On a windy day yesterday I set my purse down on the car seat to get my baby out and the door was blown shut, locking my keys in the car. We were at a restaurant, so we went inside to call a tow truck to get us out of the predicament, and the waitress had AAA so she called for us and had them charge it to her account. Yay! Well, the guy who came in to fix it was an idiot and had a very difficult time getting the power lock switch to engage. He had inserted a wedge between the door frame and car so he could get his slim-jim inside. He switched to trying to get the keys out of my purse in the back seat, so he inserted the slim-jim (using the same "wedge method") into the back driver's side door. He went back to the front door again, then to the back door before finally getting the keys out of the window. Well, now the door frames are bent slightly, allowing air and water in. There are also scratches on the car. What do I do now? Who should pay for repairs? Can this be fixed and how?
2007-07-09 08:39:51 · 7 answers · asked by xinerevelle 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The car is a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix sedan.
I don't have any paperwork on the tow company because it was through this other woman's autoclub.
It happened about 60 miles from my home, in a small town.
2007-07-09 08:41:28 · update #1
There is no visible damage to the door seal (the rubber gasket part), so I'm assuming it's leaking due to the doors being bent.
2007-07-09 08:53:37 · update #2
A good bodyshop in your area can rebend the door frames back to where they don't leak anymore---shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes with a husky guy bending the door glass frames tight to the body....put a piece of paper or dollar bill between the door glass frame and body after adjusting and it should be snug or hard to pull out---done it myself dozens of times and never charged for it but some may charge a small fee. Just buy some touchup paint and touchup the scratches. Better get one of those magnetic key holders and put a spare door key in it and stick it up under the car somewhere on the bumper reinforcement bar area to keep from being locked out again or keep a spare in your purse. Could try getting reimbursed from the tow company for the extra damage. Hope your baby wasn't locked in.
2007-07-09 08:57:23 · answer #1 · answered by paul h 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Usually a locksmith/tow truck driver will have you sign something that says they are not responsible for damages. If you didn't you might want to try getting the money for repairs from them. It is very easy to misalign/bend the doors by putting a wedge in. If you did sign something that says the company is not responsible for damages you'll have to pay the repairs yourself. As far as how to repair it would depend on the damage that was done. It might be possible to realign the door mounts so that it still seals even though the door is bent. Some repair shops may be able to bend back the doors. Bending and then rebending them could cause the paint to chip causing more damage. The scratches will have to be touched up. Depending on what kind of insurance you have you may be able to get them to pay for the repairs, risking a raise in your insurance payments.
2007-07-09 08:48:05 · answer #2 · answered by Icarus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact the tow company have have them pay to have the weather sealing replaced. They usually have insurance for any damage they may incur to someone's car so it should't be a huge deal to them. If they refuse or give you trouble, contact the AAA and then the better business bureau with your complaint. In order to be a AAA approved tow company they must have a satisfactory customer service and good better business bureau rating. The last thing the tow company will want to do is lose their contract with AAA.
2007-07-09 08:46:25 · answer #3 · answered by Noah M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Car Door Wedge
2016-11-16 06:53:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It looks like you may be stuck. The driver did his best, and can't be held responsible unless he was negligent. On top of that, you got those services fraudulently. Any good body shop can fix it, but you'll have to pay. Sorry.
2007-07-09 08:44:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Was he really good looking too? It might have been the same guy I called for a tow last month. Very pleasant surprise!
2016-04-01 05:34:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would contact the waitress, get the towtruck driver info, and complain to the towtruck company, and get them to pay for repairs.
2007-07-09 08:45:03 · answer #7 · answered by Joe M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