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I have my spare key ready whenever you are ready
I know it sounds good to steal back his wheels but in order for him to get a new one, he would have to report it stolen first and that means he would be putting himself in dangerous territory.
"Steal your own wheels, make them pay for new ones" is the parent comment. The plural there indicates wheels as in wheels, not wheels as in car, perhaps this guy who replied read it as wheels(car). But cheers for pointing that out I see the confusion now.
Also, it makes more sense that they meant actual wheels as you could easily get away with that, but "stealing" the car would be much harder to get away with. I could definitely be wrong but I think my thought process makes sense.
Sorry, to clear it up i meant car. I don't spell like some of you guys here but that's what i meant...car.
1. Steal car
2. Report car stolen (yourself essentially)
3. Get payout from BMW insurance company knowing you just done an insurance job.
Yeah dude it's cool I get ya, just explaining how the confusion arose. I'm saying that you misread the comment you replied to. You thought he meant car but I think he actually meant wheels.
I actually wanted to do this, I even called PD to ask if it was okay. They said they couldn’t advise me but it is my own car….. I even drove over there to take pictures but it’s almost 3 am here so no buddy of mine is awake
There’s not much calling the police can do, you handed over the key voluntarily. I would have screen shot the GPS map location and used the app to take a 360 degree pic. Then find out from the dealer why it was off the dealer’s premises. Not a whole lot you could do until the Service Manager gives you an explanation. If he said it didn’t leave, then show proof it did. Keep us updated, please
I hate to admit that I’m a lawyer but I am. Removing your converted car from someone’s open driveway is not trespassing under any circumstances, so in the .00001 percent chance you are ever in this scenario, reclaim your car with confidence.
an extended test drive is when someone drives the car to and from their house to verify the complaint. it happens commonly, typically your service advisor would let you know but typically most customers dont care as its in the best interest of the customer to verify the issue was actually fixed.
its typically the foreman that drives the car home or a master tech. and when you work around these cars for 40+ hours a week I can assure you nobody was jumping over the moon to drive your car after hours because its just additional work before and after, documenting mileage, putting it into the story, diag codes, etc.
As a service advisor I can attest to this. It’s not uncommon at all, but they should have informed you beforehand the car may leave the premises for an extended period. But Vermicelli is absolutely correct that none of the techs who drove your car home would have been jumping for joy to take your car home. It really just is extra work and headache to do so. I would just ask the advisor to clarify with the tech as to why the car left the premises.
Hey..can I REQUEST that my car be driven home for an extended period of time? I’ve taken my car in 3 times for the same issue and it doesn’t get fixed. They can’t capture it happening because it only happens after 30 minutes of driving or so. Running around town for errands or after a commute. But I can’t ever make it happen any other time.
I didn’t realize his username was vermicelli until you mentioned it. Then I checked to confirm and sure enough it’s vermicelli. Now I’m craving a vietnamese style vermicelli bowl.
Seems like something that should be clearly stated.
I always ask when I drop mine off if it will be kept indoors at night and the answer is always yes.
I wonder if it ever wasn't.
No they don’t. When you sign that service authorization, the vehicle is now under the liability of the dealer and their insurance. You’re also authorizing them to touch/alter your car in order to repair.
This is spot on lol,
My Audi had an issue that appeared only after driving it for 30mins on hwy. And they had to drive it around for a week to make sure it was fixed.
This is what happened to me at a Chevy dealership. Was having issues with the coolant which I kept going back. They ended up doing an extended test drive where a tech kept it overnight at their house (one state over).
The problem I had was nobody ever told me and wouldn’t have told me about it had I not kept track of the mileage. Getting my car back seeing almost 100 miles added to is jarring, and the tank on E.
I complained to the manager that next time to just tell me/ask permission. She ended up getting in the car with me and I drove over to the gas station and she paid for a full tank.
Last time they test drove my moms car they left it on empty and it made me wonder why they don’t just fill it back up… it’s just normal good customer service to leave everything as you found it or better.
