No matter how well you use or maintain your car, the truth is that the car will still develop issues either due to failing parts or lack of proper maintenance. When these issues come up, it is wise to take the car to the auto shop for the issues to be diagnosed and fixed.
However, the question is, after taking your car to an auto shop for a repair job, how long can a mechanic legally keep your car to fix?
There is no defined limit to how long a mechanic can legally keep your car for a fix, especially the standalone auto shops. However, the mechanic is expected to complete the repairs on time and must inform you before making additional repairs.
How Long Can a Mechanic Legally Keep Your Car to Fix?
There is no law specifying how long a mechanic can keep your car in their garage/workshop for repairs. If you feel that the mechanic is taking too long to fix your car, you can take it somewhere else for repairs.
The amount of time needed to fix a car depends on the fault the car is having. Some faults can be fixed quickly while others need more time to be fixed.
For example, if you take your car to an auto shop for a mass air flow sensor replacement or even a spark plug replacement. The mass air flow sensor and the spark plug can easily be replaced the same day and you get your car the same day or highest the next day.
However, when you take your car to an auto shop for a transmission problem and they need to bring down the transmission from your car for repair, you don’t expect them to finish the work the same day or the next day.
Therefore, the nature of the fix you want to make on your car will determine how long it will take the mechanic to complete it.
On the other hand, it is unusual for your car to spend one week in an auto shop just for a spark plug change. When this happens, you have every reason to worry and ask questions, especially when the mechanic is giving you excuses that don’t make sense.
In this case, you can either wait until whenever he fixes the car or take your car elsewhere.
Meanwhile, it is quite understandable if there are so many other cars in the auto shop before you. The mechanic may want to fix those cars that were there before you before starting yours, hence why it may take too much time.
If this is the case, you will be told by the mechanic. Also, if there are additional repairs that need to be done in the car, the mechanic must seek your consent before commencing.
For example, if your car was scanned and it reads cylinder 3 misfire which could be caused by bad spark plugs. If in the process of replacing the spark plug, he noticed that the other spark plugs in the car are worn out and need to be replaced, he can’t make the replacement without first getting a go-ahead order from you.
How to Know If a Mechanic is Taking Too Long With the Repairs
To know if a mechanic is taking too long with the repairs, you should:
1. Consider the Nature of the Damage
Depending on the problem that brought you to the auto shop, you should be able to know if the mechanic is taking too long to have it fixed.
As reiterated earlier, you don’t expect your car to be ready in two days when you have a transmission problem that will warrant the auto shop to detach the transmission from the engine.
But if you bring your car to an auto shop for a spark plug change and it takes forever to fix, then it is obvious that the mechanic is taking too long to have your car fixed, especially if he has not notified you about any new fault that may take more time to fix.
2. Check His Countenance
The countenance of the mechanic in charge of your car will tell you if he is purposely taking too much time to have your car fixed or not.
For example, if your car has been in an auto shop for over 2 weeks for just a spark plug replacement if you keep calling the auto shop/mechanic and no one is picking up the calls, then it’s obvious they are taking too much time to do the job.
The same goes for when they pick up the call and hung up immediately after finding out you’re the one that called. Even if they finally pick up the call and start giving you excuses that don’t make sense, you are however, advised to go pick up your car and take it elsewhere for repairs.
3. Other Cars in the Auto Shop
If you meet other cars in the auto shop that needs repairs, chances are that the mechanic may not want to abandon them to fix yours. You may have to wait until he is done with the ones that came before you before commencing on yours, hence why it seems as if a simple spark plug change is taking years to complete.
How Long is Too Long for My Car to be in the Auto Shop
It depends on the nature of the fix that needs to be done in your car. Taking a whole 7 days just to replace one spark plug is too long. However, it is not too long if it takes the auto shop 1 week to repair your transmission. So, it all depends on the nature of the damage.
If you take your car to an auto shop for an engine knock fix, or oil leaks caused by a bad head gasket, you don’t expect the problem to be fixed the same day, it may take some time before it will be fixed. But a spark plug replacement can be done the same day if the mechanic is not busy.
What Car Repair Takes the Longest
The car repair that takes the longest is:
- Transmission Problems: Transmission problems can take too long to be fixed especially if it’s a problem that needs the transmission to be detached from the engine. The process takes time coupled with the fact that they will need to remove the transmission fluid and either add it back or replace it with a new one.
- Engine Problems: Some engine-related problems can take too much time to be fixed especially if it’s something that happened inside the engine.
- AC Related Problems: Some AC problems can take too long to be fixed especially when they are yet to figure out what is causing the AC to misbehave.
What to Do if Mechanic Keeps Your Car For Too Long
If you feel the car has spent too many weeks in the auto shop without a tangible explanation of why the issue is yet to be fixed, you can take your business elsewhere. Pick your car and take it to another auto shop.
You can also take legal action against an auto shop that has delayed too long in fixing your car without giving you any form of explanation of why the car is yet to be fixed.
If after 12 days and your car is yet to be fixed, you have every reason to ask questions and if you are not getting anything at all, you can take legal action.
We all know how the law works. Therefore, before taking any legal action, ensure your evidence is visible coupled with your car documents, history of repairs, sales contract, etc. You need them to back up your argument. You can apply for the Lemon Law Case.
Rules Mechanic Must Follow While Fixing Your Car
- The auto shop or the mechanic is expected to keep you informed about the progress and every new stage of the repair
- The auto shop/mechanic is expected to get your consent before making any new additional repairs
- The auto shop/mechanic is not mandated to repair any issue that is not authorized by the car owner. You can’t go from replacing the throttle body to replacing the whole transmission without getting the consent of the customer.
Final Thoughts
Taking your car to a mechanic to be fixed is one thing, fixing the car on time is another thing. So, how long can a mechanic legally keep your car to fix is the question. Depending on the nature of the damage that brought you to the auto shop, it may take less or more time to have the car fixed. However, if you’re not seeing any improvement from the time frame given to you, you can take your car to another auto shop for repairs.
