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Garage disconnected the check engine light

I bought a used car two months ago with a one month warranty. Within the warranty period the check engine light came on and a friend with a code reader checked the fault codes so that we had an idea what the problem was.

I took it to the garage for the check engine light problem and notified them that the rear windscreen wiper fluid wasn't coming out either.

After the service (which they didn't give me a receipt for) neither the front windscreen fluid nor the back comes out, which they said to come back another time to get fixed as they were busy, but the check engine light was off.

The next day I noticed that the check engine light no longer flashes during the ignition dashboard lights checks. I had the friend check the codes again and the same codes come up.

I believe the garage disconnected the check engine light and didn't fix the cause. How do I get them to give me a receipt for the previous work without tipping them off that I know they conned me? I plan to take this to trading standards (and use a more local garage to fix the problems, as the garage that I bought it from is over an hour away), but I figure they probably couldn't do anything without a receipt as proof.

Asked on 30 October 2015 by IzieK86

Answered by Honest John
You don't get a receipt for work you didn't pay for. But all this reads like you bought a cheap car from a place like the Derby car centre featured on Watchdog last night. A cheap car for under £2000 will inevitably have faults and it's perfectly normal to fix minor faults like the washers yourself. The engine fault is another matter, so you need to write a letter to the dealer telling him that if he does not fix the car properly you will take it to another garage, have it fixed, then use Small Claims to sue him for the cost of the work. Send it by Post Office Special Delivery and keep a copy with the receipt so he cannot deny having received it.
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