SilverarrowE55

+1 Sensor or wiring/connections

And you didn't really expect him to just drive around and stop here and there for no reason just to see if it would start again? Running errands at least gives him a reason to be out of shop when he could be there making money doing R&R's or services. He could have gone in his car but that wouldn't potentially help him solve your intermittent issue.

If you are so concerned and don't trust him then find another shop. Personally, I don't see what he did wrong...

When my mechanic was diagnosing an issue with my turbo system, he ran a few gauges into the interior and we took it for a spin so he could "see" what was actually happening at the fuel rail, in the manifold, etc. while the car was under load.

I have a Spark Nano 2 that I conceal in a few of our cars when I take them in for service. It pings my phone based on the speed/movement parameters I set. You can set a radius that is ok or speed threshold that you want to be notified about. Nice thing is it's very small but has great battery life (powers down when not in motion). No need to be concerned if you haven't gotten an email.. go online anytime and SEE it's exact location with the online tracking. Downside is $399/ year for 24/7 online monitoring. Cheap insurance... It gives me speed and location logs that I can print. I can show a service manager that his people were speeding or whatever. These devices have actually been used by some people to beat speeding tickets. They have 24/7 proof of their speed and location.

Not trying to promote them... there are all kinds of devices like this on the market. I think they are for tracking your trophy wife but hey make it work for you.

T-Roll

It appears the problem has been correctly diagnosed and fixed: ignition switch.

The problem was that the mechanic didn't ask me if he could drive my vehicle, on errands, every day, putting over 200 miles on it - it was the first time taking it to him, so there wasn't any "trust" built up and to hear about errands being run with my car, without permission first, was at the very least poor communication on his part. You can't assume an owner knows that you will have his car out half way across town on errands - he also took it home one night (4 miles away). Sure, with a trusted mechanic that I've known a long time this would not be a big deal. And if it were my '69 Nova that I had in high school worth about $350 I would not have cared, either.

SilverarrowE55..."I think they are for tracking your trophy wife"....lol...uhm, yeah, sounds like the old, "I know this friend who..."

SilverarrowE55

Glad to hear that your problem got solved. Faulty ignition switch could have easily been tested without taking days or 200 miles though. That seems a bit excessive. I'd find a mechanic that you have more faith in before leaving your car overnight.

Even dealerships have been known to let service technicians, (usually a select few within a given dealership) take a customer car home when it is deemed a necessary avenue to help try and replicate an intermittent problem. That is of course, only if they really care about taking care of you as a good customer. Otherwise, they note "could not duplicate problem" and return your car. You end up stuck with the problem until you can duplicate the problem yourself, IN the dealership driveway. Independent shops have different business models and can operate differently. It sounds like the guy you went to at least wanted to find out what your car's problem was and went to some lengths albeit racking up some miles in the meantime.

...are you implying that I am tracking my wife? I just read about that application that's all. Now if I was tracking one of the cars and she happened to drive it... that was for "security" purposes The problem with Lojack is that you gotta call the cops and let them handle it...

Best regards

writtenblade

I know this thread is a little old but I had a had a somewhat similar experience. I had a tire go out so needed new tires and an alignment done. The shop didn't have the tires in stock, so I left the car there over night since I couldn't drive it.

When I got my car back, there were 6 miles on it and my AC was running at full blast. It's a new mechanic for me, and I know sometimes cars need to be test driven, but for new tires/alignment? 6 miles seems a little long even for a test drive when the mechanic was smack between two freeway exits a mile apart, great for a test drive. Plus my car gets **** mileage. And why blast my AC?

I am VERY protective of my car and did not give permission for anyone to test drive it or take it out for their lunch break or anything.

Does this sound shady? Or am I somewhat over reacting?

Critter

If this happened to me, well lets put it this way, under no repeat no circumstances would some tech drive my car under any issues. If he cannot figure the prob out without proper diagnostic tools then I'm in the wrong place. He gets paid to fix it not cruise around it. Just because he works in a dealership does not mean he can be trusted, in fact I watch whenever the car has been worked on and if they don't like it, tough. I have steel toed work boots, safety glasses and a helmet, long sleeves which more than satisfies service managers because most of those guys walk around in running shoes and no glasses or other safety equipment. Not everyone can drive a powerful benz when their daily driver is a 4cyl shoebox. Trust never comes into the equation, the answer is no to test drives, get over it. NO It's my car.

groove66

Sound like a pretty damn good mechanic if you ask me. He took his time, diagnosed it correctly and did not throw parts at it.

