Hey guys and girls! This is my first post, so please be easy In November last year, I had some mechanical work carried out by a large franchise in Leicester and they 'damaged' my fuel pump. Upon collection, It was evident that they had damaged the fuel pump but weren't owning up. the morning after, I took it to a garage in Nottinghamshire which diagnosed it as 'incorrect installation' by the garage who worked on it. I paid for a brand new fuel pump etc and the garage in Nottinghamshire, provided me with a engineers report based on their findings and experience. I then took this document to the garage in Leicester who had worked on the vehicle, BUT they chucked it back in my face and said a few not so good words which worked me up a bit....... I then called my bank and did a charge back and provided the necessary documentation and they agreed and had then refunded me the labour which was paid to the first garage who damaged it. Just over 3weeks ago, the bank took the money back out and told me the first garage had challenged it etc etc so it went back. I then rang the garage and asked in a calm manner, what can be done to resolve this issue and was told, I would get a call by the end of the day but I didn't. A week later, I opened a case on moneyclaimonline and paid the relevant fees and submitted everything. Now today, I've received a letter saying, the defence have filed a counterclaim etc and is for the sum of my original case of £500. I've been really stressed out since I came home in the evening and don't know what to do. I've also thought about walking away from it now, but the letter states that it requires me to fill it in:( . There is also a letter about 'mediation' which I understand is a person who will be like a 'middle man' and will hear both sides before offering a resolution. I've even thought of walking away now and will happily let the garage keep my money etc and just take it as a lesson learnt, but what options do I really have? They filed a counter claim for £500 because 'damaging our reputation'. Surely, if their reputation was so important, they would have resolved it with myself before it got to this stage? Any help is most welcomed as I really am stressed:(

Garage installed a new clutch plate BACKWARDS six months ago in my volvo which broke during a long drive away, que new repair needed plus lots of expenses. Shall I start with a notice before action, including copies of receipts etc? What is the garage liable for and what do I need to do? Thank you in advance.

Hi, this is my first post so please be gentle. I recently had four tyres fitted at a local garage that I purchased through Black Circles, this was all fine and they seemed a reasonable bunch. My MOT is coming up so I booked it in with them for the following week. I also asked that once the MOT was complete could they align the wheels as the old tyres had been wearing unevenly. So far so good. I took the car in as planned and explained not to do the wheel alignment unless the MOT had passed. I was aware any part of the running gear that needed replacing would put the tracking out again. Still all good. It was a morning appointment and mid afternoon I decided to contact them as I wanted to know if I would have the car in time for the school run. I was informed that the car had passed the MOT and all was in order so they had moved on to the wheel alignment. I was then told there was a big problem and I would need to go in and see the car. I had asked for a full four wheel alignment. It turns out that whilst attempting the wheel alignment they cracked the aluminium rear sub frame. They explained they would get a local welder to have a look at it and see if he could weld it. Subsequently it turned out it could not be welded so I would need a new sub frame. They have now sourced and fitted a second hand sub frame and the car is ready for collection. I was quoted £270 + VAT for the sub frame and I am expecting it was a days labour. They did talk to me about it and I said go ahead as what other option did I really have. I had originally thought it was just one of those things but I am thinking otherwise now. When I took the car in I was expecting a bill in the £100 to £150 region. They supplied me a car to use whilst they fixed mine which says it is "£15 per period". I guess that is a daily rate. So all in all I am guessing I will be presented with a bill for around the £1000 - £1250 mark but I have not yet had that conversation as they told me the car is ready via voicemail. Obviously the sub frame was not cracked originally or how could the car have passed the MOT? So my question is this, should the garage foot the bill for the cost of the sub frame and fitting it? A quick response would be great as I know they will be on the phone very shortly. Hope you can help Ex.

