I was wondering if anyone had their GT driven by the dealership when it was in for service. Mine has been there 2 weeks for a dead battery and an electrical gremilin, which was related. I am just paranoid that someone has driven it. Has anyone ever experienced a situation where the dealership obviously drove the car when in for service? If so, what did you do? Is it my decision or can it effect my warranty if I go in and take the car before they resolve all the issues. The issues that are left are not that big of a deal, but it has taken them so long to get nothing done.
Has the dealership driven your car when in for service?
- Thread starter bonedoc
- Start date
fjpikul
GT Owner
Maybe you should look at the old thread by, I think, ByeEnzo in Texas and his escapades with the dealer driving his car and the horrible outcome. Makes your skin crawl. Long ordeal.
THamonGT
GT
Establish a relationship with the service manager of your servicing dealer and have a good understanding at the time of service. After all this is not just an average automobile in for service. You call the shots its your GT. Dealers understand believe me.
When filling out the service ticket:
a. specify that the mileage needs to be (it will be) noted on the worksheet
b. verbally express your desire for the car not to be driven except in and out of the work bay
c. discuss exceptions to (b) as it relates to miles needed to test for specific warranty issues
Most dealers do not wish to put miles on a GT; they value the car, the owner and their role being responsible for an exotic.
- doc
a. specify that the mileage needs to be (it will be) noted on the worksheet
b. verbally express your desire for the car not to be driven except in and out of the work bay
c. discuss exceptions to (b) as it relates to miles needed to test for specific warranty issues
Most dealers do not wish to put miles on a GT; they value the car, the owner and their role being responsible for an exotic.
- doc
Awsum GT
GT Owner '18
Some dealers just don't understand... I had a Dodge dealer take my brand new Viper out with only 10 miles on it and proceeded to put on 40 extra miles even after agreeing not to test drive unless I was there. The worst thing was they all denied it took place. I wrote the miles down and they were also on their check-in sheet at the time the car was dropped off. Even worse... the dealer was a neighbor and a friend... or should I say use to be ...
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ByeEnzo
GT
Bonedoc,
I PM'd you about your dead battery a week or so ago. I would do as eshrink says and make it clear who and where the car is driven by the service manager, etc. If a test drive is necessary, the service manager (or you) need to go along with the tech, so that there is no goofy stuff done with your car (see my saga under "A comedy of errors"). Shouldn't take long to get a new battery.... what is their problem? Its just a badged up red top Optima (black topped with the GT logo on it). Your other concern is what potential corrosive damage occurred to the trays and underpanels. Car needs to be put up in the air to check this. Good luck, AC
I PM'd you about your dead battery a week or so ago. I would do as eshrink says and make it clear who and where the car is driven by the service manager, etc. If a test drive is necessary, the service manager (or you) need to go along with the tech, so that there is no goofy stuff done with your car (see my saga under "A comedy of errors"). Shouldn't take long to get a new battery.... what is their problem? Its just a badged up red top Optima (black topped with the GT logo on it). Your other concern is what potential corrosive damage occurred to the trays and underpanels. Car needs to be put up in the air to check this. Good luck, AC
My check engine light came on at about 300 miles. I took the car to Mac Haik Ford in Houston . I did not buy the car from them , but they are only a couple of miles from my house. Keep in mind this was a year ago and there not as many GT's out there. He made a comment that he could not wait to test drive it. I made a comment that before he did that, he might want to think about what might happen if he damaged it. I would not want it repaired, I would want a new one. I was serious. Later that day, he called me and told me it was the 0xygen sensor. I made a comment that it should not require a test drive since all they needed to do was bring it to operating temp to check and make sure it was the fix. When I picked it up, it had an additional 9 miles on it. I went in and asked him what was the deal and he told me that he had to test drive it....and besides, his service manager wanted a ride and might not ever get a chance to ride in one again. I could picture them ripping down I10 for 4 -5 miles and turn around and rip it back. I was not happy. I told him that I was a car guy and would always give another car guy a ride if I was asked. I did not like his attitude. I wrote Mac Haik a letter and have not stepped foot in their dealership again. Someone wrote me back telling me they had a new policy on GT's. All test drives would be by the owners. They did say that they had a policy that all service vehicles had to be test driven. I think the dealers should use their best judgement. The diminished value on a $160,000.00 GT and a $40,000.00 F250 are not the same. How many of you would want to keep your GT that someone else wrecked? Champion Ford in Katy has performed all the service since and they are great people. Dave Sweet is the certified tech and Dave Burton is my service writer. I trust them with the car completely because they did not want to drive it,....why? .....because of the what if's.
