I kind of doubt you can legally waltz right in and take your car back. You had a verbal agreement that a service would be rendered and you'd pay for the service. The work was done and you weren't happy with it; that really doesn't matter, the work was still done. If you're unhappy about the work, don't go to that shop again.

And you being a minor doesn't make you special... go grab a 6-pack, find a police cruiser, and throw your empty cans at the cruiser; you'll see just how well adult laws apply to minors.



And since nobody asked yet, what work was done to your car and why aren't you happy with it?

 

you can actually waltz right in and take your car, same as if you didnt pay your rent, the landlord cannot legally hold your belongings.

 

Yeah, I believe the waltzing applies. What happened was I took the car in to get my transmission properly bolted in, and the idiot found all kinds of problems that weren't even legitimate. I left the car there for an hour and when I received a phone call they told me I had a timing problem. Regardless of whether or not the vehicle did, it was never run with a timing problem, and I never touched the timing belt or anything close to it. After they finished the work, I found that there were far many more problems. They hinted that the vehicle had been run with the problem and obviously needed a new engine because of its low compression. The reason I've become such a dick about the situation is I believe they fired it up with the timing problem and it finished itself off in their care. They refuse to admit to it, so I'm getting my money back so I can get rid of the hunk and find a new vehicle. I know adult laws can still apply, and they could sue my parents, but what makes you think they'd waste that amount of money to just reclaim the same, if not less than the amount they would have received originally? I'm pretty sure this one gets off easy with the dispute (however, I'll keep you guys informed).

 

When everything is done by the book, a mechanic does have the right to keep your car until you pay him or agree on arrangements to pay later. This almost never happens though. It would require:

a written estimate for specific work to be done, and the cost in writing too.
car owner signs the estimate (*)
work is completed properly
mechanic has not been paid.

(*) I don't think it matters that you're under 18, if you are on the title of the car then it is entirely your car and it can be taken away.

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Now as a practical matter, if I were him, I'd be glad to have you take the car away and never bother me again.

 

when you got the call for the timing belt, did you give them the go-ahead to fix it? If you didn't you legally don't need to pay for those repairs since the customer (you) never authorized them. If you gave them permission, I'm not sure if you'll have to pay or not. Technically, I believe they'd need authorization for every repair that isn't directly related to a previously authorized repair.

Like mk378 said, initially the customer should sign the estimate, and if additional work is found and the customer isn't available to sign/authorize it, a documented phone call to the customer for authorization will suffice.

 

sounds kinda fishy why would you bolt a new trans to a shot motor were you replacing the engine?????