| Author |
Message |
Jack (Gilles27)
Member
Username: Gilles27
Post Number: 590
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 7:12 pm: | |
Not that this kind of thing doesn't happen, but I'm getting the feeling that this is an urban legend. Just read about it on espn.com. |
David Harris (Dakharris)
Junior Member
Username: Dakharris
Post Number: 148
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 3:30 pm: | |
A number of years ago, I had my Mercedes serviced at the local M-B dealer. Because we're in a "big" city, they don't have room for all of the cars in the garage, so they have an overflow lot a couple of blocks away. When you arrive to pick up your car, the lot boy runs to the lot and drives your car over for you. After the lot boy pulled up in my car, a man drove up along side of my car and told me that he thought I might like to know that the lot boy had just burned rubber for a full city block in my 300E. Now, as pleased as I was to find out that my family sedan was capable of such a stunt, I felt that I should have been the one to perform it, not the lot boy. I told the manager, who sort of apologized and lost a customer for good. |
Tim G. (Tim)
Junior Member
Username: Tim
Post Number: 182
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 1:49 pm: | |
Very interesting thread. I brought my F40 into the local dealer to put a Tubi on it. one hour job. not sure it needed to be test driven but at any rate it was. driven by the service manager and then by the sales manager. if anyone should drive it I would think it be the technician and especially not the sales manager. kinda pissed me off because they said nothing about having to test drive it for putting on an exhaust.
a couple months ago the body shop guys decided to test drive a customers 355 at 11:pm at night. before they got out of the parking lot they wrapped out second gear and put the car into a 3' diameter concrete post and totaled the car. the car was in BAD shape anyway, maybe worth $75K at best. they gave the owner something like $134K credit towards his new Enzo. Stupid thing is, I heard the dealers policy is 3 strikes and your out.
if that had been my car, F40, gaurantee, one strike and they would have all been out.
most technicians respect customers cars especially Ferrari technicians so I dont have a problem with a FEW miles (under 10)put on by the technician but never the sales manager. |
Jason Biggs (Jason179)
Junior Member
Username: Jason179
Post Number: 56
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 1:07 pm: | |
Mat you brought up an important issue with valet parking... ALWAYS DO SELF VALET PARKING! Never leave your keys with an incompetant driver let alone a low-wage employee of the hotel. NO offence meant here. |
Jason Biggs (Jason179)
Junior Member
Username: Jason179
Post Number: 55
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 1:04 pm: | |
Well I see where Bret and Bill Glassman are coming from. My recomendation would be do have the machanic drive the ferrari with the owner in the car before the service to help clarify what the problem (I.E. If a part is making noise etc..NOT if the car broke down) is.
Jason |
Matt Lemus (Mlemus)
Junior Member
Username: Mlemus
Post Number: 192
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 8:04 am: | |
I really don't think the issue is miles being put on after a major or minor service. I welcome a well sorted car after service. I hate taking the thing back. I think the issues is having 50 miles put on after a oil change or 70 miles for a car detail. Or even 30 miles after parking the car in the Las Vegas Hilton Valet Parking overnight during a recent May visit. That sort of thing
|
Frederick Thomas (Fred)
Member
Username: Fred
Post Number: 633
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 7:32 am: | |
Brian does all of the work on my car and his system sounds good to me. If something is not right when the car is fixed I would rather that he find out while it is still at the shop and not after I get it home. |
Hans E. Hansen (4re_gt4)
Junior Member
Username: 4re_gt4
Post Number: 210
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 1:29 am: | |
Any mechanic who works on my car had better 'stress test' it. How else is he going to find a high speed miss, etc. The car isn't made of paper. If he is *competent* (another issue entirely), he won't abuse it (hard clutch use, speed shifting, etc.), but will test it to the extent that it is made for. I take my car to '••••' in Portland (no signs on building, and I think an unlisted phone #). He DRIVES it, thank God.
PS. Why is it that my mechanic's name, Richard, is blanked out? I noticed this after I tried to post. What a weenie filter. It wasn't like I tried to say ••••. |
Brian stewart (Eurocardoc)
Member
Username: Eurocardoc
Post Number: 384
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 8:29 pm: | |
After completing a 45 hour major service we always take a test drive, then put the car back on the rack to check for leaks, retighten wheels, check levels etc., etc.. Then one more check driven at speed, brake hard, back to shop, wash and clean, wait for check. 15 years, no problems, no complaints. FWIW. |
Bill Steele (Glassman)
Junior Member
Username: Glassman
Post Number: 98
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 7:52 pm: | |
Brett,
Jack down a little bit. I can assure you that any shop I sent my car to that put miles on it without my consent would get reamed up one side and down the other. I'm not attacking you or your shop, only making a statement. One of my cars has had only 600 miles put on it by me in 12 years. Before you make a comment on that let me say that I don't really give a •••• if you like it or not. The point is that I don't want anyone driving my cars without my approval. I just had belts hoses and valves done and the car did not move until I drove it. It works fine.
