AArrrggghhh - clutch fried by Audio Shop

At a dealer +- 5K. If your car has a 3 bolt ring gear add another $750 to the tab. Now for the scolding: Why would they need to test drive after a stereo install??????? I wouldn't leave any of my cars unattended at a stereo shop especially my 360!

 

make him sign a check to ferrari dealer, and leave it blank, and you'll give him a copy of the check when it's filled out. or go down to ferrari or have them fax a normal clutch job paperwork, and have him pay that amount that's on the paperwork. if he gives you trouble, bring up there the one's that even took your car out without permission, and you'll sue him for that in addition for time / stress / and the actually cost of the clutch job.


just go in there with a win win no loose attitude, don't walk out without a check / signature stating what he did, and will pay for it.


if you make up some paper, scare him by saying your lawyer typed it up, or actually have your lawyer write up some contract......



good luck and that really sucks. thats why you tell people , you want the miles written on the paperwork before you leave so you know then if it's driven / they won't touch it then. stupid people messing with other's stuff

 

Some thoughts:

Read the boilerplate agreement you signed when you left your car there and look for (a) any provision they violated in driving the car, and (b) an attorneys fees clause.

Get a firm quote for all the work from the person you want to perform the repairs. Take the quote to the audio shop and tell him you want a check in that amount payable to the mechanic. Tell him if it costs more, you'll let him know. Expect him to have talked to someone who will advise him to claim that the clutch was already damaged before you dropped it off. Be ready for that and, if he springs it, have your proof ready to express to him (description of friends who have ridden in the car and know it worked fine, recent shop report showing no clutch work done, etc.). If there was an attorneys fees clause in his contract, tell him that if you have to sue him, you'll use his own attorneys fees clause against him. (You'll need to have an attorney read the clause before you'll be able to enforce that argument.)

Start off being reasonable and professional. If he becomes a jerk, you can respond in kind if you want. Don't start off as a jerk because you can always go from good guy to jerk mode; going the other direction is difficult.

Final point. Don't beat yourself up over this and don't let others do it. You behaved reasonably and some jerks behaved badly. Not your fault. When all the smoke clears, you'll still be driving a Ferrari and they'll still be crawling under dashboards installing car stereos.

Hope this is helpful.

 

This makes me sick! I would have friggin' lost my mind if that happened to my car. Ther is NO excuse for them "Test Driving" your car!!!!!!!! NO EXCUSE!!! NONE!!!!!
The fact that they let you start your car and try to drive off without telling you first is BAD. What stereo shop is this?

 

so what's the name of the shop? i'd like to go there since i know they won't make that mistake again.

 

DO NOT POST THE NAME OF THE AUDIO SHOP. They will come back at you with a trade defamation charge which will move you from offense to defense.

 

I am sorry that happened to you. I would write down the mileage before you leave, if you have to leave, or stay with the car at all times when having audio work done. Its a shame there isn't a switch on the car that reduces it to 50HP or something for when you are forced to leave it in a shop or with a valet. I heard that the Veyron has a 1000HP switch that you activate with a key...Ferrari should make the 50HP switch for valet's.

 

only time they really need to drive your car is when they hook up a new navigation screen in there to make sure everything is good. When I got my car done I told them I'll come and drive it with their audio install guy sitting passenger and they had no problem with that.

 

I don't think so.

 

I'm sorry but I can't stop laughing that you trusted your car to the knuckleheads that work at stereo shops.

Good Luck!

 

+1. Post the name AFTER you are made whole. There will be plenty of time to get your revenge.

This sucks, but it could have been much worse...some punk kid with no insurance could have wrapped your car around a telephone pole, a minivan with kids in it, etc.

 

Excellent attitude you have about the whole incident!

 

At least it is only a clutch. I took my last 993 TT into the tire store and the owner took it out for a test drive with his buddy and turtled it. Then he was underinsured to cover the cost of the car. The insurance company did not want to total it and wanted to cut off the roof and put a new one on and fix everything. It took me almost 16 months to get my money.
It was probably the owner that took the car out and not one of the mechanics.

 

If they become a problem, file a stolen car report.

By driving your car outside the shop without your permission they technically stole your car.

Stolen car report allows you to bring in your insurance company, to whom you should make a report, TODAY!!

No kidding, insurance co. can help in even this situation if you have the right company and approach from the right angle.

Ask me how I know? Had a detailer drive one of my cars without permission, and he hit my Ferrari with it. Required me to report the Land Rover as stolen in order to get HIS insurance to pick up a part of the cost.

DM

 

Definitely they have no excuse for driving your car without your permission, and I would be extremely upset if someone did that with my car, but it's really not that easy to fry a clutch of a Ferrari.......not even if you're tracking it hard. Sure, they drove the car and fried the clutch doing so, but I think it was a mere coincidence and they were very unlucky it happened to them. I think your clutch needed to be replaced anyhow and it just died during their drive. How many miles do you have on your '99 360?

 

+1

 

you can be sued for staring at somebody the wrong way.. though they wont win in court.... same situation here.

as long as your claims on here are factual and accurate, there is no legal grounds for lawsuit.

 

I wouldnt have ever left the shop without a check or something signed. I wouldnt have been nice about it either.

 

Sounds like the first Ferrari they worked on.

 

tarek, I disagree. it is very easy to fry the clutch on a F1 unless you know what you are doing. Abuse launch control (not on modena), hold the car on uphills with the throtle or even worse, reverse uphill slowly for a longer time. easily you can cut the last 20 % or more on the clutch in 15 min.

 

I don't think it's a F1.........it's a manual transmission.

 

You have a GREAT attitude towards this Bizz. Im with you mate, lifes too short to dwell on it. Whats done is done.

As long as they make it right in paying for the clutch replacement, id be happy.