Advice required - done over by a 'specialist' garage
Discussion
Hi all,
After a bit of advice as I’ve been left in a rather s
t position.
Long story short – I inherited a car from my Father in August 2023 which needed a bit of TLC. First port of call was to purchase small parts like a new rear door handle to replace the broken one, and new wing mirror bases to replace the heavily corroded ones. I purchased a set of refurbished bases from a well-known brand specialist’s website and that’s where the headache starts.
After four, maybe five, weeks of trying to get a tracking number for the parts, I managed to finally speak to the owner, who informed me that they'd had 'staffing issues', and that the units were ‘hard to get hold of’ and on an ‘exchange basis only, so you’ll need to come to the workshop for them to be swapped over.’
Bit miffed as I’d paid extra for postage and the things weren’t even in stock at the time of ordering nor was there any mention of them being exchange units... but also hardly the end of the world in the grand scale of things. So, as I was told they had some arriving shortly, I agreed to take the car to them for a general health check and for the bases to be swapped over. I dropped it off November 2023.
December through February, the specialist’s phone lines and email were down so didn’t speak to them nor could I get an update. Finally managed to speak with them late March and was told that the car needed a couple of bits, but nothing major, doing to it as they’d finally managed to get it on a ramp.
This was followed by another phone call from the garage owner a week or two later who told me to ignore what I’d been told as the mechanic had no authority or right to do an overview and to only speak with him about the car. This was followed by a lengthy update on his health, informing me that he’d been in hospital due to illness and wouldn’t be back at the workshop for a couple of weeks. My parting shot was ‘Your health is far more important than any car, get well soon, and just ring me when you’re back in full time’.
That was the last time I heard from them.
Won't lie, this is/ was essentially a fourth car for me, and it didn’t register as a priority as I had another car going through bodywork at the time, I started a new job, had summer holiday to Le Mans booked etc, so life just ticked on with me trying occasionally but never pressing for a concrete update.
Several months passed, and it was early-August when I finally managed to speak to someone at the specialist. After weeks of trying to get through I finally managed to speak with a very pissed off mechanic who was banging his head against the wall saying he’d been screwed out of salary, the owner was a raging drunk and was siphoning money out the business, committing VAT fraud, and was lying about X, Y, and Z.
Understandably, at this point, alarm bells are now ringing so managed to get a lift over to the garage two weeks later, as it’s the better part of 100 miles from my home address.
I arrive, and the garage is in darkness, all locked up. Ring, and ring, and ring – and no one is answering. Call finally diverts through to one of the mechanics phones who tells me that one mechanic had walked, and that he and the other remaining mechanic had been fired the week before, and that there are now bailiffs, trading standards, police etc involved as there were multiple accusations of theft, fraud, deception being thrown around in either direction.
Mechanic’s final line was ‘If you can move it, just take it elsewhere. No work’s been completed beyond the inspection.’
Problem is, my keys are locked inside the garage, the locks had been changed so the mechanics couldn’t get in, and the owner is uncontactable. After several weeks of searching, my father found the spare keys so earlier this month, I managed to make the 100 mile journey again to remove the car from their premises.
Only, I couldn’t – as the car’s been stripped of its ECU, key reader, and a number of other parts. There’s absolutely zero reason for any of those bits to have been removed. When I dropped the car off, it had been stood for a while, so the work I’d previously been informed needed doing amounted to a corroded pipe that’s part of the AC system, and a few other worn bits on the underside. Car ran well, and the engine was a strong one.
I've managed to speak with the former mechanics, who are blaming the owner. And I've just managed to get an update from the owner (via another unaffiliated specialist who happens to know him) who claims to know nothing about it and that the mechanics must have taken it... either way, I'm unfortunately stuck in the middle with a car that's now bricked not knowing who to trust or believe.
The major kicker is that these ECU’s are impossible to find as they were discontinued years ago, second hand units are frighteningly expensive if you can actually find one (around 10% the value of the car) and any aftermarket solution is around twice that cost again. I've spoken to two further specialists in the hunt for a replacement and they’ve both told me that it’s gonna be a nigh on impossible task. The key reader is also another £750/ £800, the decorative cam cover is missing off one cylinder bank, trim pieces missing inside and so on. So all in all - not accounting for the multiple dents and scratches that are now peppered around the car - it's going to cost me the thick end of £3000 to get the car back to the shape it was in when it was dropped off. If I can find the parts.
