Please Help!! Car Majorly Stuffed!!!

[Kenji]

Hi guys

To cut a long story short...

I just got may car back from the panel beaters.
The next day I noticed the radio did't work and the battery light on my dash was on, which was't the case before I gave them my car, so I took the car back to them and they figured it was a fuse for the radio and said my alternator could be kaput for the light on the dash.

Then the panel beater started to reveal that he jump started the car and I questioned him on these faults were due to the jump start. He denied it. The car drove fine....... so I let it go....

The next day I was driving it down Victoria Rd doing about 70 the ABS light and other lights started to flash the rev meter started to drop and jump up the whole dash went haywire and then the car just died, luckily I was able to pull into a side street. I try to start the car again the windows just go down. WTF???!!!

I suspect the panel beater fried my ECU as well as blowing the fuse for the radio and possibly destroying the alternator but it drove fine for about a day.

So I got a quite massive dilemma on my hands, my car is stranded about 30mins from home I got no cash to have it looked at. The insurance company just says its ware and tare, which I think Not!

Any advice on what to do or what you think has happened to my car would be greatly appreciated,
as i have quite a battle in front of me, I need as much ammunition to take in to this fight to get them to fix my car.

Thank You

Kenji

[The_Hawk]

It could be pure coincidence... but then it sounds a bit strange that the problems started straight after the repairs.

Was the repair done by insurance or by you?

If it was an insurance job I'd be arguing with them that it was an unsatisfactory job by the repairer and letting them fight for you (after all it is what you pay them for).

If, on the other hand, you had the work done yourself. Then it's up to you to have that fight with the panel beater.

[Smeeeb]

Please Help!! Car Majorly Stuffed!!!

Just sue everyone till you get your way.

It always works.

[jamesatfish]

Take a good look at the electrical system, particularly the ground / earthing points on the car.

If an earth point or cable has been bumped, not re-installed correctly or otherwise not providing a perfect electrical connection then it is possible that not enough current is getting through the electrical system, which can manifest itself in things like the battery / alternator warning light (a failing alternator would also be unable to provide sufficient electrical current) as well as the haywire electrics you are seeing.

The earthing point in one of my cars came loose leaving a motorsport event a couple of years ago - first symptom was a check engine light so I decided to turn off and restart the car at the next intersection (it was an italian car, random warnings like that go with the territory). When restarting the car however everything electric inside the car went crazy and one of the headlamp washers popped up and started spraying the headlight.

Once we discovered the problem a quick fix to get the car running again was to connect a jumper lead from the negative battery terminal to another point on the chassis - thus providing another earth path for the current.

I make no guarantees you've got the same issue with your car but I'd be looking at the earth points as an option before you start considering worst case scenarios. The fact that so many electrical systems are broken suggests to me the problem lies before things like the ECU - if they had just fried the engine computer you wouldn't be able to start the car but you should still be able to use accessories like the power windows and mirrors, headlights etc.

[Stanton]

Failure because of repair shop.Tell insurance co you are going for a lawyer.If no result call lawyer.

[Guest001]

Which parts of the car were dismantled by the panel beater

Full information helps get better answers

EG if a rear ender Or frontal or what.

Would have though battery would have been disconnected before starting work especially if welding on it.

[Kenji]

Thanks for the quick reply guys!!

@The Hawk: It was through insurance, but as you know they are the professionals of deny and shift blame.

@Smeeb: I would love to sue every one but I don't have the money, and to do that you need proof or evidence to support your claim.

@jamessatfish: I will definitely have a good look at the electrical, and try that cool trick with the jumper lead on the body but will it work through the paint??

@Stanton: I would like to but, I need to gather more infornation before I can go forward with that.

@Hillbilly: The damage was done on the front passenger quarter panel and door the damage was very light BTW its 94 VR6

[ian]

When I had my Golf repaired after I was hit in the L/H side front I found that the wipers didn't work, to make matter worse it was the VW dealers getting the DSG replaced and I blamed them, so they kept it over night and gave me a loan car , ,when I picked it up they informed me that the earth on the bonnet catch had come off thus no wipers.
The repairer had not connected it ,lucky for me they didn't know the car had just been repaired .

[jamesatfish]

@jamessatfish: I will definitely have a good look at the electrical, and try that cool trick with the jumper lead on the body but will it work through the paint??

If a bad earth connection is the issue then yes it should work through the paint (which isn't a perfect insulator) but ideally try somewhere under the bonnet where there's as little paint as possible - for example the heads of bolts holding pieces of chassis together. The jumper lead trick mightn't solve the problem to the point where the car is back to normal, but if things improve with the jumper connection in place then it might help you confirm that the earth connection is indeed the issue.

[Kenji]

So from the replys we can say its 90% certain its a earth/grounding problem

[Kenji]

And possibly its not a jumpstart issue but more of a issue of not putting everthing back together

[JustCruisn]

Check connection from the alternator to the battery.
The battery terminals may be loose.
I had a loose connection on my mk4 and it caused the line to heat up and burn out. I had the same issue with the dash doing nuts and as the engine died and left me stuck on the side of the road.