LdiJ
Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? IN
This is a combo situation so I am not sure it belongs here, but if anyone could give some advice I would appreciate it.
About a year and a have ago my daughter was in an accident and the car was fixed by a certain car dealer.
A few weeks ago she was in another accident that did next to no damage to the other car but dented her driver's side door. At the same time the previous repair (front bumper) popped off again.
The same car dealer fixed it again, repaired the front bumper for free (but did a half azzed job of it) and while the car was in there we had the non-working fan motor (the fan for the heating and air conditioning) fixed. We were more than a little surprised that the dealer only charged 120.00 to fix the fan motor, because everyone else had quoted between 350.00 and 400.00. Prior to all of this the car was working fine.
When we picked up the car they told us it needed a new battery, but that we could get one cheaper from Sears or Walmart, so we replaced the battery.
Two days later her car would not start, and jumping didn't work. Her boyfriend tested the battery, then tested the alternator, then tested the starter and couldn't figure out which was causing the problem.
She had it towed to Car Ex. Car ex agreed to allow her to provide whatever part was needed. She emphasized to them three times that no work was to be done until they were absolutely certain what was wrong with the car. They told her that they had diagnosed it multiple times and they were certain it was the starter. She bought the starter and delivered it to them.
Two days later they called her and told her that the timing chain was broken, and that it needed a new engine.
First, can anyone tell me if there is any chance that the dealer or Car Ex could have caused the timing chain to get broken in either the repair of the fan motor for heat and air conditioning, or in the process of trying to find out why it wouldn't start?
Second, is there any recourse against charges that Car Ex wants her to pay even though they guaranteed her that the starter was the problem, and they were wrong?
Its a real problem because the car is not even paid off yet, but its not reasonable to put a new engine in it. The frustrating this is that the insurance company wanted to total it from the accident, because the car is a 2003 with 150k miles on it (a Saturn) but in the end did not do so. If they had, we would have had gap insurance that would have paid it off.
This is a combo situation so I am not sure it belongs here, but if anyone could give some advice I would appreciate it.
About a year and a have ago my daughter was in an accident and the car was fixed by a certain car dealer.
A few weeks ago she was in another accident that did next to no damage to the other car but dented her driver's side door. At the same time the previous repair (front bumper) popped off again.
The same car dealer fixed it again, repaired the front bumper for free (but did a half azzed job of it) and while the car was in there we had the non-working fan motor (the fan for the heating and air conditioning) fixed. We were more than a little surprised that the dealer only charged 120.00 to fix the fan motor, because everyone else had quoted between 350.00 and 400.00. Prior to all of this the car was working fine.
When we picked up the car they told us it needed a new battery, but that we could get one cheaper from Sears or Walmart, so we replaced the battery.
Two days later her car would not start, and jumping didn't work. Her boyfriend tested the battery, then tested the alternator, then tested the starter and couldn't figure out which was causing the problem.
She had it towed to Car Ex. Car ex agreed to allow her to provide whatever part was needed. She emphasized to them three times that no work was to be done until they were absolutely certain what was wrong with the car. They told her that they had diagnosed it multiple times and they were certain it was the starter. She bought the starter and delivered it to them.
Two days later they called her and told her that the timing chain was broken, and that it needed a new engine.
First, can anyone tell me if there is any chance that the dealer or Car Ex could have caused the timing chain to get broken in either the repair of the fan motor for heat and air conditioning, or in the process of trying to find out why it wouldn't start?
Second, is there any recourse against charges that Car Ex wants her to pay even though they guaranteed her that the starter was the problem, and they were wrong?
Its a real problem because the car is not even paid off yet, but its not reasonable to put a new engine in it. The frustrating this is that the insurance company wanted to total it from the accident, because the car is a 2003 with 150k miles on it (a Saturn) but in the end did not do so. If they had, we would have had gap insurance that would have paid it off.
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