Overprotective obsessions?
Pro
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 721
Likes: 1
From: Charlotte NC, behind someone going 10 under the speed limit
After being a tech for 11+ years, I never expected to work with so many people who hate their job. Good techs are few and far between, definitely, and even fewer who understand or even give a crap about Corvettes or their owners. I will admit, though, at 6'3" and size 12 feet it's tough to get in or out without dragging the knee bolster or sill. If a tech did this on a C5 or C6 there's no excuse, it's like getting in any other normal car.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,426
Likes: 229
From: Pennsylvania
He thought they bought it from me! They put 35 miles on the clock. Needless to say when I went to pick it up, the shop owner said BOTH of them were "test driving" it. I didn't pay the $450.00 for the work and I "lectured" the two gentlemen on their behavior.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 12,742
Likes: 43
From: Color my life with the chaos of trouble.
No car owned by me has ever been taken to a shop to be fixed by some random tech except for random warranty work on my old GTO (never bought a Vette that was still in warranty). It isn't because I'm over-protective though. It's because I refuse to pay 400% of what I could pay and do it myself.
On the same note, no matter how you look at it... it's just a car. I have let my friends drive my various Corvettes on more than one occasion which I'm sure would give some people here an aneurysm. Then again, I also drive them in the RAIN!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 800
Likes: 3
From: Port Orange FL
I have taken my corvette to a local shop to do work for me exactly one time. This was to get an alignment done, something I just dont have the tools for. The morons put the hood up, then proceeded to put the lift up, and broke the very corners off of both sides of my hood when it impacted the roof of the building. Of course they denied this, even though there was 1/4 inch missing from each corner, dust from where they cracked off, as well as matching dents in the roof of the shop. No sir, said the owner, my guy is a bla bla bla certified technician, he would never do something like that. *******s. Stuarts car care in New Smyrna Beach Fl BTW. 
Roy
Roy
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 6,520
Likes: 1,306
From: Windermere FL
Sometime we are obsessive for a reason.
Story goes some years ago I put new shoes on her and took her over to another shop for an alignment. Was sitting in the waiting room and had a pleasant conversation with the guy behind the counter while they did the work. He seemed like a nice enough guy. A while later the tech comes in and say its ready. Guy behind the register says, ok, I'll take it out for a test drive. I should have thought this was strange as why didn't the tech do the test drive.
So he is out on the test drive and I am waiting and waiting. After about an hour I see the owner come in, with a real sour look on his pus mumbling about something and he rushes out. After an hour and half I know something is wrong so I hunt around for the techs who were all hiding in the back room (did not want to face me). Confornted them and ask what the F is wrong? They said, there was a problem, but did now want to say anymore. Now I am irate. To calm me down, he said the owner was on his way back.
Owner shows up about 15 minutes later followed by a parade of state troopers, one was driving my car. Turns out the counter guy, who had no license to drive decided that a 120 MPH test drive on a local road was in order. Counter guy was cuffed in the back seat. Owner convinced the troopers not to impound my car. At least she was not damaged. Tech then admitted to me on the side that the counter guys don't do test drives - Dooooooh!
The SOB owner would not even give me a discounted/free alignment!
Story goes some years ago I put new shoes on her and took her over to another shop for an alignment. Was sitting in the waiting room and had a pleasant conversation with the guy behind the counter while they did the work. He seemed like a nice enough guy. A while later the tech comes in and say its ready. Guy behind the register says, ok, I'll take it out for a test drive. I should have thought this was strange as why didn't the tech do the test drive.
So he is out on the test drive and I am waiting and waiting. After about an hour I see the owner come in, with a real sour look on his pus mumbling about something and he rushes out. After an hour and half I know something is wrong so I hunt around for the techs who were all hiding in the back room (did not want to face me). Confornted them and ask what the F is wrong? They said, there was a problem, but did now want to say anymore. Now I am irate. To calm me down, he said the owner was on his way back.
Owner shows up about 15 minutes later followed by a parade of state troopers, one was driving my car. Turns out the counter guy, who had no license to drive decided that a 120 MPH test drive on a local road was in order. Counter guy was cuffed in the back seat. Owner convinced the troopers not to impound my car. At least she was not damaged. Tech then admitted to me on the side that the counter guys don't do test drives - Dooooooh!
The SOB owner would not even give me a discounted/free alignment!
Last edited by Flame Red; Mar 15, 2010 at 10:43 AM.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,233
Likes: 419
I took mine in for a simple tire rotatation and oil change at the local dealership here to save me some time. 8 hours later they call me at work, and say its ready. I get there, and the tech's had played NASCAR / INDY pit stop with it
. The wheels & caps were severly scatched by the air gun...and not just a little ooop's here or there...it was bad! I wish I had taken picture's to show you ....just how bad they were.
I called out the manager, long story short....the dealership replaced all 4 wheels & cap's with new, broke them down and high speed balanced them at No Charge! They even let me keep the marred wheels and caps. All's good right?....But wait there's more.....
Now, the best part! Post my replacement wheel trip, I lost 12 of my lug nut cap's on the way home. Needless to say.... I was livid. They made good on that as well...but............I have never been back, and never will. Today, I do all of my own....its just not worth the trouble to even think about saving some time, or have "other" do what you can do. It might take me a little longer....but well worth the effort.
