P.S.G.

Wrote to him after taking legal advice and spoke to him on the phone. The car is at still at a paintshop and Alan the B*****d is on holiday this week. It's 150 mile round trip to go up there and if the car is somewhere else (they won't hand over a phone number for the sprayer) seems a bit pointless. He has finally sent some photos of most of the work though. I'm going on holiday this sat for two weeks, so when I get back we are going up to get the car regardless. He'd better be flexible over the bill.

Thats the spirit.

If it isn't ready when you get back, and you need to fetch it incomplete, think about a county court summons to cover the costs of inconvenience, for hiring a transporter at least.

Get him to itemise exactley what he has done so far, labour hours and cost.

Then get him to refund the difference between that, and the cost for the completed work, then consider how much you need to be compensated because your son was without a car (whether it was the cost of a cheap runabout for him, the cost of trains and taxis, or your fuel and wear and tear transporting him arround).

But try without the summons first, and if that fails, send the bailiffs round.

Thanks MeatballTurbo. I'll post the result in a couple of weeks.