cooliojones
Junior Member
What is the name of your state? GA
My car died one day when driving home so based off a acquaintance's referral, I towed my car to this NAPA auto repair shop and I asked the guy beforehand how much it would cost to replace the alternator (I did some research on my own and based on the symptoms, this is what I believed it to be). He looked up my car info and said $140. This sounded reasonable so I let him work on it. During the course of the work, he stated that it wasn't the alternator that was causing the issues, it was the battery.
Mind you, I just purchased the battery last June, so it was well within the warranty.
So the total bill was $120 to test the car and replace a battery that was under full warranty. I paid it and I was on my way. 3 hours later, my car dies again on the highway (SAME ISSUE as last time). My friend comes to pick me up, and I have to take her to the airport so she can catch her flight. I drop her off at the airport, call AAA to arrange a tow, and go back to the spot where my car was, only it is GONE! I reported it stolen but the cops called back and said it was towed by the county, and I needed $90 to get it out. So I paid the fee and had to call AAA AGAIN to tow it from the impound.
This is the Saturday b4 Christmas, so no one is open of course. I do more research and it looks like my car has a history of having a bad alternator cable. So I replaced the cable on Christmas Day to see if that would help, but no go. Call the mechanic on Wednesday, and he said he would tow the car to the shop on Thursday. It's towed on Thursday, but he doesn't look at it until Friday and then he asks about the cable, I told him I replaced it. Then he said he would have to test the car again, now he says it's the alternator and wants $220 to replace it, plus the cost of the alternator which is $332. I tell him I want to think about it. If he works with me on the labor charges I'll agree to the repair. But he doesn't budge, then says if I can find a place to do it better, he would tow it there as a courtesy for me. Then he tells me to think about it and call him back. So I think about it and decide I do want him to take him up on his 'free two' offer, and when I call back on Saturday, he goes back on his word, saying it costs money to tow the car and to get it off his premises by Thursday. So I have to get AAA to tow the car yet AGAIN and finally I do the repairs myself.
I called the bank to reverse the charges when I got the car back, and now the car works after I went very slowly and followed the instructions I found online. So my question is about a lawsuit: do I have any grounds, and what can I sue for? Since the car's alternator needed replacing after I told him that's what I wanted in the first place, and he charged me for work that ultimately didn't fix the car, AND I had to pay the impound fee, what can I sue for? I want him to pay the impound fee, but can he be liable for labor charges, parts to complete the work, pain & suffering due to an incomplete repair? Please help, I'm feeling quite litigational right now.
My car died one day when driving home so based off a acquaintance's referral, I towed my car to this NAPA auto repair shop and I asked the guy beforehand how much it would cost to replace the alternator (I did some research on my own and based on the symptoms, this is what I believed it to be). He looked up my car info and said $140. This sounded reasonable so I let him work on it. During the course of the work, he stated that it wasn't the alternator that was causing the issues, it was the battery.
Mind you, I just purchased the battery last June, so it was well within the warranty.
So the total bill was $120 to test the car and replace a battery that was under full warranty. I paid it and I was on my way. 3 hours later, my car dies again on the highway (SAME ISSUE as last time). My friend comes to pick me up, and I have to take her to the airport so she can catch her flight. I drop her off at the airport, call AAA to arrange a tow, and go back to the spot where my car was, only it is GONE! I reported it stolen but the cops called back and said it was towed by the county, and I needed $90 to get it out. So I paid the fee and had to call AAA AGAIN to tow it from the impound.
This is the Saturday b4 Christmas, so no one is open of course. I do more research and it looks like my car has a history of having a bad alternator cable. So I replaced the cable on Christmas Day to see if that would help, but no go. Call the mechanic on Wednesday, and he said he would tow the car to the shop on Thursday. It's towed on Thursday, but he doesn't look at it until Friday and then he asks about the cable, I told him I replaced it. Then he said he would have to test the car again, now he says it's the alternator and wants $220 to replace it, plus the cost of the alternator which is $332. I tell him I want to think about it. If he works with me on the labor charges I'll agree to the repair. But he doesn't budge, then says if I can find a place to do it better, he would tow it there as a courtesy for me. Then he tells me to think about it and call him back. So I think about it and decide I do want him to take him up on his 'free two' offer, and when I call back on Saturday, he goes back on his word, saying it costs money to tow the car and to get it off his premises by Thursday. So I have to get AAA to tow the car yet AGAIN and finally I do the repairs myself.
I called the bank to reverse the charges when I got the car back, and now the car works after I went very slowly and followed the instructions I found online. So my question is about a lawsuit: do I have any grounds, and what can I sue for? Since the car's alternator needed replacing after I told him that's what I wanted in the first place, and he charged me for work that ultimately didn't fix the car, AND I had to pay the impound fee, what can I sue for? I want him to pay the impound fee, but can he be liable for labor charges, parts to complete the work, pain & suffering due to an incomplete repair? Please help, I'm feeling quite litigational right now.