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So, long jstory short, car has been without AC for a long time, 10 months+. Garage (Subaru Dealer Franchise) finally had the parts it needed to do the repair. This required a big dismantling of the dashboard.
I'd brought the car home (with functioning AC!) but found marks and scratches to the steering wheel and centre console that were not there before. Small, but very noticable.
The Garage has been a bit of a shambles in getting this repair done, and I'm sick of dealing with them. However, I feel they have to be told of the damage, and need to do something about it.
Ask for a partial refund of the bill? Repair the damage? other options?
WWSTW do?
The car isn't pristine, but the interior was in very good shape before it went in, as we've always been careful with it. It's a bit of a bummer to find it a bit mangled like this.
I had a steering wheel damaged at a VW main dealership-the car was three years old. They took it seriously, said it was the fault of the valet workers and bought and fitted a new wheel. Ever since then I have requested a visual inspection by the service staff with me before handing over the keys
in your case it’s certainly worth asking what they are going to do about it.
I think that repairing the damage is a bigger job than it's worth. I think a haggle for a reduction in the bill (£1150), as it was mostly labour.
You can't easily repair interior trim so it would be a big cost to replace, a partial refund is probably the best bet.
I've also had some crap service from a Subaru dealer when dealing with an issue on my used car within warranty, wasn't worth a fuss, but i'd certainly be in touch with Subaru direct if similar happened to me. Just can't understand how their dealer network is so highly rated.
I had a tow bar fitted to a day old car, they damaged the interior. Owner tried to say it was like that before so I showed them the sales invoice. It was a scratch on an interior panel and a grease mark on headlining, tbf they repaired at their cost.
I ve watched the regular indie garage I use and they are super careful, putting over mats down, seat covers even those covers over the wings.
Just speak with the owner, mistakes happen, he ll know if it was them or not.
I think given that it's taken almost a year to exact a repair, my opening gambit would be to report the damage to the garage and ask them how they propose to proceed.
You can't easily repair interior trim so it would be a big cost to replace, a partial refund is probably the best bet.
It can be done, there are specialists in that type of repair. When I worked at SFS/Cazoo, a lot of cars came from lease contracts, in particular Motability, and their cars frequently had a clamp on the steering wheel to take a knob for those with restricted hand or arm mobility, and those clamps absolutely crushed the foam padding inside the outer material. Once the work had been finished you’d never realise there had been a problem. Same with seats and the interior vinyl and/or leather.