A Rover's tale of woe....

[Gore Ranger]

I am trying to figure out how they could test drive it without knowing it didnt have brakes. Were there no stops at all on the test drive? Especially if you just did a brake job, wouldnt you test drive it in a controlled environment at first to mae sure you had brakes before getting it up to speed?

If it was just around the lot or something at low speeds, why didnt they just downshift and pull the parking brake?

 

[Christophe Noel]

I am trying to figure out how they could test drive it without knowing it didnt have brakes. Were there no stops at all on the test drive? Especially if you just did a brake job, wouldnt you test drive it in a controlled environment at first to mae sure you had brakes before getting it up to speed?

If it was just around the lot or something at low speeds, why didnt they just downshift and pull the parking brake?

These are all excellent questions. Questions I posed several times. For the record, this mechanic was a Rover service manager for several years. He just handed this repair over to a junior mechanic in his employ and THERE is the problem.

So, this brings me to a question of payment, service and reasonable expectations.

My original quote for the ABS rebuild was $800. The mechanic goofed and had them rebuild the ABS pump as well for an additional $300. That took the tally up to $1500 with labor. After doing $6000 damage to my rig and sitting on it for 10 weeks, I'm a tad reluctant to fork over the full $1500. I tried to help the mechanic with this ugliness by refusing a rental car as that would just add to the cost of this mess. I even told the body shop to not remove two small dents on the roof as they really were tiny and again, I see no sense in adding to the dollar amount for two tiny dents. I've been patient. I've asked for nothing. I understand I'll get a Rover back that is better than it was when it went in (hopefully), but part of me really hates the idea of forking over that full repair bill. I also took a hit for cancelling vacation reservations when this repair went into week three.

Should I not expect a little break on this repair bill or am I asking too much?

 

[Superu]

Should I not expect a little break on this repair bill or am I asking too much?

For real? I wouldn't expect to pay a dime! :smilies27 If I fubar'd someone's ride that bad, I'd be fixing it all gratis and begging forgiveness!

Sounds like they made one mistake after another that led to the situation you are in. You should be keeping your wallet safely tucked away on this one.

 

[Snagger]

They exercised gross negligence that nearly resulted in the destruction of your car and could easily have resulted in deaths had they hit pedestrians or another vehicle. They chose to road test a vehicle at an inappropriate speed without first static testing or low speed testing the critical system that had been worked on, and didn't even apply the hand brake when things went wrong. The service manager abdicated responsibility by allowing a new and inexperienced mechanic conduct a critical safety check.

I'd want the vehicle back in exactly the same condition it was handed over to them, with the repair, all for free - they have, after all, reduced the resale of your vehicle because of the accident, even if all the damage is made good.

It was entirely avoidable and was down to their negligence. Their insurance will pick up the bill, not the workshop, but if their premiums go up as a result, then it may at least serve them a lesson to be more diligent in the future. It certainly shouldn't be of concern to you. Frankly, on top of the full repair, I'd have taken the courtesy car or expected compensation for the inconvenience of the duration of the car's repairs and for the loss of the holiday. SOme people are far too comfortable in mistreating other peoples' property.

 

[jeepmedic46]

You should not have to pay a dime. They should pay for it to be fixed at a reputable place.:smiley_drive:

 

[JSBriggs]

At this point everything is a negotiation. At the very least, I would not pay for the extra work that they did, that you did not authorize (rebuild the pump). Even if the pump was shot, they should still call and update the quote and ask for authorization. That would put my absolute high dollar mark at $800, but I would push for getting your truck back without paying anything.

-Jeff

 

[datrupr]

I think if the shop and the owner/manager were truely a respectable business they would not charge you for the initial repair. Back in the 80s my mother had a Jaguar Vanden Plas that she took to Scottsdale Jaguar for its scheduled maintenance. While they had it some bone headed newbie litteraly drove the car off the lift (about 6' in the air) and into a brick wall, not to mention the nose first drop onto the concrete floor of the shop. The dealership gave her a loaner car, repaired all the damage, and gave her her car back in as good as new (at least as good as it could be) with their sincerest aplogies. About 6 months later the new fully convertable XJS was about to be launched. The dealer ship offered her first on the waiting list, no deposit (she wanted the convertable), and for full trade in value (as though it had not been wrecked) for her Vanden Plas. She was the first person in the state of Arizona to get one of the new convertible Jag's. In my opinion, what they did was the right thing.

So, basically, if this shop is still trying to charge you for the repairs, they are way off base in my opinion. You should not have to pay a cent.

