Thirty years of workshops, warehouses and roads. I have diagnosed faults, argued estimates from behind the counter, and seen what happens when a repair is done badly and nobody will put their name to it.
The question that decides these cases is nearly always the same: is the fault the result of use, of a defect that was already there, or of somebody's intervention? That is proved with the part in your hand and with the vehicle's own records.
Cases I take
- Faults and their origin: normal use, manufacturing defect, poor maintenance or a bad repair.
- Botched repairs and faults that return after the invoice has been paid.
- Inflated estimates: parts that were not needed and labour times that do not match.
- Electrical and electronic diagnosis: control units, sensors, wiring and intermittent faults.
- Disputes with the workshop, including retention of the vehicle until payment.
- Repair warranty and the liability of the manufacturer or dealer.
What I need from you
- Repair order, signed estimate and itemised invoice.
- The workshop's report and the description of the fault as it was reported.
- Readings from the control units and the vehicle's fault memory.
- Replaced parts, where they have been kept, and photographs of the strip-down.
- Service history, earlier invoices and recorded mileages.
- Correspondence with the workshop or the manufacturer.
What the law says
- Royal Decree 1457/1986 on repair workshops: prior estimate, deposit receipt and repair warranty.
- Statutory guarantee of conformity under the consolidated Spanish Consumer Protection Act.
- Arts. 1101 and 1544 of the Civil Code: breach of contract and contracts for work.
- Type-approval rules and the manufacturer's own labour times and repair procedures.
What you get
- Technical diagnosis of the fault, with its cause and mechanism.
- Verification of what was invoiced against what was actually done.
- Comparison of labour times against the manufacturer's schedules.
- Valuation of a correct repair and of any consequential damage.
- Conclusions in plain language, with photographs and annexes.
- Ratification and defence of the report in the courtroom.
Vehicle Mechanics and Electrics
Frequently asked questions
Can the workshop keep my car until I pay?
Royal Decree 1457/1986 requires the workshop to give you a prior estimate and a deposit receipt, and that is the key: if no estimate was accepted, the invoice is open to challenge. A technical report separating what was needed from what was added is usually what unlocks the situation.
How long is a repair under warranty?
The repair carries its own warranty covering the fault repaired and the parts replaced, independent of the vehicle's warranty. If the same fault returns, the first job is documenting that it is the same fault, and that is what the report is for.
Is a report any use once another workshop has repaired it?
Yes, though it loses force, so try not to repair before documenting. Where the work is done, I work from the removed parts, the photographs, the estimates and the vehicle's electronic records, and the report states plainly what could and could not be verified.
Free feasibility study and a fixed written quote. I reply within 24-48 working hours.