I have a question about what action I can take if an auto mechanic was negligent and caused me to have to spend several hundred dollars on my vehicle months after this mechanic worked on it.
My wife was in an accident and hit a guide rail that smashed the entire left side of her Jetta. The insurance company recommended a place that can fix both the body work and any mechanical damage. After the body work was finished I asked the person in charge of the work if he had done an alignment in order to be certain that there is no structural damage. He said that he did not need to do this. I fought with him and he finally agreed. He then said that there was a bent tie rod end and he would have it fixed. After that he told me that he had a 4-way alignment done and that the structure is sound. I received the final bill and it showed the 4-way alignment check with a 40$ cost attached to it.
Now, nine months later the vehicle has been hard to control on the road. I took it to the dealer to have it looked at and they told me my back tires where completely worn out on but only on the inside so I must have a bad alignment. When they attempted to align it they discovered that the frame is severely bent due to a severe side impact and that the vehicle is unable to be aligned. This was certainly due to the impact that the vehicle suffered in the accident.
I am now wondering what legal action I can take against this mechanic who worked on my vehicle after the accident since my bill shows a 4-way alignment which was either never done, or it was done and the mechanic decided to ignore the problem. Not only did the mechanic put false charges on the bill, but also returned a vehicle to me that is not safe to be driven.
I would at least like this mechanic to pay me for the 300$ I had to spend on new tires and having the alignment checked. Any advice I can get would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
My wife was in an accident and hit a guide rail that smashed the entire left side of her Jetta. The insurance company recommended a place that can fix both the body work and any mechanical damage. After the body work was finished I asked the person in charge of the work if he had done an alignment in order to be certain that there is no structural damage. He said that he did not need to do this. I fought with him and he finally agreed. He then said that there was a bent tie rod end and he would have it fixed. After that he told me that he had a 4-way alignment done and that the structure is sound. I received the final bill and it showed the 4-way alignment check with a 40$ cost attached to it.
Now, nine months later the vehicle has been hard to control on the road. I took it to the dealer to have it looked at and they told me my back tires where completely worn out on but only on the inside so I must have a bad alignment. When they attempted to align it they discovered that the frame is severely bent due to a severe side impact and that the vehicle is unable to be aligned. This was certainly due to the impact that the vehicle suffered in the accident.
I am now wondering what legal action I can take against this mechanic who worked on my vehicle after the accident since my bill shows a 4-way alignment which was either never done, or it was done and the mechanic decided to ignore the problem. Not only did the mechanic put false charges on the bill, but also returned a vehicle to me that is not safe to be driven.
I would at least like this mechanic to pay me for the 300$ I had to spend on new tires and having the alignment checked. Any advice I can get would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