I sent my horsebox (7.5T lorry) in for an MOT which I expect to cost me a couple of hundred pounds for a 7.5T lorry. When I went to collect the vehicle their invoice system wasn't working and being a regular customer (well once a year) they let me take the vehicle and agreed they would call me to take payment. Which they did a few days later, when I was presented with a figure of just under £1000! I then found out they had carried out 2 big pieces of work without my knowledge. My boyfriend is a mechanic and could have carried out this work for the cost of parts only! I told them this and their answer was "well we have done the work now so you have to pay". I told them I haven't even received an invoice and they would have to send one. They continued to chase me for the amount and I repeated that I still hadn't had an invoice! Finally a couple of months later an invoice arrived. In the meantime my boyfriend had looked at the work carried out. They had cut away trim which protected the engine bay and not replaced it. And they had cross threaded several bolt holes and only put 3 of 6 bolts in, a couple of which weren't in correctly as they were cross threaded. And this was to bolt on the exhaust downpipe. I sent a cheque for about £250 detailing why I was not paying for the labour of fitting those parts but did say I would pay for the parts. I also deducted a few hours labour for what it would cost me to get the bolt holes re-tapped by an independent engineer. The cheque was dated 23rd July 2015 and they didn't return it until 7th October 2015 (I'm sure they should have returned it before this!) They have now issued court proceedings for non-payment but I did offer some payment and they didn't want to accept. Has anyone has any similar issues and how did it get resolved or does anyone have any advice to where I stand legally? Your advice would be appreciated. Thank you Katie

Hi, Last year i put my car (Vauxhall Corsa 08 plate) in for its service to a local family run garage (Garage A) that we have used for years. It was found that i had a slight oil leak coming from the sump plug, i was advised that they would re-tap and fit a new sump plug. Having moved away from the area i have today put my car into a Vauxhall Dealership (Garage B) for its service. I have been advised that i have a large leak from the sump plug caused by Garage A fitting the wrong sump plug, causing irreversable damage to the sump and a new sump, at a cost of £367 is required. Garage B is also saying they are unwilling to let me take the car away, so i am unable to take it back to Garage A for them to have a look at and fix it themselves. What are my options? Can i go to Garage A and ask if they would be willing as a goodwill gesture refund some of the cost I haven't yet spoken to Garage A about this as i do not know where i stand and dont want to go making claims without getting some advise beforehand. Kind Regards,

Hi I've lived in my house for 4+ years now but for the past 10 months or so, every time we have torrential rain, the garage, which is at the bottom of a slight slop, floods up to 5 inches deep. We've had loads of stuff ruined, as like many people use the garage to store the usual garden paraphernalia along with freezers, the tumble dryer, kids bikes, tools etc. It looks like the storm drain just outside the door isn't up to the job and when I spoke to my LL before he didn't show any interest. Is this our or his responsibility for the garage flooding? It doesn't state anywhere in our tenancy contract about flood risks to any part of the property. Thanks Lisa

Hi. I received a NO ASN required dated 7th of July 2015 to attend court on 10th August for keeping a motor vehicle on the road whilst a Statutory Off Road notification declaration was in force. My car had been towed away on 8th June 2015 after I had it recovered to a garage for repair work. At the time the vehicle was untaxed and was on SORN. The vehicle got towed whilst being in possession of the garage and going through repairs, assuming it was taken on the road for a test drive. Since the towing I paid the fine and taxed the vehicle immediately. Can you kindly advise if I can appeal this is in anyway or come to an out of court settlement?

Hi. I took my BMW 3 series to my local garage to have a 2nd hand engine put in as my last engine died due to no oil after a leak in that engine. the RAC took it to the garage and the garage gave me a quote of £800 that's the engine and delivery then about 30 mins later they rang me back and said it was £900, so I paid. I got the car back after about 3 weeks the engine was fitted and they also charged me for a new clutch plate but not the labour this was an extra £250 that they didn't even ask me about. altogether I spent £1,900 on this engine and I drove it round for a week and it started making a noise and loosing power again so once again I called RAC and they said I had an oil leak. so took it down garage and they said they couldn't find a leak but cleaned the engine and told me to go back in a week to see if they can see where its coming from. in the mean time I took it to another garage for some advice and they said I have 3 leaks in this engine. what can I do to make sure they repair the engine and also they said that if they have to take the engine out to repair it it will cost me labour even tho its their fault for not checking before putting the engine in. PLEASE help Thank you

Garage has sent a letter to register my vehicle for unpaid bill. This company agreed to do work for cash in hand, some monies paid have not been credited and he has now upped the bill and now included VAT. As far as I am concerned they are in breach of contract. Are they able to take over my vehicle? It is parked in a private yard, not on their premises. They stated at the beginning that if I let them do work when needed in between jobs then they would do it cheaper. This has NOT been the case and now expecting me to pay an inflated bill. I have receipts for one large payment but nothing for the others as he would not give me one. Where do I stand on this legally? AS they have been trading without VAT and now issued a bill for work where some of it was already paid for without a receipt by cash in hand.

