Heres a nice easy one...

Sorry this is quite long but I want to get it all in...

About a month ago I was rear shunted at the lights when a car faield to stop
in time.

Damage was not that substationl but required an adjustment to the boot and a
new rear bumber.

My insurace company (the one with a mouse) got me sorted out with thier
prefered garage very quickly and got me a courtesy car with all the
trimmings. A few weeks later and my car is ready. I am pleased with the
work. The car happend to be already open (not locked) in the repariers
garage but I thought nothing of it at the time.

I get the car home and lock it using my central locking button on my key.

Around 5 days pass before I come to use the car again at the weekend. I use
a company vehicle during the week.

When I come to open the car, my central locking does not work, it turns the
alarm off - i.e. the indicators flash but does not open the doors. I ahve to
use the key to do that. I get in and drive away to go shopping, lock thar
car with central locking and the alarm goes on no problem. I come back the
car and try to unlock the car with central locking and it does not work. I
use the key. My alarm goes off. I try to open the boot with the central
locking - doesn't work I have to use a lever in the car. I will investigate
the problem more when I get home.

On the way home I realise my fuel guage and trip comupter are showing me
that I am nearly empty. I decide to fill the car up. I only manage to
squeese about 15 quids worth in. My fuel tank is still half full !!! even
though my guages say otherwise.

On the way home I monitor the fuel guage and the trip computer and it jumps
between 500 miles and 200 miles and miles in between frequently.

The accident occured ont he rear side where the fuel tank was. I stop and
check there is no leakage. None. But the fuel guage is still all over the
place so I decide to phone my insurance when I get back in. They say take it
along to the repair garage and complain.

It is now 5pm on the Saturday so I will have to wait until monday. I take
the car back to the repair garage and they was helpfull and stripped the car
down again to check all the wires had been refitted again properly.
eveything seemed to be in place.

We dont have the tools or skills to fix this as we do not know the cause
they say. Suggest you take it back to alfa. That was last week

SO Today - I take it back to alfa. They will not look at it unless I pay a
labour investigation fee. And they then say if they need to reset the key to
the car or vise versa it will be around 150+vat !!!

I phone my isurance company back - they are not willung to pick any of these
costs up. They say the repairing garage should foot these bills. But the
repairing garage says that they have nothing to do with it.

Where do I stand now?

Aparently I am going to get a call from my isurance company from the
complait manager as I have lodged an offical complaint about this repair
garage... but it doesn't get my car fixed...