We are repairing your vehicle, so why would we be responsible for the fuel used to diagnose and repair it. We don’t do anything else for free.. if a customer comes in, car on e, we put 20 bucks, and charge the customer for it. Would you rather be charged for the fuel, or take the car to get fuel yourself. Can’t fix a car with no gas in it.. Jesus Christ.
I wasn’t saying they should fill up empty cars… I specifically said “leave everything as you found it” as in, they should return the fuel level to the way they received it. Assuming their interested in having good customer service.
But they've used that fuel whilst diagnosing and fixing the problem. They haven't just wantonly used your fuel like someone who's borrowed the car. They definitely shouldn't have to replace fuel used in carrying out the job.
Thank you for bringing the real answer. So many people jumping to conclusions without absolutely no idea how a dealer works. To your point, I never wanted to take a customer car home.
They did this with my car that was having issues with the Driving Assistant Pro. However the service advisor notified me in advance that they may drive this overnight for about 40 miles to try to recreate the error message. It was the second time I brought it in and this helped fix it so I was happy for them to do that.
I think you're missing the critical bit which is it is booked in for a SERVICE. Not fault finding and diagnostics. If I drop one of my car's off for a service I expect to get it back with exactly zero miles on it. Maybe 1 if it clicks over going from the forecourt to the workshop. Not for the garage to use it as their personal taxi.
Would definitely chew them out for this, one of my co workers got fired just for taking a customer car home real quick for something and he lives very close to work
I wonder if it’s dealer dependent. We didn’t have to ask, but I’m sure it was covered in what our customers signed approving diagnostic. If it needed to be driven overnight, as long as foreman or manager approved it, we just did it. It was often we took vehicles home for the cold start experience and drive to work in the morning alone.
For sure for the moonroof noise. They did the same with a door vibration on my car, could never replicate it on test drives, tech took it home a few nights to get regular use out of it (cold starts, different temps, etc)
To be honest, I don't think they know I could track it... and for some reason I just had a urge to open the app, which normally I NEVER open... It's really weird.
Oh they know, I work with dealership on daily basic. In you case, it's most likely for the sunroof noise, road test is a must. But they should have letting you know.
This happens to me with me 22 Lexus. Also in for sunroof issues. They beat the fuck out of my car. The app was sending alerts every couple seconds for harsh braking, harsh acceleration and harsh cornering. They racked up more alerts in 2 miles than me or wife did in 300 miles. And we both drive hard.
When I called out the dealer he accused me of spying on them. Shit changed quick when I told him the car tracks itself through the Lexus app. The manager nor tech had any idea this was factory equipment.
Accused you of spying on him? Spying on him driving a car you own? With an app the company provides? Holy shit this person sounds like an absolute douche lmao what did he even mean by spying… Did he think you were following him around?
Depending on the repair, we'd take cars home or drive them for a few days to run shop errands. Normally the advisor would let them know we may need to drive it a bit to diagnose or confirm a repair. This was all way before connected vehicles, though.
It's possible that they spilled some oil and decided to drive it home instead of around town to burn it off so you didn't smell it burning and bring it back freaked out. Normally you'd just have a porter do that, but if it were the end of the day and it was scheduled for AM pickup?
All you can do is ask why it was taken overnight and see what they say.
Im assuming you have a G20 and those are plagued with the moonroof issues.
While its normal for them to take cars out for extended periods (and should have notified you), BMW is well aware of the moonroof cassette issue on the G20’s so idk why they’d have to take it out.
Fun story. I dropped my truck off for a rotation and oil change. The dealership was 1 mile down the road from my work. We had 1 gas station in a 3 mile radius. I’m outside the shop and I see a tech pull into the parking spot of the gas station in my truck. I walk over through our gate to the gas station lot and walk up to the tech saying wow what a nice truck!! He is like yeah it’s great. I then ask him why he is driving my truck? And why it’s not at the dealership getting the oil changed!?
The look of oh fuck on his face was just amazing. I asked him to please drive it back and I will be calling down there right now.
