Reader Question: My mechanic left my GMC Jimmy unlocked on his parking lot after he worked on it, and my radio, speakers, heater and a/c control unit and some personal items were stolen. He says it is not his problem and does not have insurance to pay for it. My homeowner's insurance has a $2500 deductible, so I guess I am out of pocket for his carelessness. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Dear concerned car owner,
Below is a chapter taken directly from my ebook What Your Mechanic Doesn't Want You to Know that talks about ways to protect yourself from the problem you encountered.
DON'T ASSUME YOUR CAR IS SECURE
What type of insurance does the shop have? Most shops have signs that read "not responsible for fire or theft to your vehicle." Did you leave your gun in the car? I live in Texas, and there are a lot of guns in cars. Did you leave your cell phone out in the open, or that five-dollar bill that you found under your seat? Remember the glove box and trunk example earlier; don't give anyone the opportunity to steal from you. Some of the things we have to do to gain access to certain parts of your car would floor you. Don't think that your diamond bracelet is safe under the back seat because we might have to remove the seat to get to the speakers.
So what type of liability does the shop have if you leave your vehicle over the weekend for repairs? Most repair shops have you sign a work order before beginning repairs to your vehicle. In many cases you are signing over your right for vehicle repossession due to nonpayment. This form also releases the shop for any liability for your vehicle, even from fire and theft. I would not like to sign this work order in a shop that I felt was unsatisfactory, or does not have adequate protection. Is the building protected by a security system? Are the customer vehicles left outside at night or locked up in the shop? If I were to get a call one morning informing me that my car has been stolen and used in a robbery, I would want the shop or their insurance company to be responsible.
The few times that our shop has been vandalized, the only items of real value that were stolen were the mechanics' tools and a few radios out of customers' cars. Our shop lost virtually nothing except the damage to the building for entry, but even I have to admit that we have been very lucky. On the one occasion that a customer's truck was stolen from inside our locked shop, our insurance company covered replacement of the vehicle, and our shop paid the deductible. The owner of the truck remained our customer until he moved out of the city. In most shops however, your insurance company would be your only source of compensation. Believe me-I felt silly enough calling my customer and telling him that his truck was stolen from my shop; I would not want to also have to tell him that I was not insured and he was on his own.
Use your best judgment, but don't settle for a shop just because they are close, inexpensive, offer free gifts, or whatever. We are in search of quality and a long-term relationship from a responsible vendor. I have had customers come back to my shop to remove their personal items from the car after they found out that the car was going to spend the night. I actually like to see that happen. It sure takes liability off of my shoulders and I can concentrate on repairing the car.
UNDERSTAND THAT ACCIDENTS HAPPEN
Even with all of our safety measures, continuous training, hands-on management, and seasoned professional staff, Murphy's Law is still alive and well in our industry too. Over the decades we have been in business, we have caught customers' cars on fire, dropped them from the lifts, backed into them, scratched the paint, and had them broken into on our parking lot during broad daylight. We've even wrecked a few of them. Sorry Ms. Jablowski. Accidents happen, but we have always repaired the vehicles at our expense, and supplied the customers with a free rental vehicle while the repairs were being made. These things happen to first-time customers as well as the seasoned customer.
The only precaution you can take against freak accidents is to make sure the shop is as careful and prepared as possible. Ask some basic questions:
- How long do you expect my vehicle to be here? The longer it is out of your hands increases the chance that freak accidents can happen.
- If you have to keep my car overnight, where/how will it be stored?
- Does your insurance company cover my car while it's in your care?
Sincerely,
Austin C Davis
Interested in an e-book about everything your mechanic doesn't want you to know? Sound advice from Austin Davis. Click Here!
The above article is provided for the interest and entertainment of our visitors. The views expressed in this article are only those of the author, who is solely responsible for the content. AutoGuide.net does not endorse any of these views, and is not to be held responsible for any of the content provided in the above article.
Click here to read Austin's past articles!