This, to me, just has vibes of peak-Norton-ststorm and my biggest fear is that my ECU is now in someone else’s car given how much I’ve been told/ heard about the garage’s practices since leaving the car with them. TrustPilot's rating is significantly lower than Google reviews and rather eye opening.
I’m so annoyed with myself for leaving the car with them as it was a 50/50 call between them and another specialist and I chose the wrong one. I chose them as I’d owned another model from the brand years earlier, and they were THE name to go to at the time. A quick google before leaving the car with them suggested that was still the case.
I’ve spoken to the police via 101, who couldn’t have been more condescending and wouldn’t help as ‘it’s a civil issue’ as I’d willingly given them the car. I was also told that the only way to proceed was to contact Trading Standards. However, it transpires you can’t speak directly to Trading Standards and it has to be done via Citizens Advice. I submitted the report/ details of the case a week ago, and they finally replied yesterday with a generic ‘these are your rights’ email that explains absolutely sod all as it’s all written in a way that suggests money needs to have been exchanged at some point, which to date hasn’t. It's also very ambiguous as to whether Trading Standards will actually get involved at all, and if I'm honest, I have very little faith that they will.
I'm just after some advice on what next steps are available/ advisable to follow, as I honestly don’t know where to turn on this... Any help on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
-
And apologies if any of that is hard to track, it’d be far easier to write using the car brand, locations etc, but given the limited number of specialists out there for this brand, it wouldn’t be too hard to work out who I’m on about...
After a bit of advice as I’ve been left in a rather s
t position. Long story short – I inherited a car from my Father in August 2023 which needed a bit of TLC. First port of call was to purchase small parts like a new rear door handle to replace the broken one, and new wing mirror bases to replace the heavily corroded ones. I purchased a set of refurbished bases from a well-known brand specialist’s website and that’s where the headache starts.
After four, maybe five, weeks of trying to get a tracking number for the parts, I managed to finally speak to the owner, who informed me that they'd had 'staffing issues', and that the units were ‘hard to get hold of’ and on an ‘exchange basis only, so you’ll need to come to the workshop for them to be swapped over.’
Bit miffed as I’d paid extra for postage and the things weren’t even in stock at the time of ordering nor was there any mention of them being exchange units... but also hardly the end of the world in the grand scale of things. So, as I was told they had some arriving shortly, I agreed to take the car to them for a general health check and for the bases to be swapped over. I dropped it off November 2023.
December through February, the specialist’s phone lines and email were down so didn’t speak to them nor could I get an update. Finally managed to speak with them late March and was told that the car needed a couple of bits, but nothing major, doing to it as they’d finally managed to get it on a ramp.
This was followed by another phone call from the garage owner a week or two later who told me to ignore what I’d been told as the mechanic had no authority or right to do an overview and to only speak with him about the car. This was followed by a lengthy update on his health, informing me that he’d been in hospital due to illness and wouldn’t be back at the workshop for a couple of weeks. My parting shot was ‘Your health is far more important than any car, get well soon, and just ring me when you’re back in full time’.
That was the last time I heard from them.
Won't lie, this is/ was essentially a fourth car for me, and it didn’t register as a priority as I had another car going through bodywork at the time, I started a new job, had summer holiday to Le Mans booked etc, so life just ticked on with me trying occasionally but never pressing for a concrete update.
Several months passed, and it was early-August when I finally managed to speak to someone at the specialist. After weeks of trying to get through I finally managed to speak with a very pissed off mechanic who was banging his head against the wall saying he’d been screwed out of salary, the owner was a raging drunk and was siphoning money out the business, committing VAT fraud, and was lying about X, Y, and Z.
Understandably, at this point, alarm bells are now ringing so managed to get a lift over to the garage two weeks later, as it’s the better part of 100 miles from my home address.
I arrive, and the garage is in darkness, all locked up. Ring, and ring, and ring – and no one is answering. Call finally diverts through to one of the mechanics phones who tells me that one mechanic had walked, and that he and the other remaining mechanic had been fired the week before, and that there are now bailiffs, trading standards, police etc involved as there were multiple accusations of theft, fraud, deception being thrown around in either direction.