Sure they could of been more clear on the diagnosis procedure. but the errands thing is pretty common. we just disclose it or give you the option.


Your only other option was
1. leave it till it permanently strands you
2. start throwing parts at it and it leaves you stranded
3. leave it with him and let him do what is needed to fix YOUR car properly.
remember the mechanics just fix YOUR problem with the car they did not make it.

groove66

and how is he to verify your car was fixed properly. Sound pretty foolish to me. You trust him to work on your car but don't trust him to verify if the Work he did was correct. and he gives the car back to you unchecked and unverified problem went away and you come back screaming in his face.

Sound like a great customer

Critter

So you think driving a customers car for 200 miles is acceptable, boy are you on crack. Like I said the tech gets paid to fix the car not drive it. If it is over his head then maybe a few more night classes is needed. Just wondering if a serious accident occured and it was deemed the techs fault who would pay, the dealership, the tech or the car owner. Me as the possible owner would state the car was stolen and the tech was not given permission to operate the car. Interesting EH!

WhiteSL500

Found this thread fascinating as I've had mechanics who test drive before and after the service, a mechanics that didn't test drive and some that test drove and said everything was fine when it wasn't. The best front end specialist I've ever used once had my fathers car for a steering issue. Not exactly sure of the issue. The tech thought he fixed his car and returned it to him. The problem persisted and the tech asked that he keep the car for a week to figure it out. The tech tore the entire front end apart to find the problem. He did. Fixed it. Turned out to be a not so well known solution to a problem that plagued many of the same model. He returned my fathers car problem solved and no charge for the knowledge he gained from it. Again, I apologize for the lack of details. The car was an 83 mercury cougar. I should note that this was a very well known and trusted mechanic in bergen co. NJ who has since retired. Test drives and repairs should all be judged on a case by case basis. Was the car fixed? Are there now permanent grease prints on the floor? Scratches? Change missing? 200 miles i think is probably excessive unless the one's compensated for the fuel. Half a tank ain't cheap. References go a long way when choosing a mechanic and unfortunately sometimes the one doing the referring can be made to look bad by a bad reference. Sucks but it happens. Always gotta do your homework.

groove66

Sure If that's what it takes to diagnose the problem. Although the customer would be notified that the car wil0l be drivin to duplicate the problem.

It's not like you just plug scanner in and it tells you what is wrong and you replace it.

If there is no codes where do you start? and after the 1st hour of diagnosis you have not found the problem. you have ignition switch(EIS) you have keys, shifters, door locks, tranny neutral switch and alarm system along with a few other modules and everything checks out.. where do you go form there.. All you can do is wait till problem come back.

And for someone to spend time on it when the customer does not want to pay the correct time it takes to fix the issue while it sits in there bay.

T-Roll

WhiteSL500, yes I completely agree with you. Mechanics should at least convey to customers that they will likely do this, and that it is necessary for them to discover / reproduce codes, etc. If they did that we could object or our silence would be akin to consenting. But at least that would manage our expectations.

When I saw my X5 ripping by me in La Jolla - as I was walking down the street - and then I walked up to the shop and saw a young service mechanic BREAK MY WINDOW REGULATOR right in front of me, I fired them and have not been back.

WBE55

IMO it all depends on the relationship you have with your shop. I would not mind if my Indy drove my car. Hes just as OCD as i am about my car. Hes even stopped by my house to diag an issue i was having on my Audi with my suspension. I do understand how you feel , I dont like the idea of a mechanic driving my car unless absolutely necessary.

Critter

Original post was "Should mechanic drive car on errands without permission" In this country driving a vehicle without the owners permission is theft plain and simple or Grand theft auto for the gamers. If pulled over here by police the fines would range from no insurance 5000 dollar fine if insurance papers are not shown, no registration for the car and hopefully he has a license in the first place. Anyway it would be an expensive test drive and one the mechanic would not repeat soon. Oh yea probably a careless driving also depends on what he was pulled over for, speeding, inattention to the road, racing, see where i'm going. In case of an accident the owner of the car would report it stolen that way the insurance company would cover the damages right away and go after Mr. mechanic for repayment. Oh yea if I am in the car with him then he has my permission obviously.

