Damage caused when parking sensors were fitted

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Thu 19 Jul 2012 19:16
Damage caused when parking sensors were fitted - H0601

Hi everyone

Not sure if this is the right area to post this.

I had to have my car recovered today as it cut out whilst I was driving. It was recovered to an audi dealership who have found that it was caused by the wiring for the parking sensors that I had fitted back In February. When the fitter installed the wiring he has dislodged the pipes that prevent water leaking into the boot. As such, water has slowly been leaking in and corroding the ECU component in the boot. I'm absolutely livid as it's going to cost me over £800 to get fixed. Does anyone know where I might stand legally with regards to getting some sort of compensation from the company that fitted the sensors? It's clearly the fault of the fitter so do you think they might stump up for the repair. They must have some sort of liability insurance for this type of thing?

Any help will be much appreciated

Thanks

Hannah

Edited by H0601 on 19/07/2012 at 19:19

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Fri 20 Jul 2012 21:36
Damage caused when parking sensors were fitted - ifithelps

1. Get a statement from the Audi garage saying what caused the problem.

2. Take statement to the garage which fitted the sensors and ask what they are going to do about it.

3. Take them to the small claims court.

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Sat 21 Jul 2012 19:01
Damage caused when parking sensors were fitted - harry55
Hi. The other reply gets to the point. It is 5 months now and time is running. Get an independent report done pointing out who/what is to blame, why and how much to fix? Go back to the company and fitter and ask what they or he/she (fitter) will do - accept liability?challenge it? accept part liability? usually fitters are contractors/self-employed and should have insurance. If they deny responsibility, send them a Letter Before Action and give them 14 days to sort out. If nothing happens, small claims court is your best resort (a small fee to be paid, varies on claims' amount including costs and interest, etc.) Hope this helps as i often assist people to take small claims.
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Mon 23 Jul 2012 18:43
Damage caused when parking sensors were fitted - H0601

Thank you for both of your replies. Just as an update,


The parking sensor company have been out to inspect the car and have come to the conclusion that it has nothing to do with them. One reason being that the level of corrosion is such that it cannot have happened in such a short space of time, the other being that the wires do not appear to be obstructing the pipe in any way.

Now we have a whole new problem, when the company that fitted the sensors asked the Audi repair centre that has my car if there are any warranty repairs in the cars history Audi told them no. After doing their own research, they have found that warranty repair work was carried out on the car in January 2010. After doing my own investigations it turns out that there was a repair on the drain hoses in January 2010, the exact thing that has caused the damage in the first place. (Bear in mind that I only purchased the car in February so I had no idea)

I am getting extremely frustrated now because I feel Audi have sent me on some wild goose chase in the hope of someone else paying the bill for their poor warranty work that has actually caused the problem!


As it was Audi who cause the problem do you think it is now them who should pay for the repair? The car is well out of its warranty period now but surely that is irrelevant considering the circumstances?

Thanks

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Mon 23 Jul 2012 19:31
Damage caused when parking sensors were fitted - ifithelps

The drain hose repair was in 2010 and the breakdown was, presumably, recently.

I think too much time has passed for you to have a strong legal case against Audi, but what you may have is a bargaining point for a goodwill payment towards the cost of the repair.

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Mon 23 Jul 2012 19:40
Damage caused when parking sensors were fitted - H0601

Yes I see your point, although, if the repair to the drain hoses was done correctly in the first place, then none of the current damage would have been caused. Also, having only purchased the car 5 months ago, and not having any problems up until now, there really was no way of knowing the corrosion was happening until it cut out on me.

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