This is not really FI, related, but I figure you guys can relate.

My daily driver is a 2005 GTO with an LS2 in it. It is pretty much stock (for now) besides rims/tires and a home built CAI… Still a pretty quick/nice car and I’m very **** about it (park it way out away from others…)

It has recently developed a little wheel shake at 60mph, so I took it by the NTB (national tire and battery) across the street from where I work to get a quick alignment and balance done.

So, I’m sitting in the waiting room and look out the window and notice someone pulling out onto the freeway in my car. This really pissed me off and I went to the main desk and started raising hell. I said “why in the hell is someone driving my car…”. The manager quickly responded (in a rude way) claiming that they have to drive it to align it. This made me even more upset since I knew that the machine gives you the delta from spec and driving the car is absolutely not required (especially before any adjustments have been made).

So, I went and talked to the tech driving it and he pretty much admitted that he did not need to drive it to align it (it looked like he had washed his hands but he was still pretty dirty.. and had not put anything on the seats…). He just said they drive all cars before putting it on the rack to see if it is pulling…. I said, then why would you not ask me that since I drive it every day and that I had already stated there was only a slight shake. Anyway, I got over it and figured I would just let them finish up the alignment and balance. I won’t go into all the details of the BS that happened next, but in a nutshell I walked out almost 3 hrs later with no alignment (basically because they did not have any info on the car, because their software was way out of date ( I actually got the specs myself, but they then had no info on how to adjust the camber and told me I needed to buy some special part…which I knew was BS). I also noticed that the 3 other cars that got aligned when I was there watching were not “test driven”.

I was so pissed after 3 hrs wasted on a Friday evening that I went home and wrote a detailed email to their corporate headquarters and pretty much called out all the issues I had seen at the store (there were plenty), and noted that it was obvious the store was run very poorly…

So today I get a call from the general manager of the store (who had just gotten a call from the corporate headquarters about my email LOL). Anyway, the guy says he just took over the store and knows they have some issues to work out, but also tries to convince me that I’m being totally unreasonable about them driving my car. He claims he has been in the car repair business for 14+ years and I’m the first customer that has ever complained about a tech taking the car for a test drive. He claimed they have to drive it to check for radial pull so they would not waste my money aligning it if it was a tire issue.. then he tired to say that the problem is something they only have to check on american cars (whatver). He would not agree that it would be a good idea to check with the customer first.. and just tried to convince me that I was being unreasonable about that particular issue and that they would never take a car for a joy ride…

So what do you guys think, am I just being an unreasonable head?

 

hell no i woulda raised hell too, if it was a tire pressure thing why not just check the pressure then? lol

 

You think that is bad! I was in a bad motorcycle wreck last summer that left me with a couple fractured vertabras, and 6 fractured ribs. So until recently, I haven't been able to do too much to my car, and I haven't looked under until last week when I jacked it up getting ready to pin the crank hub. I see on the passenger side the rocker panel has been dragged on a curb or something. It's got gouges, and the front piece underneith is broken, and where the front fender is bolted underneith, has a crack in the fender. You can't see it from the side. But I know it's there, and that crack will evently break off the corner and the lower part of the fender will be lose. I just took my car to a paint and body shop a couple weeks ago and had them fit and paint my new MCM hood. Back around September I took my car to the dealer to have all my fluids flushed. So I don't know which idiot trashed the bottom side of my car. And I can't really point a finger at either one now since I don't know which one did it.
So NO, I don't think you are being unreasonable after my experience with other people driving my car. I would write another letter to that Corp office again and tell them what you was told. So much for customer service from them.

 

You should send the same letter to the BBB.

 

I thought I needed to have a wheel allignment and they didn't even drive my car... put it up on the machine and did it... So no I don't think so. You were being perfectly reasonable.

 

When I worked as a mechanic, I took almost every car that I worked on for a test drive around the block to make sure everything felt right and sounded right. That being said, there was only myself and the owner at the shop. And all of our customers trusted us 100%. But we never asked permission, it was just a given that we drive customers cars. It was common for us take a one to lunch if they were having hard start problems or such to see if we could get them to do it for us. If a customer complained about a vibration or pull, we could not just take their word for it, we needed to "feel" it for ourselves to get a better idea as were to start on the fix...

Anyway, my point was, you complained about a vibration and the tech needed to drive it to feel it for themselves if they were going to do a good job for you...

 

I would probably be furious if a shop drove my car without asking. Tuners are different - I want them to drive it and let me know if there are any issues.

Mark

 

You need to be right up front that no test drives are authorized and if they don't want your business that's fine too. I'd bet they don't take K cars out for a test run.

 

I know everytime I had any of my cars aligned they drove them before and after sometimes. I usually tell them if they tae it for a drive i want to be in the car. I have a friend who works at tire kingdom and he admits they rag the cars out sometimes.

Im not saying thats what they did to your car I know I used to walk out to the street and listen and usually I heard them getting on it. But there really isnt anything id think you could do about it, ulsess they broke something.

They should ask your permission first I think that.