WhiteSL500

I don't really think anyone wants anyone else driving his or her car without permission but I think "personal errands" can be more clearly defined. IMO taking my car to get Chinese food would be unacceptable. However, stopping to mail a letter, picking up a part, or any other non destructive errands WHILE on a test drive might be acceptable.

Critter

I'm sorry for being so firm about this issue, but let me try another way, I do not park my car next to another but will walk a distance so it is well away from others, now iof I came back to get my car after servicing and noticed a nice obvious door dent in the drivers door, at which time the tech says oh by the way I had to run some errands and decided to take your car. What would you say or do?? Without permission is the same meaning "STOLEN", so would it be "okay pal" things happen and you have a nice door dent to remind you everytime you open the door. Or maybe simple " i misjudged" the curb because my Chevy sunbird is smaller, scraped the front wheel a tad, would this be okay. People who work hard for their money to spend it on a fine automobile want it back in the same condition and not after being paraded around the neighborhood. As I have said If a serious accident happens when this tech is out "testing" are you willing to go and deal with the insurance company? Seen a video recently where a couple of techs take a customers Black Series out for a test drive and were stupid enough to film it and put it on the internet, they were fired. I personally would not hesitate to call the police and have the tech charged with theft, especially if he put 200 miles on the car, now come on! or I like the 6 miles on ramp to off ramp what 2 or three times. My car is my car.

ma61

Critter

@ma61
Is the head shaking as an owner or a tech?

ma61

Neither, you just sound insufferable.

Critter

@Ma61 Live and Learn Would love to see the look on your face the day your car goes whizzing by on the street after dropping it off for an oil change! Tech statement " OH, I had some errands to run".

ma61

Thats a bit different.
Your original statements were essentially saying that there is no reason a tech should ever be driving a customer vehicle.

Critter

My comments were all reflective to the original post of A Mechanic Driving a vehicle without permission, your perception of my comments have been misinterpreted, go back to comment #12 by Eyes Of Thunder and click on the corvette website post, read that and see if your ideas about mechanics driving without permission change any. Call your insurance company and ask them what would happen if it happened to you?

Critter

Read this: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...ff-creech.html
Makes good info reading for the guys that don"t mind a mech driving without permission. Lucky Corvette Guy EH!

Critter

I personally like this honest comment:
I worked at a high end private shop in NJ for many years, believe it or not, taking customer cars home is more common than you think. A car that is left for several days is likely to used as a runner car to shuttle customers home, or as a parts picker upper. Almost all shops do this, even if they tell you they dont. All that being said - we had customers that emphatically stated they didn't want the car driven AT ALL, even for a test drive, until they got there. These cars were NEVER driven, as we knew they noted mileage and position of items in the car

ma61

When you bring your vehicle in for service, sometimes the technician will have to drive it.

At some places, there are people of lower intelligence who dont need to drive it, but they will anyway because they want to.
Since they dont have that thing in their brain that stops them from doing stupid things, thats how peoples cars get abused/destroyed.

Unfortunately, being a auto technician doesnt require a phd.

And none of this is news..

Strigoi

I was ok with this when the thread was originally posted. I still am, but want to add that taking the vehicle home for the night is not acceptable without permission from the owner. My comment was based on the tech stopping to grab some lunch while on the test ride. Our techs will stop at Jack in the Box or something while out and eat it when they get back. No harm done. There are problems that can't be fixed by just starting and running the vehicle in the shop. Test drives are necessary for some issues. Our techs also don't abuse customer bikes due to liability issues. I'm very good friends, outside of work, with a few of the techs (was even roommates with one for 3 years) and they don't bull**** me about this stuff.

I've been working at a dealership for 11.5 years and someone like Critter wouldn't be a customer of ours. I understand where he's coming from, but people that are like him always end up being a problem.

Short story...

I remember I was hanging out in my car on a side road during my lunch one day. A lady I worked with had a year old 2003ish SL65 that was in for service. I saw the tech that was working on the car pitch it fully sideways hitting that street and just gun it down the road. That was 100% uncalled for and he should have been fired. I did not like the woman at all so I kept my mouth shut. The car was at Mercedes Benz of Walnut Creek and I would never let them work on one of my vehicles.