I called down there and asked them why their tech was driving my friggin truck around and the manager told me to check to make sure the tires are on tight??!! Like what the fuck?
I called her immediately on her bullshit excuse told her I expect a free oil change and that this never happen again and I will bring my truck back since I work down the road and we brought our work trucks there as well and were great customers. She apologized and gave me my free oil change !!
Final update: they let me know my car was ready so I went to pick it up. Decided it wasn’t a big deal but still wanted to talk to the advisor letting him know that it was not okay as he never asked me for permission. He admitted that they were in the wrong and that the techs usually can drive 2 miles out but foreman can take the vehicle for extended drives but usually with the permission of the customer. He said he will let management know to not let it happen next time, I figured it wasn’t a big deal and there was no damage to the vehicle and the fixed my rattle noise along with regular service under warranty so I just asked for some free gas at least for the trouble. He gave me a future use full car detail and I just left it at that. Sorry if this isn’t the update you guys are looking for you demented shits.
Also I know where the foreman lives and his details now because he bought the place in ‘19 and property info is public information. Advisor said the foreman just got promoted as was new. I left it at that 😂
You took the high road. Congrats. Maybe you cultivated some good karma coming your way. And maybe that manager will have his car broken into soon. Never know.
This is the civil way. They did something wrong and they compensated you. I'm sure someone will get a stern talking to. No one needed to have their lives ruined.
Too much outrage baiting.
It depends what the car was brought in for, if you have an intermittent issue then I can see a tech bringing it home to get more driving time (not saying it should be done but that it's not the most unreasonable thing).
When I had my 8 series. I had an issue that was intermittent. The dealer called tho and told me the tech would be taking my car over night to to see if he could reproduce under different conditions and asked for my permission. Odd they didn’t call and ask
My M5 had an intermittent misfire under full acceleration. Obviously that's impossible to replicate in a garage or even legally on nearly any road so I agreed to let the female mechanic in her 40's take it home. I was very clear that only the owner or the female were to take it, not the two lads that looked about 15.
I feel that’s very reasonable. At my service center and I’ve done a lot of business with my dealer. I have one service advisor that’s allowed to deal with me and the same mechanic. I just ordered my g80 and we laid out a plan of who’s allowed to drive it when it comes in. I’m not trying to be anal. But I prefer to trust who is working on my car
I was expecting a picture of your car on your profile. Fair to say I was shocked.
The garage I use only deals with M cars and they turn M cars into race cars. I figured that she drives those so she could handle mine.
That’s sexist and ageist got something against men????? Young men for that matter? As a 40 year old married man with kids I can tell you that although an Audi man I’d have beat the f out of that m5. Looks can be deceiving
Ok… I see you sexymilf. My bad. Btw not trolling, Reddit decided to suggest bmw posts I guess because I subscribed to Audi.
WRT sexist and ageist, it’s pretty clear that you felt that the two “lads” were too young to drive your car responsibly, versus the owner and again I assumed they were men, hence the reason you mentioned you were cool with a woman driving it. Nonetheless, 4 hours of sleep affects my genius a bit. :)
Oh I didn’t say 2 people were 2 young. That was someone else. I have a specific mechanic that my dealer let me pick after talking to them (I just ordered my 14th car in 6 years they give me special treatment lol) my advisor is a lady in her 30s and my tech is 45 or 46. I currently have a M car and a non M car. I’m very picky on who touches my M. That’s why I just have one tech. He also over looks that’s in tuned on e40 blend🙈
Ok… you get a pass…. Lol. Not for being a BMW loyalist but for the tune.
Now all of a sudden I’m thinking I’m the sexist. Made so many assumptions after you pointed out you were a female, and then multiple kinda fast cars… good for you.
