CataIunya

Yeah you know these pimply faced youth you have paid top dollar to service your car rag the bollox off it with no warm up or cool down. YOU KNOW THATS GONNA HAPPEN and the kicker is YOU WILL PROBABLY NEVER KNOW. Hell people who have worked in service departments in other threads have admitted it. Lets face it they don't get paid a great deal and thats the only fun they are going to get out of a days work.

Lunchie

Surely, if you don't trust a garage ennough that you have to take a photo of the mileage, then leave a note saying you've done that. You must have driven the car by now, so how could you prove they did the mileage?

I'm not saying they, or anyone, has the right to drive your car, but its best to be realistic...

Lunchie

Brun

Had similar trouble with my old 1.9 GTi and a local gararge. It was in to have a fault with the sunroof fixed. They told me as they were busy, they may not get to it for a couple of hours. I thought fair enough, and off i went to browse the shops. After about an hour and half way through a portion of chips, i heard the similar bark of my Magnex coming down the road (40 mph limit), it passed me in excess of 70mph. Fecking hell . I made my way to the gararge gave them a ring from just around the corner.
me - "I'm just ringing to see if my Pug is ready"
**** - "sorry sir, not touched it yet"
Phone slammed down and visit was payed, with a mouth full of abuse, and threats of Legal action etc. etc.
To cut a long story short, my car was waxed, serviced and sun roof mended all for free
Still less than impressed though.

black knight

hmm.. seems common theis sort of problem.

had my type r in garage for some gear box problem and next when i checked the defi, max speed recorded was 152mph!!! and i have never ever drove the car above 120!!! but as the car was in one piece, just left it there.

my mate's car (a v8 RWD)wasn't so lucky. the garage actually wrote it off after a test drive (after fitting a prop shaft)and hitting a tree.

what's with all these people driving others' car like maniacs? dun see them doing it with their own... SIGH....

Boost II

iTrader: (1)

I always get tyres done whilst I wait - only takes about 30 mins usually, saves dicking about and I can see what they're doing.

Soobmeister

Car should not need a test drive if it's only had tyres fitted. The wheel balance machine will ensure that the wheels are balanced properly. We never road test after only fitting tyres unless a road test was requested by the customer, which never happens.

The Boy

Got to say that this kind of thing drives me mad. You pay alot of money to buy and run a performance car and some grease monkey joyrides it.

Agree that you should stay calm until you've got proof/admission but once you know they've done it **** em with the rough end of a pineapple ( legal etc ).

Your car may have survived but another owner may not be so lucky.

scoobyslut

Cant see the need for a test drive after fitting tyres as I thought that was the idea of a wheel/tyre balancing machine, afterall, they charge you for a wheel balance when they fit the tyres, so why a road test as well as????
You seriously need to speak to the manager of the company, then if no success, it needs to go either higher up the dealer chain or better still, to trading standards, give them something to bite on no doubts...

tittiecarcar

,

[Edited by tittiecarcar - 12/12/2002 1:32:51 PM]

323GTR

There is no way on earth they need to test the car when changing tyres, what a pile of sh*te! If it were my car, I wouldn't be posting on here, I'd be reporting the b'stards to trading standards for driving the car without permission. Testing the wheel balance? You must be joking, what's the machine for then? There just is no need for them to road test it unless you ask, if they do it without your permission and without you being there, it's TWOC, and you should take it as far as you can to make sure they don't do it to anyone elses car. If it were my car, it would already have been done.

Kempo

Some of the earlier comments were amazing - if the thread had been titled "Garage pranged my car on un-necessary test drive" the reaction would have been consistent: they shouldn't have taken it out in the first place.

If it was my car then I would hit the roof. Find out what exactly was done, and where and then confront them about the mileage.

If you are having a service done with a specific item to be looked at then sure, you may expect to see "Road tested" on the invoice.

Paul

Dream Weaver

Lets not forget though, a quick 10 mile trip, being thrashed from cold, hammered, and using NUL is not really going to do anything to the car is it?

