My garage damaged my car and fixed it badly - are they liable to fix it properly?
My Fiat Panda went into the Fiat dealer for some warranty work. When I returned to pick it up, someone had scratched from the front drivers door all the way to the back wing. They admitted fault and took it in to be repaired. It was raining when collected today, but when I asked for proof of the repair they say they don't supply any. On the way home I stopped at a garage and had a look at the repairs. The doors have been repaired and re-lacquered and are very hazy, debris under the paint, lots of swirls and marring that won't polish out (I have a feeling it's under the first clearcoat layer), pinholes in the lacquer and orange peel along the bottom of the doors. The rear quarter has not been painted but has been polished but the remnants of the scratch are still visible, even though the service manager claims there's nothing there, which both me and my partner can still see. The car was immaculate when it went in, not a scratch or swirl anywhere so I'm a gutted. The service manager seems very dismissive and says it's "good enough" because the colour masks the imperfections (white). What would you suggest I do?
Tell him that he damaged your property and if he doesn't fix it properly you will take it elsewhere and get it fixed properly then sue him in Small Claims for the full cost. Best to put this in writing and send by post office special delivery so it becomes a matter of record. Keep a copy of your letter and staple the certificate of posting to it. Take a lot of photos of the badly repaired damage.
Answered by Honest John on