eclou

Honestly hitting 80 in these cars is nothing. I’m pretty good with the tech at my dealership and I encourage him to take the car for a real test drive when working on it. I know he’s not going to be abusive and reckless but certain service work need the car to get pushed a little - coolant service you need to burp the air out, suspension work needs to settle the springs and bushings, brake work needs to bed the friction surfaces, etc. Engine fluids need to get up to temp to check levels and leaks. They don’t have the time to granny it around for half an hour to do so.

Drew46

This with a twist. I would bring he video in and and show it to the SM and GM - and the owner of there is a local one - and give them a chance to react. They may be (almost) as pissed off as you are and may try to make it right by you. It is really hard to get decent employees these days and I would allow for that and give the upper level guys a fair chance to show me what good customer service is. I always (at least try to) give someone a chance to do the right thing before I go overboard with threats and such.

I went for dinner last night and my wife found a decent sized bug in her water. She called the closest person over - it happened to be one of the managers - and they were horrified. Immediately replaced all four waters (which were good old NYC tap) with two large bottles of Pellegrino. When the bill came, not only had they taken off our desserts and coffees, but also all 4 of our cocktails. We actually told him it was too much but he insisted. So what could have detracted from our dinner actually turned it into a very nice experience. Sometimes **** happens that is beyond one's control. For me, the measure is not the **** but their reaction and response to it.

So, I say give them a chance. Hopefully the joyrider gets fired and they do somethign right to accommodate you. If not, there is plenty of time to go on the offensive and then you actually have a better arsenal because you have the event and the failed response.

EZ E

I let my guys run it! If they damage the car it's on the dealership. The engine temps is another issue. I'd ask what's up and let them explain. IF the video needs to come out that's another issue.

Drew46

Interesting approach. I cannot condone 80 in a 30 in my car. if they wreck, I have three major issues. First, you can bet that any claim for liability is going to name and include me and my insurance company since I own the car, even though I was not driving. Second, I don't want a repaired car. I want a car that hasn't been in an accident. Finally, if they total mu car, it isn't like I can walk into the dealership and replace my car from inventory. Even assuming the dealership does the right thing and gives me an immediate allocation (assuming they have one) at no cost to me, I am still several months away from receiving a replacement car and several of the options I have are not currently available.

I guess I am just not as easy going as EZ E.

shelbyking

So true indeed.
Balloon car loans? 5K down on a 150K Porsche?
The are many ways to put something in your garage that you have no business buying.

As for the joy ride, it is certainly not the right thing to do but this has been done with customer vehicles for a hundred years. Maybe the video whiz bang stuff will inhibit some dealer employees from taking liberty with your property.

Fullyield

As stated above, the issue is not the mph. The issue is rpm on cold oil. If he hit 80 mph in 2nd gear on cold oil I would be up someone’s ***. If it was 80 mph in 7th gear….meh.

nyca

I thought some states actually have laws against this, NY for example. But I imagine the loophole is that leaving your car for service implies "consent" to drive it. What was the service? There is no reason to "test drive" an oil change for example, or wiper blade replacement, etc.

vladie22

Not true...

AlterZgo

You can tell that we all live amazing lives to stress over stuff like this b/c, in the grand scheme of things, this is literally a tiny drop of water in a bucket. I’d try not to get upset over this b/c I value my sanity and calmness over seeking justice for trivial things. I put this in the same category as someone cutting me off in traffic. No harm, no foul and the more I’m mad about this the longer the perp is living in my head.

I’d tell the service manager so they can’t make sure their techs don’t rag on the cars when cold but I wouldn’t want to get the dude fired. He made a mistake and he will learn from it. Trying to take away his livelihood is too vindictive IMO.

alin2

Spot on. As I get older I definitely understand the aphorism: "Don't sweat the small stuff."

There should definitely be consequences for improper behavior, but IMO, one needs to keep things in the proper scale.

Also, in re: to some other posts, I would never recommend someone make silly long term financial decisions to try to purchase a Porsche (or any other high end depreciating asset), it's definitely neither my business nor would I judge them as the "incorrect" people to own a Porsche. I k now I've made some stupid financial decisions in my life...

22992

It’s an event that deserves termination. He didn’t make a mistake, he knowing beat on a customers car. Everyone in the automotive landscape knows not to do that. I would push for termination. People don’t learn by going easy on them, they learn by experiencing the consequences of their actions. A mistake, yes have a talk, Show them the right way. Total lack of respect for a customer and his $150k possession…no..sorry. You’re fired!

jhenson29

This 100%. I’m much happier not being mad.

BondJ

Not necessarily. I use an indi that has a staff car park packed full of P cars, air cooled through later models, almost all of which are owned by the techs. Which is great. They’ve no need to beat up on mine 🚘

Tobeit

Folks work hard to support their families and afford their dream cars and saying “they have no business” owning one sounds like privileged talking. All relative if your means and income support the payments and maintenance how much you pay down with cash means nothing. No different than a min wage worker buying a $30k car on 84 months.

22992

I only had to do a 2nd mortgage and supplement my income with plasma and sperm donations. feel bad for those that can’t afford. It’s a great car.