the guy who has a lien on my pontiac grand am, apparantly troubleshot my car by replacing every electrical part, one by one. He never gave me a written estimate, or anything in writing,and has never tried to contact me for approval, and has not been able to make it run. he has had it for almost a year next month, and i had to buy 2 used vehicles in the meantime. Now he says it has to be towed to the dealership which is 50 miles away. however, he has a mechanics lien on it for all the parts he ordered for it that he couldn't return. i want to take him to court and recover the cost of money I had to spend on the 2 vehicles and i just want to be able to have my car towed to the dealership without giving him any money. There has never been anything on paper, and I never would have authorized any of the parts bought or the work done. He has done this to a few other people and i live in a really small town. he has the only auto repair shop so he thinks he can get away with it.
2007-12-22 02:25:55 · 11 answers · asked by Willow D 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
small claims is going to be the way togo but it will not be a quick fix. Don't back down. If he is doing this to others he needs to be brought in to check.
2007-12-22 02:30:26 · answer #1 · answered by Dean C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to file a small claims court case against this guy. In order for him to do "anything" with your car, there needs to be a written estimate of the work involved and parts required which has to be signed by you. In the event of a discrepancy between the written estimate and the actual costs...the repair shop is out the "estra" costs. Whether or not you live in a small town and everything is done on "good faith" doesn't absolve him of his responsibility to you as a customer. Once you have filed a small claims (the cost is usually $25), you will need to do your homework...make sure that you in fact didn't sign anything or an agreement or if you did that it was only for a specified part(s) along with the labor involved. Secondly bring proof that you didn't abandon the vehicle...did you call him frequently...is his phone number of your cell phone bill...did friends or acquaintance take you over there or check on your vehicle. The more ammunition you have...the better it is for your case. Unfortunately...things like these break friendships apart and cause rifts in small towns, but it puts those in place who think they have a monopoly.
2007-12-22 02:34:43 · answer #2 · answered by roger S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is every one else in your small town as smart as you? By now your car has rusted brakes,cylinder walls etc. Give the title to the junk yard and collect the cash for scrap. If the mechanic has nothing on paper how can there be a mechanics lean? Two weeks would have been too long for not getting your car back repaired. I'd get an out of town attorney if a law suit is on your mind!
2007-12-22 02:39:13 · answer #3 · answered by thebax2006 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should first do two things: call the police dept and file a report for theft of your vehicle against the mechanic and then hire a good lawyer to sue this wack job mechanic you hired....are you sure this looney bird is even a mechanic???? This screwball has conned you good......this a/h should be put in a jail cell......I would not give him 1 penny for any part he put on the car......again, file a police report and sue him with a good lawyer.
2007-12-22 03:52:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does not matter what state you live in all states require a written estimate and no work can be done without your permission whether written or verbal. I would say take him to court, if he has the only shop then he thinks he has you over a barrel. Call his bluff. The law is on your side here.
2007-12-22 03:05:55 · answer #5 · answered by leslie r 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wow,really sorry to hear that man,Go get your car and take the guy to court that's all you can do.I hope you have some pics of what the car looked like before so you can get him for depreciated value as well.Good body shops are hard to find do your research next time BTW if he sanded panels to the meatl and they only have primer now you'll want to find some dry storage for that car,some primers can be porous and absorb moisture like a sponge,bad for the metal panels
2016-05-25 22:52:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's friggin awful, I can't believe there are people trying to pull something like that. If you didn't need the parts he/she shoudln't have bought them. I hate to say it but you probably will need to go to small claims court. And your mechanic will probably have to hire someone who knows how to diagnose cars.
I have been in business for 15 years and I would never be able to pull something like that with a customers car.
2007-12-22 02:36:05 · answer #7 · answered by BFH 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Small claims will be your best bet plus if there is nothing signed that gave the shop your permission to do the work you should win, the only thing that the shop might do is counter-sue you then for storage.
Good luck
2007-12-22 03:36:51 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Talk to a lawyer. Small claims might be one way, but this looks more like grand theft.
2007-12-22 02:43:23 · answer #9 · answered by Bob H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pay the bill and get your car back with a cop for protection
2007-12-22 02:37:15 · answer #10 · answered by lucky star 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