Service and Repair

The garage says they need to do more work than was agreed, what can I do?

There will be times when a garage finds that a repair is more complex than they first thought, or they have noticed further issues when stripping a vehicle down – it isn’t always possible to see the full extent of an issue during the initial diagnosis.

Having said that, a garage cannot force you to agree to any further work but you will be responsible for the costs of any agreed work that has already been completed – and potentially the costs of putting the vehicle back together, if it has been dismantled, and any recovery costs if the vehicle isn’t driveable.

I have been charged more than was agreed, what can I do?

The Code of Practice for Service and Repair states that accredited business should be upfront and clear about any costs before proceeding with the agreed work. If the garage has charged more than agreed, and you’ve got some evidence of that agreement, we would advise you to make a complaint to the garage in the first instance and see if an amicable resolution can be found.

If that’s not the case, and you need to settle the bill, you can pay and mark all invoices ‘paid under protest’ to indicate that you’re looking to take the matter further.

You can find more information about ‘paying under protest’ here.

Can the garage take a deposit before completing the work?

Garages accredited to our Code of Practice for Service and Repair should not take deposits for the work they undertake unless they are ordering a part which is non-returnable or the garage will incur a cost if you change your mind. This should always be made clear to you before you agree to the work.

Should a garage give me a warranty after their work?

All garages are required to carry out work with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 so, if something goes wrong with their workmanship, you can make a claim under your legal rights. However, many garages will also offer a warranty on their workmanship which is in addition to your statutory rights, and won’t affect them.

Similarly, with parts provided during the course of a repair, you will be covered under your consumer rights but parts may also come with their own warranty. You should be made aware of the duration of this warranty and any exclusions or limitations. Again, this does not affect your statutory rights.

I believe the garage has damaged my car or property, what can I do?

Even if a garage has damaged your car or property it can be difficult to resolve as these disputes can often be one party’s word against another – with very little evidence for us to consider.

We would always suggest that, when taking your car for work at a garage, that you inspect the car with a representative of the garage where possible to agree its condition upon arrival. Many garages will have an inspection sheet which they will ask you to sign so make sure that the condition reflected on their inspection is accurate. You should again check the cars condition upon collection before taking the car away as, once it has been removed from the garage’s premises, it may be harder to prove when the damage occurred.

You may want to ensure the vehicle is in a clean condition as if the vehicle is dirty, the garage won’t be able to produce an accurate record of the car’s condition on arrival to them and you may also not spot any additional damage when picking up the car.

You should always allow the garage a chance to resolve the matter first before contacting The Motor Ombudsman.

The garage has not fixed the problem with my vehicle, what can I do?

Sometimes, it can take multiple investigations and repairs to get to the root cause of a problem – or there could be an underlying issue which is only identified through conducting other repairs. It is always best to speak with the garage undertaking the repairs so they can talk you through what’s happened with your vehicle and why further repairs were required.

If you suspect there is a problem with their work, you should let the garage know and give them the opportunity to put things right. In the first instance, we would advise against taking the car to a different garage unless there are exceptional reasons for doing so – for example, the car has broken down and it’s too far away to go back to the original garage.
If the matter cannot be resolved with the garage, and you have exhausted the complaint process, then The Motor Ombudsman can assess the matter further.

If you need the car urgently, you can get the repairs carried out – it is usually best to get the garage who originally did the work to undertake those repairs and to mark the invoice or bill as ‘paid under protest’. However, please note that The Motor Ombudsman may require technical evidence in order to progress your dispute and, if the car has been repaired, this may be difficult to obtain. You could consider obtaining an independent technical report or getting a second opinion from another garage before having any repairs carried out as this will tell you whether there is a case to pursue.

The garage staff were rude to me, what can I do?

Staff should be professional and courteous to customers. If the garage staff were rude or you are concerned about the behaviour of the staff, you may wish to report it to someone senior in the business in the first instance so that this can be addressed with the individuals concerned. If it cannot be resolved then you can report this to The Motor Ombudsman and we will see if we can investigate this further.

The Motor Ombudsman monitors all of its accredited businesses so if we can see a pattern of behaviour, we would be able to take steps to ensure the accredited business improves and, if necessary, take compliance action such as training, suspension or even expulsion if the issues persist.

How do I complain about misleading garage advertisements and promotions?

Garage advertisements and promotions should not be misleading and any terms and conditions will be made clear or available on request.

If you feel that a garage advertisement is unclear or misleading, then you should follow the garage’s complaint process and if it cannot be resolved then you can report this to The Motor Ombudsman.

The Motor Ombudsman collates information about our accredited businesses including any persistent breaches of our Code so, if such an issue is identified, we will notify the accredited business that they must improve in the first instance otherwise we may look to take further action which can range from staff training, suspension or even expulsion if the issues persist.

My garage cannot find a intermittent car fault, what can I do?

An intermittent car fault is frustrating because it won’t be possible to repair the vehicle, either under warranty or at your cost, unless a fault is diagnosed.

Modern vehicles are more reliable than ever but are increasingly technologically complex, and diagnostics is not an exact science. It may take a few attempts to get to the bottom of a problem so we would advise to always seek the support of the dealership or garage in finding the root cause of your issue.

If no fault codes are recorded in your vehicle, then the dealership or garage may resort to physical and visual checks. They may also ask you to demonstrate the fault so it can be replicated or keep the car for an extended period of time to test-drive it and/or observe it, depending on the nature of the problem.

If no fault is located, you may also wish to speak to the manufacturer to see if they have any insight into the problem. As a last resort, you can obtain an independent technical inspection to try and confirm the fault and possible causes but, because independent inspections are usually visual, this may not be helpful and it would be worth having a discussion with the independent engineer to find out if they’re able to help.

How do I appeal against an MOT decision?

If your vehicle fails its MOT, you need to discuss your test results with the test centre before anyone starts repairs. You can appeal against an MOT failure if you think it’s wrong.

You will need to fill in the MOT complaint form here and send it to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) within 14 working days of the test.

DVSA will offer you an appointment within 5 days to recheck your vehicle – you’ll need to pay the full test fee again. You’ll get some or all of the fee back if your appeal is successful. Make sure you don’t start any repairs until the appeal process is finished.

If you think the vehicle passed its MOT when it shouldn’t have done, you will need to fill in the form here and send it to the DVSA within 28 days – extended to 3 months if the issue is related to corrosion. The DVSA will contact with within 5 days to discuss the complaint and you won’t pay the test fee again if they decide to recheck your vehicle.