What to Do When You Had an Auto Repair and Found a Recall Notice Later On

This is a common issue: you bring your car to an auto repair shop to have a problem fixed, you pay for the repair, and then later on discovered that there has been a recall of the part that you had fixed. So what do you do now?

WHAT TO DO:

Well, the first thing to do in this case is to prepare to file for a reimbursement. Among the most important things that you’ll need during the filing process are the documents that show proof of the repair done on your car. You must also show proof that the repair performed on your vehicle solved the problem for the reimbursement to be approved. You can find forms online or in the website of the manufacturer of your car. You just have to fill up the forms, send to the concerned individuals, and then wait for notice of action.

WHICH CAN BE REIMBURSED:

There’s been this belief that manufacturers will only reimburse payment for repair when the repair was done in the dealership, but you can actually be reimbursed even if you brought your car to a third party auto repair shop as long as you had proper documentation. In fact, some are reimbursed even if they do the job themselves—just that the reimbursement is only for the part mounted and not for the labor.

You can also claim for a reimbursement when you had the vehicle repaired after a notice had been released, if you haven’t received the notice yet or if it’s an emergency situation or were not aware that the problem was related to the recall done. Just call the manufacturer and negotiate.

SOME CONDITIONS:

If there’s one condition here, it’s that your car has to be 10 years old or below based on the date of purchase. Older than 10 years old and you your car is already excluded from the recall.