What to do if I took my truck to a mechanic to bleed the brakes lines but they caused damage to my car in the process?
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What to do if I took my truck to a mechanic to bleed the brakes lines but they caused damage to my car in the process?
It was suppossed to cost me $79 plus a tow. Once the technicians started working on the truck, they broke the bleeder screws on all 4 wheels and failed to contact me that all 4 bleeders were broken until I called to inquire when I could pick up my truck. They then told me that it would cost $789 to replace the wheel cylinders and capilers. I went down to the mechanic and they told me they were not responsible because the screws were rusty and it was the only way they were going to come out.
Asked on December 17, 2013 under Business Law, Minnesota
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
You can sue the mechanic for negligence. Negligence is the failure to exercise due care (that degree of care that a reasonable mechanic would have exercised under the same or similar circumstances to prevent foreseeable harm). You can file your lawsuit in Small Claims Court. Your damages (the amount of compensation you are seeking in your lawsuit) would be the cost of repairs to your truck ($789), cost of a rental car if you need a rental car while your truck is being repaired, and court costs. You will need to mitigate (minimize) damages by selecting a rental car with a reasonable rate. If you were to select the most expensive rental car you could find, you have failed to mitigate damages and your damages would be reduced accordingly.
Court costs include the court filing fee and process server fee.
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