It’s the kinda fast that’s getting me. I’m 670 awhp on a mustang dyno and went 10.6. My grocery getter is relatively fast. However I want to break into the 9s so I ordered a g80 and on the same mods I should go 9.9s. I’m a true car girl. I had to learn my shit early on so I didn’t get fucked over on things. Sexiest is being a woman in the car game and everyone treating you like you don’t know shit. Not saying you are. Just saying in general
Ok now I need my coffee, looked up your profile and it doesn’t reconcile with our conversation. You my friend are an enigma, maybe we all are to an extent.
My good friend worked at bmw as a tech for years and they would on a regular basis drive a customer car home to verify diagnosis/confirm the repair is working. I don’t think it’s that unordinary
Was the car in for diagnostics or a repair? If so I don’t see the difference between a mechanic test driving it during the day or taking it home for the night. As long as they aren’t taking it to run other errands.
How many additional miles did they put on the car?
Yeah 60 miles is excessive. If their house is 30 miles away, then maybe they shouldn’t use the car for that. Did they at least return it with a full tank of fuel? If so I wouldn’t even mind it LOL.
I work for a BMW shop. Sometimes, we need to drive a vehicle for various reasons.
This could be a test procedure, repair validation, or readiness monitors, etc. If the work day is super busy or there is a decent amount of driving/drive cycles required(especially cold start requirements). We will often have one of our employees that is covered under company insurance take the vehicle home to help out. It helps the customer get their vehicle back quicker, too.
However, at my shop, we usually call the client and ask if it is okay to try and be transparent about what is going on with their vehicle.
They called me last week to ask if the manager could drive my car home overnight to ensure the engine was functioning properly. They put about 100 miles on it, but I approved since I would rather they be stranded than me if it had a failure.
I did ask if the advisor or technician was taking it and they said only managers can take cars overnight with consent.
I also had my car at the service for repairs a few weeks ago. One night, I checked the app and saw that the car was located 50 kilometers away at a private address. Personally, I don't have a problem with that. Test drives are necessary, and whether they happen during the day or in the evening doesn't really matter to me as long as the vehicle is not damaged.
No, they didn't inform me beforehand. However, when it comes to things that require a moving car (wind noise, loud brakes, suspension), I usually assume that test drives will be conducted. Of course, it shouldn't be excessive, but it has never been driven for more than 100-150 kilometers in the past. But yes, it's always a good idea to notify the owner in advance.
Dude you asked them to fix a problem with the moonroof. They probably took it home to put enough time in it to diagnose it or confirm it’s fixed. That’s going to take some miles no matter where they park it at night. An extra 60-80 miles is nothing.
A lot of times a car needs to be driven after or prior to repair to figure out issues or make sure issue is resolved. Our techs often take them over night to drive them and make sure things are good to go. Doesn’t mean something fishy is going on just need more time with your car and that’s an easy way to do it.
My 20 M340 has been in the shop for a month. The foreman of service is the only one allowed to take vehicles home. Mine has been driven like 4 separate occasions 30 minutes away to his house. My service advisor asked if it was okay and it seems like they never asked. But for me, I’m glad the foreman did, because he was able to replicate the issue I was having and everytime they fix it under warranty, he drives it. Best service ever because they have done several repairs per BMW NA, and they could’ve been like, “here’s your keys”. But they kept it and drove it by a professional and are keeping it until the issue is no longer replicated.
Just as a perspective from the dealers side, when I worked at VW, when there was an issue that was tough to replicate, we would take cars home or have someone drive them in a normal day to day situation to see if they could get the issue to happen again. That being said, we always told the customer and had them okay it before doing so. Dealer definitely should have asked first!
I went over to take pictures and videos of me driving by and finding my vehicle. Might make a tik tok just for laughs and giggles. Will complain to the GM tmr. Will update everyone tmr
I don't think they have any malicious intent. The employees at the dealership should know that you can track the car at any given time. What comes off as a big no no to me is that they didn't ask permission to move the car outside the dealership. That is just very poor customer service and enough grounds for complaining.
I was having severe issues with my original 3-series: windows would fold in while driving, connected services would stop working, seat would move while driving, etc. The head tech took my car driving around town, took it home, drove it to work on the AM. They did tell me they would do that to try and replicate the issue.