I understand your annoyance, but cars such as Scoob's are not plastic engined toys - they can take a bit of hammer I wouldn't worry about it mate - just get on with things and chill out - if anything breaks in the meantime, take it back to them

ZIPPY

Chill my man, how far is the garages favourite chippy, i bet its about 5 miles away,they will have put 5 hairy ar#ed blokes in it thrashed the t#ts off it and then left the engine running whilst they were ALL in the chippy ordering their favourite selection of chinese food.Same for the return journey but slightly slower in the bends as not to spill any curry sauce.
Park it up without letting it cool down and all walked off complaining the thing 'Only had 2 doors' and no room in the back.

Zippy


[Edited by ZIPPY - 12/12/2002 2:07:38 PM]

Tiggs

"This is why they gave me a courtesy car for 3 days. "

i hope you were nice to it, no cold starts on unleaded sh1te

BOB.T

If you don't trust garages, do the work yourself if you're sooo good[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] I can't believe everyone is being soo arsey

When you have your washing machine fixed, do you sit there and watch the guy do it? He might be popping his own washing in your machine Do you ask to see the birth certificate of the cow that went into your beefburgers?

Garages test drive cars, get over it! In fact, there's prolly summat about it in the small print when you signed the job card, you did read the small print, right?

SiPie

I have to say I agree with BOB T

If you are that upset by it then contact Subaru UK directly about it.

0121 522 2000

Oh and I hope your car never needs to go into the bodyshop that I know of, disconnect speedo and off we go

May I also suggest Yoga, Tai-Chi or tapes with nice calming whale noises and forest sounds

Tiggs

"If you are that upset by it then contact Subaru UK directly about it. "

yeah, say "i took my car in for some work and they drove it!"

these people should not be allowed to get away with it.

T

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I've had my other car into 2 different places for sevice, and realised the other day that one of them swapped my nice newish Pirelli P6000's for some 3rd line baga****e tyres!!
This sort of thing is rife, apparently. They even nick your spare at some places, and replace it with a worn baga****e tyre!![img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
Alcazar

SiPie

Tiggs

I appreciate where you are coming from so please don't get me wrong here.

The point that maybe we are all getting a bit wrong here, is that the so called "spotty mechanic" probably won't be allowed out on his own in the P1, provided the garage owner has a sense of common decency or sense.

Coupled with the fact that most UK Subaru dealers see P1's every day and I really don't think it is that much of an excitment for them to see one. They are not exactly going to say "oh look a P1, let's go crazy. More likely to be "oh ok, I suppose i'll take it then".

I appreciate your point as it was only tyres that it was in for, but when I got my new gearbox put in and had various MAF/O2 sensor probs at the same time, the car came back almost needing another service due to the miles they'd put on it

Maybe I'm an **** but I thought that I'd rather the dealer sorted out the rattles and squeaks on a long and varied test drive, rather than me having to take it back every 2 days.

If they crash it, as annoying as it is to you, they are insured and if you ain't happy with any repair that they agree to do, they give you a new one

Olly

Look on the bright side.

P1's are particurlaly speedy. Therefore your motor may now hold the record of the garage's allocated "special stage" in the 10 or so miles of back lane close to every garage.

WISHING

10 miles ! So what ???

Im sure they drove it nicely !

juan

If they're driving it they can smash it. gits.
If they don't drive it they can't. I know which I'd prefer.

Unfortunately I lent my car to someone for a work appt. the other week and a day later it was a write off. cheers mate.
Anyways, I went to see it and the crash repair place (although it ain't gonna be repaired) and the guy showing me my motor was a nice helpful chap but was telling me how this model of car had recorded the fastest time around their 'test track' which involves a series of industrial estates and roundabouts etc.

Knowing mine wouldn't be competing in this race meant I could take the comment lightly but for the poor high perf cars they got their hands on I pity cos I can't see them warming them up and driving them considerately somehow. Trying to get the fastest time out of a car means they're gonna be risking bending it, particularly as they ain't used to em.

