Action Line: Recourse when car repairs aren't done right

Found on www.bakersfield.com/ and brought to you by Car Repair Salinas

BY VICKIE SANDERS, Contributing columnist | Saturday, May 14 2011 12:00 PM

Editor's note: Action Line is a weekly column from the Better Business Bureau answering consumers' questions and concerns about money and business issues.

Dear Action Line: I was in an accident with my '46 Chevy and the insurance approved my choice of body shop for the repairs. The repairs took nearly a year because the shop kept saying it was having difficulties getting original parts, including the dashboard.

I finally got a call that the car was ready and it looked fine and I handed over the insurance check for the repairs. They didn't give me the old parts back but I didn't think much about that at the time. I drove the car 10 miles to the store and realized I was leaking transmission fluid and the engine had a pinging noise.

In addition, when I looked with a magnifying glass, the supposedly new dash had a patched crack where the old dash was damaged in the accident. I called the shop and was told it wasn't their responsibility any more since I had signed off on the repairs when I picked up the car.

Upon further questioning, it turns out they hadn't even given the car a test drive after the repairs were made. They keep saying they have no further responsibility since I signed the release papers. Is there anything I can do?

Dear Reader:

The first thing to do is check whatever paperwork you signed. Do they guarantee the parts and labor? Is there any warranty on their work? Your repair bill should be itemized so you can prove what repairs they claimed were done.

Just as general advice, if you want the old parts back when any repair is done, you must ask for them before any work is started. The shop is required by law to return the parts only if you have requested them before the work is done. Ensure notification about additional costs by having the service manager write a request on the bottom of the repair order. Give phone numbers where you can be reached. Before you leave the vehicle, be sure you understand all shop policies regarding labor rates, guarantees and acceptable methods of payment.

Try writing the owner of the auto repair shop, itemizing the problems that still exist and were supposed to have been remedied.

If you don't get any satisfaction, you should notify your insurance company about the situation and the repairs they paid for that were not properly done. If they agreed to pay for a new dashboard, for example, and the shop merely repaired and replaced the damaged one, I would think the insurance company would be concerned.

You can contact the Bureau of Automotive Repair online at www.autorepair.ca.gov or by calling the local office at 335-7400 to file a claim.

You can also file a complaint with the BBB at www.cencal.bbb.org or 322-2077.

My best advice is to do all three.

-- Vickie Sanders is assistant director of business services for the Better Business Bureau serving Central California. Send your consumer concerns, questions and problems to Action Line at the Better Business Bureau, 1601 H St., Suite 101, Bakersfield, CA 93301 or vickie@bbbcencal.org.