The car, the garage and the $25,900 repair bill

RICHARD WOODD/Taranaki Daily News

HILLMAN JINX: Sid Hanzlik and his problem car, the 1935 Hillman Minx.

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The problem is a 1935 Hillman Minx motor car.

It is sitting in a small country garage in Taranaki, the centrepiece of a six-year long dispute over a repair bill which now totals $25,900.

The car arrived on the back of a truck in June 2004 at the Toko Garage, owned and operated by Czech-born mechanic Zdenek (Sid) Hanzlik.

The car's owner is Mel Cook, of Inglewood, who had purchased the car from his great-uncle. It was supposed to remain a family heirloom and he was prepared to spend up to $8000 on repairs.

Mr Cook had it transported to Toko where he asked Mr Hanzlik to get it mechanically sound and road legal.

Mr Hanzlik says he rebuilt the engine (which had a hole through a cylinder wall), replaced all the old wiring, fixed the gearbox and diff, among other things. He imported parts from other countries and had some parts made. "Now it runs like a sewing machine," he says. It's registered, warranted, has a HM 1935 plate and even a carless day sticker from 1979.

Mr Cook paid $8261 on periodic invoices for the work, up to November 2007. He disputes any work done since. Mr Hanzlik then added his labour of $8000 (400 hours at $20), storage $6412 (at $10 per night), warrant of fitness inspections $450 (three at $150), maintenance $2565 ($135 a month), plus GST.

The outstanding bill is unpaid, the car is still there and Mr Hanzlik is threatening to put it through a crusher.

"Do you seriously think I would spend that much on a vehicle worth at the very most $3000?" says Mr Cook. "His claims are unfounded and unsubstantiated and he should take this to court."

He offered Mr Hanzlik the car in full and final settlement of all claims, "but he never fronted to collect the ownership transfer papers. I don't want the car back. I would resell it after how I've been treated.

"Sid is trying to embarrass me into paying through character assassination with his public notice newspaper adverts, which were probably slanderous."

Mr Hanzlik published public notices late last year, addressed prominently to "Mr Melvyn Sidney Cook," listing how much he was owed and advising him to "pay your debt and collect your family treasure before vehicle will be scrapped at crushing plant or put for fire brigade practise".

Mr Hanzlik says the car is worth considerably less than he is owed and he would get little out of a small claims court action.

His Japanese wife and their two children moved to Japan six months ago and left him to sell the business and join them.

The presence of the Hillman is not helping. He can't get rid of it, he can't even give it away and he says he can't get ownership transferred to him, despite the owner telling him to keep it in lieu of payment.

He had it on Trade Me, inquiries came from overseas but the freight cost and ownership issue prevented progress.

"I don't want the bloody car, it's not my grandma," says Mr Hanzlik. "If somebody wants it, getting ownership transfer is their problem."

After hiring a debt recovery agency to collect his dues, Mr Hanzlik is now being threatened by the collector, who wants his fee of $1800. "He didn't recover anything, why should I pay him for nothing?" says Mr Hanzlik.

He emigrated to Britain in 1987, is a qualified marine engineer and mechanic, and gained New Zealand residency in 1991. He bought the garage 10 years ago, after having worked there briefly in 1992.

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