Protec Automotive. Terms and Conditions of business

Introduction: Any transaction or order with Protec Automotive is subject to the following terms and conditions forming a “Contract” for the sale of goods or services.

Please read all information below and contact us with any queries prior to authorisation of work. These terms are advised and made available with all estimates prior to any transaction.

1: Charges & payment:

1. Parts or services remain the property of Protec until paid for in FULL. Prices are agreed before any work carried out and not subject to change afterwards.
2. Payment is required immediately before or upon collection of goods or vehicle, no credit is given without an approved credit account.  In the event of non-payment, interest is charged daily @ 1.5% of invoice. Only one card transaction per invoice is allowed without prior agreement and a £1000 maximum card payment limit. Payments over this amount need to be paid by BACs, unless otherwise agreed.
3. Parts or services of high value, all electrical, back ordered, or special vin number ordered items require pre-payment and are non-returnable
4. Returned parts for credit are subject to a 20% handling charge, return postage is the customers responsibility. Incorrect parts identified by the customer are non-returnable.
5. Exchange units are subject to a surcharge which is refunded on receipt of the exchanged part.  Please ask for exchange parts terms dependant on the individual item.
6. Protec reserves the right to charge for storage if any vehicle is left on our premises for a length of time without prior agreement. Charged daily @ 1.5% of invoice amount.
7. Estimates are only valid for 14 days. We can only honour a quote that we have diagnosed ourselves. Costs could be subject to change after vehicle has been fully inspected. Unavoidable extra costs, that could not have been foreseen, are sometimes found after the vehicle has been stripped down.  In this case the customer is expected to be understanding and appreciate that some things can’t be accounted for until the vehicle is in bits.
8. Diagnosed elsewhere Any repairs done at the customer’s request that have not been fully diagnosed by us, are the responsibility of the customer for misdiagnosis.  Further diagnosis is charged additionally if the fault reoccurs, or it doesn’t cure the issue. We always prefer to diagnose issues ourselves to guarantee correct diagnosis.
9. Collection/delivery and loan Loan cars are subject to a minimum invoice charge of 0.5 hours & maximum 2-day period. Our collection & delivery service is free within a 5-mile round trip radius.
10. Vehicle recovery  Is charged as a loading fee, plus price per mile, plus vat. Loading charge allows for a maximum of 0.5 hours for rolling vehicles only. Accident damaged vehicles or recovery in dangerous or difficult locations are charged additionally depending on what is required.
11. Cancellations or missed appointments  Without 24 hours’ notice are charged @ 0.5 hours of our current labour rate.
12. Consumables/Environmental charge If a “Consumables” charge is added to your estimate or invoice. This could have been included for any of the following items. Special lubricants or Sprays, Environmental / hazardous waste disposal, bacterial sanitation of vehicles prior to work commencement. There are no hidden costs.
13. Warranty admin charge  We charge an admin fee for dealing with aftermarket warranty companies on behalf of the customer. Full terms are available on request.
14. MOT retests.  Single MOT tests that fail MOT are charged again at full price for retest. MOTs that are done at the same time as a service, retests are free within a 10 day period. We advise synchronising MOT & service to avoid failures.
15. Telediagnosis charges for trade customers  See section 3 below.
16. Online See section 4 below.

2: General:

