I wasn't sure where this thread should appear, so I have also placed it in general discussions - I hope that's OK?
I agreed a price with a MB specialist to do some work on my E320CDI, which included the fitting of a repair kit to one of the injectors. They had noticed carbon around it when doing a recent service and suggested that, although there was no audible blowing, it would be wise to repair it.
When they started work on the car, they started on the injector first and after much use of an impact extractor, couldn't remove the injector. As they had agreed a price, they stopped and phoned me to say they couldn't complete the job.
They said there was a significant risk of the rocker cover breaking, so they wouldn't proceed until I had considered my position. They thought the options were:-
a) to remove the retaining bolt, then start the engine to see if compression would move the injector (or even, blow it out!), or
b) remove the other 5 injectors and the rocker cover retaining bolts, to see if the rocker cover could be moved enough to break the seal it has with the injector thus, hopefully, allowing removal.
They say that this could still result in the rocker cover breaking, the injector being damaged and needing replacement, 5 additonal injector repair kits plus a lot of labour costs. Parts alone could exceed £500.
The problem now (apart from all the above) is the car is running quite rough and smoking very badly under accleration. Additionally, today it went into 'limp mode'.
It occurs to me that, if a garage cannot finish the agreed job for the agreed price, they must, at least, return the vehicle in the same condition as when it arrived with them? It was running fine and not smoking before they touched it.
Does anyone know what the legal position is in these circumstances please?
I agreed a price with a MB specialist to do some work on my E320CDI, which included the fitting of a repair kit to one of the injectors. They had noticed carbon around it when doing a recent service and suggested that, although there was no audible blowing, it would be wise to repair it.
When they started work on the car, they started on the injector first and after much use of an impact extractor, couldn't remove the injector. As they had agreed a price, they stopped and phoned me to say they couldn't complete the job.
They said there was a significant risk of the rocker cover breaking, so they wouldn't proceed until I had considered my position. They thought the options were:-
a) to remove the retaining bolt, then start the engine to see if compression would move the injector (or even, blow it out!), or
b) remove the other 5 injectors and the rocker cover retaining bolts, to see if the rocker cover could be moved enough to break the seal it has with the injector thus, hopefully, allowing removal.
They say that this could still result in the rocker cover breaking, the injector being damaged and needing replacement, 5 additonal injector repair kits plus a lot of labour costs. Parts alone could exceed £500.
The problem now (apart from all the above) is the car is running quite rough and smoking very badly under accleration. Additionally, today it went into 'limp mode'.
It occurs to me that, if a garage cannot finish the agreed job for the agreed price, they must, at least, return the vehicle in the same condition as when it arrived with them? It was running fine and not smoking before they touched it.
Does anyone know what the legal position is in these circumstances please?