This is the first time I have posted to this so excuse me if it rambles. About two months ago my car started having problems. I was constantly finding I was having to top up with coolant and then one day it overheated. so I took it to the local garage who informed me that it might be a 'blown head gasket'. My car was not out of warranty but it was not old. I looked on line and found that this was a particular problem with toyota cars. I also found that toyota had put out a bulletin to repair this free of charge if the car was not so old and had regular servicing. I contacted my local garage and with a fair bit of toing and froing I managed to get them to agree to repair it. ( this toyota car has also been recalled twice before by dvla for two separate faults before) . I was informed would take a while I then asked for a courtesy car. They eventually gave me a courtesy car to drive for work. I picked it up from the garage and was given a piece of paper to sign. My mistake, being a complete innocent I didn't read it and signed it. Nothing was explained to me around any obligations. Unfortunately 3 days onto having the car I was going to work and and had to stop on the round about because a lorry, and another car in front of me stopped as the lights went red on the roundabout. I was in the right hand lane on which you could go straight on or round (this is one of those roundabouts that has lights half way around it). Because I knew I wasn't able to go anywhere until the lights changed I put my handbrake on and was stationary. Meanwhile traffic from the left hand lane. A large HGV then came along and as it passed it caught my car wing mirror with his front wheel and my front bumper with the middle of his hgv wheels. I could see in him coming near my rear view mirror and I beeped it but it was too late. I don't think he even noticed me in my little car. He did stop. I was pretty shook up at the time. I managed to call the garage to let them know and the police and we waited for them to turn up. He took photos and because he was taking some I took some too. Unfortunately, everyone had moved on and I didn't think to ask anyone if they saw what happened. the policeman came, he was very helpful, he got the lorry drivers details and mine and passed them to us. He also arranged for a truck to take my car to the garage. I was now without a car. Later the next day, I rang the garage to speak to them and to ask about insurance claims and to give them the details of the driver. The manager wouldn't take the details and said that I couldn't claim on their insurance. They insisted it wasn't their insurance and that it would be a £1000.00 for me to pay excess for them to claim. I felt it should be on their insurance as I hadn't been asked or informed about an option to put the car on my insurance. I also told them the accident was not my fault. I spoke to my insurance the following day and they informed me it should be the garage as I was driving their car. I must say that they were unhelpful, part of their response was to say they would make a note against my insurance that there was a claim even though I was not claiming from them. I asked if my legal claims cover could help me get the excess back if I paid it and they said it only applied to my car. I rang to ask about my car and to them what my insurance company had said about the claim having to be through their insurance. They still wouldn't take the details of the driver and the incident number from me. I told them that they hadn't told me I could have this on my insurance company otherwise I would have rung them to ask if I could put the car on my insurance. I also had to keep ringing them back to find out if my car was sorted. They eventually rang me to tell me my car was sorted which took much longer then expected, asked me to pick it up and informed me that I couldn't have it back until I had paid the excess of £1000.00 for the damage to the courtesy car. I insisted that they could not insist I couldn't have my car as the insurance was nothing to do with my car and I would put in a complaint if they did this. they garage eventually capitulated and dropped the car off to me. Since them I have had some missed phone calls from them, unfortunately I wasn't able to answer them as I did not have my phone with me. But given they wouldn't answer my calls I was in no hurry to return their call. Today, I have received a letter from their legal department it sustained damage when 'you hit the rear of another car and that you are refusing to pay the excess'. They are demanding £1000.00 from me within 7 days and insisting it is paid by cheque. This is a complete lie as I was stationary and it was the lorry that went into me. They cannot have made any claim as they have not taken the details of the accident off me or passed me any claim form and they are trying to put the blame on me. I would pay the £1000.00 by debit card with the guarantee that they will put in a claim to the other drivers insurance company and pay it back to me. . I have never ever had an accident in all the years I have been driving. And the one time this has happened through no fault of mine, I get this treatment. I feel really frustrated and upset angry with this and it is causing me a lot of sleepless nights. Please can anyone advise me what to do.

