My feeling, if you didn't pay with a credit card, is to start looking around for another garage. Firstly though, you should check the level of your power steering fluid (and all other fluids while the bonnet is up - just open the bonnet and look for ever dipstick and/or cap that can be unscrewed) but the most usual cause of stiff steering is the belt for the power steering. Before this breaks, there is usually a horrible squeeking noise at certain speeds or when cornering. It's easy to check if the belt is broken if you know where to look. These belts cost £5 and take about 20 or 30 minutes to fit. In your shoes, I would ask another garage to look at just enough to get you mobile and I'd leave the airbag until I'd found a reliable engineer. If you approach another garage stating that you've been ripped off and that you know nothing about cars, then you will be ripped off again. It'd be better to simply say that you think that you might just need a new power steering belt.

Some garages overcharge and do the work well, some garages overcharge and do the work badly, some garages charge sensibly and do the work badly but, if you are really really lucky, enough careful leg work and trial and error will find you a garage that charges sensibly and does the work well.

Nothing more to add to the excellent advice from andyb123 - that is the best and only route in your situation everything in writing with proof of delivery.

Did you mean power steering pump when you said motor?

put everything from your side in writing as quickly as possible, check with Citizens Advice as they have a template for this kind of thing - you can start it with "as discussed with you in person on the xx/xx/xxxx"

make it clear what your issue is and what you would like to be done, make it clear that you want a written response within 14 days and that you want your car back either fixed or refunded within 14 days also (they may reply and say they will fix the fault for free but they should then give you a "reasonable" completion date)

if they come back and say that the repair they previously performed is "good" and that something else is now wrong with the car, you will need to take it to a 3rd party to get an "engineers report" to see if what the garage are saying is true

you can then submit the whole lot to your credit card and if the 3rd party agree with you that the garage did not correctly fix the fault, they should eventually refund your money - someone like the AA will be able to do this for you, another local garage are unlikely to want to get in the middle of an argument between you and garage A, but it might be worth a try

if they've ever given you a date for completion and not met it, then they are also in breach of contract for not completing the job in a "reasonable" amount of time, but again you need to get these things down in writing to be able to submit it to your credit card company

Thank you for you replies. I have taken the car back to the garage and explained how unhappy I am and that I have contacted trading standards. The garage have taken the car and said they will look at it to see what going on. I reiterated that I will not be paying them a penny more and expect the car to be fixed asap. I will see what they say to me and if it is not satisfactory I will ask for a refund and if they don't give me one, I will try and recover costs from my credit card.

unfortuneately the law allows the garage an opportunity to rectify the issue with their repair

do write to them in any case explaining that you are not happy with the quality of their work and that you would prefer a refund, however they have the legal right to repair the fault with their work

if they refuse you will either need to talk to your credit card company or take the garage to small claims court, either way do also call citizens advice and log a complaint with them about the garage (as they now deal with complaints on behalf of Trading Standards)... to take them through credit card claim or small claims you may need to pay for an independent inspection to confirm that the current problem with the car is the same as the one they purported to fix

I had a very similar problem with my car and a local garage, luckily they did not respond within 14 days which then enabled me to pursue the claim via my credit card company who then gave me back my money

I have the car but I cannot drive it, the steering is stiff and wheel won't turn. The garage changed the " motor" in the column and so if there was no such thing I don't know what they are talking about!! they told me the squib is the indicator stalks section and from April air bags form part of the mot that's why I wanted the air bag done but this fault only happened after they fiddled with the steering, plus I don't fancy driving around with a faulty air bag!!.... I need the money back to take the car elsewhere.

You do need to avoid the main dealer - they will be worse.

In cars, there is no such thing as a "steering motor" or a "squib". If you have the car in your possession, you should definitely avoid using that engineer again and consider contacting your local trading standards office.

The sort of sums that you are talking about would buy a car that'd last a year or two. You shouldn't worry too much about a "faulty air bag" but you need to look after your money otherwise, before you know it, it'll all be gone.

Please can you clarify, is the car currently with this engineer or is it with you?

I really hope someone can answer this query., I am in need of some good advice. My car steering had a fault just before Christmas, I got it towed to a local garage who told me it was the steering motor and cost £1300 to fix. The garage had my car for approx 6 weeks while they waited for the part and car was fixed. 2 days later, my air bag fault light comes on, the central locking does not work and indicators don't work. I take car back to garage they tell me it is the squib needs changing and ask for another £400. They have my car for 1 month and do not fix it., I called them every other day asking what's happening and they tell me we will sort it etc.... I go in and take my car back because it is drivable, then while doing 40mph with my 1 year old son in the car., the steering locks and I have the same fault as I originally had! I am furious. I want to go to the garage tomorrow and ask for a full refund as the work carried out was not satisfactory, and I have ended up with no steering, faulty air bag and £1300 out of pocket. I don't want the garage to have the car for another month just to give it back to me with the same fault. Can I demand my money back so I can take the car to the main dealer or do I have to give them time to try and rectify the prob at no charge? Considering they have had my car for nearly 4 months in total and I still am left with original fault!!