My Customers Car Was Repod While At My Mechanic Shop! Over 12k In Work!

A customer brought is truck to my mechanic shop in October 2024 stating the engine blew and it needed a new engine. We inspected the vehicle and sure enough needed an engine so we purchased the used engine for over $7000 and installed the new engine. Altogether with labor and storage fees, the total came out to about $12,000(the owner was aware of this and signed an invoice.) fast-forward a couple weeks later, after trying to get payment from the guy, a tow truck pulls up to my lot and states that the truck is getting repossessed by the finance company. I told the tow truck driver that the vehicle has $12,000 worth of work not paid for, so no ones going to be taking it. Tow truck driver said he doesn’t want to deal with all this and left without the car. I called the owner of the vehicle who had brought it in and told them that the tow truck had come to repossess it and he told me he wasn’t going to be paying for the repairs if they’re repossessing the car. We had no luck getting any payment from the man who brought the car in.

After hearing nothing for a couple weeks, we got a call from the finance company who was repossessing the vehicle, they wanted us to send the invoice of the repairs and let them know how much they will owe so they can come take possession of the vehicle. I sent them the invoice for $12,000 and the next day the lady called back saying that they cannot pay $12,000 but they will offer to pay us $5000 and settle it. I told them that I was not willing to take a $5000 settlement because I have more than that in the engine alone and I really wasn’t comfortable letting the car go until the full invoice was paid. The next day they called back and said we can keep the car Because they are not gonna be paying $12,000 in repairs and it’s not worth it for them pay.

I understand that I have the right to start on a mechanics lien on the vehicle, but in this situation, who would I go after the owner or the finance company? This seems like it’s going to be a big headache & I don’t even know where to start!