Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Guys I'd like to get your thoughts on something.

As some of you may know back in November I had a single vehicle accident which resulted in my car ending up on its side on the dual carriageway embankment.

The bodyshop is one of my own choice and is the same one I have used when needed for at least ten years, in fact the front of the car only had paintwork the week before the accident. I agreed to collect the car today despite the fact they are waiting for a couple of wheel arch stone chip protectors (the stick on bits)
Anyway whilst driving home (the car drives fine) I was testing knobs and switches etc to see what was working and I did find an issue with the drivers mirror not working left to right and I was almost home when I switched the heater on only to find that I had hardly any heat which was followed shortly by the temperature rising to the 3/4 mark, as I pulled up home I find the that the car has no coolant in the tank whatsoever!

I have not signed off on any paperwork and after further inspection I have a list of issues;

No coolant (should I get a sniff test done after driving 20 miles like this)
Scratches on the freshly painted front bumper
Poor stone chip on the wing (fine on the sill)
Fresh scratches in the paint above newly applied stone chip on the sill.
Dashboard looks like it been wiped with a cloth that might have had some form of solvent on it (appear to be light in places and has some strange streaks on it but requires further investigation)
Drivers mirror not working correctly

Other niggles I could live with;

Engine bay covered in dust and dirt.
Masked paint marks on rubber around rear quarter light window
Lots of silicone sprayed over interior panels (even on the stereo)


I have spoken to the garage re the scratches, the mirror and the lack of coolant but how should I progress with the latter? Having had the car for nearly two months I know they have ran the car frequently if not daily, I have no idea how long they have run the car with no coolant or whether the engine has got extremely hot or even overheated and I need some suggestions on how I should progress and what should I insist on ?
With regards to the scratches I know the will attend to them but right now i'm more concerned with any possible damage to my engine.

In discussion with the garage I have agreed to fill the car with coolant and run it up over the weekend to check for any leaks but what if there aren't any? should I express my concerns with the insurance company in the first instance.

The garage carrying out the repair carries all responsibilities to ensure the car was fit for the road before releasing it to the customer. As you stated the car had been on its side, so all fluids should have been checked as part of the course to ensure the car was road worthy.

Hi

Assuming the Insurance company are paying, do this....

Take car back !

Inform insurance company AND bodywork shop that you WILL not take it back until ALL problems are resolved.....the insurance company should get involved then (they are paying dont forget)

Ask bodyshop to ring you WHEN CAR IS PERFECT.......

Go to pick up car and DO NOT take it away until YOU have checked EVERYTHING ON CAR and engine.....

REPEAT above until its ALL fixed......

All the best Brett