Garage broke my car (again!!) Wont admit fault and want ME to pay more to fix!!

[eddamoo]

Hi All, i really hope you can help me. Ive read so many articles on here and think you're all fantastic!

Its a long story and you probably wonder why ive kept going back to this Garage, however i own a car (Vauxhall VX220 - Like a Lotus Elise) that many garages would mistreat and have heard many stories of them being crashed in garages posession. This is a garage and technicians i thought i could trust... Obviously not!

The story started when i bought the car. Had it serviced and within 10 minutes they cracked the Cylinder Head (screwed a cold spark plug into a HOT engine without using a torque wrench). After endless friends telling me it was their fault, i threatened them with action. I also recieved some verbal personal threats if i were to 'bad mouth' them on some Car Forums i use. We came to an agreement of 50/50 cost and parts between us, and i could also have some uprated parts fitted, which i was honestly happy with. I had the option to go elsewhere but i thought i could still trust the technicians and the work would be excellent...

Some 6 months on and we finally get the car in for work (at their convenience). It took 5 weeks to complete. The labour consisted of 13 hours half price labour (Cylinder head change and cam chain kit) and 4hours at full price (See next paragraph, perished alternetor belt, waterpump chain tensioner and exhaust backbox) all of which i was happy with them doing! I wasnt happy with the timescales however, as a forum member stated that the job should have taken 8 hours, but all i wanted is my car back! Im guessing it took so long as they were not experts on the car, and had it in/out of the garage about 12 times (literally).

On Sat 9th Feb i was contacted to state that the new (uprated) cylinder head's valve retainers were hitting the CAM followers, throwing titanium swarf (metal bits!) into the head. The engine was stopped immediately. I told them to take the visible swarf out, flush the oil/filter for fresh, and have the followers ground to match (its often done on rebuilds and motorsport). They agreed to do this but told me they wouldnt warrant the followers and swarf potentially being in the oil - i was happy with this, knowing that there was barely any and the oil filter should do its job - it was my risk which i verbally accepted.

On Sat 16th Feb i went to the garage as the car was due for completion. They made me listen to the engine running in the garage. It sounded loud and burbly (Camshafts were reground to fast-road profile) but nothing untoward, so i was happy!

I then drove it home and noticed upon driving a few miles a grinding noise when going downhill in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear. This noise gradually got louder and louder and sounds precicely like one of the engine chains is grinding and slapping against metal. After taking a video of the sound, professionals have told me that it indeed sounds like a loose slapping chain. The Garage completely changed the timing chain kit and replaced the tensioner on the Water pump chain making it almost certain that a chain hasnt been tensioned properly. I can no longer drive the car as the engine is a ticking bomb - one chain slip and the engine will effectively destroy itself.

Ive politely e-mailed the garage to ask them to look at it. They said in no simpler terms "The technicians dont want to touch it." After another email i got the reply "After speaking to the technicians, and as a goodwill gesture, we will have the vehicle back and investigate further, but all labour hours and parts will be chargeable."Which literally made me spit out my coffee in laughter!!!

I finally suggested that i could take my car to an independant VX220 2.2 Specialist, which I will pay for the car transportation and inspection labour (about 3.5 hrs). Ask the garage to take photos and write a report of the damage. If the fault was indeed an incorrectly fitted chain/tensioner that the garage in question would pay the full amount. They said NO... Stating that 'i had accepted the car as it was to our disapproval' - What a load of Rubbish! They asked ME if it sounded ok, they never game me their opinion!

So what can i do now guys and girls? Ive paid £1500 on parts and labour to the garage (£2100 in total). The suspect chain tensioner was fitted at FULL Labour and parts price (£45/hr + VAT). Its insulting they want me to pay even more to check their own dodgy work... What should i do now!? Im very sorry for the long-winded post but im getting infuratied by these people and my pockets are now very light!

[10110001]

filler

[10110001]

This whole sequence of events started from a single incident - putting a cold spark plug into a hot engine, and if this not happened you would never have paid out the thousands of pounds.

