Another Dealer Destroyed Camaro

[JB400]

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/chevy-camaro-zl1-owner-fights-dealership-totaled-car-170136602.html

This time, an employee takes a Camaro ZL1 out for a joy ride while the dealership is closed, and knocks down an utility pole.  The car was there for a paint touch up.  Employee just lost his job and not charged with theft

[Ghoste]

Respect for the property of others, nice.

[tan top]

should of been charged with theft ,  car was in for paint work , he went out on a road test !  , purely to give it a hiding   ,  

[Ghoste]

Agreed, his next employer should know what this guy is like.

[68X426]

Agreed, his next employer should know what this guy is like.

Next "employer" should be a chain gang busting up rock into gravel.

[myk]

A lot of that going around.  The local GM dealer I buy parts from just lost their parts "veteran" of over 25 years because he and another employee took two customer's Vette's out for the weekend.  How does anyone think they're going to get away with this?  You can't roll back a modern odometer, AFAIK...

[Nwcharger]

Not an uncommon thing. I work for dealers for 10 years and have seen lots of stupid things people do to customers and company owned cars. Not sure if the employee can be charged with anything. Just fired.

[myk]

I'll never forget the time a shop freely and nonchalantly admitted to taking the Charger out for a joyride, commenting on how strong it was but a 5.0 would be faster.  I ALWAYS check my odo's whenever I get my cars back from a shop; doesn't happen often, but I have to be sure...

[ws23rt]

A shops reputation is more than the quality of the repair.

[Nwcharger]

I still service cars (hate it dearly) and always to the best job I possibly can. I like to have the cars I service leave like they did when they where new. Don't think ive ever thrashed on a customers car. Now a pdi or used car inspection is a different story and won't go into details but have had some fun in some fast cars. That cash for clunkers was something different. Getting an RO and told to drain the oil and blow the engine up was strange. But after a long day dealing with warranty bs it did feel good to launch a few motors before going home 

[Cooter]

Test driving customers ca rs is part of the repair process...you come ba ck through the door raising hell because we took your car for a test drive trying to find this noise you mentioned happened only at 30mph, in a turn, and you'll be turned around and marched right out the door.
If the car means that much to you leave it at home.

Now, if you actually think dropping off your SRT 8 whatever at the body shop, doesn't get driven hard yor dreaming.
Sad, but true. This is the world we live in now. They don't have it, so they will just beat on my your stuff instead.

[Silver R/T]

I try to avoid dealer at all costs.

[Lighthorseman]

Way back in my high school years, I had a part-time job at the local Dodge/Plymouth dealer on weekends.  There was a back road that was COVERED in tire marks from mechanics, salesmen, lot guys, you name it, taking new, used, and customers' vehicles out for a good flogging.
Management even knew about it, and didn't seem to care.

[Ghoste]

Yes, test driving for repairs noted under driving conditions would certainly be considered normal.  Test driving for a paint touch up probably doesn`t qualify. 

[FlatbackFanatic]

 

[A383Wing]

back in the late 70's we took our 66 4spd Charger to a friend of the wife's family to get painted....a week later we went to pick it up, paint looked good, but the clutch was kinda funny...opened the hood and noticed the engine was not sitting straight in the engine bay...was rolled over to one side...

I asked what happened? Guy tells me that his shop got broken into and the car was stolen, but he got it back....I asked where the police report was?

Finally he said his kids took my car out and thrashed it......

was hard to drive it home 80 miles with 2 busted mounts...I was not gonna leave it there any longer

[1974dodgecharger]

And just think dealerships dont do shit even after their employees destroy customers cars.  They say its out of their hands and the customer has to sue the person who joyride it and not the dealership after the firing lol...fakers.

[tan top]

Test driving customers ca rs is part of the repair process...you come ba ck through the door raising hell because we took your car for a test drive trying to find this noise you mentioned happened only at 30mph, in a turn, and you'll be turned around and marched right out the door.
If the car means that much to you leave it at home.

Now, if you actually think dropping off your SRT 8 whatever at the body shop, doesn't get driven hard yor dreaming.
Sad, but true. This is the world we live in now. They don't have it, so they will just beat on my your stuff instead.

Way back in my high school years, I had a part-time job at the local Dodge/Plymouth dealer on weekends.  There was a back road that was COVERED in tire marks from mechanics, salesmen, lot guys, you name it, taking new, used, and customers' vehicles out for a good flogging.
Management even knew about it, and didn't seem to care.