Mechanic’s final line was ‘If you can move it, just take it elsewhere. No work’s been completed beyond the inspection.’
Problem is, my keys are locked inside the garage, the locks had been changed so the mechanics couldn’t get in, and the owner is uncontactable. After several weeks of searching, my father found the spare keys so earlier this month, I managed to make the 100 mile journey again to remove the car from their premises.
Only, I couldn’t – as the car’s been stripped of its ECU, key reader, and a number of other parts. There’s absolutely zero reason for any of those bits to have been removed. When I dropped the car off, it had been stood for a while, so the work I’d previously been informed needed doing amounted to a corroded pipe that’s part of the AC system, and a few other worn bits on the underside. Car ran well, and the engine was a strong one.
I've managed to speak with the former mechanics, who are blaming the owner. And I've just managed to get an update from the owner (via another unaffiliated specialist who happens to know him) who claims to know nothing about it and that the mechanics must have taken it... either way, I'm unfortunately stuck in the middle with a car that's now bricked not knowing who to trust or believe.
The major kicker is that these ECU’s are impossible to find as they were discontinued years ago, second hand units are frighteningly expensive if you can actually find one (around 10% the value of the car) and any aftermarket solution is around twice that cost again. I've spoken to two further specialists in the hunt for a replacement and they’ve both told me that it’s gonna be a nigh on impossible task. The key reader is also another £750/ £800, the decorative cam cover is missing off one cylinder bank, trim pieces missing inside and so on. So all in all - not accounting for the multiple dents and scratches that are now peppered around the car - it's going to cost me the thick end of £3000 to get the car back to the shape it was in when it was dropped off. If I can find the parts.
This, to me, just has vibes of peak-Norton-s
tstorm and my biggest fear is that my ECU is now in someone else’s car given how much I’ve been told/ heard about the garage’s practices since leaving the car with them. TrustPilot's rating is significantly lower than Google reviews and rather eye opening.I’m so annoyed with myself for leaving the car with them as it was a 50/50 call between them and another specialist and I chose the wrong one. I chose them as I’d owned another model from the brand years earlier, and they were THE name to go to at the time. A quick google before leaving the car with them suggested that was still the case.
I’ve spoken to the police via 101, who couldn’t have been more condescending and wouldn’t help as ‘it’s a civil issue’ as I’d willingly given them the car. I was also told that the only way to proceed was to contact Trading Standards. However, it transpires you can’t speak directly to Trading Standards and it has to be done via Citizens Advice. I submitted the report/ details of the case a week ago, and they finally replied yesterday with a generic ‘these are your rights’ email that explains absolutely sod all as it’s all written in a way that suggests money needs to have been exchanged at some point, which to date hasn’t. It's also very ambiguous as to whether Trading Standards will actually get involved at all, and if I'm honest, I have very little faith that they will.
I'm just after some advice on what next steps are available/ advisable to follow, as I honestly don’t know where to turn on this... Any help on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
-
And apologies if any of that is hard to track, it’d be far easier to write using the car brand, locations etc, but given the limited number of specialists out there for this brand, it wouldn’t be too hard to work out who I’m on about...
First thing would be to recover your car in any way you can, as it isn’t drivable pay a recovery company to move it for you so you at least have it in your possession.
Assuming the owner has set up as a limited company I fear that your chances of getting much else are going to be very minimal.
Assuming the owner has set up as a limited company I fear that your chances of getting much else are going to be very minimal.
I'll be honest, you're going to be SOL on this one I think. Nobody is taking account for any actions at the garage and trying to sue a company that's closed is nigh on impossible. I think you'll have to chalk this one up to a bad experience.
Sounds very much like your rare and expensive components have been stripped out and flogged. Either to repair another vehicle of the same type who they wanted to get out the door quickly, or just because they knew exactly what they're worth and saw the writing on the wall.
Sounds very much like your rare and expensive components have been stripped out and flogged. Either to repair another vehicle of the same type who they wanted to get out the door quickly, or just because they knew exactly what they're worth and saw the writing on the wall.
JohnoVR6 said:
Hi all,
After a bit of advice as I’ve been left in a rather st position.
Long story short - I inherited a car from my Father in August 2023 which needed a bit of TLC. First port of call was to purchase small parts like a new rear door handle to replace the broken one, and new wing mirror bases to replace the heavily corroded ones. I purchased a set of refurbished bases from a well-known brand specialist’s website and that’s where the headache starts.