Hello, I privately rent my house thought a letting agent and told them on their last inspection last month that the lock on our garage was broken and the goods in side were not secure, the garage is not attached to the house but about 30mts from the house. we moved everything we possible could from out there to the house but could not fit in all my sons expensive fishing gear as the rods were too long and a moped (for obvious reasons although it had a lock on ) About 5 month ago we had stuff stolen from our garden, about £1500 worth of profession fishing gear that was soaking wet and had been propped up against our patio doors to dry out, they were there for all of half an hour before being stolen , we have a 6 foot fence and also a gate that locks. so this was why I was anxious the landlord fixed the garage asap. As to if the letting agent passed this on to our landlord I do not know. Am I wrong in thinking that the landlord has a responsibility to repair and make secure the garage ??? I feel he should compensate for our loss from the garage this time......we claimed on insurance for the theft last time as I guess we were responsible for leaving out even though the garden was secure. Any advice is appreciated. I am thinking they will keep coming back so am in the process of looking for another house and I can't sleep well because of the worry and anxiety.

In other countries such as Australia and US, they have organised garage sales, by people living in residential streets, but I have not come across this in the UK. People tend to load up their cars and pay to go to a carboot. Has anyone come across organised garage sales in the UK ? If not, why do you think this is the case ? Do people think it would be too disruptive and may bring the wrong crowd of people right to your doorstep ? UK residential roads tend to be narrower and if you have people coming to take a look by car, it might block the road up, which would p*ss people off. Also in some roads, it could block neaby traffic, access by emergency services. There is also the issue of people selling items that do not work and having the buyer coming back to the house angry, asking for their money back. I don't think organised residential garage sales would be illegal, unless there is a bylaw that I don't know about. But if they were held causing problems, there would no doubt be action by local councils under some law that probably exists. It is just an idea that I have been thinking about. So many people end up throwing stuff away, as they cannot be bothered to go to a car boot sale or to sell via local free ads. It makes sense to try to get some money for items and a percentage raised could go to a local charity.

HI, Broke down and the RAC recommended a garage to me. Car was towed there and it was an electrical problem with the dash. They said they would send it to external repair service and would confirm price. They called me back and told me they couldn't find anyone which I thought was odd. I looked online as I didn't want to have my broken down car back and have to tow it from my house to somewhere else and found there were many companies that would repair the dash 99% success or no charge good reviews etc. Rang back garage and so they said they would send it but they had to do extra work to install it when it came back. Rang dash repair service and they said no work was needed just plug in and play after their repair. So the garage dropped the charge and sent it away. It was repaired successfully and so fitted back to the car. I had a charge of 2.5 hours fault finding that was agreed by garage before this went ahead. When I got the bill there was a charge of £30 extra fault finding that was already confirmed in the 2.5 hours and a charge for a new car battery. I told them my battery in the car was fairly new and under warranty so could I have it back as they had charged me £90. Also when I came to collect the car I brought my old battery before the one that was in the car which was also good as I replaced it initially thinking the dash fault (which started before the breakdown) was because of battery. I was told if I put my battery back in it would invalidate the warranty on all repairs. I asked for my old battery back as it was under warranty and they told me it was in a big pile in the garage and would be hard to find. When I insisted the mechanic sent with me to get it told me it would be on the top of a small pile but had now gone missing. 6 calls and two emails to the garage owner and no reposes back, I am going to complain to the RAC which I told the garage I would do if they don't return my calls or emails by the end of the week. Should I go straight to small claims next? Thanks for your help! Sam

Should i take this garage to small claims court? I took my BMW 1 series in to the local garage for a routine oil & filter change because the on board computer said it was due. The garage changed the oil & filter then phoned me to say as they were driving it off the ramp the oil light came on so they put it back on the ramp. They told me the engine would not start now they think the oil pump has failed and they think the timing change has come off at the top. Result is that my car now needs a new engine. I've had a quote for reconditioning my engine for £4505.22 from another garage. Original garage have never stripped one of these engines and has quoted about 12 hours to strip and diagnose. 2008 2ltr BMW 1 Series 118d 95,000 miles. Full service history. One owner before me. Please help what should I do?? I did write to them asking them for £2000 as a goodwill gesture in full and final settlement and if they did not respond I would take court action for the full amount of £4505.22. I have heard nothing whatsoever from them. Would I have any chance of winning a small claims court case?