17. Parts if you require Non genuine, 2nd hand or supply your own parts, any “INCORRECT” or “FAULTY” parts supplied will be charged labour again if they fail or are incorrect after fitting. Aftermarket parts warranty covers parts only, NOT the labour. Genuine parts warranty covers parts and labour (Subject to a visit to the relevant brand dealer) If parts supplied by the customer are incorrect, we will insist on supplying replacements ourselves to avoid workshop downtime. We will not accept our workshop being immobilised while the customer seeks to rectify any parts issues.
18. Any recommended work reported that is not carried out, may void the warranty of components replaced. Items may have been advised to avoid any further repairs or consequential damage.
19. Warranty repairs must come direct to Protec for assessment. If the vehicle is taken elsewhere or any work / diagnostic checks are done beforehand, our warranty is then VOID. We will not warrant any work at someone else’s discretion. Genuine parts warranty will require a visit to the relevant brand dealer and could be subject to an initial diagnosis charge. We will arrange this visit. Warranty of our diagnosis is only covered if we carry out the repairs. Vehicles diagnosed by us and the work carried out elsewhere is not guaranteed.
20. Complaints In the unlikely event of a complaint, it should be made in writing to our business email address.
21. Some advisory repairs declined by the customer, particularly safety related may require a signed disclaimer before the release of the vehicle. The definition of “Advisory” is… An item that is functioning correctly at the time of inspection but is either worn or deteriorated and may need attention soon after. All advisories should be dealt with ASAP if not immediately.
22. Intermittent faults such as, Electrical, wiring, engine management, sensors, or anything sporadic, we strongly recommend a 100-mile road test after any repairs are carried out, before returning the vehicle to the customer. We prefer to extensively test & quality check all repairs. If this is declined, or the time constraints of the customer deem this impossible, we take no responsibility for repeat repairs or consequential damage caused.
23. Previous checks, repairs or retro fitted parts. Protec will not always undertake work that has been previously looked at or repaired elsewhere, for the same, similar, or a connected issue. We are unable to guarantee the integrity of someone else’s work or diagnosis and unknown factors can seriously affect an accurate diagnosis if we have not seen the vehicle 1st hand.  Faults can also be induced while checks are being carried out, which can mislead diagnosis. If we do undertake a job of this nature, all history may be required in the form of a questionnaire. All information is relevant regardless of if you think it is or not. Any withheld information for any reason will be charged additionally for our wasted time. We take no responsibility for possible incorrect diagnosis or issues that could arise after repairs if we have not been made aware of previous checks or repairs beforehand. This question is asked at multiple points before a booking.
24. Staggered repairs may be advised if we deem that the vehicle may require further repairs after the initial work is carried out. We will always attempt to carry out the most cost-effective repair which sometimes will require work to be done in stages. Vehicles with multiple faults may need one repair to be carried out before a full diagnosis can be carried out with another.
25. Protec always quote for OE (Original Equipment) parts. We can offer alternative quotes or prices to meet the customers individual needs or requirements. Alternative cheaper parts may be available for certain repairs. If individual pricing options are required, please enquire. We will always try to beat any “Like for Like” written quotes. Generally, you get what you pay for, and the cheapest price is normally the cheapest quality parts. If comparing quotes, please ask what is included? Protec will not sacrifice the high standards of our work by using poor quality parts.
26. Vehicles left on site are left at the owner’s risk. All vehicles are fully inspected for damage on arrival, prior to work being started. Belongings in the vehicle are the responsibility of the owner. Reasonable care is always taken to safeguard the vehicle and the property of the customer. We accept no responsibility if the vehicle is left onsite overnight. In the event of any loss due to something that is not caused by us, the customer or their own insurance will be responsible for any damage or costs incurred.
27. Privacy: Any personal details collected by Protec will be used solely by us, for internal, business, working practices only. By supplying your contact details, you agree to be contacted by us unless opting The purpose for collecting such information is to ensure that we keep accurate records and to effectively manage our relationship and communication with customers and employees. It is mainly used for day-to-day invoicing/Estimates when a vehicle is in our workshop. Personal data also allows us to market and develop our services according to personal preferences. We process your personal data only for predefined and lawful purposes. Your data is extremely important to us; therefore, we make a high priority to ensure that we adhere to the legal requirements as to not share any personal data with any third-party without consent, unless the business is merged, dissolved, or sold. All our personal data is securely stored within our internal database. A periodic review is conducted to ensure that we are lawfully storing your information for a legitimate reason. If there is no longer a requirement for us to hold such information, then all personal data relating to that individual will be permanently removed. The individual also has the right to ask us to have all their information removed at any time.
28. Published documents, prices or information are deemed correct and up to date at the time of publishing only. Updates are carried out periodically, as, and when required.
29. Protec reserves the right to make changes to its website or Terms and Conditions at any time without notice.
30. Offers are only valid while published on the website or unless otherwise stated, i.e., expiry code. They also need to be redeemed at the time of booking.
31. Wheel torque.  We highly recommend that wheel torque settings are re checked after 50 miles. We are happy to do this free of charge.
32. In depth diagnosis, which may require an extended road test to reproduce intermittent faults. Fuel used is chargeable to the customer & all mileage is recorded.
