A three-week repair to my cherished Mini has taken eight months | Money

I am a pensioner and last September had my cherished low-mileage classic Mini transported to a garage in Northampton for repairs on its automatic gearbox.

I wanted the car checked over because I intended to take part in a 1,000-mile charity drive to raise money for multiple sclerosis. But eight months later I still don’t have my car back.

I chose Kingsthorpe Precision Engineering, which trades as AP2 World, because the website described it as a world leader in classic Mini repairs. The owner, Martin Altria, told me the job would cost £2,400 and take three weeks.

I keep getting different excuses for the delay. The last one was that the air conditioning was faulty and a £400 part was required. I reluctantly purchased the part and had it sent there. That was six weeks ago.

My Mini is worth £10,000 and, as a full-time carer for my disabled wife, I don’t have the money to hire a lawyer. I miss driving my car and would be grateful for any advice.

DG, Dronfield

My first thought was to seek advice from the police, who in the end did facilitate the return of your Mini. However, the garage told Northamptonshire police it had kept the car because the £2,345 bill had not been paid. You insist you were never sent a bill to pay and this had never been cited as the reason for the long delay.

The police advised you to settle the bill – a garage can hold on to your car while there is a payment outstanding under “liens” law – but to write “paying under protest” on their copy. This lets the garage know they can expect further action.

To your frustration, the police said this was a civil matter over payment and advised you to have the car assessed. If the repairs were unsatisfactory, you could report the garage to Trading Standards and pursue your cash via the small claims court.

So you paid the invoice plus another £160 to have the car picked up and your cherished Mini is back with you. However, you say the repair work has not been done. We tried unsuccessfully to seek a refund on your behalf but could get no response from Altria via email or phone.

You have reported the firm to Trading Standards and are considering a small claims court action. Going to the small claims court (there’s a different process in Scotland and Northern Ireland) is a last resort and you must pay a court fee (in this case about £200). We wish you luck.

Is there a reader with a classic Mini who has had a positive repair experience?

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