1. Make a list of all expenses you have paid out, include cost of rental cars while your car was being serviced.

2. Write up your case in a form of witness statement and keep everything factual, and briefly detail each event in a separate paragraph giving time and date.

3. Tell the garage in writing to pay you the whole amount according to a deadline, and say what it’s for, and add:
a) A gesture of goodwill that you will accept 10% less if they pay by an earlier deadline.
b) That for the avoidance of doubt that you will automatically file the claim in the small claims track with anapplication for costs should they fail to pay by your deadline.

4. No payment then file the claim in the small claims track.

Don’t get into protracted correspondence with the garage, you only be wasting your time being fobbed off with excuses.

[LancerQRL]

why are you letting somebody who is not an expert uprate your engine?

[Hammy1962]

Hello

"The story started when i bought the car. Had it serviced and within 10 minutes they cracked the Cylinder Head (screwed a cold spark plug into a HOT engine without using a torque wrench)."

I've been involved in the repair of vehicles for a long time and this just doesn't sound "right".

Scewing a room temp spark plug into a hot engine would not crack the head. They could have cross threaded it, then forced it, that might do it but not a temp difference. The head would have expanded, the plug would be normal, it wouldn't crack it though.

There can be problems removing a Steel plug from a hot alloy head as the threads can be tight but again this wouldn't crack it.

A torque wrench would only be used used in the final tightening stage of the plug fitment, i can't remember ever seeing a technician use a torque wrench to tighten a spark plug, most do it by feel and whether they used a torque wrench or not wouldn't have any bearing on the cracked head, again, thread damage but not a crack.

Just sounds a bit wrong to me

Hammy

[eddamoo]

Thanks for all your feedback!

10110001 - Thanks very much for your reply. As far am i am concerned the original problem is settled, but i will be chasing up this new problem.

LancerQRL - Ive herad of many horror stories with previous VX220 'specialists' and Vauxhall Dealers. This garage i have spent many thousands of pounds on previous VAG cars and many people who work there i can regard as friends so implicitly trusted them with mine.

I only took it there a second time to try to redeem themselves and could eaily communicate with them any uprated parts i needed and any problems. I supplied them with all technical manuals required also.

Hammy1962 - Cheers for your input mate but on the contrary, my engine has an Aluminium Alloy head which was foam cast with a very thin water jacket. The plug was very hard to remove (i was watching) but it came out with no damage. A Spark plug thread is meant to hold over 150PSI combustion pressures so thread tolerances are tiny. As the Aluminium cools it will contract round the (already tight!) plug and i believe this is what aggrevated the damage.

Even the Haynes manual for every car states you shouldnt insert a spark plug into a hot head/engine as it will cause cylinder head damage. To this end we agreed on 50/50 as i discussed, provided i could uprate some of the engine aggregates. I thought this was fair on both parties and am by no means an unfair or tight person with money.

[Hammy1962]

Ahhh well, whatever.

[todd58]

hammy i have a vectra with triptronic gear shift it keeps changing gear willy nilly and i lose the dash display any ideas

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by todd58

hammy i have a vectra with triptronic gear shift it keeps changing gear willy nilly and i lose the dash display any ideas

Take it back; you have the wrong gearbox fitted

Tiptronic is owned and licensed by Porsche; and Vauxhall isn't a licensee

[Hammy1962]

Nice Answer

Hammy

[Conniff]

Originally Posted by patdavies

Take it back; you have the wrong gearbox fitted

Tiptronic is owned and licensed by Porsche; and Vauxhall isn't a licensee

No, Tiptronic is a brand name and is a type of auto box that can be changed manually by either forward or rearward movement of the gearstick, it can also have paddles for doing the same on the steering wheel. The later is the type of thing they use on F1 cars.
A lot of manufacturers have used them.

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by Conniff

No, Tiptronic is a brand name and is a type of auto box that can be changed manually by either forward or rearward movement of the gearstick, it can also have paddles for doing the same on the steering wheel. The later is the type of thing they use on F1 cars.
A lot of manufacturers have used them.

Yes, a brand names owned by Porsche.

Vauxhall are not licenced by Porsche to use Tiptronic gearboxes