Not an uncommon thing. I work for dealers for 10 years and have seen lots of stupid things people do to customers and company owned cars. Not sure if the employee can be charged with anything. Just fired.

yep sad to say its all true !!   been a mechanic  , then  crash repair    body & paint  etc  for 27 years  , seen it all !!     even    managnent  & or garage / shop owners are not emune to give a customers car a good hiding    stories I could tell   

Yes, test driving for repairs noted under driving conditions would certainly be considered normal.  Test driving for a paint touch up probably doesn`t qualify. 

   yep that's the bottom line  , not as is if , he went out to check brakes , trans  or  an over heating problem etc then got carried away with the throttle 

what he done was premeditated   

[Mike DC]

 
All this modern data-logging that dealerships are starting to be able to use against the owners to deny warranty claims . . . let's see if the owners can use it against the dealers when they flog their cars.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

I know it's not reality but in my opinion the dealership should step up and make the situation right, and the ex-employee should be forced to compensate the dealer, if not then do time behind bars.

Test driving a customers car in an attempt to correct a problem is one thing, but hammering on that car is another.

I know there are good shops around with responsible employees but there are just too many people you can't trust with your car. That's one of the reasons I do my own work!

[Ghoste]

And its one of the big reasons people don`t trust shops, mechanics, dealers or salesmen.  There are good ones but the number of horror stories make it a reputation earned.

[rp23g7]

I gotta admit, I have done that.  I used to work at a service station, that also had a detail shop that detailed cars for a local dealer.

We did a few "Midnight Auto" events. Took out a brand new 1987 Eldorado convert for a cruise.  Took out a new 1987 Formula Firebird and baked the hell out of the tires.

Then I had it done to me.  I took my 64 Chrysler into a tire shop to have the tires replaced, go back, "oh, by the way, you have a vibration in your rear end at 70mph.  WTH, why are you driving my car at 70 mph, looked at the odometer, 45 miles were put on my car.    GRRRR, Karma I guess.

[Ghoste]

 

[SRT-440]

The real problem is in the fact the dealership wanted to replace it with a lesser car and lied about the replacement car being in an a wreck too and how many owners it had. They don't want to give him a brand new one because his is an older model and they'd lose money. If I was the vehicle owner I'd be handing out lawsuits to everyone involved.

For the record, there are ways to use the technology against the dealerships. My 2012 SRT8 records everything...max speed, time driven, GPS info.

Also, when taking ur car in for a tire rotation, mark the tires so u know if they were actually rotated or not. I've caught several shops over the years trying to pull this stunt. Shady a$$ ppl.

[1974dodgecharger]

I guess the point is though is that something we need to do. I don't think some old lady is gonna get under her car and mark things before servicing that's all.

The real problem is in the fact the dealership wanted to replace it with a lesser car and lied about the replacement car being in an a wreck too and how many owners it had. They don't want to give him a brand new one because his is an older model and they'd lose money. If I was the vehicle owner I'd be handing out lawsuits to everyone involved.

For the record, there are ways to use the technology against the dealerships. My 2012 SRT8 records everything...max speed, time driven, GPS info.

Also, when taking ur car in for a tire rotation, mark the tires so u know if they were actually rotated or not. I've caught several shops over the years trying to pull this stunt. Shady a$$ ppl.

[Cooter]

As stated....if you don't want your 'baby' beat on by local grade A screw ups, best learn how to fix it yourself. Time to get dirty dishpan hands....

[rt green]

I would never do that to a customers car. its just not right and I need the job.

[Cooter]

I would never do that to a customers car. its just not right and I need the job.

See, the REAL problem isn't your ethics, it's the fact that a majority of mechanics are either drug dealers, addicts, or drunken idiots...
As hard as i work  to crush this stereotype, the fact is, these types work cheaper than you and I and far out number us....

I am at a VERY WELL KNOWN tranny shop right now and there's two guys in the shop that go out back and smoke a bowl in order to work.
I see this everyday and deplore it. Whaddya gonna do?

[1974dodgecharger]

I would never do that to a customers car. its just not right and I need the job.

See, the REAL problem isn't your ethics, it's the fact that a majority of mechanics are either drug dealers, addicts, or drunken idiots...
As hard as i work  to crush this stereotype, the fact is, these types work cheaper than you and I and far out number us....

I am at a VERY WELL KNOWN tranny shop right now and there's two guys in the shop that go out back and smoke a bowl in order to work.
I see this everyday and deplore it. Whaddya gonna do?

cooter keeping it real.....

[Ghoste]

Thats an epidemic throughout the North American workforce.  But lets legalize it because its harmless.

