Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Maryland

Mechanic taking exponentially longer to fix car than quoted

I dropped my car off to have work done by a shop. The work involved can take anywhere between 1-3 days depending on the experience of the mechanic.

Since I dropped it off, a month has passed.The mechanic has given me 4-5 deadlines of when the car will be finished, and all have come and passed. It is going on the 5th week for work that I personally could do in a week,and I'm not mechanically inclined whatsoever.

I just got off the phone, and now he won't even give me a deadline. So can he just hold the car indefinately until he decided when he wants to finish it? There was no official documentation of when the car was going to be finished. This is my ONLY mode of transportation, and I have had no car for the past month, bumming rides off of random people.


Asked on 11/07/03, 2:54 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Sher Wagshal and Sher

Re: Mechanic taking exponentially longer to fix car than quoted

You didn't specify the nature of the work to be done, but presumably it's something relatively simple if it should normally take 1-3 days. Unless the delay is beyond the mechanic's control, such as a problem with obtaining parts, the mechanic can fairly be said to be in breach of contract, which impliedly requires his work to be comleted in a reasonable period of time.

You should demand your car back and arrange to take it to another shop. You might first want to check with other shops to make sure they can complete the repair job and this time, get a time estimate. You will probably have to pay the mechanic for any work he did, but if your final out of pocket cost exceeds the original estimate, you could sue him for the difference in small claims court. At least you'll get your car back.

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Answered on 11/07/03, 4:55 pm


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