Car owner fined €1800 after dealership used her vehicle post-repair

This report from Le Figaro details a distressing situation for Cristel, a car owner in Pas-de-Calais, France, who has been deprived of her Volkswagen Tiguan for months. The ordeal began after a breakdown on the highway, leading her to have the vehicle repaired under warranty by the dealership that sold it to her in November 2023.

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The seller is picked up my car and I never saw it again.

What started as a routine repair process quickly devolved into a nightmare. Cristel reports that after the car was collected by a service provider arranged by the dealership for repairs at a garage in Méricourt, progress stalled due to a missing part. The garage reportedly refused to proceed without the seller's approval, leaving Cristel in limbo. Frustrated by the lack of resolution, she filed a theft complaint and hired a lawyer.

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The garage kept chasing me, but refused to incur costs without the seller's validation.

The situation escalated dramatically in March 2025 when the car was finally repaired but not returned. To Cristel's shock, she began receiving traffic fines, accumulating to over 1800 euros, indicating her car was still in circulation. The seller admitted to using the Tiguan "to drive it" after repairs were finished, while Cristel awaited its return. He also cited personal issues and the loss of a friend as reasons for the delay, though he conceded these did not excuse his actions. A court in Béthune ordered the car's return, with penalties for further delay, but the seller claims ignorance of the judgment and seeks an "arrangement."

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to drive it