Dealership took my c8 for a joy ride

[T Mac]

Curious what you guys would do? Back story... Car went in for paint repair covered by warranty around front clip/headlight area. Dealer dropped it off at a body repair shop nearby. When I got my car back, I checked out the pdr to see how my car was treated. The video of the return trip to the dealership showed me that 37 seconds from a cold start the tach was ran up over 5700 rpm (the suggested rpm of the car that early would have still been 4500 rpm) the speed limit on this street is 50km/h but he was going 119 km/h (if he had been pulled over, my car would have been impounded) When I contacted them, they guarantied me that they didn't do it and blamed the paint shop. During this same email the service manager told me that he personally drove the car to and from the paint shop. I then sent him a clip of the video to show that it was him as the end of the trip was back at the dealership. Days later I get a response that the car needed this as there is a TSB for a misfire and that he was doing me a favor lol, TSB #21-NA-123 Sorry for the long post, but what do you think?

 

[DW Ruby]

Curious what you guys would do? Back story... Car went in for paint repair covered by warranty around front clip/headlight area. Dealer dropped it off at a body repair shop nearby. When I got my car back, I checked out the pdr to see how my car was treated. The video of the return trip to the dealership showed me that 37 seconds from a cold start the tach was ran up over 5700 rpm (the suggested rpm of the car that early would have still been 4500 rpm) the speed limit on this street is 50km/h but he was going 119 km/h (if he had been pulled over, my car would have been impounded) When I contacted them, they guarantied me that they didn't do it and blamed the paint shop. During this same email the service manager told me that he personally drove the car to and from the paint shop. I then sent him a clip of the video to show that it was him as the end of the trip was back at the dealership. Days later I get a response that the car needed this as there is a TSB for a misfire and that he was doing me a favor lol, TSB #21-NA-123 Sorry for the long post, but what do you think?

I think I'd be having a 'sit-down' with the General Manager.
I wouldn't be expecting any sort of financial retribution, but an apology would be nice.
Face it, if you let other people drive your sports car, even out of necessity, they are going to try it out.

 

[MKC8]

Do these vehicles have a "valet" or "teen driver" setting that can be controlled by password or other means to lock it, and lock out "joy rides"?
Care to share the dealership responsible? This sort of thing is completely unacceptable, IMO. Bad enough he tried to blame it on the body shop.
You'd be doing him (and others) a favour by warning others.

 

[CamsC8]

Ask to speak with the dealerships GM Regional Manager.

 

[DW Ruby]

Do these vehicles have a "valet" or "teen driver" setting that can be controlled by password or other means to lock it, and lock out "joy rides"?
Care to share the dealership responsible? This sort of thing is completely unacceptable, IMO. Bad enough he tried to blame it on the body shop.
You'd be doing him (and others) a favour by warning others.

I thought of naming the Dealership as well, but that's his 'ace in the hole'.
Don't want to play that one just yet.
These days everyone lives off 'reviews', so use it wisely.
It is unacceptable.
Now what would you like to see done about it?

 

[1500cc]

Do these vehicles have a "valet" or "teen driver" setting that can be controlled by password or other means to lock it, and lock out "joy rides"?
Care to share the dealership responsible? This sort of thing is completely unacceptable, IMO. Bad enough he tried to blame it on the body shop.
You'd be doing him (and others) a favour by warning others.

There's a valet mode. GM techs can override it, but I doubt third party body shops could.

 

[butsy]

Curious what you guys would do? Back story... Car went in for paint repair covered by warranty around front clip/headlight area. Dealer dropped it off at a body repair shop nearby. When I got my car back, I checked out the pdr to see how my car was treated. The video of the return trip to the dealership showed me that 37 seconds from a cold start the tach was ran up over 5700 rpm (the suggested rpm of the car that early would have still been 4500 rpm) the speed limit on this street is 50km/h but he was going 119 km/h (if he had been pulled over, my car would have been impounded) When I contacted them, they guarantied me that they didn't do it and blamed the paint shop. During this same email the service manager told me that he personally drove the car to and from the paint shop. I then sent him a clip of the video to show that it was him as the end of the trip was back at the dealership. Days later I get a response that the car needed this as there is a TSB for a misfire and that he was doing me a favor lol, TSB #21-NA-123 Sorry for the long post, but what do you think?