No excuse for it

tinvek

oohh thorny problem

agreed they shouldn't have driven it in theory after changing wheels and tyres

but

garages often have customers complaining that after they had new tyres fitted theres a noise, wobble, wheels were loose etc and then the inevitable line "didn't you try the car when you worked on it"

also spare a though for me last week, i had a customer come in with a 3 litre senator complaining af a shudder and also a pull to the left. i tried it couldn't find a thing, asked for more details and got the reply
(bearing in mind i'm on anglesey and the main road is a "B road")

"to get it to shudder you need to be going just over 120 mph and the pull usually happens after that sharp brow on the back road to cemaes bay when the car lands if your doing more than 80"

SiPie

LOL @ Tinvek

tinvek

i've had more bizzare ones like the old dear who kept complaining of a judder every time (note every time) she brakes

we couldn't feel / find anything so i went in car with her

the judder was due to her braking hard enough for the abs to come into action !

and yes it was almost every time she braked !!

Tiggs

sipie,

i was being sarcastic

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

It's only a car FFS

N1 SPAN

Had similar prob. Car in for a dent to be repaired. 40 xtra miles on when picked it up??????? Have worked in dealerships in years past for almost 3 years. I KNOW how cars get driven, and, please folks, do not take your car to anywhere but Subaru. To Subaru dealers a P1 is just everyday mundane stuff, anywhere else, the sales men, technicians and general monkeys will pull any devious little trick to get their hands on the keys. i know I would have at age 17 - 25!!!!!!!!
Yes, it is all very upsetting and needs to be brought to the attention of the manager, if only to calm this activity down in the future.
Mine was caught on the security cameras leaving the compound well after everyone else had gone home!! The stereo had been messed with and all controls were not as left.
I understand your problem. I was well hacked off. If the guy who took it out wanted a spin and had asked me, I would have let him. As it stands, I have no idea what happened to my car that night!!!!!!!. Not a lot I could do either. The cameras could not get the face of the driver so nothing was ever done about it. To be very honest, I think a couple of people got a fair roasting but that was it.
Like you say, is only a car. Just think what you would be like if someone took yous missus for a quick ride without her / or your consent????
Maybe a little different.......

scoobyboy

you see us poor technicians can't win they take it for a test drive of the enormous amount of 10 miles (thats 5 out and 5 back) to check for inbalance or funny noises. i know they have machines but the machine doesn't put the weight on. and you kick off.......ok..........so they dont take it for test drive you get 5 miles down the road and the steering wheel is vibing like a good un so you have to drive 5 miles back to kick off at them for not checking that the balancing was done right....ok......so now we are back to the car having done 10 miles and has to have the wheels balanced and your still kicking off some people just can't be satisfied.

Sicey

LOL tinvek -

Its quite funny with the brakes story, i just took my wrx to my dealer out here in Germany and I asked him to check the brakes out while it was in for an oil change, I basically told him when I am for instance slowing down using progressive hard braking from about 160kph the car makes a hell of a racket, a similar noise to having fractured or warped discs, which I have had before on my old MY00.
Anyway I come back from the local shopping area to collect the car and the service manager says - 'v go 4 a test drive ja' - so we head out of the town and he canes the nuts off my car out of the town speed limit 50kph up to the 100kph on this B road, anyway we pass 2 police cars going in the other direction and by this time hes up to 160kph and not letting up, i am thinking christ sake I hope the old bill didn't get my number and secondly I hope he does not crash! anyway onto a short straight just before a village we are up to 180kph and then bang he slams the brakes on hard!
We squirm to a halt and he says - see no problems!
And no it didn't make the normal noise probably because the brakes weren't warmed up like they are when I'm hacking down the autobahn.

Thank god I didn't own a P1!!

No but seriously on a dealership note these guys are top notch, I never ask for a courtesy car as the salesman who sold me my car always lends me his which I think is a nice touch, even if it was a barge of a 3.0hl legacy this week and the service team are really good apart from when the thrash my car, but it was only a 3 mile round trip and I was in the car!