I visited the site shown on the first post, and quite frankly if any mechanic I used made a post like that about me I would sue his stupid ass! |
Dave Penhale (Dapper)
Junior Member
Username: Dapper
Post Number: 223
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 6:36 am: | |
Interesting thread as I just got my car back from a UK main dealer after having oil leaks sorted under warranty.
Before taking it in I took the precaution of removing my freshly refinished sill plates and sticking cardboard in their place. Glad I did because the cardboard had some heavy boot scrapes in it, the sill plates would have been trashed for sure!
I also found that my freshly refinished exhaust shield was well marked up so I've just had to refinish once again!
I only hope they sorted my oil leaks, only time will tell. |
ross koller (Ross)
Member
Username: Ross
Post Number: 355
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 5:10 am: | |
bret, fwiw, i agree with you that the car should be put through its paces after any major repair - its the only way of knowing whether it works or not. the problem, and i think what bill is thinking of, is that your shop with good people and good drivers and honest workmanship is probably the rarest thing since a rhd f40 ! stereotypes exist for a reason - and many of the sportscar garages have a rep for gouging, haphazard workmanship, overcharging etc.
anyway, i am taking note (as i'm sure many of the other chatters are), of all you dealers/specialty garages on this site who show integrity and a sincere desire to provide first class service, and you will be the ones who get my business if i am in your area in the future. |
Martin (Miami348ts)
Advanced Member
Username: Miami348ts
Post Number: 2915
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 4:54 am: | |
Hey everyone, Bret is back from the dead! Welcome back Bret!
If necessary I hope that my mechanic also puts miles on my car before returning it. Depends on the job obviously. After an engine out I would expect it to be honest. Better that than having the car idle in the shop for 2h.
I would not expect that for a windshield wipper exchange.
That Ford mechanic should be fire, probably is, his log in is: ex-mechanic! |
BretM (Bretm)
Advanced Member
Username: Bretm
Post Number: 2688
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 9:49 pm: | |
What are you talking about? Would you rather have a car that was well sorted and when returned to you assured of it being in good order or would you rather have a car that you get home and is still possibly screwed up. It's not like a secret, the owners are told this right from the get go. I find it very insulting that you say that. We're the only authorized shop in North America, the only one to get sub work from FNA itself. I'm not gonna say what shop because of people like you that make comments like this, but we're not your two car garage here. I don't know if you're calling our shop childish and unprofessional, but if you are you either know nothing about working on Ferraris or you are just trying to be a jerk. Our shop comes up in threads all the time and it's the only one that I've never read anything bad about, the only one. Besides normal exotics like the 355s, 360s, Diablos, 550s, we get all the high dollar cars in the nation. How many shops do you know that restored a 250GTO? that have had an F50 come in for body work? have worked with NART to send a car to LeMans? We've got half a dozen F40s at work, a couple Countachs, Diablos, 550 Barchetta, 575s, 355s, 360s, 308s, 355 and 360 Challenge cars, Dinos, 333SPs, two ex NART cars, a bunch of old 60s Maseratis and Ferraris, and some 70s Lamborghinis, etc etc.
Before you make comments about someone's life I for one think you should put a little thought into it. Whether you intend it as a joke or are serious, you're insulting something I spend 60-70 hours a week doing and people that I regard very highly, and apparently FNA and well heeled customers do as well. The owner is one of the greatest guys I've ever met in my life and I think before you go off like it's a two bit operation, and possibly get people on this site to read into that, I would like to set the record straight. |
Bill Steele (Glassman)
Junior Member
Username: Glassman
Post Number: 97
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 8:31 pm: | |
If anybody put 30 miles on my car while entrusted to their care, I would sue them!
Very unprofessional, and childish antics.
A Ferrari mechanic at a well known west coast shop told me what he tells all his people. A Ferrari is a handgrenade with the pin pulled, it's going to blow, you just don't know when, and you shure as hell don't want to be driving it when it does! |
BretM (Bretm)
Advanced Member
Username: Bretm
Post Number: 2683
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 6:42 pm: | |
Only the owner of our shop takes the cars out after a service or whatever just to go over them, usually puts like 30 miles on them in checking. Sometimes he takes one of the mechanics with him. Thankfully he doesn't test them like this guy does. So, some Ferrari places are good.
This guy is obviously an idiot, but that car should see a lot worse things in its life than a run to 140mph, isn't that what the car is made for? If the owner of my work took my car out and did 140 I would have no problem at all, he's a good driver and it's not like the Ferrari isn't made to do it. This guy though presents this thing as a wild joyride though, which it probably was, and that causes the problem IMO. Makes me think of the guys at the garage in Ferrari Bueller's Day Off. |
James Dixon (Omnadren250)
Member
Username: Omnadren250
Post Number: 292
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 4:45 pm: | |
It wouldn't surprise me if this type of behaviour wasn't exclusive to Ford dealerships.
http://65.31.67.109/showthread.php?s=e530c1ed59d2f07ea0896d4a3f26405b&threadid=29134&perpage=15&pagenumber=1
As you can see, the mechanic was fired, and this dealership has recieved it's fair share of bad publicity.
This is all over all the car forums
|
|