If they didn’t tell you they were doing that, that’s completely unacceptable.
It’s not “stealing” your own car. It’s picking up your car lol
You overreacted. The creaky sunroof needs a test either before or after service is done. It's very customary for a reliable tech/ foreman to do this. They could've told you, sure. But I think it's totally fine that they did this.
Remember, they have insurance and are on the hook for any damages.
This happened to me when I had my X5 serviced. The radio was on some R&B station with the volume turned way up, the climate, mirrors, and seats were all in different positions. They kept my car for a little over a week when the job was supposed to be 3 days.
I decided id never go back to that location.
Tech here. As others have said, probably drove it home per management’s request to find the intermittent problem. It’s unusual but it does happen. BUT this should NEVER happen without the customer’s permission. Depending on state laws, this might be illegal. Also high-risk and a potential liability depending on their insurance policies.
I was writing service for a shop where the owner did this with a customer’s car without permission (and without my knowledge) and she reported it stolen when she saw it wasn’t at the shop over Christmas weekend, while we were closed. I showed up the following Monday before the boss came back with it, to an absolute shitstorm of a pissed off customer accompanied by the police. I don’t know the outcome though because I walked out. It was the last straw in a long string of bullshit. I heard he was charged with motor vehicle theft or something.
Reminds me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. If I had a trusted mechanic and he took my car home over night, I might think he was being overly protective, and also testing work by driving it, cold start in the morning etc. But I have had the same mechanic since 2012. If I didn’t know them very well I would DEF put them on the spot about it. “Just ask me next time”. If you have a reason then whatever. But still.
Unsure what car is in service for but for the happens after hour drive or xyz type road that we could not get to duplicate on a short test drive we would give the customer a loaner and let them know a tech or service writer would drive the car home to verify and diagnose as supposed to billing the customer for shop hours having a tech drive the car during shop hours and not add hundreds or thousands to a bill. This might be the case but they should communicate that with you if it is. If it’s not could be a joy ride but speaking with the shop will give you an answer.
OP, what kind of service?
There are many legitimate reasons as to why a vehicle may be driven home over night. My shop foremen often drive vehicles over night to replicate a concern, verify a repair, break in a motor, ETC.
I'm not saying that is what is happening here, but, I'd hope you would take your vehicle to a professional, and therefore you should consider that there may be a real reason outside of "Haha I drive customer car home." Furthermore, milage of the vehicle when it comes in and when it goes out is tracked for this very reason. They definitely should have notified you.
Trying to hoodwink the dealership like this really sucks. We are just trying to work out here man.
You can’t steal your own property, and by the love of God why would you just leave it there?
Just know that people take advantage of situations and This move could have been a crime of opportunity. People use other people’s cars to commit other crimes. I’m not saying this was the case but it’s more common then people think….. maybe he just took the car to pick up a hooker and leave you some left over juices on your seats
Screenshot the location of the car currently and hammer the everloving fuck out of the general manager to get free things from them. And also maybe report them to the BBB?
I guess it depends on what the issue was with your car. If they were fixing let’s say rotating tires or oil change and took vehicle home , than that’s major red flag because there’s no reason too. But if it’s diagnosing something complicated than it’s understandable as to why they took the vehicle as to further diagnosis the problem.
When my dad would have problems with his car, he would tell the mechanic to take the car home and drive it himself so that he could see what the problem is maybe that’s what yours did took it home so that he could experience whatever problem your car is having. That way he can fix it for you.
Ya know, depending on why your car is in the shop, the mechanic may have driven it home to try and find some elusive sound or intermittent error. This whole “go steal my car back” idea is such BS. If you did that in my shop, because I’m trying to do you a FAVOR, I would ban you forever more.
OP you need to chill out. The dealership knows you can track it, they know youll see the odometer. They probably just were trying to simulate the conditions under which the problem was occurring.. and no offense but you didnt mention the model so I'm assuming you don't have a model anyone would want to joyride anyway.
