[PizzaTime]

Originally Posted by JD001

I'd hate it if someone on the shop/garage floor was to lose their job. It's not their fault but their managers. The managers should be reprimanded for poor policy.

I don't want anyone fired over this either, but that just seems to be the way these things work out. Either the management admits fault and says "we never thought to tell our employees not to play with customers' cars" or they say "we went over this in training." I doubt management will take the fall for employees so low on the totem pole.

Originally Posted by radroach

Is this the same dealership you bought the car from? You don't have to get service at that particular dealership. I took my car into a different dealership, out of town, for engine recall service because they're better.

I've seen this issue before from a Focus ST owner who took their car with a dashcam in a Ford dealership, had footage of the porter stalling his car 20 times trying to get it out of the parking spot.

Usually dealerships offer stuff like free oil changes as compensation. But do you really want them touching your car after this?

No, I actually already ditched the dealership I purchased the car from for a number of reasons. This is the closest dealership and one of the better ones I've dealt with. I've had no issues with the service department and everything looks good on camera on their end. It's just the car wash staff at this point, and I have always opted to skip the car wash before this...just forgot to mention it this time and this is what happens.

Originally Posted by why?

I'd go first to see if any media will pay you some nice cash for that video, and then go to the manager of the dealership telling them how much you can get if you sell the video, and ask what they would do to make sure you don't sell it.

I meeeeean it's an option to consider, but not a good way to start off a negotiation in my opinion. This is a late-stage move, if a move to make at all.

Originally Posted by ActionMaxon

I would seek a written apology on official letterhead where they acknowledge the specific mistakes they make. That would give you a second record (after the video) and forms a basis for further action if needed in the future. And by future I mean the next few weeks

I read about a similar experience a guy had where he witnessed a valet at a dealership stalling his car. He had no camera but he was there in person when it happened, so he got it in writing. I'm thinking this is the bare minimum I will push for, and maybe the maximum as well. Just enough to let them know this is a relatively serious situation and to cover my bases a little.

Originally Posted by 86TOYO2k17

make them extend your warranty, and guarantee it wont happen again. They are adding unnecessary wear and tear to your vehicle at your expense.

I'm actually counting the days until the warranty runs out (or I have enough money to just not care about it) so I can really start having some fun with the car. Buuuut still something to consider? I doubt they would extend it anyway.

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Well, different folks would have different reactions to it.

Personally, even if it was my car, I would have found the whole thing humorous. Since there was no real damage to the car, if you had not had the dashcam you would be none the wiser anyway.

I would have a conversation with the service manager with the video and said something along the lines of "Hey, heads-up but this is no way to treat a customer's car. You may want to teach the guy to drive a stick in one of your cars", then I would move on.

I mean it would be humorous if it wasn't for the fact that they were taking liberties with property that wasn't theirs. I have been planning to teach a friend to drive stick with my car, which has required reassuring myself that under thoughtful instruction the wear would be minimized and that stalling five or ten times wouldn't be such an issue in the long-run. But the lady instructing didn't do a very thorough job and allowed the guy to make a bunch of mistakes putting excess (if light) wear on the throwout bearing at the very least, if not the starter motor as well.

Now the mistakes I had anticipated my friend making have to be added to those made by the employees. That's my decision to make, not theirs.

But yeah what you're suggesting I say to the service manager is about what I'm thinking as well, possibly with the added request of receiving a written and signed acknowledgment of their error as ActionMaxon suggested above. I've got class today so it'll have to be tomorrow, whatever I decide to do.

Thanks everyone for the input. Definitely some good points to consider moving forward.