After four, maybe five, weeks of trying to get a tracking number for the parts, I managed to finally speak to the owner, who informed me that they'd had 'staffing issues', and that the units were ‘hard to get hold of’ and on an ‘exchange basis only, so you’ll need to come to the workshop for them to be swapped over.’
Bit miffed as I’d paid extra for postage and the things weren’t even in stock at the time of ordering nor was there any mention of them being exchange units... but also hardly the end of the world in the grand scale of things. So, as I was told they had some arriving shortly, I agreed to take the car to them for a general health check and for the bases to be swapped over. I dropped it off November 2023.
December through February, the specialist’s phone lines and email were down so didn’t speak to them nor could I get an update. Finally managed to speak with them late March and was told that the car needed a couple of bits, but nothing major, doing to it as they’d finally managed to get it on a ramp.
This was followed by another phone call from the garage owner a week or two later who told me to ignore what I’d been told as the mechanic had no authority or right to do an overview and to only speak with him about the car. This was followed by a lengthy update on his health, informing me that he’d been in hospital due to illness and wouldn’t be back at the workshop for a couple of weeks. My parting shot was ‘Your health is far more important than any car, get well soon, and just ring me when you’re back in full time’.
That was the last time I heard from them.
Won't lie, this is/ was essentially a fourth car for me, and it didn’t register as a priority as I had another car going through bodywork at the time, I started a new job, had summer holiday to Le Mans booked etc, so life just ticked on with me trying occasionally but never pressing for a concrete update.
Several months passed, and it was early-August when I finally managed to speak to someone at the specialist. After weeks of trying to get through I finally managed to speak with a very pissed off mechanic who was banging his head against the wall saying he’d been screwed out of salary, the owner was a raging drunk and was siphoning money out the business, committing VAT fraud, and was lying about X, Y, and Z.
Understandably, at this point, alarm bells are now ringing so managed to get a lift over to the garage two weeks later, as it’s the better part of 100 miles from my home address.
I arrive, and the garage is in darkness, all locked up. Ring, and ring, and ring – and no one is answering. Call finally diverts through to one of the mechanics phones who tells me that one mechanic had walked, and that he and the other remaining mechanic had been fired the week before, and that there are now bailiffs, trading standards, police etc involved as there were multiple accusations of theft, fraud, deception being thrown around in either direction.
Mechanic’s final line was ‘If you can move it, just take it elsewhere. No work’s been completed beyond the inspection.’
Problem is, my keys are locked inside the garage, the locks had been changed so the mechanics couldn’t get in, and the owner is uncontactable. After several weeks of searching, my father found the spare keys so earlier this month, I managed to make the 100 mile journey again to remove the car from their premises.
Only, I couldn’t – as the car’s been stripped of its ECU, key reader, and a number of other parts. There’s absolutely zero reason for any of those bits to have been removed. When I dropped the car off, it had been stood for a while, so the work I’d previously been informed needed doing amounted to a corroded pipe that’s part of the AC system, and a few other worn bits on the underside. Car ran well, and the engine was a strong one.
I've managed to speak with the former mechanics, who are blaming the owner. And I've just managed to get an update from the owner (via another unaffiliated specialist who happens to know him) who claims to know nothing about it and that the mechanics must have taken it... either way, I'm unfortunately stuck in the middle with a car that's now bricked not knowing who to trust or believe.
The major kicker is that these ECU’s are impossible to find as they were discontinued years ago, second hand units are frighteningly expensive if you can actually find one (around 10% the value of the car) and any aftermarket solution is around twice that cost again. I've spoken to two further specialists in the hunt for a replacement and they’ve both told me that it’s gonna be a nigh on impossible task. The key reader is also another £750/ £800, the decorative cam cover is missing off one cylinder bank, trim pieces missing inside and so on. So all in all - not accounting for the multiple dents and scratches that are now peppered around the car - it's going to cost me the thick end of £3000 to get the car back to the shape it was in when it was dropped off. If I can find the parts.
This, to me, just has vibes of peak-Norton-ststorm and my biggest fear is that my ECU is now in someone else’s car given how much I’ve been told/ heard about the garage’s practices since leaving the car with them. TrustPilot's rating is significantly lower than Google reviews and rather eye opening.
