep a log of all conversations, note all of the defects that you asked him to fix and weren't. If no satisfaction or he refuses, sue him through HM Courts & Tribunals Service. It is easy to do and doesn't cost much and the cost can be added to your claim.
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