I've recently bought a car, and after speaking to some friends a question has arisen about the receipt. When the car dealer wrote the receipt they put "spares or repairs" on the receipt, this seemed strange, as the advert said that the car was in excellent condition. When I asked the dealer why he had put this he said it was just a way of writing sold as seen. My friends seem to think that both of these are shady practices, that a dealer selling to the public cannot mark a receipt with sold as seen, and that advertising a car in excellent condition, and then writing spares or repairs on the receipt may be the dealers way of trying to absolve themselves of responsibility in the event that a problem arises with the car. Can you please advise if I should be worried about this? and what if anything I can do about it - I bought the car from a dealer rather than a cheaper private sale because I wanted some reassurance that I would be able to seek recourse in the event of an issue, and my friend seems to think that this may complicate that? I emailed the garage the following: Hiya, myself and my dad bought a car from you the other day. So far it is fine but I have spoken to people and I am not happy with the receipt that you gave me. I bought a car that was described as 'excellent' condition, the car is in excellent condition but you wrote a receipt saying spares or repairs. This is not the terms the car was sold under, I would like a new receipt to reflect this. Would you be able to post a receipt or should I come and collect one? And this was the reply: Hi Becki, We sell all our cars as spare/repairs unless you buy warranty from us, that's the reason our cars are better priced than others. If you are not happy with the vehicle or the receipt,please bring the car back within 48 hours so that we may re-advertise it. This is just out of curtsey as you were not fully aware of what spares/repairs mean. After 48 hours of this email your receipt will stand and the offer of refund will expire. Just to put it in perspective the retail value of your vehicle is £4200 according to Parkers but we sold it to you for £3400. Kind Regards Professional Cars LTD 01753 780182 07788 929755 This seems fairly dodgy to me. I've emailed trading standards but I don't think I'll get a quick response. Please can someone give me their opinion? I'm really worried and stressed as only just dealt with one dodgy car and now landed this. My husband thinks the clutch seems high also, so if it goes I need to know what rights I have. Sorry for the long rambling post, I look forward to replys, thanks for your time! Becki:help:

Hello all, I need advice. My Peugeot 3008 (2010) broke down 3 weeks ago. The car just died when I was turning right on a roundabout and I was able to 'coast' it onto a kerb. The anti-pollution warning light came on. Green Flag rescued me and the car was taken to a garage I have used once before. After several days, they inform me that the car needs a new EGR valve at a cost of £400-£500. I called Peugeot as this seemed like a big job. They said they would be surprised if the 'whole unit' would need to be replaced as it consists of 4 valves etc etc. I relayed what they told me to my garage who said the codes etc all told them the complete unit did need replacing. They did this, at a cost of £460 (£340 of this was for the unit). I collected the car on Friday evening. Used it for a short journey on Saturday. Went to use it Sunday and it was dead on my drive with the same fault light. The garage collected it Monday, by Monday evening I collected it again. They said they thought they had disturbed a sensor so they cleaned it and clipped it back on with 2 cable clips. Tuesday morning dead on my drive again with the same fault light. Now I am due to collect the car again in the morning - but the point is they say it seems to be working but they've done nothing else to it. It's obviously going to happen again. I'm on my own with 2 children and a car dying on a roundabout was terrifying. If the car breaks down again, what would you do?? Do I have any entitlement for my money back as they haven't repaired the fault I paid them to repair? If I have to take it to a dealership, can I ask them to cover the cost??? I've no idea where to go from here. I live in a rural area so need the car for school & work. thanks for reading - sorry it goes on a bit!!