I’m so annoyed with myself for leaving the car with them as it was a 50/50 call between them and another specialist and I chose the wrong one. I chose them as I’d owned another model from the brand years earlier, and they were THE name to go to at the time. A quick google before leaving the car with them suggested that was still the case.
I’ve spoken to the police via 101, who couldn’t have been more condescending and wouldn’t help as ‘it’s a civil issue’ as I’d willingly given them the car. I was also told that the only way to proceed was to contact Trading Standards. However, it transpires you can’t speak directly to Trading Standards and it has to be done via Citizens Advice. I submitted the report/ details of the case a week ago, and they finally replied yesterday with a generic ‘these are your rights’ email that explains absolutely sod all as it’s all written in a way that suggests money needs to have been exchanged at some point, which to date hasn’t. It's also very ambiguous as to whether Trading Standards will actually get involved at all, and if I'm honest, I have very little faith that they will.
I'm just after some advice on what next steps are available/ advisable to follow, as I honestly don’t know where to turn on this... Any help on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
-
And apologies if any of that is hard to track, it’d be far easier to write using the car brand, locations etc, but given the limited number of specialists out there for this brand, it wouldn’t be too hard to work out who I’m on about...
I'm glad that was the short version.After a bit of advice as I’ve been left in a rather s
t position. Long story short - I inherited a car from my Father in August 2023 which needed a bit of TLC. First port of call was to purchase small parts like a new rear door handle to replace the broken one, and new wing mirror bases to replace the heavily corroded ones. I purchased a set of refurbished bases from a well-known brand specialist’s website and that’s where the headache starts.
After four, maybe five, weeks of trying to get a tracking number for the parts, I managed to finally speak to the owner, who informed me that they'd had 'staffing issues', and that the units were ‘hard to get hold of’ and on an ‘exchange basis only, so you’ll need to come to the workshop for them to be swapped over.’
Bit miffed as I’d paid extra for postage and the things weren’t even in stock at the time of ordering nor was there any mention of them being exchange units... but also hardly the end of the world in the grand scale of things. So, as I was told they had some arriving shortly, I agreed to take the car to them for a general health check and for the bases to be swapped over. I dropped it off November 2023.
December through February, the specialist’s phone lines and email were down so didn’t speak to them nor could I get an update. Finally managed to speak with them late March and was told that the car needed a couple of bits, but nothing major, doing to it as they’d finally managed to get it on a ramp.
This was followed by another phone call from the garage owner a week or two later who told me to ignore what I’d been told as the mechanic had no authority or right to do an overview and to only speak with him about the car. This was followed by a lengthy update on his health, informing me that he’d been in hospital due to illness and wouldn’t be back at the workshop for a couple of weeks. My parting shot was ‘Your health is far more important than any car, get well soon, and just ring me when you’re back in full time’.
That was the last time I heard from them.
Won't lie, this is/ was essentially a fourth car for me, and it didn’t register as a priority as I had another car going through bodywork at the time, I started a new job, had summer holiday to Le Mans booked etc, so life just ticked on with me trying occasionally but never pressing for a concrete update.
Several months passed, and it was early-August when I finally managed to speak to someone at the specialist. After weeks of trying to get through I finally managed to speak with a very pissed off mechanic who was banging his head against the wall saying he’d been screwed out of salary, the owner was a raging drunk and was siphoning money out the business, committing VAT fraud, and was lying about X, Y, and Z.
Understandably, at this point, alarm bells are now ringing so managed to get a lift over to the garage two weeks later, as it’s the better part of 100 miles from my home address.
I arrive, and the garage is in darkness, all locked up. Ring, and ring, and ring – and no one is answering. Call finally diverts through to one of the mechanics phones who tells me that one mechanic had walked, and that he and the other remaining mechanic had been fired the week before, and that there are now bailiffs, trading standards, police etc involved as there were multiple accusations of theft, fraud, deception being thrown around in either direction.
Mechanic’s final line was ‘If you can move it, just take it elsewhere. No work’s been completed beyond the inspection.’
Problem is, my keys are locked inside the garage, the locks had been changed so the mechanics couldn’t get in, and the owner is uncontactable. After several weeks of searching, my father found the spare keys so earlier this month, I managed to make the 100 mile journey again to remove the car from their premises.