I might be ****...but I would rather be ****, then go through all that crap again.
Stay in tune...
. The wheels & caps were severly scatched by the air gun...and not just a little ooop's here or there...it was bad! I wish I had taken picture's to show you ....just how bad they were.I called out the manager, long story short....the dealership replaced all 4 wheels & cap's with new, broke them down and high speed balanced them at No Charge! They even let me keep the marred wheels and caps. All's good right?....But wait there's more.....
Now, the best part! Post my replacement wheel trip, I lost 12 of my lug nut cap's on the way home. Needless to say.... I was livid. They made good on that as well...but............I have never been back, and never will. Today, I do all of my own....its just not worth the trouble to even think about saving some time, or have "other" do what you can do. It might take me a little longer....but well worth the effort.
I might be ****...but I would rather be ****, then go through all that crap again.
Stay in tune...
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,175
Likes: 237
From: Philadelphia Burbs
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 20,974
Likes: 261
I believe it. I can tell you that, in 99' I took a mustang in to trade on a yellow 88' vert and my buddy waited for us to get back from test drives. I took vette,, they took mustang.
When I got back he said they beat the hell out of my car, sure enough there was rubber on the fenders and rear quarters.
LMAO I should have took the vette back out and whooped on the 4+3
When I got back he said they beat the hell out of my car, sure enough there was rubber on the fenders and rear quarters.
LMAO I should have took the vette back out and whooped on the 4+3
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 5,356
Likes: 2
From: No HOA, New Hampshire
Cruise-In X Veteran
St. Jude Donor '09
Not obsessive...but disappointed:
1) how often I find that parking attendents and lot porters and even some techs CANNOT figure out how the parking brake releases - so they move it around with the parking brake left on!
2) how the awkward C4 entry exit causes many people to run the sole of their shoes across door panels etc. Some of the skid marks on the door panels are hard to clean off.
3) related to number 2; that service departments usually only place one disposable paper floor mat in the wrong place to make any difference. Or that they only cover half the seat with a disposable seat cover. What are they thinking?
4) I do an incredible amount of my own work - but there are some things that call out for a shop. I've often felt that some techs were sloppy on purpose, like they were proud to give the car back to the customer with new scuff marks in the paint, etc. I once had my car in the shop and a lazy tech had dragged a gritty air hose across the hood leaving a huge mark from one side to the other - he did admit to it, and they later had the entire hood repainted because it was too deep to buff out. When I pointed it out to the service writer he said he had noticed the damage too, but he gave me no warning about it before giving my car back to me. The pisser about that is that at an NCRS show my car had nice enough factory paint to be considered for a paint award.
When my car was under warranty I had the following items damaged by the service department: the steering wheel was somehow sliced by a tech, same thing happened to the shifter ****, the center console and radio surround received surface damage somehow. There was more, but I've forgotten over time. All because of carelessness, all were replaced by the dealership. It was always a dissappointment to know it would probably be a crapshoot if they damaged something else while the car was in for warranty work. They always treated me very nicely, I never yelled or made a scene, and they always made good on any damage - but still.
I was impressed the last time I was in for tires that the tech wanted to pop the hood release and both doors before he would lift the car - he said he knew the C4s needed more care when lifting. So there are careful techs out there.
Thomas
1) how often I find that parking attendents and lot porters and even some techs CANNOT figure out how the parking brake releases - so they move it around with the parking brake left on!
2) how the awkward C4 entry exit causes many people to run the sole of their shoes across door panels etc. Some of the skid marks on the door panels are hard to clean off.
3) related to number 2; that service departments usually only place one disposable paper floor mat in the wrong place to make any difference. Or that they only cover half the seat with a disposable seat cover. What are they thinking?
4) I do an incredible amount of my own work - but there are some things that call out for a shop. I've often felt that some techs were sloppy on purpose, like they were proud to give the car back to the customer with new scuff marks in the paint, etc. I once had my car in the shop and a lazy tech had dragged a gritty air hose across the hood leaving a huge mark from one side to the other - he did admit to it, and they later had the entire hood repainted because it was too deep to buff out. When I pointed it out to the service writer he said he had noticed the damage too, but he gave me no warning about it before giving my car back to me. The pisser about that is that at an NCRS show my car had nice enough factory paint to be considered for a paint award.
When my car was under warranty I had the following items damaged by the service department: the steering wheel was somehow sliced by a tech, same thing happened to the shifter ****, the center console and radio surround received surface damage somehow. There was more, but I've forgotten over time. All because of carelessness, all were replaced by the dealership. It was always a dissappointment to know it would probably be a crapshoot if they damaged something else while the car was in for warranty work. They always treated me very nicely, I never yelled or made a scene, and they always made good on any damage - but still.
I was impressed the last time I was in for tires that the tech wanted to pop the hood release and both doors before he would lift the car - he said he knew the C4s needed more care when lifting. So there are careful techs out there.
Thomas
Might as well take off the Targa so the body has a real chance to flex.
And he is a careful tech.