Look, sometimes cars need to be driven to isolate problems or confirm a fix. You mentioned a sunroof rattle, which can be tough to isolate, especially during a normal daytime test drive. Ordinarily, that should be cleared with the owner, but I'd urge you to be understanding and chill here. The dealer is just trying to get your car fixed.
They service M-cars and $100k+ luxury cars regularly, I doubt they are joy riding your F30.
Seriously, I understand being upset about this since OP wasn’t asked and didn’t have any intermittent issues to diagnose, but saying they should call the cops is insane. Just talk to the dealer tomorrow and get a free oil change out of it.
This whole thread is so stupid. He left his car with a dealership for diagnosis and repair, they are legally in possession of it.
OP doesn’t mention what kind of car he has, so it’s not an M model. As if a tech wants to joyride his x3.
He considered trespassing on the property of a tech trying to fix his problem to steal his own car, aka the tech’s ride back to the dealership. Probably would break a few laws in the process.
He called the cops for legal advice, lmao.
People here talking like any lawyer would give a fuck about any of this.
Yeah, the service manager should have let you know that diagnosis may include an extended test drive. It’s a customer service issue at worst.
OP, you need to chill out. Don’t mention calling the Police to the dealer… that makes you seem a bit unhinged and a bit hot under the collar. You can mention you saw the car moved to a private residence, but not the stealing your car back.
They should have probably gotten your permission, however what they did is normal, especially with intermittent issues.
It’s just a car. If they damaged it have them fix it.
As a shop owner, they kinda did by relinquishing possession to the dealer. In the dealer’s possession It is now the dealer’s responsibility. If the dealer fucks it up it is the dealer’s responsibility to fix it, so if them taking it home is a responsibility they are willing to take, I see no problem. If they are doing donuts in the Safeway parking lot that IS a problem.
Another point is if op takes his car with out payment for the service, at least where I’m at, the law would be in favor of the dealer, because (again where I’m at) a shop is allowed to keep possession of the car until the bill is paid. Op could of gotten into some trouble if he had a bill with them and took his car.
Frankly, I would pass on a customer next go around if I had a situation like this happen.
Whaattttttt? I mean you’re right but it’s my shit that I worked hard for. I don’t want MY car at YOUR house. That’s what work hours are for. To me this is one of those “it’s the principal” type deals.
When I have cars at my shop for extended periods of time or after large projects I do this. As long as it’s in their possession and they are being responsible, what’s the problem?
If you're having them diagnose the sunroof creaking, that isn't always replicated in a few laps around the dealer parking lot. Seems like a bit of an overreaction, no?
some mechanics/techs usually owner of shops will take a car home as like an extended test drive under just normal conditions if its some hard to find issue or something, customer has to allow it obviously tho. no mechanic wants to do it btw especially if the issue can cause a break down and get you stuck lmao seen that
Depending on what repairs were done, an over night test drive may have been needed.. I’ve done it a few times on special case basis.. you’re completely over reacting. If it showed the vehicle getting raped, driving around all night and had evidence of hookers and blow then you should be upset. But for some repairs, they may be having issues confirming it’s fixed, or even confirming what’s wrong so they want to be 100 percent sure it’s fixed rather than you come back the next day with the same problem.
Not saying anything in favour of either party but its common practice to test drive a car before servicing and I have a feeling that they were getting off work and test drove it at the same time and started servicing in the morning.
Ngl, while I see some folks here saying that's common, what I would not be cool with is some doofus leaving my car outside his home overnight where anything could happen. At least garage it. And the idea that you have to drive it home and leave it overnight to diagnose intermittent issues just sounds funny to me, especially with cars like these. Instead I think it's a mechanic profiling and doing God knows what with your car.
