Dealer abuses this guy's Camaro.

[TUFCAT]

I'm I shit-stirrer.....so I'm calling tomorrow to see if I can request Josh to test my clutch like he did for the guy on YouTube!  

[c00nhunterjoe]

Video is gone. I didn't get to see it

[Brass]

It looks like they pulled the video but there are a couple updates added at the bottom of the original article:

UPDATE: General Motors says in a statement that if the recording is valid it does not condone the behavior described, and that it is "actively working closely with the dealer to resolve this situation to the customer's satisfaction."

UPDATE 2: According to Clark, the dealership has bought back the Camaro at a price somewhat above its value, and any proceeds from the transaction will be donated to charitable causes.

I'd like to hear that those douchebags Jacob and Josh were fired.  

[TUFCAT]

I make jokes,....but to be honest, I was so pissed about this video this morning that I sent the link to my friends wife a corporate lawyer for General Motors Risk Assessment (under my generic mail address).

She has no idea I sent it, so I'm not going to mention anything unless its brought up.  My guess is that General Motors (or the dealership) was forced to take some corrective actions to get the video removed from YouTube and prevent any further public relations damage.  

Who knows.....maybe my bestfriend's wife actually did helped this guy?  

[Brass]

Right on. 

[Ghoste]

And Josh and Jake can give up their dream of being the inspiration for Harold and Kumar Drive a Camaro.

[TUFCAT]

Hopefully they were fired today.  These two assholes disgraced their dealership and General Motors Corporation.  This could be a training video of "how to get fired at a dealership".  Hopefully these assholes can feel good about their "20 minutes of fame" from beating the shit out of a customers car.  They're done. 

LOSERS!  

[rt green]

hopefully. those two idiots give all us mechanics a bad name.

Hopefully they were fired today.  These two assholes disgraced their dealership and General Motors Corporation.  This could be a training video of "how to get fired at a dealership".  Hopefully these assholes can feel good about their "20 minutes of fame" from beating the shit out of a customers car.  They're done. 

LOSERS!   

[Chryco Psycho]

Good for you 
You had some contacts in the right places & made use of them I hope your friends wife did help the customer , Awesome !!

[rt green]

those two idiots give all us mechanics a bad name. the service writer was involved too right?  

[Chryco Psycho]

Actually I hope they were not fired but instead get to clean the dealership toilets until their paychecks cover the cost of the car .

[Old Moparz]

The same story just surfaced on the yahoo news feed.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/dealership-camaro-thrashing-story-buys-back-car-satisfied-221510197.html

It said that the guy who recorded the thrashing took the audio down but no mention of what happened to tweedle dum & tweedle dee who went for the ride.

------------------------------------

South Carolina resident William Clark's standoff with a dealership he accused of abusing his 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS while in for service has ended in a settlement, with Clark and the dealership saying the Camaro was bought back and that the profits will be donated to charity. But judging by the feedback he received -- and we as well -- Clark's story hit a nerve.

Best Chevrolet of Easley, S.C., says in a statement to Motoramic that the Camaro will be auctioned for the March of Dimes. For his part, Clark says the dealership bought the Camaro back at more than Blue Book value -- with Clark saying his proceeds will also be donated to charity.

But Best Chevrolet also offers a defense of sorts to Clark's secret recording, which an attorney for the dealership had called "misleadlingly edited" and pushed to have taken down. While Clark captured tire-squealing driving by the technicians at Best Chevrolet and their discussion of making him pay for a new clutch, the dealership contends Clark drove the Camaro just as hard once it was in his possession.

"A car of that style needs to be driven hard to test for the problem he stated. It is a high performance car and is not likely to be damaged in such a way," the dealership said in a statement. "In his own words, his vehicle already had been damaged at another location."

Indeed, Clark did say another dealership had damaged the Camaro at some point -- which is why he hid an audio recorder in the door pocket. After getting into a standoff with the dealership that nearly escalated to a lawsuit, Clark says the dealer's buyback offer was generous, and he has taken the audio off YouTube.

Judging by the nearly 4,000 comments on our story and emails to Motoramic, Clark isn't alone. Untangling mechanical problems with a car can be a fraught process for both sides; one look at the Reddit thread of "Just rolled into the shop" provides a glimpse of how some owners abuse and neglect their vehicles for years. The tough economy has made people more likely to hold onto their old clunkers, leading to more fights at the service desk over what's urgent versus what's affordable.

Instead of secretly recording every person who touches your car, we'd suggest doing some extensive vetting before taking your ride into a shop; many sites offer reviews of dealerships and independent mechanics, not to mention the Better Business Bureau. It's better than spinning your wheels after the fact.

