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AIBU?

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Original poster

AA lied! WWYD?

261 replies

misstrot · 09/05/2023 12:48

I am FUMING! Lies! OMG-please read-sorry it's long-I need advice!
DD (20) hit a small piece of debris on motorway on the way home from uni on the motorway. Car seemed ok but next time she took it out it overheated so we called AA. Patrolman said everything was fine-it just needed oil and water (he filled water but we had to go get the oil) Now DD is a bit nervy driving so she asked was he sure it was ok to drive back to uni (2 hr drive) and he assured her-yes. Then I asked him and he said he 'wouldn't send a young girl onto the motorway in the car if he didn't believe the car was perfectly safe and roadworthy' Enter DH who asks him is he sure ok-doesn't need to be checked at the garage as his DD is very precious and he wants her to be safe etc-again AA reiterates 'all safe-all roadworthy-doesn't need anything doing"- I follow him to the van to input my email/sign attendance from and he tells me no need.
You guessed it-she goes back to uni and breaks down on the M4 in bad weather (it takes 5+ hours for them to send a recovery truck and she is traumatised!)
We get the car delivered back here and ask a local garage to come and look. The garage owner states the car had a severe water leak (the AA didn't pressure test the system) which has caused car to overheat and blown the head gasket-so dead. Bearing in mind DD worked and saved up all summer and only bought the car in August- from a reputable National chain and paid £4000 (it's a little mini) she is devastated.
Ok, so we send report to AA and ask for compensation/new (2nd hand) engine for car. They send an 'Independant Assessor' (paid for by AA and does most of his work for AA so not really independent!?) who literally spends 4 mins taking photos -opens the bonnet and says the head gasket has gone and leaves. His report states that it was our fault for driving it as the head gasket had gone (for clarity it was fine before-no smoke from exhaust and only had a full service and 120 point check in August etc)
The AA then state the patrolman informed us that the car was not roadworthy and should be taken to a garage so they don't hold liability!!!!!! WTF! A complete LIE and 360 on what he said to us. Sadly too late to download Ring doorbell footage to support us -as its gone and he never sent us an emailed report stating what he did or advised-normal protocol. Help! What can I do?

OP posts:
Male101 · 09/05/2023 13:12

Why didn't she pull over when she saw the temp rising?

holaholiday · 09/05/2023 13:12

as you have no paperwork given by the AA person have you checked that this is the right procedure?. Surely they have to get you to sign somehow ,even electronicaly,for what they have done/advised as this situation proves, as much to cover themselves as well as you….I’ve not broken down for yonks but remember being given a paper copy.

Male101 · 09/05/2023 13:14

Also minis are well known for head gasket failures

peachespeachespeaches · 09/05/2023 13:34

@Male101 both absolutely fantastically helpful responses. Thank god you're here.

neverknowinglyunreasonable · 09/05/2023 13:36

Male101 · 09/05/2023 13:12

Why didn't she pull over when she saw the temp rising?

I see the helpful car expert has logged on to save the day

neverknowinglyunreasonable · 09/05/2023 13:37

Male101 · 09/05/2023 13:14

Also minis are well known for head gasket failures

Lol! Will there be a third comment? A hat-trick of uselessness?

Boujee11 · 09/05/2023 13:38

There must be some record that he attended? I recently had a new battery from the AA and they did email a report over, I had to sign too when he was finished, did you?

Im99912 · 09/05/2023 13:39

I’ve had 3 mins over the years and in each one of them the head gasket went
my last mini only had 40000 miles
I’m just a sucker for them 😂
but you should have paperwork that clearly outlines what was done and anything that needs doing

AnObserverInThisDarkWorld · 09/05/2023 13:40

So - was she on the drive when it wouldn't start?

It was definitely suspect he didn't ask any paperwork to be signed and I'd push with the AA that nothing was signed to prove he'd said it wasn't roadworthy either

If you and DH were so concerned, which it sounds like you already didn't trust him, why didn't you take the car to get checked over anyway?

