The garage has not fixed the problem with my vehicle, what can I do?
Sometimes, it can take multiple investigations and repairs to get to the root cause of a problem – or there could be an underlying issue which is only identified through conducting other repairs. It is always best to speak with the garage undertaking the repairs so they can talk you through what’s happened with your vehicle and why further repairs were required.
If you suspect there is a problem with their work, you should let the garage know and give them the opportunity to put things right. In the first instance, we would advise against taking the car to a different garage unless there are exceptional reasons for doing so – for example, the car has broken down and it’s too far away to go back to the original garage.
If the matter cannot be resolved with the garage, and you have exhausted the complaint process, then The Motor Ombudsman can assess the matter further.
If you need the car urgently, you can get the repairs carried out – it is usually best to get the garage who originally did the work to undertake those repairs and to mark the invoice or bill as ‘paid under protest’. However, please note that The Motor Ombudsman may require technical evidence in order to progress your dispute and, if the car has been repaired, this may be difficult to obtain. You could consider obtaining an independent technical report or getting a second opinion from another garage before having any repairs carried out as this will tell you whether there is a case to pursue.
How to submit a dispute to The Motor Ombudsman
The Motor Ombudsman is a certified Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider who can assist with disputes that arise between consumers and Code-accredited businesses.
Before you submit a dispute to us, firstly please ensure you have taken a look at the information about our process on the resolve a dispute page.
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