A dealer cracked my windscreen whilst MOTing my car - should they replace the screen?

I took my car to a garage I've been using for many years for a standard MOT. On the whole, I'm happy with the service they provide and have not had any complaints. Today, I went to collect my car and paid almost £400 for work completed, mainly on the exhaust. When I got into my car, I noticed a large crack on the driver's side of the windscreen which was certainly not there when I took my car in originally. I went and alerted the receptionist in the office who sent out a mechanic to have a look. He denied knowledge of the crack in the windscreen and said that the MOT would not have been passed if they'd seen it, and that it must have happened while it was sitting on the forecourt awaiting collection. Cracks in the windscreen do not just suddenly materialise and I am certain something was dropped on it. He told me that I should check my insurance to see if I have windscreen cover/ excess.

I assumed that seeing as the crack occurred on his premises while the car was in his care, he would just replace it especially as I had just forked out almost £400 for the MOT. Surely I should not be expected to cover the costs through my insurance?

Asked on 16 August 2010 by Green7

Answered by Lucy
If the windscreen was cracked as a result of the garage's negligence and was not cracked when it went in but was when you picked it up, they should replace it and claim on their insurance. Talk to the service manager and explain what has happened and see if you can reach an agreement.
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