 

[michaels]

time to sue.

 

[inked33]

the mechanic i take my truck to has been working on my familys vehicles since they opened the shop. i recently had them replace a wheel bearing in the front end. while they were down there discovered the outer u joint on the same side was bad that they replaced a little over a year ago. my mechanic changed it free of charge since it shouldnt have gone bad this quickly even though the ujoint going bad had nothing to do with how the installed it.

if this place really is a reputable shop and wants your return business (which i probably wouldnt give them anyway) they wouldnt try to charge you anything especially since they screwed up in repairing something that didnt need it or have your authorization to begin with on top of crashing it. if they do try to charge you id fight it, theres no way i would pay a repair bill after what they have been putting you through. hope things work out for what its worth

 

[Christophe Noel]

Okay, to muddy these waters even more. This particular shop has been my go-to for a few years. I've had them perform over $4000 worth of repairs to my cars and I've never once hinted for a discount or any other prefered treatment. I have also sent several customers their way with glowing referrals.

It is so out of character for me to ever ask for anything in the way of a discount. I just don't feel comfortable initiating discussions about getting a deal or discount. However, I really did expect SOMETHING to be offered.

I get the feeling the mechanic wants to charge me for his "break even" point. What's MY break even point??? I've got a heavily repaired vehicle now.

 

[goodtimes]

I believe that there is a legal requirement that they notify you and get your approval for any repairs that exceed the written estimate by a certain amount...something in the neighborhood of $50. Even without the damage after their repairs, you shouldn't be paying for anything you did not specifically authorize. I'd stick to that as a walk away point.

IMO, the whole thing should be free.

Argue that you did not authorize the additional repair, and that you are not going to pay for it, particularly considering the results.

If they won't accept it, don't pay a single penny for any of it, and contact a lawyer. Be sure to let them know that your lawyer will be in touch, then walk out. Follow up by having your lawyer contact them. There is no need to bluff or try to scare them. Give them the opportunity to do what is minimally right. If they don't, then walk away let them take their chances in court (they will lose -- and they know it).

*edit to clarify

I believe you are on the hook (legally) for the authorized repairs. I do not believe you are on the hook for the unauthorized repairs.

They are on the hook (legally) for repairing the damage that followed their botched repair, but not for the original repair.

*Morally*, IMO, they are on the hook for the whole darn thing -- but that won't stand up in court.

 

[Superu]

You've basically got two choices from the sound of things.

1. Take it on the chin and pay for the repairs.
2. Stand up for yourself and explain that you've been put out here in a major way and do not feel you should be paying anything. (Vacation time lost, diminished value of damaged vehicle, etc.)

From you most recent post, it sounds as though you avoid conflict and are not comfortable getting into a dispute with these people. I can appreciate where you are coming from as my father-in-law is the same way and tends to get taken advantage of because of it.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Christophe Noel]

From you most recent post, it sounds as though you avoid conflict and are not comfortable getting into a dispute with these people. I can appreciate where you are coming from as my father-in-law is the same way and tends to get taken advantage of because of it.

Yes. My grandfather was a great guy and once told me, "It's okay to point out the fly in your soup and ask for another bowl. You don't have to eat the dang fly."

I'm going to start this negotiation with a full breakdown of my disappointments one by one and convey what they cost me in dollars and aggrivation. His responce to that dialogue will probably dictate my next move.

Thanks guys. I trust the collective ethics of ExPo!

 

[Christophe Noel]

UPDATE:

I went in to sign off on the body work, which looks fine. I calmly and politely expressed my displeasure over this deal. I tried my best to convey the magnitude of the inconvenience this ordeal has caused. He apologized, gave further details about how this accident happened (pure negligence) and didn't say a peep about the bill.

I pick up the rig tomorrow and meet up with said bill. I think I'll just take a copy, further express my grievances and tell him I need the weekend to think about how much I want to pay.

I get the feeling he thinks I'm already lost as a customer, so why not try to grab the last $1200 out of our relationship.

This sucks.

 

[goodtimes]

*if* you end up paying, remember that you did not authorize all of the repairs. You shouldn't be pressured into paying for repairs you did not authorize. Personally, I would push that issue. Even if you agree to pay for the original repairs you authorized, they did work beyond the scope of that agreement. You're not on the hook for that extra work.

If you hire me to put a hardwood floor in your new office, but I put hardwood floors in your entire house, do you pay me for the floor in your office, or the floor in your entire house?

You didn't agree to the work, why should you pay for it? It is not what you hired them to do.