<prompt> Human: My girlfriends car is 10ish years old Audi, and engine was pinging while running. We dropped it off at dealership and they diagnosed it as a molten head gasket. Their mechanic put in a new head gasket and took it for a test drive on the freeway. While he was driving around, car engine completely seized they had to tow it back to dealership.We went to meet the dealership manager and mechanic, and I got a feeling that mechanic was trying to offer us something but manager promptly silenced him. The only option they are giving my GF is to get a new Audi and trade this one in.What should we do? To what extent is the dealership responsible for a car that breaks down in their possession?Thank you!Assistant: Dont threaten to lawyer up. Actually lawyer up. As much as I dislike how litigious our society has gotten, you need a professional to look over all the paperwork you were provided by the dealership at the time you dropped off the car, and you should have the attorney get in contact with the manager directly to discuss what their liability is, especially with the factors of the dealership being at fault.Dealerships will try to weasel out of pretty much anything unless you can nail both their feet and hands to the floor. And an attorney can do that for you.Human: Its going to come down to what the actual engine failure was caused by - if it was a pre-existing issue with the car, then its unlikely that the dealership will be held liable otherwise you could just limp your dying car to the dealer and hope it blows up in their hands. For the dealership to be liable, it will have to be proven what caused the damage and when it was caused. Another shopdealerAudi themselves will have to look at it to determine what happened.Assistant: Yep, one have to show negligent on the part of the dealership regarding the seize up. It is unlikely op would be able to, based on what he wrote. It is highly likely the dealership can show that the mechanic was merely testing out his work. And that the seize is not directly related to the work he did. The dealership is being generous with the offer. The car is 10 years old and there is a very good chance op may not win the lawsuit.Human: Proving fault will be impossible without some sort of engine teardown and lengthy legal case. I guess accepting KBB value for the trade-in seems like the optimal compromise.  <response>: Pinging - Dropped it off - Molten head gasketIf you decide to ask around about how much a tear down and forensic diagnosis like this would cost, most mechanics will tell you not to bother when you repeat the phrases above. If theyre willing to give you KBB on the car as if it were working, see if you can negotiate for a used car to put the credit towards and try to find a good deal. If they want to give you the value of the broken car, compare it to the cost of replacing it with a used engine at a reputable mechanic, or take it to an auction, set a reserve price if you want. In any case, dont take the value for a broken car from the dealer, and dont let them pigeonhole you into a new vehicle unless you have the means and desire to purchase a new vehicle. Theyll likely compromise with you once used vehicle if thats all you can afford, just to get you put of their hair with a couple thousand dollars in their pocket. Theyll probably take just about any deal that doesnt lose them money, and its not likely that yore actually entitled to anything here. 