Hi all, The insurer we had at the time, was Sainsburys. We had a garage fire a few years back now, so the garage was refitted with new plasterboards, lighting and a new roof. The problem is, they had general contractors replace the roof and they did it wrong. They were called back about 7 times in total, to fix the roof, because it kept leaking, in multiple places. The company sent out an inspector at one point because we kept complaining and he said the roof was on upside down So it was redone again, by the same contractors, not roofing specialists and it seemed to hold for a short while. We've changed insurance companies since, but, the leaks keep coming, it was a small leak in the corner at first, now it's in multiple places, including through one of the light fittings. Can I get some advice on what we should do? Should we contact Sainsburys insurance again, despite not being with them? OR try going through our current insurer? (I don't think they'd cover it, or help) any advice would be appreciated!

Hi all, I have just rented out my garage to a chap to store his car that has been damaged in a motoring accident and is SORN. Please can anyone advise me accordingly as I have never let out a garage before and was wondering if there is anything I should be aware of or any potential problems, such as having a sitting tenant? I havent drafted up a contract yet but I have seen proof of address and intend to draft one up shortly and drop it round. I have had the first month's rent up front and we have agreed an initial period of three months. Any help/ advice greatly appreciated K regards BB

I took the car to the garage because it sounded rough. They kept it and looked at it and said it was the gearbox. Instead of taking 4 days as they said it would I didn't get it back for 4 weeks (I felt they were having problems with it). After driving it for a few of days I can feel the clutch peddle shuddering and making a slight noise and its hopped out of reverse gear twice. I looked at the invoice and it says at the bottom: Advisory: will need a new clutch and flywheel! Note: 1) the clutch was not shuddering or slipping out of gear before they changed the gearbox. There was nothing wrong with it. 2) they changed the clutch and flywheel 18 months ago so I wasn't surprised when they didn't say that needed changing too. 3) I know if the clutch and flywheel need changing as well as gearbox the garage should tell you this. 3) if Id have known it needed a clutch and flywheel as well as a gearbox I may very well have decided to scrap the car and use the £1000+ to get a new one. Before I go and see them and they start fobbing me off what are my rights on this?

Hi, 2 months ago i sent my car to a garage to get a gear stick and steering bush done i had just bourght the car cheap as i knew it had the problems.The garage Decided to do a mot on it and came back with faults so they fixed them long story short bill was 900 pound it should of been 300 i didnt ask for any extra work to be done. I had not heard from the garage for weeks and just put it down to parts taking there time coming through. Anyway i got a bill in the post out the blue. well all this was happening i was unlucky to be declaired bankrupt i have put the garage debt in with the bankruptcy so its been wiped . Now the garage refuse to hand my car back to me even though the official reciver has told me i can keep it as its worth under 1500 pound. Not sure what to do next as the debt been taken in to bankruptcy so i dont anyone anything anymore so how can they refuse to give me it back? DO i need to contact the police or trading standards Thanks in advance any help or advice would be great

Can I claim consequential loss following a garage damaging my car? I took my car into a garage for routine brake pad replacement (& tyres), following a 'brake check' the previous day. My car has automatic handbraking, so required use of specialist equipment to replace the pads. They were aware of this (was asked to go to a different branch where they had the right kit to do the replacement) It was a sit & wait appointment, and was told it would take them about 90 mins. By the time they closed 4 hours later, although they had replaced the pads & tyres, they were struggling to get the hand-braking to work. They had to give me a lift home, and was told they'd update me the following day. By the end of the following day, they'd still not been able to resolve the issue, and had to take the car to Hyundai. Hyundai did some diagnostics, and confirmed that the rear callipers required replacement. This would take approx 4 weeks (due to availability of parts). (For those curious - Hyundai tell me the rear callipers have small servo motors within them holding the pads, which have to be controlled by specialist kit when replacing the pads. If that kit isn't used / used correctly / designed for use with that car, it can damage these servos - that's what appears to have happened. The car is only ~2 years old) The garage accepted responsibility for the repairs needed, and even have their insurer involved. By the end of day 3, they provided me with a courtesy car. As a result, I had to take 2 days off work, and been without my car for 3 weeks (and counting) whilst they sort out the problem. Do I have an option to claim from them the time I've lost from work and/or loss of use of the car? (latter is difficult to quantify, I'm sure - but the depreciation value over 4 weeks would probably be a start if i could work it out!). Especially given the car they've given my is not comparable with my own car - not even close.

