Consumer court: Car mechanic directed to pay Rs65,000

CNG kit ruined during engine repairs, says petitioner.

LAHORE:

A consumer court has directed the proprietor of an auto workshop to pay Rs65,000 to a petitioner for ruining his car’s CNG kit and overcharging on repairs.

Petitioner Shaikh Khalid Habib submitted that he had asked the respondent for estimates for the repair of the ring pistons in his 2003 model Suzuki Baleno. He said when he returned to get the estimate, the respondent told him that his car engine had been opened and reassembled after the replacement of some parts. He said he was eventually handed over a total bill of Rs47,125, including Rs15,000 in service charges. He said that he was also overcharged on spare parts. He said that he paid the respondent Rs44,000, but he refused to return the car until he received the full amount.

Habib told the court that when he got his car back, the engine started playing up again and he had to send it back for more repairs. He said that the CNG kit had been damaged. He said that he had spent over Rs50,000 on petrol.

The respondent denied holding the car after he had been paid Rs44,000. He said that the car engine was opened with the petitioner’s permission.

The judge directed the respondent to pay the respondent Rs50,000 for his fuel charges, and compensation of Rs15,000 for overcharging.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2012.