DaveZS

Right, Last week my missus broke down on the way home, the car is a corsa, easy-tronic. She call out the RAC who diagnosed it was an electrical fault, and tried to get it started again.
She managed to move the car a few feet and it stopped again. The RAC then towed her home, all 4 wheels on the ground, on a bar. I didn't find out about this until the next day when i arranged for the RAC to recover the car to a vauxhall garage.
They towed it the 2nd time by lifting the front wheels off the ground.

The garage got back to me saying they had trouble pushing the car into the workshop when it was in neutral, and that indicated a problem with the gearbox. The then had information faxed through from vauxhall tech, stating in big bold letters that the car should not have been towed as it can/will cause the gearbox to shit itself.

We were quoted in the region of £500 to strip the gearbox down and inspect it for damage. Obviously we had to say yes as she needed the car back asap. RAC wouldn't agree to pay the costs at the time, although they did agree it shouldn't have been towed like it was.

The garage have got back to me today, saying the clutch is worn, and that can't be blamed on the RAC towing it, fair enough. We now have a £900 bill to replace the clutch, put the gearbox back together and get the car back on the road.

What do people suggest now? I'd like to think we stand a chance of getting back some of the initial diagnostic cost (£500) as i don't see how we should have to foot the bill to check over someone elses incompetancy.
I need to speak to RAC later today, but i have a pretty good idea of what they are going to say

rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

in my eyes they have admitted liability by saying they SHOULDN'T have towed it in that mannor. why should you pay to have the gearbox checked? it was fine before towing so you had no reason to get it checked until they towed the car which they've admitted they shouldnt have done

dojj

iTrader: (3)

who's to say that the cluch wearing out wasn't the fact that it was towed the distance it was?

from what i understand, an auto box lubricates it's internal workings when the engine is running, so twirling it when it's not leads to further complications down the line

how far was it towed orignally?

and get the rac to stump up for the full cost as there was no way you would have known there was anything wrong with the gearbox unti it was stripped down, it's not like you were going to say to the dealer "while it's there with it's running problem, can youstrip down the gearbox just to make sure it's fine and dandy and stick it onto the bill please"

matts1

I would get some legal advice before you call.

All phone calls will surely be recorded, so make sure you aren't going to give them anything to go back out you with.

A new clutch is the most i would be wanting to pay for but NO labour costs and no gear box repair costs.

Get onto citizens advice

DaveZS

Thanks for the replies. I don't know how far it was towed for, not miles and miles, but a distance that abviously got vauxhall worried about it.

I've got no problems paying for the clutch, thats only fair, but i really don't see how we should foot the bill for the other work, although were going to have to and then claim it back later.
RAC put us in the position of having to have it stripped and inspected, think it's only fair they pay for it.

C4llyT

Can tow it 30 miles or so, and up to 50mph I think, doesn't sound like either would have been exceeded.

999

from memory those box's are essentially still a manual gearbox, with motors on it to engage clutch change gear etc so shouldnt be a problem?


also 900 quid to change a clutch? fook me

cossie4i+

iTrader: (15)

Do a PM to mechanic28 as he works for vauxhall

Steve.

C4llyT

Or check handbook.