I was recently asked by a friend to find out if their council garage which is not attached to their propriety but across the street is part of the right to buy. They have rented it for over 30 years at a peppercorn rate of around £3 per month, but recently they shot up to £10 per week. several of the block are already privately owned already but the council are digging their heals in when they asked to but it, "as selling the garage might set a president". I looked around the gov website but can not find out this info.

I had an insurance repair job done on my car late 2012. I have made several visits to the garage to complain about the work. They made some alterations. During February of this year I called an assessor out to check the work who wrote to me saying the paint did not match and the work was shoddy. I took 5 quotes and chose a repair at £350 to make the paint match better. Although I do not have a case against the insurer because I CHOSE the repairer, I think I have a claim against the repairer under the sale of goods act. I want to write a nice letter explaining that I gave them lots of insurance jobs and my own cash jobs in goodwill, but this one has gone bad and that I want them to write me a cheque. They are a small company, bunch of ruff tattoo types who like to fight and run a down beat backstreet shop... I am actually worried they might come and destroy my car...>!!!!!

Hi all. Motor insurance claim question for ya! I drive a mini Cooper S in a special limited edition colour. Someone scraped along the side of it whilst i was parked. It was a neighbour and they owned up. Set the ball rolling with my insurers. M&S on behalf of Minster Law. I asked them to use my certified Mini Garage if possible due to the nature of the ltd edition paintwork. Insurers got back stating they could not agree a fee. So they would like to proceed through their preferred repairer. I've contacted this repairer and made them aware of my concerns over the colour. They are getting back to me as to whether it is an issue. But seemed wary. Where do I stand? Can I insist my insurer uses certain garages? I have legal cover (gotta check what up to) so could i get it dome myself and claim it back? Sorry I have no idea about insurance. Any advice would be most helpful. Thanks in advance!

(I have changed names, etc. to protect identity). In January 2014, Jim purchased a new computerised CD system for his car from Red Rocket Garages (RRG). RRG is a company which has been recognised within the motor trade as being the UK leading specialists in supplying electrical and luxury items for top of the range sporting automobiles. At the time of purchase, Jim also bought an ‘integrated hands free mobile to voice device’ which was advertised by RRG as being ‘The Latest Hands Free Device for 2014 – works with all the latest smartphones, computerised car CD systems and updated firmware compatibility with your home PC via USB and Bluetooth’. Jim paid cash for both items and then instructed RRG to install the new computerised CD system. On returning home, Jim installed the ‘Hands Free Device’ and then undertook to update the firmware of the device via the Internet so that it would operate with his Nimbus 5000 Smartphone. On updating the firmware, a message appeared on his PC screen which stated ‘Sorry this Hands Free Device is not compatible with the Nimbus 5000’. Undertaking further investigation, Jim ascertained that the ‘Hand Free Device’ which he purchased from RRG was the 2012 model and was not compatible with his existing smartphone. Jim then decided to test his computerised CD system by playing one of his favourite CDs. On placing the CD in the system, Jim noticed that there was visible marking on his dashboard where the mechanics had installed the CD system. Jim returned to RRG and complained about the damage to his car and sought a full refund for the ‘Hands Free Device’. The manager of RRG pointed to a sign on the wall which stated that ‘all products are sold as seen, and therefore we are unable to give refunds or exchanges’. The manager then explained to Jim that he should take up the matter of the ‘Hands Free Device’ with the manufacturer and make a complaint to them. He further went on to explain that RRG does not take responsibility for any damages caused on any electrical installation and in any event, explained that any marking on the dashboard was most likely there prior to the installation. I'm looking for advice for any legal remedy that might be available for both the purchases and installation conducted by RRG. If you could provide case law/statues it would be really helpful. I think it is to do with the Sales of Goods Act, however I have no real law knowledge. If you need any more information just ask, but I think I covered everything in this. Thank you!