I feel for you- I know what it's like see your truck driving down the road when it's suppossed to be in the shop. Fortunately they were just road testing(that's what I keep telling myself anyway)

Thoughts(for the dealer):

How about filling the tank up.

Monthly payment divided by days in the month- Refund that amount to you- it only takes a couple hours max to do the work you had done.



Also provide rental payment for using your truck as a delivery vehicle- $1 per mile plus $50 to rent it sounds fair. I understand the dealer may need to road test the vehicle but that does not include joy riding around with their buddies and going to lunch after picking up parts. I'm pretty sure the road test doesn't include even picking up parts.

Of course, the dealer is not obliged to do any of this, but a well written letter to the local Better Business Burea(not mailed until after the dealer says no) as well a draft going to the local paper(the one the dealer advertises in) may get them to soften their stance. Also parking the vehicle as close to the front door of the dealership, with some poster board size complaints will get some attention.

Not sure how much you might be "owed" in this situation but I believe the dealer should be offering quite a bit to keep their irresponsible actions out of the local newspapers

If the dealer has any sense of doing the right thing they should be offering up some free oil changes/ discounts to offset the wrong they did.

 

i know the feeling

i had a similar situation with my avalanche and the chevy dealer when i dropped it off for a license plate light that had broken under warranty

not only were there 9 miles on it, but the transfer case was in 4HI when i picked it up!

the service advisor couldn't explain it but kept telling me he could assure me that noone was joyriding my vehicle in 4WD--he's also an imbecile so i was glad to get rid of the chevy and move to the ford

 

woah...I cannot believe these stories I am hearing...its almost worth them doing it so I can catch them and have an obvious upper hand

 

wow, and u dont kno how hard those 116 miles were either.

 

i would have went totally nuts on them....their is no reason at all for them to drive your car around like that during the day....all they should do is drive it into the shop bay and back out of the bay...THATS ALL....they could have been out there romping and beating on your car...NOT COOL...i'm mad just hearing it...

 

Several years ago,there was a case of a dealer tech romping on a customer's Stang and he bragged about it on the net. The owner frequented the same site and busted him. The tech was fired.

 

What you were going to have done would not have needed a "road test". It would be my last visit to them if this is not rectified.

 

ha....makes me wonder....i think that i will also note the mileage for the next time my truck goes into the shop

 

hah hah i found something else changed today! My EQ on my stereo was changed..from custon to heavy bass....

leason learned always take your face plate as well!!!

i talked to the GM and wasn't satisfied so I now have a meeting with the Owner of the dealership "school style."
a.) The Tech
b.) The Shop Foreman
c.) The Shop Sup.
d.) The GM
e.) The owner...

I think I may just get something out of this...I called the person that does the local "automobile" section of the local newspaper and am waiting for a call back to schedule when he can come along.. its my secret weapon!!!

I heard there was a black box on the truck that records data for upto a week...anybody know abou that?

 

you have gotta get back to us with the results

 

That happened to me as well, my truck was at the local dealer for a week after one of their employees backed my Expedition into another customers Explorer during an oil change. I knew something was wrong when I picked it up with the mileage and smell inside the vehicle. But I left anyways and drove to work about 12 miles. Then on the way home I finally really looked at the mileage and realized that there was over 300 miles on it since my oil change that had occurred a week prior. I left my vehicle and they gave me a rental as soon as they wrecked it so it should of had no miles since there was no real reason to test drive it after body work. I then went back to the dealer and they said they didn't do it and since I had left with it I must have put the miles on it. I was very angry and they would do nothing about it.

 

Dang, that sucks

I always try and look at the mileage in and out on the rare occasion I take a vehicle to a shop - so far I have not been "taken for a ride", but still!!

At least you have their very own "mileage in" and "mileage out" figures which point to most of the excess mileage. I would think the shop manager would be the first line of recourse, followed by the Better Business bureau, then small claims court if it comes to that. Although I don't know what monetary sum you may be "legally" entitled to ...I'm sure it's probably smaller than you or I would like for someone doing that to our trucks. The last thing would be passing their name to as many internet sites, public forums and friends as you can. Cut into their bottom line as much as possible.

I had to do this a couple of years ago because a hotel jacked me over big time. I had a party of about 15 people for a wedding reception (in July) Almost everyone had something wrong with their room...stopped up toilets, clogged shower drains, broken air conditioners, non smoking rooms that were heavily smoked in then spritzed with air freshener...part of the ceiling even fell down in one room due to a leak in the room above.

So anyone traveling to Lawrence, KS - Beware of the Econolodge at 6th and Iowa!

 

I would be totally upset. Thanks for the info. I will now take down the milage every time I drop it off for any kind of service, perhaps even take a picture of the milage with a date stamp.

 

The reciept they give you to sign before doing work will(should) have the "in" milage typed in. Easy enough check the "out" milage when you get the vehicle back.

I always wash the truck before taking it in- that way it's easier to see scratches, nicks and grease stains. It has helped me out several times- including having the kick panels(4-5 deep gouges??) replaced when the tech muscled my driver seat (on the '01)out so he could repair it.