Only, I couldn’t – as the car’s been stripped of its ECU, key reader, and a number of other parts. There’s absolutely zero reason for any of those bits to have been removed. When I dropped the car off, it had been stood for a while, so the work I’d previously been informed needed doing amounted to a corroded pipe that’s part of the AC system, and a few other worn bits on the underside. Car ran well, and the engine was a strong one.
I've managed to speak with the former mechanics, who are blaming the owner. And I've just managed to get an update from the owner (via another unaffiliated specialist who happens to know him) who claims to know nothing about it and that the mechanics must have taken it... either way, I'm unfortunately stuck in the middle with a car that's now bricked not knowing who to trust or believe.
The major kicker is that these ECU’s are impossible to find as they were discontinued years ago, second hand units are frighteningly expensive if you can actually find one (around 10% the value of the car) and any aftermarket solution is around twice that cost again. I've spoken to two further specialists in the hunt for a replacement and they’ve both told me that it’s gonna be a nigh on impossible task. The key reader is also another £750/ £800, the decorative cam cover is missing off one cylinder bank, trim pieces missing inside and so on. So all in all - not accounting for the multiple dents and scratches that are now peppered around the car - it's going to cost me the thick end of £3000 to get the car back to the shape it was in when it was dropped off. If I can find the parts.
This, to me, just has vibes of peak-Norton-s
tstorm and my biggest fear is that my ECU is now in someone else’s car given how much I’ve been told/ heard about the garage’s practices since leaving the car with them. TrustPilot's rating is significantly lower than Google reviews and rather eye opening.I’m so annoyed with myself for leaving the car with them as it was a 50/50 call between them and another specialist and I chose the wrong one. I chose them as I’d owned another model from the brand years earlier, and they were THE name to go to at the time. A quick google before leaving the car with them suggested that was still the case.
I’ve spoken to the police via 101, who couldn’t have been more condescending and wouldn’t help as ‘it’s a civil issue’ as I’d willingly given them the car. I was also told that the only way to proceed was to contact Trading Standards. However, it transpires you can’t speak directly to Trading Standards and it has to be done via Citizens Advice. I submitted the report/ details of the case a week ago, and they finally replied yesterday with a generic ‘these are your rights’ email that explains absolutely sod all as it’s all written in a way that suggests money needs to have been exchanged at some point, which to date hasn’t. It's also very ambiguous as to whether Trading Standards will actually get involved at all, and if I'm honest, I have very little faith that they will.
I'm just after some advice on what next steps are available/ advisable to follow, as I honestly don’t know where to turn on this... Any help on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
-
And apologies if any of that is hard to track, it’d be far easier to write using the car brand, locations etc, but given the limited number of specialists out there for this brand, it wouldn’t be too hard to work out who I’m on about...
JohnoVR6 said:
Long story short – I inherited a car from my Father in August 2023 which needed a bit of TLC.
Condolences for your loss. JonhoVR6 said:
After several weeks of searching, my father found the spare keys so earlier this month, I managed to make the 100 mile journey again to remove the car from their premises.
???You are being far too nice about it all.
Go and see the man and get the car back and parts.
A bit of digging and I'm sure you and a suitable friend can knock his door and sort it out.
If its a Honda of a certain age the ecu fails because of a capacitor becoming end of life, it's a pain to change it but it is possible. Most people assume it's borked and fit another ecu, hence the rarity and high prices second hand.
Go and see the man and get the car back and parts.
A bit of digging and I'm sure you and a suitable friend can knock his door and sort it out.
If its a Honda of a certain age the ecu fails because of a capacitor becoming end of life, it's a pain to change it but it is possible. Most people assume it's borked and fit another ecu, hence the rarity and high prices second hand.
Edited by Getragdogleg on Wednesday 23 October 18:33
JohnoVR6 said:
And apologies if any of that is hard to track, it’d be far easier to write using the car brand, locations etc, but given the limited number of specialists out there for this brand, it wouldn’t be too hard to work out who I’m on about…
Actually it would be really helpful to know which outfit this is because sure as night follows day the scally owner will setup a new business and be off and running again.
At least we’d know to avoid him next time around and can spread the word in the respective marque circle.
Actually it would be really helpful to know which outfit this is because sure as night follows day the scally owner will setup a new business and be off and running again.