Unless you are going to name the Dealership, then what's the sense of the post?? No way I'd hold back and not name the Dealership as I'd post it everywhere.....Bottom line, No excuse justifies this behaviour, and maybe people need to start losing their jobs to stop this from happening......Also, by not naming the Dealership, you are kind of making ALL dealerships out to be 'bad', and that's not the case, Only a small few act like this.....

 

[Dik]

Ask to speak with the dealerships GM Regional Manager.

CamsC8. I gave you an thumbs up for your advice.
In addition the OP can give the police all the information then let them do their job.

 

[Cobravenomous]

I would be over the top pissed, mostly because the engine was revved beyond the recommended RPM’s relative to engine temperature and also due to the fact that he risked having your car impounded due to “stunt driving”, 40 kph over the allowed speed limit. (Stunt driving is described as 40 kph over in posted areas under 80 kph and 50 kph over in posted areas 80 kph and above)

I‘m not sure what options or what’s standard equipment on your car, but my (C7) has “valet” mode and as well my tach has a moveable “red line” which shows maximum recommended RPM’s again based on the current engine temperature.

Out of curiosity you should contact your local police department and enquire as to whether or not they would have towed your car for stunt driving had the dealer been caught? I suspect the answer would be yes. Then ask them if they would like to view your PDR and maybe they will send an officer over to have a talk with the dealership. Although I predict that yes they would have towed your car, I doubt they would reach out to the dealer although that practice is dangerous simply because I have little faith these days with government institutions, but that’s a whole other story…ha ha.

Next time you visit that dealership, tell them that if any test drives are required you will be going along.

Last thought, if the police impounded your car, had the dealer been caught, I would request charges for theft due to unauthorized use of the car be levied………..it would be interesting if there is a disclaimer on the repair invoice that you sign prior to work being done indicating that you authorize a road test if necessary!

 

[DW Ruby]

Unless you are going to name the Dealership, then what's the sense of the post?? No way I'd hold back and not name the Dealership as I'd post it everywhere.....Bottom line, No excuse justifies this behaviour, and maybe people need to start losing their jobs to stop this from happening......Also, by not naming the Dealership, you are kind of making ALL dealerships out to be 'bad', and that's not the case, Only a small few act like this.....

Point taken on the Dealerships.
I have yet to experience anything except highly professional service.

 

[gone]

No theft charge would ever be done, as the dealer was lawfully in possession of the vehicle at the time, even if it didn't have permission to abuse the vehicle while in its possession. I doubt the police will be interested in a speeding charge; they'll see it as a civil matter (dispute between the OP and dealership). I think the best option is to talk to the GM area manager, to make sure (for example) any engine warranty claim caused by excessive RPM's will be honoured or at a minimum, the dealer will be held accountable should there be an engine problem attributed to that.

But I'd first ask the dealer for a copy of bulletin TSB #21-NA-123. I'd do that in person at the dealership. Once handed the bulletin, I'd then ask for a copy of whatever work order or estimate was done up by the dealership, for this so-called misfire problem (while there, waiting, to see if it's produced immediately or after some time...perhaps after being newly written up...I'd time how long this takes) AND then I'd ask for proof GM was charged for the "work" done (get a copy of that charge-back). You may be told this "work" was all done n/c so they have no paperwork, however it's not likely a dealership would miss the opportunity to charge GM for any warranty work, which is why the dealership should have both. Having done all that, I'd then line up a meeting with the area manager.

OR consider doing nothing, other than going to another dealership for all future servicing. It's a hassle and time commitment, to follow-up on this. It's easy for us "armchair quarterbacks" to make suggestions, but it's your time/hassle so you decide. Remember that GM and the area manager will likely give the dealership the benefit of the doubt which is why you need to take the steps outlined above; GM makes far more money from a dealership than you. Sorry to hear all this.

 

[tyho]

I'd call a meeting with the owner and GM. Show them the video and demand an apology AND get some TLC for your car eg. oil changes, DCT fluid change, etc. This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable, no excuses. On top of it, the guy lied to you which would piss me off even more. If they don't play ball, social media can be a powerful tool.

