Caught speeding in a customers car

[BlackC55]

Let me tell you a little story about someone I used to work with.

I used to work at a MB main dealer as a technician. One sunny day the service manager recieved a letter from a customer fuming. While we had this customers car in for service it had been caught by a speed camera speeding excessivly.

Enclosed was a picture taken by the camera of the offending driver. The person driving it was one of the collection and delivery drivers. He had the convertible roof down and the customers sun glasses on clear as day in the picture.

The c&d driver got 3 points a slap on the wrist by the manager and the picture blown up and displayed in the valet bay.

We laughed at his miss-fortune. I chatted to him later in the week and he confessed to driving an SL55 at 145mph racing another driver in an E55 to a customers address. This was a regular occurance and was cosidered a treat to drive at silly speed in an AMG variant.

It goes on in every dealer in every city.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

It goes on in every dealer in every city.

I went out for a drive in our ML with the senior tech, and he thrashed it with me beside him!!

 

[BlackC55]

We all used to do it.......we had a competion

 

[kikkthecat]

As you say, every dealer in every city. And not just the big boys either. A friend of mine dropped his car off for an MOT and I picked him up. 4 hours later dropping him home we saw his car outside the fish and chip shop where one of the young apprentices was using it to run errands and fetch lunch.
My mate took the keys from him and left him to walk the mile and a half back to the garage, booked it in elsewhere and stayed with it while it was done.

 

[LastMinute]

And you wonder why [POST=350206]this guy[/POST] wanted to keep an eye on you...

 

[Dave Lewis]

A few years ago my wife's Honda accord was in the body shop a couple of days for some insurance repairs. I checked the odometer, as I always do when leaving a car with someone else. When I picked it up, it had done 350 miles

 

[grober]

Gross negligence!

One sunny day the service manager received a letter from a customer fuming. While we had this customers car in for service it had been caught by a speed camera speeding excessively.
The c&d driver got 3 points a slap on the wrist by the manager

And what recompense did the customer receive after this "jolly jape". If it was my car the letter the service manager received would not be from me but from my lawyer.

 

[scotth_uk]

It does go on, but the company is trying to tighten procedures around dealers.

 

[R2D2]

Isn't the UK car speeding ticket 176mph in a customers Porsche driven by the mechanic??

 

[Dieselman]

Years ago I had an New Volvo Sprots model. It broke down twice in the first two weeks when it had been in to the dealers for about a week one of my staff told me my car was fixed before the dealer rang me.
I asked him how he knew to which he replied he had seen it being thrashed mercilessly from a set of traffic lights on a rural A road.

When it was the first one sold and the only one locally at the time it was a bit conspicuous...

Well at least it was running...

I asked at the dealers and the Tech went bright red...Oops!!

 

[Shude]

I told Whitefield to take my car out and give it a good thrashing to make it misfire for diagnosis and according to the trip meter they'd done about .5 miles in it.

 

[R2D2]

This is the story I was thinking of:


"Porsche driver clocked at 172mph

A motorist has been caught doing 172mph on a rural A-road, police said today.

Tim Brady, 33, was apparently clocked by a Pc's speed gun on a bridge over the A420, which runs from Swindon to Oxford past Faringdon, Southmoor, Appleton and Cumnor.

If convicted, he would become Britain's fastest speeder in a car. The current record is 156mph.

advertisementBrady notched up his alleged chart-topping speed in a £98,000 3.6-litre Porsche 911 Turbo on Saturday.

He allegedly borrowed the car from work without bosses' authority.

Until he resigned, he worked for car lease firm Helphire at its Abingdon branch.

A company spokeswoman said: "Tim Brady was an employee until Monday morning when he handed in his resignation.

"He borrowed the Porsche 911 Turbo without permission - he jumped before he was pushed."

Brady has been released on bail to reappear at Oxford police station on February 17, police said.

In 2003, car dealer Jason McAllister was caught doing 156mph in his BMW M3 3.2litre in Scotland. He was jailed for five months."

 

[RichardM]

I don't think that was in a customers car though.

 

[BlackC55]

respect

And you wonder why [post=350206]this guy[/post] wanted to keep an eye on you...

I had a bit more respect for customers cars.

 

[BlackC55]

And what recompense did the customer receive after this "jolly jape". If it was my car the letter the service manager received would not be from me but from my lawyer.

He got his next service free.....

 

[grober]

I would have looked for financial recompense and taken my car elsewhere to be serviced. Depending on what the next service was that dealer got off cheap IMHO bearing in mind the cost of servicing internally is mere fraction of what the customer is charged. £50-£100 for some irresponsible driver potentially putting miles of wear on the engine transmission and brakes doesn't begin to be adequate recompense.

 

[grober]

He got his next service free.....

Sorry double post.

 

[Rose Chap]

Pretty scary stories, but ironically I've just come off the phone with my Mercedes dealership telling them that to find the slight lurch in the gearbox they need to drive the car harder. I believe my exact words were "You'll need to give it some stick".

 

[BTB 500]

Yup it's a worry.

Given the choice I would always collect a new vehicle too, rather than have it delivered (unless it comes on a low loader). The thought of someone thrashing the nuts off a brand new engine doesn't particularly appeal. Particularly if you've ordered something a bit unusual or sporty where I'm sure the temptation to 'see what it will do' is higher.

 

[BlackC55]

When I worked in the middle east I took out a Carrera GT and so did my boss. I drove a bright red one and he had a white one. 604bhp V10 put a massive smile on my face. We didnt drive like wallies but we did drive briskly along the motorway. I had just put a gearbox in one and the other has clutch problems so a tandem road test was a must!!

It did turn a few heads. Its not often you see a Carrera GT let alone two. And the noise they make....... its like an F1 car on the road.

It was a very special day for me I can assure you and I will never forget it and how lucky I was. I think that if you have the privilige to drive such machinery not to abuse it too much....thats the key.