Why You May Be Forced To Sue Your Car Mechanic For Damages
When an auto mechanic agrees to service your car for a specified amount, they are committing themselves to a legal contract that they are obligated to see through. Thus, if your mechanic fails to honor their side of the agreement, you have the right to demand compensation for damages. Here are some of the situations in which you may be forced to seek legal redress against your auto mechanic:
Mishandling Repairs
This problem is more likely with an inexperienced mechanic than an experienced one. This is what happens, for example, when you instruct the mechanic to rebuild your auto transmission system (an expensive service), but then the mechanic mishandles the work and it falls apart a few days after the service. You have a claim against the mechanic if you can prove that the failure stems from their poor work.
Billing for Nonexistent Work
Legally, an auto mechanic is supposed to give you a breakdown of all the necessary repairs, plus an estimate of their cost, before starting work on your car. Most mechanics are faithful with their estimates, but it is not beyond an unscrupulous mechanic to lie to you and quote problems that are not there in the first place. You can sue the mechanic for damages if you learn that they have billed you for nonexistent work.
Breaching Warranty
Most mechanics attract customers by offering warranties for their services. For example, a mechanic may offer you a 90-day warranty after repairing your brake calipers. If the same problem crops up again within the warranty period, and the mechanic refuses to honor the warranty, then you have the right to sue them for the applicable damages. Note that you will have to prove that the damage is related to the original repair and is not caused by something you did.
Installing Wrong Parts
There are various types of repair parts that a mechanic may use for part replacement. There are OEM (original equipment manufacturer), aftermarket, and used parts. They all have different pros and cons and come at different prices. Therefore, if you agree on a part and the mechanic ends up using a different type but still charges you for the one they didn't use, you have the right to sue them for damages.
Causing Damage During Repair
Lastly, you may also sue the mechanic for causing damage to your car during the repair process. Of course, this is only applicable if the mechanic doesn't fix the damage they caused, but tries to hide it.
Contact personal injury lawyers to learn more.
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