[Bob T]

That sort of stuff is not on  .
This was in a similar vein.
A local towie joyrode an impounded car and got busted for it because the owners snitch gps was logging details. He was convicted and fined and lost his police impound authourity. And he's been doing it for years . Nice one, that'll learn him.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10801744

[skip68]

I disagree with the dealers statement about how the owner drives his car.    I might drift the hell out of my car but I'm not about to let some idiot do it in my car.  I don't know how good a driver he is and don't want him practicing/learning in my car....  HELL NO!  These "mechanics" ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS AND HAVE NO BUSINESS "BOY BEATING" A CUSTOMERS CAR.       This was'nt a diagnostic test drive, it was a joy ride.   

[carsnguitars]

I am thinking the guy missed a good chance to get a new ZR-1!!!

On serious note, I used to work on car phone installs (for you younger guys yep they were not portable!) back in the day when they cost $$$, so we only saw nice cars. I must admit they did make it outta the garage after the install. Heck we had to make sure the phone worked at 100mph!!! 

This stuff does go on with cars. Sad but true.

[Ghoste]

I'm with Skip, it doesn't matter how I drive it, I'm paying for it.  Some of the customers of that place may have been parking with their ole lady in their car, what rights would that give them if they ask the dealership to give her a ride someplace?

[Cooter]

Just remember this the next time your taking in your like new SRT8 for some warranty work fellers.

[TheGhost]

Just tell them you've hidden cameras and voice recorders in the car.  Doesn't have to be true.

[Mike DC]

Mechanics are gonna be much better at finding the hidden camera stuff than most.  Not sure I'd wanna bluff that particular group.

[JB400]

Scrap the video stuff.  Go with them yourself on the inspection.  If in doubt, take a picture of the mileage before and after the service work.

[model maker]

I made 2 phone calls yesterday afternoon concerning this and with caller I.D. they listened. Their dealership reviews have had people claiming to be prior customers claiming simular incidents with their vehicles at that dealership and a couple of dealerships in the area. good word of mouth travels slowly, BAD word of mouth ( or reviews) travel very fast. Another thing I never allow is valet parking, NEVER, NEVER ! just sit back and observe for about an hour some valet parking attendants, EVEN in high class joints. if it is a busy night/day, they tend to be rough with car owners vehicles, they will always say, " YOU BROUGHT IT IN THAT WAY  and you will have 3 or 4 other attendants backing up the guy who trashed you car. take video of the vehicle inside & out with close ups of areas prone to damage, doors, taillights front fenders, and inside the car as well, let them see you do it  oh & tires and wheels also. i watched some kid race park a customers car at a nice hilton hotel when it was BUSY, the faster they parked ? a car, the faster they could hop in another over & over, more cars = more money for them. anyway, this kid roars off 10 minutes after the owner dropped it in a long line and was inside the hotel & out of sight, the kid screeches the tires in a hard left, hard right, hits  one of those cement parking stops on its corner the wire wheel cover flies off and the tire has a deep gash from the rebar poking out of that cement parking block.  he gets out, rubs the gash in the tire with spit on his rag, goes over to where the wire wheel cover lies bent to hell looks around and THROWS IT INTO THE DITCH. sure enough they said the owner brought them a car with a flat tire with a deep gash in the sidewall. hotel security cameras provided all the evidence needed to settle this case. The guy who damaged it PLUS the 4 other attendants who repeatedly lied were all fired and the  :cheers:information entered into their employee files in order to follow them at other attempts to find work with new potential employers. The cars owner was the attorney general of that state.

[ACUDANUT]

You-tube video has been taken down.

[model maker]

I think it should stay up for another week. the dealerships attitude towards the customer is unacceptable, they started saying the customer damaged his own car, What PROOF could they possibly have to back up that statement ? they are just trying to throw the heat off themselves. they should be giving this customer the "red carpet" treatment & I THINK they may have finally come around to common sense, hopefully.
Bert

[Brass]

Another thing I never allow is valet parking, NEVER, NEVER !

I was just thinking about that.  So many hotels, restaurants, etc. insist upon valet any more.  It's hard to skirt around but I suppose you could tip something extra to park the car yourself.  Unwise of me, but not wanting to be "that guy" I let the Charger be valet parked very recently.  It was harrowing.  We were outside and I could hear it idling out of sight for what seemed like ages while they shuffled cars around.  I wasn't able to relax and stop sweating bullets until the keys were back in my hand.  When we went to leave, I retrieved it myself.  If anything had happened, I would've expected them to own up as professionals.  If not, it would be a pain in the ass to go after someone hard but I would do it.

[jb666]

This reminds me of an experience I had.. Funny, but it was with a BEST CHEVROLET in my area.. I bought a 1996 Impala SS in 1997. Brought it to the dealer for the "30 day service" . During a "test drive" the tech wrapped it around a tree.....  That wasn't a good day... These guys don't give a crap about your car...