I am trying to collect on car repairs that I have done.

[n85x]

I live in Boise, Idaho and I do car mechanical work out of my garage as a small "on the side business". In Aug. 2000 my wifes daughter was driving her Fathers car to Boise to visit us when the car broke down about 30 miles from our home.

The next morning the Father was imformed that the car was in need of towing and repair. He told me over the phone that he was out of the state and could not deal with it so to just take care of it.

I towed the car to my residence, did a few hours of troubleshooting. Upon realizing that new parts to fix the car would be around $300.00 I opted for used parts that were about half that price. The car was repaired the next day and the girl returned home.

I sent the Father an invoice for the towing, my time, and parts. He said he would not pay any of it because it is the girls Mothers responsibility to repair the car.

It is now seven months later and I still have not received a dime from him. My question is do I have any legal grounds here since it has been so long and if I do what may I take him to small claims court for, i.e. parts, labor, towing, interest?

Thank You

 

[JETX]

This case will come down to what both parties understanding was when the 'other' said, "just take care of it.". Was this an agreement for you to fix the car and bill him, or just for you to 'handle' the problem until he could get it fixed. Based on your post, it seems that there was no clear understanding by both parties, and certainly no 'blanket' agreement that he would pay for your repairs. This is further compounded by the 'relation' issue, after all, the car was being driven by your step-daughter.