My question involves a consumer law issue in the State of: Washington
Just a quick, simple question. What is the statute of limitations on auto repairs in Washington State? The repairs I am referencing were not related to an accident. thanks!
My question involves a consumer law issue in the State of: Washington
Just a quick, simple question. What is the statute of limitations on auto repairs in Washington State? The repairs I am referencing were not related to an accident. thanks!
We need more details to know what your talking about.
Well, here's the basic story. I moved to Spokane, WA from Texas in Feb 2010. My clutch went out and I had it repaired at a shop recommended to me by a friend. They replaced the clutch the end of Feb 2010; I started noticing that I was having problems getting my car into gear on hills. I called the shop when this problem began, and asked them to fix it. The repair guy at the shop then told me that my synchronizers were going out and it was time for me "to start looking for a new transmission." They refused to look at the clutch or consider that the issue might be related to the installation of the new clutch. I eked along for a long time having to restart my vehicle in order to get it into gear. Eventually, air made its way into the hydraulic system and the 3dot brake fluid eventually completely leaked out. I had to pump my clutch for sometimes several minutes in order to gain any pressure in my clutch to get it into gear. Then I sought a second opinion and took the vehicle to another shop who confirmed that the reason my clutch was not operating properly was that the shop who replaced the clutch neglected to install the retaining clip for the push rod on the slave cylinder. As it was explained to me by the mechanic who replaced the master/slave cylinder unit, it was to be expected that the problem would gradually get worse the more the car was driven, so it made sense to him that almost 2 years had gone by before I started experiencing this issue. I had already contacted the original shop who replaced the clutch by mail and received no response. they are not registered with the BBB, so I am considering a small claims suit. I have the part from the shop which clearly shows the damage to the slave cylinder, documentation, and a claim against me when my vehicle slid into a parked car due to a combination of adverse weather conditions and the malfunctioning clutch.
Also, the mechanic who ultimately fixed my vehicle confirmed that my transmission is in excellent condition, which I already knew.
Oral agreements and written contracts are 4 years in TX. Do you have an oral or written contract that states anything about a warranty with the shop? Assuming even if you did, the contract would only have been for 1 year at most. If so, the time to do anything about the warranty would have been prior to it's expiration date.
The warranty, in writing, guarantees the work at 1 year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. So yes, the time is up on the warranty. However, the shop refused to fix or even look at the issue and gave me erroneous information trying to get more work out of me. Is there any recourse?? Also, the amount of time it took for the issue to come to full fruition was 2 years and doesn't change the fact that the shop was in error. Any recourse? Fraud?
The shop refused to look at the issue when? Before the warranty expired, or after?
If the shop refused to look at it after the warranty had expired, you have no recourse.
If the shop refused to look at the issue while the warranty was in effect, you should have immediately went to another licensed shop and had that shop confirm - in writing, that the original shop work was the problem and not something else. Then you could have sued the shop for breach of contract. But two years after the fact, I think is going to be way to long for you to recover anything.
I took the car in as SOON as the problem started, well before the warranty was up. They refused to investigate the clutch at all and told me my transmission needed to be replaced. I told the mechanic that I didn't believe that for a second and that I wanted him to re-evaluate the installation job he did on clutch because my car ran perfectly prior to having it repaired there. He told me that it was not a clutch issue, but that my synchronizers were worn out and I needed to look for a new transmission. As I stated before, I have a very limited income and no choice but to drive the car as it was. The mechanic who eventually fixed the hydraulic system told me, flat out, that the issues I was experiencing would have taken a lot of mileage and/or time before they began really causing problems. He said he thinks I have a case against them for negligence and is wiling to vouch for me. I just wanted to know what the statute of limitations is in Washington for this type of thing, whether you wanna call it consumer fraud, shady business practices, whatever... because regardless of what the warranty said, the guy refused to honor it. I am out a lot of money because of it and the problem took a long time to reach the level it eventually got to when the air got into the system d/t the missing retaining clip for the push rod on my slave cylinder. The reason he told me it was my transmission was because he wanted me to go out and buy either a used transmission or one through their shop so they could get more work and money outta me. He tried to take advantage of several factors: I was a single woman, I was new to the area, and my dad was paying for the repairs (as a loan). My car is quite literally running perfectly now that the hydraulic system was replaced. I sent a certified letter today. So we will see.