Basically I have an old car. All estimates given were verbal. After everything, the total ended up being 6k of work. I can finance about 3, which leaves 3 for me to make cash. In the event that I cannot pay the bill, what will happen?
I assume my car will get repossessed by the mechanic and sold at auction, but how will this affect my credit? Will this affect my credit at all? Has anyone had a similar situation where they were able to settle on the final bill? Any insight is welcome and appreciated
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Don’t stiff your mechanic. Your duty next time is to get an estimate in writing and advise your mechanic what your spending cap is, and any repairs beyond that are with your approval only.
Your mechanic has to eat, too. It’s not in his job description to alleviate your financial woes.
I believe in most states, it’s the mechanics responsibility to give a written estimate, and it’s also state law in many states that the shop requires a signature before performing work. I’ve been a mechanic with my own business for over 40 years and it’s been a common practice for my business to do this.
It depends if you own the car outright and how much it’s worth and if the shop would want the car instead of their payment. Most likely what will happen if they don’t want the car they’ll sue you and the judge will make you pay and if you don’t have money they’ll go after any property you own. Don’t forget depending what state they can also add storage fees for up to 60 days on top of the bill.
What’s thw year make and model car? What condition is it in? Maybe you can offer them the title or the title and partial payment.
It doesn’t matter if they own it out right. A mechanics lien overrides almost everything. We put a lien on a car that the customer still owed on. The dealer attempted to repo the car, but we wouldn’t let them unless they paid the bill. For whatever reason the car dealer let us keep the car and we sold it for double what the bill was on the car
Have you talked to your mechanic about the bill? Most mechanics will try to work with you about bills, especially big ones
I’d like to hear more about how the bill got higher than the estimate. That could likely play in to your options.
I once dropped off a 68 impala because my brakes didn’t work. I was 18yo and the car was not in good shape. I asked my boss to pick me up from the shop on his way to work and I’d arranged transportation home from there when I got off work. He drove a brand new Lexus, the first model they ever made. Anyway, they called my work a couple hours later and said I need front brakes and brake hoses and it would cost less than $200 and would be done the next day. I said ok. Long story short (too late) the bill was $1800. They said that basically everything they touch broke from rust. That had installed new calipers, brake lines, ball joints, tie rod ends, front shocks and a master cylinder and sent it to another shop for an alignment. I told them I’d payed $600 for the car and didn’t have the money. I asked why they hadn’t called me before they did the work and they basically said they figured it was a project car and my dad should pay. They saw my boss and his car and thought they had a rich kid and his muscle car. I’m the end my boss did take care of the issue and all I paid for was the original $200. Man that car rode so good after that!