Dear Car Talk:
My 1992 Volvo 240 sedan was broken into and attempted stolen in Washington state. To make a long story short, the shop took several weeks to procure and install a replacement for the steering lock and ignition cylinder.
When I picked up the car, I found trim pieces bulging out in the area of the steering column and the center console askew and was told they got the “wrong part” and had to modify it to fit.
All of this information was given to me AFTER the “repairs” were done and I never gave them permission to do any such modification. I’m afraid their modifications are irreversible as I found metal shavings and pieces of metal around the driver footwell.
I ended up getting my money back but is this grounds for more compensation? — Liam
Yes, more compensation is appropriate, Liam. You should bring them a dozen brownies, too.
Honestly, you ended up with a pretty good deal. You got your 30-year-old car fixed for free. The only way it could have been a better deal for you is if the thief had been successful.
The problem is that parts for a car like this are nearly impossible to find. That’s why it took them weeks. And when they finally found one that they were told could work, they did their best to fix the car for you.
There’s a metal collar that goes around the steering column that holds the steering wheel and ignition locks. They probably couldn’t find one for your exact year, and you were probably calling saying “I need my car,” so they got as close as they could.
To make it fit, they probably had to grind the metal collar, so the wheel and ignition locks would work. That’s what the shavings are from. And I’m guessing it took more “customizing” than they expected. But once they were into it, they wanted to make it work.
I agree, they absolutely should have communicated all this to you before the work was done. That’s their mistake (along with not vacuuming the footwell!). They should have said “this is option A. Option B is we keep looking, but we have no idea if or when we’ll find the part. Option C is come get your car.”
But my guess is that they put a considerable amount of time, and some money, into this job. And when you objected to the way it looked, they did the right thing and gave you all your money back. That seems pretty fair to me.
I don’t know if any of their work is irreversible. But you now have a working car and your money back. So, if you want to go find a Volvo specialty restorer or search for the exact part yourself, you can do that.
Or you can just live with that bulge around the steering column. That happens with age. I’ve got one, too, Liam.
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