33. Older vehicles. We will attempt to advise the best we can before starting any repairs. Repairs on old vehicles generally end up being more that 1st anticipated. Old fragile parts, corroded, broken, and seized items, can’t be known until the vehicle is stripped down. Estimates will increase if more parts are required, or engineering of broken bolts is needed. We will always do our best to assist if parts are no longer available. In some cases, due to the lack of availability, only cheaper aftermarket or 2nd hand parts are an option. We will fit whatever is required but assume no responsibility for poor fitment or problems that may arise due to the limited parts options available. If we have exhausted our extensive list of suppliers without success, it will then be the customers responsibility to supply parts for the repair. We will not spend hours searching the www for parts that are not readily available. (Also see “Warranty terms” which also applies in this case)
34. Performance upgrades. are performed only at the customer’s own request. ECU Re-Mapping, Race spec parts, suspension, Body, Wheels/Tyres, or anything that differs from the manufacturer’s original factory specification, could have a negative impact for everyday road use and could also have legal implications. Some parts may not be a perfect fit and rarely look as they are advertised. We cannot advise on this or will not take any responsibility for the result of any modifications carried out at the owner’s request. Please also consider if tuning an old or high mileage vehicle, this could have a negative impact on its reliability or service life. Tuning a high mileage engine will only reduce its service life. Also consider the legal implications and notify your insurance company of any modifications.
35. ECU Remapping  As above this is carried out at the owner’s risk. Please note: The file on your vehicle is directly modified to achieve the result. If the file has already been modified, we take no responsibility for possible damage that can occur due to the fact we do not know what has been previously done. We sometimes can only know this if you tell us. We will also not take any responsibility for the customer not being aware of this. All re maps are carried out at the owner’s risk. Please also consider the legal implications and notify your insurance company of all modifications.
36. SVM online (Software version management) ECUs replaced, or coding carried out using SVM coding is done using the VWG online connection & factory diagnostic software. Coding is transferred directly to the vehicle via a connection to the VWG server. The technician has no manual input of the coding, nor can it be altered or tweaked using this method.
    Items that have been retro fitted to the vehicle that range from phone kits, lights, towbars, parking aids, cameras, or coding tweaks. Are sometimes coded manually. Non approved accessories or fitters will not normally update the VWG online database. Genuine accessories come with an SVM code that updates the online database to avoid any future issues if the vehicle should visit a dealer for something as simple as a software update. Any non-approved items retro fitted to a vehicle runs the risk of having coding issues at any time the vehicle is linked to the factory server. The server will re code the vehicle back to factory build spec regardless of the user input. This is beyond our control, and we take no responsibility for issues that can arise if we have not been made aware.
    PLEASE NOTE. IF YOUR VEHICLE HAS HAD NON-APPROVED RETRO FITTED ITEMS FITTED, WE NEED TO KNOW BEFORE ANY WORK IS CARRIED OUT!
    Coding of these items is only possible using manual coding & aftermarket software. This is charged additionally. The brand dealer will most likely not be able to carry out this manual coding function despite charging upwards of £120 per hour.
37. Dash Cameras Although personal use of dash cams is allowed, business or commercial law is different and regulated. Due to the complex nature of GDPR and filming using cameras, we do not consent to recording while your vehicle is in our care. All dash cameras will be disconnected.
38. CCTV Cameras. Our premises are 24-hour CCTV monitored inside and out. We record and store this for a short period, mainly for security purposes. We also reserve the right to use this recording as evidence for any other incidents or reasons where such a recording could be required or used. This isn’t limited to security. We have clear signage on all entrances and inside our building stating that you are being recorded. Please do not enter our premises if you do not consent to this.
39. ALL DIAGNOSTIC WORK = ALL VEHICLE KEYS WE HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF PROGRAMMING WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE WE KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. Electrical diagnosis, ecu programming, updates, immobiliser work, non-starts, keyless locking issues, engine, gearbox the list is exhaustive. Cars with advanced key functions, the key stores information, so if the key isn’t present, it can’t be read or cleared when the fault is fixed.
    Any programming carried out with the presence of only 1 key will most likely render any other keys inoperative. Reprogramming functions require all keys to be present at the same time and is chargeable again if we must repeat the procedure later.
40. Vehicle inpections.  Including Service, MOT & Sales inspection are done according to set checklists. We carry out visual inspections to the best of our ability at that time. Any report produced is an advisory of the condition of that part at the time of checking only. We cannot predict if a part will fail in the future, nor can we tell if something has been repaired previously. Only accessible visual components can be checked. We accept no responsibility for any faults that may develop after the checks or anything that could not be fully assessed without a strip down or full diagnosis. Further in-depth checks could be required to find any faults. Vehicle service, repair & MOT history is the customers responsibility to check. We also advise that sales vehicles are fully HPI checked for accident damage and outstanding finance etc.

3: Tele diagnosis (Trade customers only)

41. Protec takes no responsibility for incorrect diagnosis as this service is only a guide. Correct test plan relies solely on the correct information being supplied by the customer & is NOT a substitute for hands on checks. Also, this service requires a certain level of experience from the customer which limits the outcome depending on skill level & equipment available.
42. Refunds. We issue no refunds if a conclusive diagnosis is not reached. As above this service is only a guide. However, this process has a proven track record of working well.
43. We reserve the right to refuse a Telediagnosis session if we deem it not to be suitable.
44. Telediagnosis costs are grouped as follows:
    Please consider that our prices don’t just include the time spent talking you through the diagnosis. We also must analyse the details you send us and spend time searching our technical documentation before and during the session.
    Initial diagnosis = Pre session information gathering & assessment = 1 hour + 1-hour remote assistance. (Timed) Further diagnosis = Our current labour rate + VAT. (Timed)
    Sessions are charged in half hour minimum slots.

Last updated: October 2022