Urgent help needed KwikFit just broke our car!

[LCBaker]

Hi, we really need help on what to do!

 

I'll try and keep this story as brief as possible!

 

We bought a second hand car this Monday 2nd June,

the next day my husband took it to Kwik fit in goole East Yorkshire for a service to make sure we hadn't bought a wreak!

"You've bought a good car there" said the mechanic!

When my other half went to drive it away, it wouldn't start.

 

The mechanics came out to see what the problem was!

As it was nearly closing time my husband arranged to bring it back the next day for them to have another look at it.

 

In the meantime I bought him 4 new alloys with tyres to replace the old ones.

 

He took it back yesterday and had the new wheels fitted and they checked the vehicle over again

but could find why sometimes it wouldn't start.

 

After fitting the new alloys they found the tracking needed doing.

After this was done hubby got in and drove it down the road to find it pulled badly to the left.

He took it back and they did it again.

 

After being tracked for the second time it was still pulling to the left but they said "the machine said it was perfect."

Could there be something wrong with their tracking machine?

 

After taking it back for the 3rd time they decide to put it on a machine where it literally shakes the car to death.

My husband is an engineer and he thought at the time that they had left it on the machine for far too long.

When it came off he drove it home and said there is something seriously wrong with the car.

(We live approximately half a mile from KwikFit) so

he took it back AGAIN,

 

when they put it up on the ramp they found the prop shaft (I think that's the name) had a new crack in it,

the manager then decided to take it on a test drive but my husband advised him not too as this car was now seriously sick.

But against my hubbies advise he took it out,

was gone over 10 minutes and

 

when he pulled back into the garage there was a really loud noise and unbelievably the manager has now broken the gearbox.

 

Hubby has gone completely nuts and demanded to see the area manager who was 3 hours drive away!

I am utterly gob smacked how we have gone from a great runaround vehicle to a broken, probably un-repairable piece of scrap in 3 days!

Where do we stand legally?

 

If we don't get any joy from the area manager,

what do we do next!

 

Please help as we don't have another car to fall back on.

[Conniff]

Welcome LC

 

 

First off you get things in writing. If you visit them again, copy down all they say and if poss, record the conversation. You don't have to tell them you are recording.

Next is to get a quote for bringing the car back to the condition it was in when you first took it to KF. Next you present a copy of that bill to KF and see what they say.

 

Make all letters by recorded delivery.

 

How much did you pay for the car ?

[LCBaker]

Thanks for your reply Conniff, a quick update since I posted this thread! My husband has met with the area manager this afternoon and yes he did record the conversation! They are getting an independent land rover specialist to look at our car tomorrow morning. It appears that the transfer gearbox has now blown a cog through the casing.

 

 

My hubby told the store manager NOT to drive the vehicle as he is not a trained mechanic or engineer, the alleged mechanic/supervisor doesn't even have a driving licence either!!!! We bought the Freelander for £900, we paid £165 for the KwikFit service, £69 for the tracking (it's now been tracked 7 times and it still isn't right) I bought 4 alloys, tyres and a wing mirror for £173 so far it has cost us £1307 for a car we bought on Monday and is now stuck on KwikFit forecourt and un-drivable. I'm no mystic meg, but I think after tomorrow's independent report arranged by KwikFit, we are going to be somehow to blame!

 

 

Thought we were doing the right thing by giving it to a garage to make sure all was well even though it's only just passed its MOT. I'll let you know how the meeting goes tomorrow but I'm not hopeful for any satisfactory conclusion!

[Conniff]

Yes, please keep us updated.

 

 

In which way do you think it will go against you ?

[LCBaker]

Because it's a second hand car, we only have the first mechanics say so regarding it being a good car for £900 but when push comes to shove, is he going to go against his employer and say yes the car was in perfect working order before we touched it????

[Conniff]

I don't think we are talking general car condition but repairs to damage caused by them.

[LCBaker]

I just don't know where we stand, the car drove us from Bradford to Goole without any problems, we took it for a serviced, new alloys fitted and tracked and now we are without a car! We are so frustrated because we don't know how to prove this vehicle was absolutely fine before we took it there!

[Conniff]

Was it rattling when he drove out of the garage?

[rebel11]

Here's some info:- http://www.shetland.gov.uk/tradingstandards/documents/Checklistforsecondhandcardealers.pdf

[LCBaker]

Was it rattling when he drove out of the garage?

My hubby said it was fine until they put it on the MOT shaking machine, apart from the fact it wouldn't start when he picked it up the first time after the initial service!

[Conniff]

What is this MoT shaking machine ?