If you’ve had a problem with a car repair or service, the best thing to do is negotiate with the garage to work out the best solution.

If your negotiations don’t work, you can take further action to get your problem resolved.

Always ask your garage what they can do to help before you spend any extra money on hire cars or travel. For example, they might be able to offer you a courtesy car. A court isn’t likely to award you money if the garage offers services that you didn’t take advantage of.

It’s a good idea to keep a record and receipts of any extra money you have to pay for travel while you’re disputing a bill. You might need to prove this down the line.

Negotiate with the garage

Speak with the garage in person or over the phone – you may be able to resolve the problem quickly. If they don’t agree up front to make things right, you may want to write or email the garage so you have a record of the problem and your communication to them.

Take further action if your negotiations have failed

If you’re not getting anywhere with the garage, you have options to help you get the work done or claim compensation. But you should always try to negotiate with the garage first.

The garage is not allowed to sell or get rid of the car while you’re disputing the bill. They can, however, keep your car while the bill is being disputed.

Pay the garage so you can get your car back

If you need the car back but aren’t happy with the amount you have to pay, you can pay ‘under protest’ then continue with your dispute. This means you are paying the full amount but letting the garage know that they can expect further action.

Write the words “paying under protest” clearly on their copy of the repair order sheet and any copies of receipts that the garage make. If you don’t say you’re paying under protest it will be difficult to get compensation later on, because the garage could argue that by paying the bill, you were accepting the charges.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll get the money back later, but there are ways to try.

If you can’t afford to pay, offer to pay what you consider a reasonable amount in exchange for getting the car back, then dispute the rest of the bill separately.

Negotiate through a trade association

Ask the garage if they’re a member of any trade association (for example, The Motor Ombudsman, the Retail Motor Industry Federation or the Motor Cycle Industry Association). You could also search the trade associations’ websites to see if the garage is a member.

Some trade associations will offer a free service where they will help you resolve your dispute with the garage – this can include getting compensation (eg for being out of pocket or having your time wasted).

Contact the trade association and explain your circumstances to them – this is sometimes called a ‘conciliation service’.

You’ll only be able to get help from a trade association if the garage is a member.

Use an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme

Ask the garage if they’re a member of an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme – it’s a way of solving disagreements without going to court. A third party will mediate to try and reach a solution.

If they don’t respond, they’re not a member of an ADR scheme or won’t use ADR, keep a record of when you asked them. You’ll need this if you end up in court.

If you want to try ADR, you can find out more about ADR and other ways to solve an ongoing problem.

Take the car to another garage

This is a risky option because you’ll probably need to go to court or a trade association to claim for the extra money you spend to get the work done. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get the money back.

You might be able to take the car to a different garage. It will depend how much work the original garage has already done and whether or not your car is in a safe condition to drive.

If you get the car repaired at a new garage, you can try to claim compensation or go to court for the cost of carrying out extra repairs. You might be able to work with a trade association to get a result (if the garage is a member).

Report the garage to Trading Standards

If the garage is quoting one price but charging another (or otherwise using misleading advertising or unfair practices) you can report them to Trading Standards. Reporting the garage could mean that other customers don’t get misled by them in the future.