 

[ScottyR]

Get an apology from the Dealership and let it go. Nothing good will come out of you calling GM Corp or the Cops. Right or wrong, you are now considered a bad customer by the dealership if you make a huge deal out of this.

There will come a time where you need a favour from the Dealership and chances are they will go to bat for you if you let this go.

 

[Cobravenomous]

Get an apology from the Dealership and let it go. Nothing good will come out of you calling GM Corp or the Cops. Right or wrong, you are now considered a bad customer by the dealership if you make a huge deal out of this.

There will come a time where you need a favour from the Dealership and chances are they will go to bat for you if you let this go.

Agreed, but only if this is the only dealership in the OP’s area…..if not, you could take your business to another GM Dealer……and let them know why you’re now doing business with them!

 

[Dik]

I would never return to this dealership. If a manager has so little respect for a customer I would expect more of the same occurring in the service bays .... where there is no PDR or a window for customers to view services.

 

[Dik]

No theft charge would ever be done, as the dealer was lawfully in possession of the vehicle at the time, even if it didn't have permission to abuse the vehicle while in its possession. I doubt the police will be interested in a speeding charge; they'll see it as a civil matter (dispute between the OP and dealership). I think the best option is to talk to the GM area manager, to make sure (for example) any engine warranty claim caused by excessive RPM's will be honoured or at a minimum, the dealer will be held accountable should there be an engine problem attributed to that.

But I'd first ask the dealer for a copy of bulletin TSB #21-NA-123. I'd do that in person at the dealership. Once handed the bulletin, I'd then ask for a copy of whatever work order or estimate was done up by the dealership, for this so-called misfire problem (while there, waiting, to see if it's produced immediately or after some time...perhaps after being newly written up...I'd time how long this takes) AND then I'd ask for proof GM was charged for the "work" done (get a copy of that charge-back). You may be told this "work" was all done n/c so they have no paperwork, however it's not likely a dealership would miss the opportunity to charge GM for any warranty work, which is why the dealership should have both. Having done all that, I'd then line up a meeting with the area manager.

OR consider doing nothing, other than going to another dealership for all future servicing. It's a hassle and time commitment, to follow-up on this. It's easy for us "armchair quarterbacks" to make suggestions, but it's your time/hassle so you decide. Remember that GM and the area manager will likely give the dealership the benefit of the doubt which is why you need to take the steps outlined above; GM makes far more money from a dealership than you. Sorry to hear all this.

Netsinah. I will respectfully disagree.

I believe all .... most .... many .... one (???) LEOs would investigate street racing complaints. Especially when there seems to be solid evidence like this case. Whether a charge is laid is at their (police) discretion and NOT the car owners.

Internet reviews .... waste of time IMHO.

OTOH. Asking advice from this community is something I would do.

Also I'd like to hear from a lawyer (maybe on this forum?) regarding potential success with a civil suit?

 

[KTJF]

A civil suit would be to compensate “loss”.

At this point , proving and valuing the loss would be difficult.

Only ones making money would be lawyer.

I may be in left field , not a lawyer by any stretch

 

[Dik]

A civil suit would be to compensate “loss”.

At this point , proving and valuing the loss would be difficult.

Only ones making money would be lawyer.

I may be in left field , not a lawyer by any stretch

I'm not a lawyer either but I have talked to more than a few for some strange reason. Lol

 

[Dik]

"the speed limit on this street is 50km/h but he was going 119 km/h". This is just crazy ....!

If you exceed the limit by 50 km/hr in Edmonton you get to meet a judge where a common outcome is a huge fine, 7 demerits and with a charge of dangerous driving. Try to get insurance with that on your record.
.... a very close friend (and Corvette owner) told me this story ....

 

[T Mac]

I think I'd be having a 'sit-down' with the General Manager.
I wouldn't be expecting any sort of financial retribution, but an apology would be nice.
Face it, if you let other people drive your sports car, even out of necessity, they are going to try it out.

The general Manger has been cc'd on all emails

I thought of naming the Dealership as well, but that's his 'ace in the hole'.
Don't want to play that one just yet.
These days everyone lives off 'reviews', so use it wisely.
It is unacceptable.
Now what would you like to see done about it?

I would hope they would offer extended warranty