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Baby you can't drive my car.
Even getting service, nobody drives my GT unless I'm in the car. Several GT's have been damaged by service personnel during "check out drives". What 20-40 year old mechanic could possibly resist "seeing what this thing will do" knowing they will never own one themselves and may never get to drive one again. If a 25 year old mechanic walked into a Ferrari dealership and wanted to take a new F430 around the block "by themselves" there is not a dealership in the world that would allow it. And for good reason.
Chip
Even getting service, nobody drives my GT unless I'm in the car. Several GT's have been damaged by service personnel during "check out drives". What 20-40 year old mechanic could possibly resist "seeing what this thing will do" knowing they will never own one themselves and may never get to drive one again. If a 25 year old mechanic walked into a Ferrari dealership and wanted to take a new F430 around the block "by themselves" there is not a dealership in the world that would allow it. And for good reason.
Chip
This is one of those topics like weather, manners, etc. It differs between locales. And, in reality, even in the same locale, people are treated differently from each other. There are customers that you do not wish to offend (and that likely also differs among dealerships).
When my GT was returned, it had to be returned to a dealership not to me as an individual. A local Ford dealership (Gwinnett Place Ford) stepped up and accepted the delivery. They did not want me to come and get the car (about 15 miles) and they used a service technician's race car trailer to bring it to me. They did not even wish to drive it off the trailer or into the driveway.
When we talked to them about servicing it, they indicated that they wanted to be certain that when it was brought to them that it was safely placed in an area where no one could come in contact with it other than the technician.
When it was in Detroit, we told them that it was perfectly fine to test drive the car. They, in turn, said that they wished to put no mileage on the car and that they could determine what they needed to determine in a very small area.
When it was returned including the trip to get the car on board Reliable in Atlanta, to offload it in Detroit, to take it to another facility in Detroit, to onload it to Reliable, offload at Gwinnett Place Ford locally, onload it to their trailer and bring to our home...total of less than 4 miles had been added to the car.
The local and New Jersey Viper folks were the same way.
- doc
When my GT was returned, it had to be returned to a dealership not to me as an individual. A local Ford dealership (Gwinnett Place Ford) stepped up and accepted the delivery. They did not want me to come and get the car (about 15 miles) and they used a service technician's race car trailer to bring it to me. They did not even wish to drive it off the trailer or into the driveway.
When we talked to them about servicing it, they indicated that they wanted to be certain that when it was brought to them that it was safely placed in an area where no one could come in contact with it other than the technician.
When it was in Detroit, we told them that it was perfectly fine to test drive the car. They, in turn, said that they wished to put no mileage on the car and that they could determine what they needed to determine in a very small area.
When it was returned including the trip to get the car on board Reliable in Atlanta, to offload it in Detroit, to take it to another facility in Detroit, to onload it to Reliable, offload at Gwinnett Place Ford locally, onload it to their trailer and bring to our home...total of less than 4 miles had been added to the car.
The local and New Jersey Viper folks were the same way.
- doc
Gulf GT
GT Owner
That very thing happened to me at a VERY EXPENSIVE car dealership on a VERY EXPENSIVE car. I took the car in for its first service after buying it. When I picked it up on the following Monday it had 147 more miles on it, and it was thrashed. The work order read that it had just traveled 11 miles. I immediately showed it to the general manager. The odometer had 136 miles more than the work order stated, and I showed him where I had made a note of the mileage in my palm pilot when I dropped it off. It took a while, but I got a refund on the car. I signed a non-disclosure agreement and therefore cannot tell you which manufacturer it was or the dealer's name. It wasn't a Ford, let's put it that way. It definitely does happen!!! :willy