Can I blame the garage?

[Tally]

On Wednesday my car went in for an MOT. Today the key crumbled in my hand when I turned it in the lock, and I was unable to start my car.

 

Is this just a massive coincidence, or can I justifiably ask the garage to pay for replacing my key that they must have run over or something?

[darkshine]

If this happened to me it'd totally depend on how much a new key costs - if it's what you'd view as "not too much" I'd just replace it. Proving they damaged it might be problematic

 

Having said that - there's no harm giving them a ring - explaining the key was fine before and asking if they'd be willing to replace or at least help with the cost of getting a new one... but I wouldn't do it in a blaming way - maybe a diplomatic one?

[caci]

If this was me, I would ring the garage and ask for their help.

 

Explain what has happened and ask what they suggest. They will almost certainly say you need a new key, so when they do, say "Can you get that for me please ? How much will it cost ?"

 

If they suggest a price, make a comment about how expensive that is, and would they be willing to go halves on the cost with you as it seems something happend to the key whilst the car was in for it's MOT.

 

If you don't ask, you will never know

 

Good luck !

[Tally]

Well I now have an emergency light and beeps coming on. The paint is flaking off the gear stick in sharp flakes that hurt my hands every time I change gear.

 

I've sorted out the flaking paint so I'm not even going to bother about this.

 

But I'm going to have to take it back over the warning light, and I will have to order the key from them too as it's one with a button you press and they are the only main dealer I know of.

 

So I was going to phone them in the morning and say they serviced it and MOTed it for me on Wednesday but I'm a bit disappointed because the warning light is now coming on. I'm also going to say about the key and jokingly ask if they ran it over or something. If they don't offer to pay for a new key I will ask them to, but if they say no I'm just going to agree to pay for it. Does this seem sensible?

[darkshine]

It seems sensible to me - although I wouldn't jokingly suggest they ran it over in case it gets their backs up - I'd just say it was fine before and wasn't after - what caci said sounds good to me.

 

As for the warning light - I'd say this gives you a little extra ammo with the "I'm not 100% happy with the service I've received" you know like disappointed not happy as opposed to angry not happy - and then explain about the key thing while your at it.

[Tally]

I was definitely going to go with disappointed rather than angry. I don't want them to think I would never go back again anyway, because that gives them no motive to resolve it. I would prefer them to think I will go back again if they can resolve it - which is actually the truth.

[darkshine]

Yeah - I think that approach is usually the best

[bid]

Hi Tally,

 

I honestly think it's best to be straightforward and business-like. Just say they MOT'd and serviced your car last week, but now these faults have appeared, plus the key is broken, and you would like things to be sorted out.

 

TBH, no bloke would ever say they were disappointed. You don't have to be rude or aggressive. But please don't forget you have paid them to do something, and they have messed up...they should be apologising to you!

 

My advice would be to be business-like, and not use any words like 'disappointed', because that may come across as a bit emotional.

 

Good luck!

 

Bid

Edited September 18, 2011 by bid

[darkshine]

That's what I just said well I said use what caci said - but I just meant not angry - I wouldn't say to the garage I was disappointed - its just the tone...

 

ps - what has what a bloke would do got to do with it? I think Tally is female - or do you mean that a bloke would do it a better way so a woman should do it like a bloke?

[chris54]

What warning light is it.

If it is something telling you something needs fixing that should have been fixed in the service that's one thing. But it could be something that has nothing to do with what was done during the service. What sort of service was it you had done. Some of the "CUT PRICE" Servise do not include every thing you might think they would.

An MOT only tells you that the car is road worthy at the time the MOT was carried out.

[Tally]

It says something about plip battery, I have no idea what one of those is. It only started coming on since Friday and it was serviced on Wednesday. It just seems a bit of a coincidence that these things have only gone wrong since the service. But I can't be 100% certain they did something wrong.

 

I didn't get to phone this morning because I was in too much of a rush, but I am going to phone tomorrow morning.

 

I didn't think "disappointed" sounded emotional, but I'm just going to say what Bid suggested.

[chris54]

I think that means the battery in the key is dead.

 

But then you said the key is broken which is probably why the warning light is on.

Edited September 19, 2011 by chris54

[Tally]

I'm using the spare key and I'm pressing the button to lock and unlock the doors with no problem, so it can't be the key.

[chris54]

Just looked it up and it is defiantly the key batter. Don't forget that the car knows which key you are using. If it has picked up that one key is faulty, it may be waiting to get a signal from that one to reset it warning light, or it may need to be reset at the garage using there computer. There may be something in the hand book about resetting it.

[Bluesbreaker]

Just looked it up and it is defiantly the key batter. Don't forget that the car knows which key you are using. If it has picked up that one key is faulty, it may be waiting to get a signal from that one to reset it warning light, or it may need to be reset at the garage using there computer. There may be something in the hand book about resetting it.

 

In which case, you will need the new key to reset it.

 

they will likely do it at the garage when you have a new key, or they will send some chap round in a little van with a computer and do it that way

 

unless your car is under warranty or some deal with that dealer, I wouldn't take it there, Everytime my family has ever taken a car to the big name's garages, trouble ensues. we now use an independent garage my auntie used to use, and we have never had any problems with taking the cars there.... weird.... or is it?

[Mumble]

It says something about plip battery, I have no idea what one of those is.

It's the battery for the Plip. The Plip is a swall Ewok-style hamster that lives in the Plip-box towards the bottom left of the engine - you can locate is by following the Plip-shaft from the Coolant downwards. You can check exactly where the Plip is using the Plip-stick - take it out, wipe it, shove it back in, and when you hear a squeak, you've hit the Plip. The Plip runs on the Plip-wheel (driving the Plip-shaft), ensuring everything runs smoothly. When the Plip's getting hungry, he needs feeding, hence the Plip-battery warning light flashing. Dropping hamster food into the Plip-shaft should clear this problem in no time. Alternatively, you can have a Plip-extraction (although the mechanics say the Plip is essential, it's a bit like an appendix and no-one notices once it's gone) - sending in a cat (they like warm engines best to work in) is the quickest way to remove a Plip permanently, although check the Plip-stick afterwards to check it isn't just festering at the bottom of the Plip-box and that it has actually run away, else you will encounter Plip-decomposition which is really not good for engines.