- Dr. Penelope Horlick gave her car to Jagjiwan Jhally for repairs after she struck a pothole.
- The mechanic repeatedly delayed fixing the car and even claimed Horlick owed her storage fees.
- Jhally dumped the car’s stripped-out shell at the owner’s home after she took the case to court.
When your car needs repairs, most will put their trust in a mechanic to repair it and get it back on the road. Unfortunately, like in so many other industries, there are bad actors, and for the past 11 years, the British owner of a Porsche had to fight a mechanic to return her prized 911. She has now been awarded £114,000 (equal to around $151,000 at current exchange rates) in a UK court.
Dr. Penelope Horlick, a researcher at Oxford University, purchased her 1997 Porsche 911 in 2008 and enjoyed it for a couple of years. However, she drove over a pothole in 2010, damaging the underside of the Porsche and causing an oil leak. She took the car to JJ Engineering, run by Jagjiwan Jhally, and he agreed to repair it, telling her it would cost roughly £9,000 (~$12,000) to fix.
Read: Final Air-Cooled Porsche 911 Turbo Sold For A Staggering $818,000
Months passed, but Jhally hadn’t returned the car, claiming that the repairs were almost complete but refusing to give a definitive timeline. Months then turned into years. Jhally claimed the damaged 911 needed a complete engine rebuild and insisted he now had legal rights over it and Horlick owned him ‘storage costs.’
The university researcher took the matter to court in March 2022 and only then was the car returned to her. However, only the stripped-out shell was returned to her Kensington home. Things like the engine, transmission, and other crucial parts were removed from the car, The Daily Mail reports. Dr. Horlick sued Jhally for compensation for breach of contract and for conversion.
The mechanic countersued her, stating he had spent considerable money on the car and claiming her case was time-barred because it was too late to sue.
The judge ruled that the mechanic had breached his contract to complete the repairs within a “reasonable time frame.” The court also heard he had done little more than strip out the engine and carry out a diagnosis. It was also revealed that Jhally had refused to return the Porsche despite repeated demands over the years, even after Dr. Horlick found another engineer who was willing to work on the car.
The award totals approximately £114,000 (~$151,000), although details, including interest on the damages, legal costs, and whether Jhally can mount an appeal, will be determined at a future court date.