[wingcar]

These stories remind me of an "incident" that accrued while I was working at a big box store in California many years ago in my youth that had an auto service center.  The mechanic that did brakes jobs loved to test his finished work by taking the customers car behind the store (by the loading dock) where he would accelerate to high speed then hit the brakes.   You can guess what happened...one day he took out the big dumpster behind the store, not to mention the front end of the customer's car.   Needless to say his employment ended that day and the store was on the hook for a very expensive repair job...done by the way at a different garage.  (This was also the some garage that installed a pop-up sunroof on a really nice Pontiac Trans-Am...several inches to far to the right.....bet that cost them a pretty penny to correct). 
Moral:  A penny saved is not necessarily a penny saved in some cases, but many additional dollars spent....           

[Mike DC]

Thats an epidemic throughout the North American workforce.  But lets legalize it because its harmless.

Legalizing alcohol didn't make it acceptable to be drunk on the job. 

[myk]

Wow, that situation has garnered a lot of attention; it's up to 50 pages on Camaro5.com...
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?s=2af1be0a3b5c29c35a3ec4ea70501c91&t=333504&page=53

[JB400]

That doesn't surprise me much.  It's something new to talk about besides which shade of red looks best and do these stripes make me look fat?

[Cooter]

Wow, that situation has garnered a lot of attention; it's up to 50 pages on Camaro5.com...
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?s=2af1be0a3b5c29c35a3ec4ea70501c91&t=333504&page=53

LMFAO!!!

I like how this makes a good point I tried to make once.... I love how dude says "we never expected this to take on a life of it's own"....
Yet, they put it out over the interweb? And never expected anybody to reply......uh huh....

[Ghoste]

Thats an epidemic throughout the North American workforce.  But lets legalize it because its harmless.

Legalizing alcohol didn't make it acceptable to be drunk on the job. 

You're right of course.  Lets legalize everything and save money on policing.  He wasn't talking about drunks on the job he was talking about guys thinking its okay to smoke up at work and my experience is that a LOT of people think it is okay to smoke up at work.  People do pot on the job that would say it isn't right to be drunk at work.  I've heard the comment about its okay to drive stoned but not drunk that it makes me roll my eyes at the stupidity of it.  There has been a huge push to legalize it because its so harmless, I'm not against it but don't pursue the folly that its harmless so it might as well be legal.  If these guys thinkits ok to be stoned now when its illegal and its being legalized because its so harmless, do you think for a second they'll begin coming to work straight?

[myk]

That doesn't surprise me much.  It's something new to talk about besides which shade of red looks best and do these stripes make me look fat?

Doesn't surprise me either, but that's because the situation is a nightmare and brings up a lot of questions.  Many of us have valuable machines that even the best of us DIY'ers have to entrust into the care of others, from time to time.  What happens when the worst imaginable scenario like this one on Camaro 5 happens?  Easy to say "lawyer up" or "call the cops" or "grab the 12 gauge," but what will REALLY happen in a situation like that where someone with limited means finally affords their dream machine, has it taken away by the foolishness of others, then has to sit and watch while everyone passes the buck around and they're left on the streets without a car? 

[Cooter]

Myk, time to become friends with a tech. A good one too no matter how much of a peckerhead you may think he/she is.....
Problem solved.

[myk]

Myk, time to become friends with a tech. A good one too no matter how much of a peckerhead you may think he/she is.....
Problem solved.

I've been lucky in that so far, I've been able to deal with repairs myself.  There is ONE shop in all of San Diego that I trust; they're expensive but I won't go anywhere else...

[JB400]

Looks like the owner's getting a new car
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/15/wrecked-camaro-zl1-new-replacement/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000588

[68X426]

Looks like the owner's getting a new car
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/15/wrecked-camaro-zl1-new-replacement/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000588

Strange resolution however. He's buying the new car, and it's unclear if the dealer or the dealer's insurance is part of the deal. Weird.

[Mike DC]

You're right of course.  Lets legalize everything and save money on policing.  He wasn't talking about drunks on the job he was talking about guys thinking its okay to smoke up at work and my experience is that a LOT of people think it is okay to smoke up at work.  People do pot on the job that would say it isn't right to be drunk at work.  I've heard the comment about its okay to drive stoned but not drunk that it makes me roll my eyes at the stupidity of it.  There has been a huge push to legalize it because its so harmless, I'm not against it but don't pursue the folly that its harmless so it might as well be legal.  If these guys thinkits ok to be stoned now when its illegal and its being legalized because its so harmless, do you think for a second they'll begin coming to work straight?

Pot isn't harmless.  Its just a lot less harmful than the legal system has come to treat it in recent decades.  

And since the USA is morally opposed to doing anything in moderation, we view this as a choice between either punishing pot like rape & murder or else legalizing it entirely.  We cannot fathom the concept of any de-criminalization steps in between the two extremes, even if it was our own previous position just a few decades back.
 
 

[Ghoste]

That lack of moderation occurs in the users doing it up at work as well. (maybe just my personal experience though)