SofiaSoFar · 09/05/2023 13:44

neverknowinglyunreasonable · 09/05/2023 13:37

Lol! Will there be a third comment? A hat-trick of uselessness?

Show quote history

I'm not sure why people think these are useless responses.

OP might be able to complain that the AA person didn't spot the severity of the leak but the rest is avoidable, consequential damage.

You can't possibly claim it's the AA's fault she ignored the overheating to the point it trashed the engine.

Crazy.

Male101 · 09/05/2023 13:45

SofiaSoFar · 09/05/2023 13:44

I'm not sure why people think these are useless responses.

OP might be able to complain that the AA person didn't spot the severity of the leak but the rest is avoidable, consequential damage.

You can't possibly claim it's the AA's fault she ignored the overheating to the point it trashed the engine.

Crazy.

Show quote history

Makes sense to me

Male101 · 09/05/2023 14:01

peachespeachespeaches · 09/05/2023 13:34

@Male101 both absolutely fantastically helpful responses. Thank god you're here.

Wheres your helpful response then???

Burnamer · 09/05/2023 14:03

Traumatised??

Sorry, I know that’s unhelpful!

Appleass · 09/05/2023 14:07

Male101 · 09/05/2023 13:12

Why didn't she pull over when she saw the temp rising?

Really useful response !!

starfishmummy · 09/05/2023 14:07

So why didn’t she stop as soon as the temperature gauge showed it was rising or the warning light came on?

GimmeSleep · 09/05/2023 14:08

In Male's defence isn't pulling over if the temp goes up common knowledge? 🤔

Male101 · 09/05/2023 14:08

starfishmummy · 09/05/2023 14:07

So why didn’t she stop as soon as the temperature gauge showed it was rising or the warning light came on?

Careful I keep getting twaty replies to asking this

GimmeSleep · 09/05/2023 14:10

Male101 · 09/05/2023 14:08

Careful I keep getting twaty replies to asking this

Show quote history

😂

bunnyrabbitsandbutterflies · 09/05/2023 14:11

You should have received an email of the report that you signed on your drive. Surely that can be re-sent by AA?

Either way, did the car not indicate it was overheating on the journey back to Uni? The temp gauge would have been off the scale to blow the head gasket.

SargentSagittarius · 09/05/2023 14:11

Burnamer · 09/05/2023 14:03

Traumatised??

Sorry, I know that’s unhelpful!

She was stuck on the side of a motorway alone for five hours. Anything could have happened to her.

FML this reminds me why I never start threads on here.

SofiaSoFar · 09/05/2023 14:14

GimmeSleep · 09/05/2023 14:08

In Male's defence isn't pulling over if the temp goes up common knowledge? 🤔

Absolutely.

Quite shocking that people are seemingly replying that you need to be a formula one mechanic to know to stop.

Male101 · 09/05/2023 14:18

SofiaSoFar · 09/05/2023 14:14

Absolutely.

Quite shocking that people are seemingly replying that you need to be a formula one mechanic to know to stop.

Show quote history

It also implies a level of responsibility to the op DD for the car needing a new head gasket, and we cant have now can we lol

Burnamer · 09/05/2023 14:22

@Male101 I think if your username was 2 letters longer you wouldn’t have had the response you’ve had.

@SargentSagittarius but she presumably had a phone and whilst I’m sure it was an unpleasant experience, she could see that it was ultimately going to end ok. To describe is a trauma seems strong.

Burnamer · 09/05/2023 14:22

Also, she can’t have been more than 2 hours from OPs house so her parent could have gone and got her if it was that bad.

Male101 · 09/05/2023 14:23

Burnamer · 09/05/2023 14:22

@Male101 I think if your username was 2 letters longer you wouldn’t have had the response you’ve had.

@SargentSagittarius but she presumably had a phone and whilst I’m sure it was an unpleasant experience, she could see that it was ultimately going to end ok. To describe is a trauma seems strong.

Definitely. The responses are 100% based on the assumption I'm male