Evans Halshaw Leeds Renault - Consumer Dispute

MICHAEL Wilkinson has fallen out with a Leeds garage after his car ground to a halt.

The 63-year-old, of Cottingley Towers, is refusing to pay for repairs on his Peugeot 306 after it broke down on the M62. He says Evans Halshaw in Roseville Road, Leeds, should scrap the charge as they failed to fix the problem the first time round.

Mr Wilkinson spent £350 on an oxygen sensor and getting the vehicle's battery recharged after a previous breakdown. Hours later it broke down a second time.

The car was towed back in and Mr Wilkinson was shocked when told further repairs costing £650 were required. The vehicle remains off the road at the dealership while Mr Wilkinson continues to argue his case.

He has contacted Consumer Direct and the West Yorkshire Trading Standards' Motor Trading Partnership. Mr Wilkinson said he is prepared to take legal action.

Evans Halshaw maintain that they have not breached their terms of contract.

In a letter to Mr Wilkinson Nigel Demaline, the garage's principal dealer, said: "Your subsequent breakdown has shown that the vehicle's ECU failed and was not related to the original repair.

"We have never been involved in the maintenance or repair of your vehicle previously and so cannot be held responsible for anything further than the repair that we effected."

Expert's Response

"Any work carried out must have been done with reasonable care and skill in diagnosing the fault in the first place," said John Field, centre manager at Consumer Direct Yorkshire and Humber. "If proved that it was not then Mr Wilkinson will be entitled to a free repair. But for now he is advised to pay 'under protest' and carry out his own investigation. I would suggest Mr Wilkinson writes to the garage stating that he will pay, but under protest in order to get the vehicle back. This way he will not lose his rights and he will not be saying that he agrees that work was carried out to an acceptable standard. He must then get the garage to sign over the parts from his vehicle that they have mended. He can take these to an independent garage and ask them to examine whether they are in deed the original parts."