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My local garage damaged my BMW whilst supposedly repairing it. What are my options?

I have a 2009 BMW 330d touring with many extras which I bought for £46,000 list new (it now has 16,000 miles). In April of this year it began to run very rough on startup from cold, and didn't go as well when warmed up. It would only run rough at the first start up on any day. I have been to the local selling BMW dealer on four occasions to try to solve the problem, and a PUMA has been raised with BMW HQ. At the last visit they had the car for a week and gave it back without a mechanic/technician verifying that it was fixed. They also managed to significantly damaged the bonnet of the car, either on a test drive or when the car was being returned to me. They had damaged the interior trim on the previous visit, which they then replaced. They have said that they will touch up the paintwork on the bonnet.

The car is booked in again for the end of the month. What are my options? Can I reject the car? I feel that if the bonnet is touched up the ding will still be clearly visible. I have been more than cooperative but have received very poor customer service with conflicting stories being told. I have a illness/disability which does not make dealing with this type of issue any easier.

Asked on 6 August 2010 by volcane

Answered by Lucy
The responsibilities of the garage are the same in this as in any other claim. They should put you back to 'where you were' before the accident. However, you cannot just reject the car because of a ding in the bonnet. But you can ask for the car to be fixed to an acceptable standard, which means that the repair is done properly and not just 'touched up'. If they refuse or you have problems with them come back to me.
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