Problem with a car repair

Summary

If you agreed on an amount (or got a quote) before the garage did the work, you’ll have to pay the full bill. This is because you’ve entered into a contract with the garage (even if you didn’t sign anything). You can ask for them to come down on the price, but they don’t have to. A quote is when a trader has promised to do work at an agreed price - it should say what work will be done and the price. An estimate is a trader's best guess as to how much the work will cost - it’s not a quote. You can take further action if they’re charging you more than the agreed amount and you think it’s unreasonable. If the trader only gave an estimate then they can charge you more within reason. If you don't think the extra charged is reasonable, ask the garage to reduce the price. If no price was agreed before the work was done, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the legal right to only pay a ‘reasonable price’. Tell this to the garage. It can be difficult agreeing what is ‘reasonable’. It would be reasonable, for example, to be charged more if the garage needed a bit more time for the repairs or they needed more parts. You can get a second opinion from another garage if you’re not sure what.

Key information

• •If you agreed on an amount (or got a quote) before the garage did the work, you’ll have to pay the full bill. This is because you’ve entered into a contract with the garage (even if you didn’t sign anything). You can ask for them to come down on the price, but they don’t have to.
• •A quote is when a trader has promised to do work at an agreed price - it should say what work will be done and the price.
• •An estimate is a trader's best guess as to how much the work will cost - it’s not a quote.
• •You can take further action if they’re charging you more than the agreed amount and you think it’s unreasonable.
• •If the trader only gave an estimate then they can charge you more within reason. If you don't think the extra charged is reasonable, ask the garage to reduce the price.
• •If no price was agreed before the work was done, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the legal right to only pay a ‘reasonable price’. Tell this to the garage.
• •It can be difficult agreeing what is ‘reasonable’. It would be reasonable, for example, to be charged more if the garage needed a bit more time for the repairs or they needed more parts. You can get a second opinion from another garage if you’re not sure what is reasonable.
• •If you think the cost is unreasonable and they won’t lower the price, you should take further action.
• •If you told the garage to do whatever needs to be done to fix the car, then you gave them the right to decide what work to do. You’ll have to pay if the work was necessary and the price is reasonable. Get a second opinion if you think the price isn’t reasonable.
• •If you only asked the garage to do a specific piece of work and they did extra work that you didn’t ask for, you can ask them to undo the work. If this isn't possible, you should insist you only pay for the work that was agreed.
• •Take further action if they’re charging you for work that you didn’t ask for.
• •You can ask the garage for a courtesy car (this is a car that the garage will give you to use - not all garages will offer this). Keep a record of everything extra you spend on travel - you might need to prove this later on.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [Problem with a car repair](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/buying-or-repairing-a-car/problems-with-a-car-repair/)

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