Following an accident, a garage towed away my car and provided me a quote for a repair. The front left wing of my car was damaged with the bodywork and suspension needing repair. The engine was working fine as I drove the car off the motorway and it did not overheat. The garage told me that they would charge me £1600 for the repair which was detailed (replacement of parts on suspension and body) but I negotiated this down to £1000.

After having said that they would repair it in a few weeks, they informed me about 9 weeks later that the repair had been completed but that there was now a problem with the engine. They said there was a crack in a cylinder and basically that the car needs a new engine.

Considering the car is not worth more than £1000, I would not have asked them to carry out the repair had they carried out a proper initial diagnosis and picked up that the engine was seriously damaged. They now say that I owe them the money for a car which I cannot even drive. I feel like I am being scammed here. Please advise on where I stand legally.

I also allege that the engine was normal when they took the car (backed up by the fact that they mentioned no engine problem in their initial diagnosis) and believe that the engine was damaged while the car was in their care. Again, I do not know how I stand from a legal standpoint. Please advise on whether I have a case so I know how strong my bargaining position is. I would be most grateful.