Nightmare: garage takes your car for a run without permission and crashes

[John]

Right. Just got back now from the welders.

Mustered all the calm I didn't know i had. Owner acted very shocked, and made all the right noises as to sorting it out so far anyway. Didn't specifically say he didn't know what happened, but i took peoples advice in this thread and didn't blame him directly, but "somebody in this shop" etc, so gave him the opportunity to palm it off to someone else. He seemed to accept everything I said, took it all on the chin, agreed to sort it out. Made all the right noises about his reputation and his business, without me reminding him of this, and he mentioned he was "gutted" and that he'd get to the bottom of this, so that was encouraging. Asked me what I wanted to do, so I said I was taking it around to put it on a hoist and I'd send him a list of things I wanted replaced.

So, so far it's going in the right direction I suppose. But I guess I shouldn't count my chickens just yet until the money is in my account.

[Do the safety dance.]

Did he agree to repair the damage, or pay for you to have it repaired yourself? Just be careful with this. I don't know where you are but I believe the workshop has the first right of repairs, and if you take it somewhere else and send them a bill it can be very hard to get the money. I have a friend in this situation now.
Good job staying cool, sounds like you might get the right outcome.

[Motherfucker Jones]

At the end of the day who gives a fuck if he says fairies came in and stole your car and crashed it, if it gets fixed properly that's the most important outcome and make your other judgements from there. It's nice when people are honest but the main thing is getting your car fixed

[BigMuz]

Sounds like a good result. Can't you take it and put it on his hoist so you can itemise it all early on?

[Bob Vegana.]

Putting it on HIS hoist, with HIM looking over it with you, will go a long way too.

[John]

Agree I need to be careful about that, but where the car is now is at very well known lotus specialist who happens to be local to the welder, and the welder would know who they are. I told him I was taking it around there now and that he'd give me a list of everything that was wrong with it, that way it's independent. The lotus guy is a good mate of mine so I have no doubts he'll err on the side of caution, but I guess I'm banking on the welder taking this guy's word because he appears at this stage to want to try and make it right with me. Guess we'll see. Part 2 will be this afternoon.

[John]

Agree Mr Jones, but at the end of the day, it will always feel like that car was stolen and recovered. I can throw a few wheels on it and fix the damage, but I'll never know from now on if anything goes wrong mechanically whether or not it was because it was abused for however long they drove it for.

[yohoes]

To be honest lotus' arent exactly highly strung.. At worst it got a clutch kick or two and then it got bashed up a curb.. Wht do you think mechanically could exactly be lurking?

Its fucked, but repair of the suspension and repaired rims all good.. As far as the car is concerned.. Obviously the cunts at the workshop is a different matter

If you track the car you'd be getting up the car far harder than a 5 minute thrash (aside from bending the steering)

[Motherfucker Jones]

Agree Mr Jones, but at the end of the day, it will always feel like that car was stolen and recovered. I can throw a few wheels on it and fix the damage, but I'll never know from now on if anything goes wrong mechanically whether or not it was because it was abused for however long they drove it for.

I can understand that sentiment if your wife got raped, but its just a bunch of metal and plastic screwed and glued together. If its fixed by someone you trust it should be fine.

[John]

err, i'm sure there would be a lot of people on here who would disagree. So you are saying you'd be fine to get your car back after it was stolen, taken for a run, but then recovered and continue to drive it as be as happy about it as before it was stolen? Of course not, or you've never had a car worth more than a few cases of beer then.

[myliberty]

Pics of wife?

[Gussy]

I can understand that sentiment if your wife got raped, but its just a bunch of metal and plastic screwed and glued together. If its fixed by someone you trust it should be fine.

It's this trusting part that got his car fucked in the first place.

[spiller]

"Time heals all wounds".

If the damage was in fact limited to what is now visible, you'll probably eventually get over it with time and come to enjoy the car. If they fucked it so badly that it never feels right again, you'll know about this too. Time will tell. Hope it all works out for you John.

[seedyrom]

Yeah, even once repaired, it seems a psychologist or a car wholesaler will be required.

Good luck

[Captiva Fan]

err, i'm sure there would be a lot of people on here who would disagree. So you are saying you'd be fine to get your car back after it was stolen, taken for a run, but then recovered and continue to drive it as be as happy about it as before it was stolen? Of course not, or you've never had a car worth more than a few cases of beer then.

I think you can be more comfortable with the car than that! Arseholes who steal cars do it because they're just downright arseholes, they're trying to damage the car. I'm not saying whoever took yours for a thrash did the right thing, not by a long shot; but in terms of damage to your car they were just going for a fang & their intention wasn't to hurt it in any way; they'd get caught if they did that (and - well - they have).

I really don't think it's the same thing as when your car's stolen, for that reason. Also you don't have the worry that it might happen again when you don't expect it (ie. it wasn't stolen from home, it wasn't stolen from a place you normally park ... this wasn't something you expose the car to every day).

Yeah it sucks, but as long as all the physical suspension stuff gets fixed I really don't think you've got anything to worry about. As yohoes said, you probably treat it harder yourself, regularly.