At least we’d know to avoid him next time around and can spread the word in the respective marque circle.
Thanks for the replies everyone, had a feeling this was going to be an expensive mistake... If there's nothing the can be legally done, then physically getting what's left of it out of there and try pick up the pieces is all I can do.
I've never really been succinct.
Thanks for the genuine laugh in a very st situation though, much needed.
snuffy said:
I'm glad that was the short version.
I've never really been succinct. Thanks for the genuine laugh in a very s
t situation though, much needed. carl_w said:
???
Yeah, maybe inherited is the wrong word. He's emigrating and I've somehow wound up with it is more accurate. Keys were in one of the many packed boxes, hence the struggle in finding them.Getragdogleg said:
You are being far too nice about it all
If its a Honda of a certain age the ecu fails because of a capacitor becoming end of life, it's a pain to change it but it is possible. Most people assume it's borked and fit another ecu, hence the rarity and high prices second hand.
It's not a Honda, the offending car's not listed in my profile - but good to know. Wouldn't surprise me if one of them went next.... If its a Honda of a certain age the ecu fails because of a capacitor becoming end of life, it's a pain to change it but it is possible. Most people assume it's borked and fit another ecu, hence the rarity and high prices second hand.
Edited by Getragdogleg on Wednesday 23 October 18:33
Easy to comment but as already mentioned get the car back, No.1. Suffer the financial costs and get on with life. Honestly, odds on you'll be on a hiding to nothing trying recuperate any costs /losses. judging by what you've already said about that business.
Or otherwise pray the owner recovers from the drink, wants to do right by you and the other customers...not a hope imo.
Or otherwise pray the owner recovers from the drink, wants to do right by you and the other customers...not a hope imo.
As others have said, if you were able to see the condition of the car, you were clearly able to physically get to it, so I would absolutely get it removed, even if you have to pay a transport person to do so.
Whilst recovering it, have a rummage around to see if any of the missing parts are nearby - if they are, take them.
Some will say "that's theft", personally I would take the risk and fight it if anything ever came of it (and by that if the police were ever involved - they won't be). If you aren't comfortable with this, take the car as it is. The only guarantee you have at the moment is that the condition of the car will only get worse.
You can then try a claim via the small claims track, it won't cost much to do, but likelihood of actually getting any money even if you win is slim.
I feel your pain. I have done similar in the past, which included driving to Wales with a trailer to recover my brother's van from an equally useless/deceitful garage. Ultimately the working decent condition van that had gone in for a service and MOT then needed a hell of a lot of work
Whilst recovering it, have a rummage around to see if any of the missing parts are nearby - if they are, take them.
Some will say "that's theft", personally I would take the risk and fight it if anything ever came of it (and by that if the police were ever involved - they won't be). If you aren't comfortable with this, take the car as it is. The only guarantee you have at the moment is that the condition of the car will only get worse.
You can then try a claim via the small claims track, it won't cost much to do, but likelihood of actually getting any money even if you win is slim.
I feel your pain. I have done similar in the past, which included driving to Wales with a trailer to recover my brother's van from an equally useless/deceitful garage. Ultimately the working decent condition van that had gone in for a service and MOT then needed a hell of a lot of work
Edited by TriumphStag3.0V8 on Friday 25th October 12:31
Had almost exactly the same situation with a motorbike. Managed to get it back, but, in pieces (when it was dropped off as a runner) and basically had to claim it back myself with a transporter and run with whatever I could get my hands on at the time. Was missing loads of parts and had no desire to do anything with it afterwards so just sold it for parts to be done with it. Havent actually really thought about that since until reading this.
Sorry you've experienced it but likely not much recourse if it is a small LTD company, unfortunately.
Sorry you've experienced it but likely not much recourse if it is a small LTD company, unfortunately.
Sounds an absolute nightmare. Can you tow? I'd want to get the car removed from the premises before things go even further south. Tricky if you can't sort it yourself, as there will be a not unsubstantial cost attached to getting a company to tow it back. Though failing not being able to tow you could try and get the car out of the lock up and leave it in the open ready for collection.
Hunt around for the missing parts but ultimately, if you want to keep the car, you're going to have to rescue it and deal with the aftermath.
Hunt around for the missing parts but ultimately, if you want to keep the car, you're going to have to rescue it and deal with the aftermath.
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff