I could not recommend them at all. They are as competent as they were helpful. I have a large file of correspondence and photographs documenting this. I have offered one star only because the rating does not go lower.
The first courtesy car was filthy inside, full of dog hair, smelt revolting and had a yellow liquid swilling round the boot, probably derived from the same dog. Second courtesy car had a passenger door which didn't open. Third had an opening passenger door but the seat would not flip forward. Fourth had head restraints too low for safety. Fifth would have been acceptable if it had been presented earlier. On several occasions the manager incorrectly stated that I was not blame free in the accident, and therefore was not a priority for a better car.
It took 9 weeks to open the boot car so I could retrieve a toolkit. 13 weeks to return the car. They assured me all parts had been ordered within a week of the accident. An order trace from the dealership which was sourcing parts established that this was untrue - many parts had only been ordered eight weeks after the accident. Finally, one Friday, the manager assured me there was about a day and a half's work required to finish the job, subject to delivery of a turbo pipe. (note that for later). The part was delivered before noon the following Tuesday - per their promises the car should have been ready for collection Wednesday afternoon. On Friday afternoon I called as they had no intention to keep me informed, to be told the car had a coolant leak (remember that). I collected the car the following Monday - the steering was misaligned. I called them, they insisted it was perfect. The car leaked coolant and required a coolant top-up with every tank of fuel. I got an alignment test which showed how far their interpretation of perfection falls short of acceptable.
The car had the wrong windscreen, items of trim misaligned including mudflaps which the manager insisted: "must have left the factory like that, we didn't have those off". I had photographs of the car stripped down, and showing original windscreen. The climate control blasted hot or cold but nothing in between. Fuel consumption increased considerably - down from 33.6 to 26.4mpg on my daily commute. The car was automatic and would not engage reverse correctly - it would not move as the throttle was depressed until suddenly it engaged and rocketed backwards at 15 - 20mph, not ideal for manoeuvring or parking. The manager told me that's how climate control works, all automatics are like that, and besides they hadn't touched the gearbox at all. Fortunately the parts trace listed the gear box cover, and they had already confirmed the fluid used in the gearbox.
Over the next few months every single front bulb fused due to fingerprinting during rebuild - that's about £60 worth because they lack the competence to even fit a bulb. The fuel consumption got worse, below 16mpg, and the car broke down repeatedly. One breakdown involved the turbo pipe (remember that?) They insisted they had never touched the pipe and it must have left the factory like that. I found a chassis leg which had been wire brushed for welding and never repainted or rustproofed - the manager's reponse was "What were you looking at that for? You shouldn't have found that." He insisted I was making a fuss over nothing because the chassis leg was galvanised and couldn't possibly rust (take note).
After numerous breakdowns, 39 trips to their workshop for various reasons, and 24 weeks off the road, the gearbox broke. I got the car to a competent garage who initially presented me with a bill for almost £5500 because the gearbox failure was not covered by warranty due to other repairs. I asked for a cover letter to that effect so I could pursue action against the repair shop, but unfortunately the garage then "did me a favour" by passing it under warranty after all. During the strip-down for gearbox repair, it was evident that the wheel arch liners had never been properly fitted after the accident repair, and the chassis leg which couldn't possibly rust was now well rusted.
The insurance company informed me, and I quote, "[he] returned his vehicle to the repairer by whom we were given an assurance that the work would be performed to the standards accepted as best practice in the industry" - that is, Howells themselves gave that assurance. Despite my many visits to their workshop, I still had to have bare metal on the wing bolts touched up by another repairer. The insurance company did accept that I was inconvenienced "over and beyond the inconvenience that inevitably follows an accident"
I lost a lot of money on this as a result of the repair more than the accident itself. Keep the car, you've accepted the repair. Sell the car and you've disposed of the evidence. read more