 

You are upset because you took your ride, which you are admittedly ****, in a protective positive way, to an obvious chain "Earl Scheib" tire and battery dump. I won't infer that your deserve it as that is not at all fair... but I will inject that due diligance is in oder. To answer your question... are you being unreasonable? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Should you have expected respectable treatment from a shop that obviosously, based on lack of alignment data, had no clue regarding the GTO? YES and NO. YES, they should not be joy riding your car CLEARLY when they have no idea how to properly align the vehicle. I believe a detailed account to the BBB is in order. NO, you should not have expected any better service because YOU did not ask before hand if the shop had experience with a relatively rare vehicle. I can just see it now... dogs salivating at the chops to taste that new bone... at the expense of the CUSTOMER!

As an example... TRUE STORY "Customers" take twin turbo vette's to a Chevrolet dealer only to come back and try to figure out why there is an additional 100 miles AND why the car has a distinct "I hit a light pole at 60mph dent" because the Service Manager, let alone a pimply faced lot attendant, is an idiot and has no clue how to drive a customer's high HP car... "but it was fun... and I still get to keep my job to do it to the next sucker".... <<<< I inject my own sarcasm...

Anymore it takes homework... DUE DILIGANCE... to determine if your ride is in hands that respect it and treasure it like YOU do. Those shops are few and far betweeen but once you locate one 90% of your worries are over.

Bill

 

Well, it is a rare situation for me to take my car somewhere to get work done. For this particular type of work, it is just a matter of who has the correct equipment and the best prices. It is pretty hard to screw up an alignment or a balance since the machine pretty much does all the work for you. The operator just has to follow the instructions on the screen. Hell, the new stuff even shows them a dam video of how to make the adjustments.

I would have no problem with someone driving the car if they had to diagnose something but this was not that situation in my mind.

I've actually been to the same place before with my vette and the normal guy who does it is great and he has never test drove the car. He actually asks me to put it on the rack because he says he does not want to scrape anything. I just tell him the specs I want and he throws it up on the rack and dials it in. Unfortunately, he was not there this time.

The other thing is I did not ask them to diagnose anything. I just said I want an alignment and a balance because I have started feeling a slight shake and the car has about 12k on it now....

To me it was like taking the car in for an oil change only to have them take off in it for a "test drive" and then come back and say "sorry we don't have the right filter for your car" and then for me to go get them a filter and them to say "sorry this car requires a special tool to change the oil".. I hope you enjoyed your 3 hrs here.

No big deal though, I just wondered if I was being over the top about the test drive without permission… and it sounds like I am.

 

I would have raised pure hell had they gotten away from the shop in my car without me in it. Screw that.

THe mini, sure. THe FX, who the hell cares, not the corvette. Next thing you know the mechanic comes back on foot......"I, uh, lost control"

Ive had my car aligned. I handed the keys personally to the tech who was going to pull the car in, and we both knew there would be no screwing around.

Now, if he asked me if he could drive it once done, I'd have no problem with him having a little fun with it, within limits and with me in the passenger seat.

 

no No NO! You are not being over the top! You have values those guys at that shop do not. Test drives are NOT allowed without expressed permission. PERIOD. Unfortunately, if its not expressed and mutually/respectfully understood in the beginning its a green light for the salivating dog tech's, who only washed the first layer of grease of many, from their hands only to leave their "mark" after a joy ride. Check around... maybe hit the GTO forums and ask local specific questions about trsuted shops in your area. Good Luck.


Bill

 

Someone would probably be in Jail if it was my Vette. Probably me

 

Within the first 2 months of owning my car, i lowered it and took it to the dealer for allignment and a few other non drivetrain things - 2 days later i called to see what is happening with my car and the service manager told me they were in an accident with the car (someone backed into it while the tech was driving it) I was furious, then they call me a few hours later and ask me if i lowered it because they cannot get it on the allignment rack! I flipped, i couldnt believe they did not even work on the car, but they were joy riding in it. To top it off, I HAD TO DEAL WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANIES....

I was a stupid young kid (still am) and did not know any better, if that would happen today, the end result would be a lot different.

 

Every one of my 17 GM techs drives the cars if there is something they have to "Feel.."

 

but in his complaint, he did not ask them to troubleshoot anything.
he simply said he wanted an alignment and tires balanced.

my TRUCK has never been taken for a test drive before an alignment.

also, if it were a bushing problem somewhere, they can point that out with it on the rack.

a GOOD alignment shop would put it on the rack and let you know right away if it could be aligned.

i guess i'm glad i got a couple good shops to take my car to

 

It depends… I really don’t have allot of faith in dealers. Most of the really tricky issues I found and not techs, especially if it was electrical, wiring, sensors… and I’ve had some good ones on various cars over the years.

Alignments I personally would expect a short before and after test drive, but not a joy ride.


Mike

 

Not only are you not being unreasonable, but I can bet you dollars that he is sh!tting a brick you will sue him over the issue! No other reason he would dwell on it so much!

 

I'd have been ticked too.

It would have been more reasonable for them to ask you to do a ride along to point out your specific concern as it happens. then maybe a ride with the mechanic afterwords to see if he fixed it.