Scrap Happy

Good point. It is certainly worth trying if you get robbed like this. Bouncing a credit card payment isn't quite like bouncing a cheque, but it can be done. You just contact your card issuer to dispute the payment. If the retailer/garage don't accept your dispute you just get involved in correspondence until things get settled. Sometimes this can involve items being credited then debited then credited again, but for the cost of an engine, it's worth a try.

I took the Blaupunkt back to the scrap yard yesterday. The boss saw it in my hand and we had the following conversation:

Boss: Doesn't it work?

Me: It probably does, but it will cost £40 to get a replacement keycard. (quoted by the local Blaupunkt dealer)

Boss: I'm sure we've got the keycards for that somewhere...

About 10 minutes later, after some rumaging through drawers, two key cards were found and today I fitted the unit back into the car. Works perfectly and sounds that much better to me because I fitted it myself.