Marcho Polo

So while my car was at the dealer for four weeks, I reviewed the valet videos and found someone took my car to a Mrs Bairds bread discount store a few miles from the dealership. During the drive he sped up on the freeway to 92 mph. Sure, I've done this a time or two... but what would you do upon seeing this?

To be fair, one of my issues was a slight shaking during braking over 50mph, so they had a reason to road test, but going to get food and going 92mph didn't need to be part of the test drive.

V Vette

Eeeek... Easy to do 92 in Vette... But food.....?

dvilin

If they fixed the problem and your Vette is not damaged in any way I would mention it to the Service Manager and call it a day.

C7&7

Agreed. Maybe use it as leverage to get a free oil change or something in the future

449er

The dealer was certainly within their rights to road test the car.... 92 mph? I wouldn't lose any sleep over that

Sconn

No service department has the right to run personal errands in their customer's car. Period. As to the speed, that's nearing wreckless endangerment limits.
​​​​​​
I'd be very angry. The fact you have it on PDR, makes it very simple, and they need to do something to make it right.

sstonebreaker

If they needed to test the car anyway, I don't see why the destination matters. As far as "wreckless endangerment", that's a stretch. Even the brodozers drive 85 around here.

jefnvk

Everywere I've driven, 92MPH is at least 17MPH above the speed limit, and many urban areas pushing 30MPH or more above. That wouldn't bother me so much, if it were a legit test drive, but using it for personal errands and doing such isn't acceptable in the least.

I'd be chatting with the service manager. A free oil change or two in the future for such shortsightedness on the employee's part should calm me down.

Sconn

I've known of County employees getting fired for running personal errands in their own company rig. Destination matters.
Personal errands should be run on personal time. And why should anyone else foot the gas bill for someone else to run their errands?
​​​​​​As to the 85 mph...Ya, 92 is only 7 mph above that. But have you ever heard the phrase, "5 you're fine, 9 you're mine?" Depending on the speed limit of the road he was driving, he could be approaching 30-40 mph above the posted limit.

It seems to me you would be a person to joyride in a strangers vehicle and think nothing of it.
​​​​

Big Lebowski

I'd mention it to a service manager. They would (and should) be concerned about it from a liability / insurance stand point...if there is no damage to the car, I'd be more pissed about someone taking food in my car! ****, I realize but still a road test is one thing, a food run for personal reasons is another.

Vetteman Jack

rogergcam

"Hey Joe, we need to test drive that guys Vette to figure out the vibration problem. Why not take it out for a check ride?"

Joe- "OK boss, Ill do that."

Boss-"and while your out, don't forget to pick up some donuts!"

sstonebreaker

If the car needed a test drive anyway, the gas was going to get used regardless. They don't work for the county so that argument is out. And now you're falling back from wreckless endangerment to a speeding ticket.

That last sentence is logical fallacy #4, the ad Hominem attack - when you don't have a logical argument, attack the messenger. 0 for 4.

davepl

The only part I really don't like is why was there a second person (if so) and why did they run errands (stopping at a convenience store) other than for gas? Could be explainable, but it smells.

Internets_Ninja

That wouldn't bother me much honestly. As long as they weren't doing burnouts which wear out the tires or brakes. 92MPH is really easy to hit in any trim C7. Everyone who said try to get something out of the dealer for it, you all are ridiculous.

Sconn

Lol... Ok, at what point would this situation bother you? So, you're saying it's just fine to run personal errands in a customer's car. Why not just just let employees take the same car home for the night. It needs to be driven anyway, right?

I cannot see any dealership condoning the practice of running personal errands in a customer's car, regardless of whether or not the car "needed a test drive anyway."

And I never fell back on my wreckless driving point... Many times 25 mph over the posted speed is excessive speed and could be punishable by jail time. A former police officer literally just posted about this in another thread.

Because nobody knows (except maybe OP) what the posted speed limit is, you have no way of knowing yourself how much over the tech was driving!

rb185afm

jefnvk

Well then, if I am a service manager, I would be POd that my techs were out running personal errands on the clock. Would the dealership be happy if this video showed up on the local news with their name and the angry owner saying he'd never use them again? And in any case, when I leave my vehicle at the shop, I sign a piece of paper authorizing them to test drive the vehicle for diagnostic purposes, not to do their grocery shopping. If something happens pulling out of the bread shop parking lot, where one was obviously operating the vehicle outside of a test drive, how exactly do you explain that to the customer?

Justify it all you care to, it is not good business practice and shouldn't be endorsed. If you want to use customers cars for personal errands, ask if it is OK up front. I'm guessing most of them would tell you NO in somewhat of a far less polite manner.

Marcho Polo

I am currently discussing with one of the directors of the dealership. I showed him screen shots of the speed, the tech that walked in front of the car as he went into the bakery, and then walking in front of the car with a bag of food as he dropped it off at the internet sales building one block away from the dealership. I then uploaded the videos to onedrive where he could view the whole thing. All he has said is that he apologizes and it will be dealt with. Keep in mind the service manager knows how **** I am about my car and I was assured during the entire four weeks they had the car that only the service manager and another tech were allowed to touch my car, and that it was always kept at a bay next to his office. I went to the dealership during the third week, and found the car had been parked outside in the rain the night before. The service manager couldn't even find the key to the car to move it, said the body shop manager must have had the key. It was supposed to be parked by service managers office inside. Don't know how he let it get out of that spot, in the parking lot, and lose the key if he was taking such good care of the car.

This is the same dealer that I posted about the scratches on my drivers side door. I found three more areas with scratches once I got the car home and washed it this weekend. I spent three hours or so buffing these all out.

The posted speed limit in this particular area was 70mph I believe. It used to be 65, but I have driven here plenty of times and believe it to be 70 now.

ShagVette

This is great new for Chev. Mechanics everywhere - they probably love seeing vettes come into their dealerships for service, as they know it's FREE joy rides for all, without limits.