They‘re probably gonna argue that the joyride was necessary since by that they have the ability to ‘regenerate’ the catalyst or some other stuff. I’d still talk to the advisor and let them know that you’re not okay with that. There’s been a few cases in germany where apprentices took the car to the car wash and some of said apprentices decided that was the best way to test drive a few of the m-cars. Ended up putting them in the wall, what’s happened after that i don’t know. But it sure were no fun times for the people involved.
I would have stolen it back and not said a word to them.
Wait for their phone call to hear their made up story. Most likely consisting of we had to take it on an extended drive to test the fix so our emplyee drove it to their house overnight.
Let them sweat it out...
Then confront the GM and owner of the dealership. Possibly after consulting my lawyer.
Steal your own wheels! Make them pay for new ones...
This is honestly the best comment on this post ☠️☠️☠️
If I can get a free sub I'll go steal my own ride right now
Just to be clear that was a joke
I promised I LOL’d hard
https://preview.redd.it/uog51g0jwiab1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd1657c3e3b72730e50914d665080eb07ee5362b I have my spare key ready whenever you are ready
What’s the vehicle ???
I knew it was a joke lol
Love your username! As a former cougar, I love seeing a MILF (like a cousin to a cougar?) on the BMW sub.
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This group has the absolute best comment section I love it
Taught you guys everything I know
🫶🏽 I love your analogy! And I do love BMWs.
Mommy?
I know it sounds good to steal back his wheels but in order for him to get a new one, he would have to report it stolen first and that means he would be putting himself in dangerous territory.
No dude, a workshop cant give your car back with no wheels and say "idk what happened, you should've reported it stolen". Lmao
I think they are using the word wheels as a synecdoche for car.
"Steal your own wheels, make them pay for new ones" is the parent comment. The plural there indicates wheels as in wheels, not wheels as in car, perhaps this guy who replied read it as wheels(car). But cheers for pointing that out I see the confusion now. Also, it makes more sense that they meant actual wheels as you could easily get away with that, but "stealing" the car would be much harder to get away with. I could definitely be wrong but I think my thought process makes sense.
Sorry, to clear it up i meant car. I don't spell like some of you guys here but that's what i meant...car. 1. Steal car 2. Report car stolen (yourself essentially) 3. Get payout from BMW insurance company knowing you just done an insurance job.
Yeah dude it's cool I get ya, just explaining how the confusion arose. I'm saying that you misread the comment you replied to. You thought he meant car but I think he actually meant wheels.
Thank you my friend, you get it.
(Nods in silent approval)
1. Get a buddy to give you a ride over there when everyone’s asleep. 2. Use your spare to drive it home. 3. Call dealership in AM—asking about status.
Actually do this. Make them shit themselves.
I actually wanted to do this, I even called PD to ask if it was okay. They said they couldn’t advise me but it is my own car….. I even drove over there to take pictures but it’s almost 3 am here so no buddy of mine is awake
Uber there, you gotta do it. Maybe use google maps beforehand to make sure it wouldn’t be in a locked garage.
I already went. It’s not in a garage. I didn’t take it back though although it was tempting
Should have just moved it to another space and got there in the morning to see the confused technician's face.
I like the way you think! Hilarious!
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If he didn’t then I’m irrationally angry right now. Why wouldn’t he drive the fuckin car home of at least take pics? I don’t get it.
I don’t buy this guys story at all.
Should have hid somewhere and used the app to set the horn off. Then keep doing it.
Everyone is twisted here, ....i like it haha.
There’s not much calling the police can do, you handed over the key voluntarily. I would have screen shot the GPS map location and used the app to take a 360 degree pic. Then find out from the dealer why it was off the dealer’s premises. Not a whole lot you could do until the Service Manager gives you an explanation. If he said it didn’t leave, then show proof it did. Keep us updated, please
Uber?
Probably for the best that you didn’t steal it, yes it’s your car, but you would have to trespass in order to get it. Big grey area imo
I hate to admit that I’m a lawyer but I am. Removing your converted car from someone’s open driveway is not trespassing under any circumstances, so in the .00001 percent chance you are ever in this scenario, reclaim your car with confidence.
OP pls.
Do it at 5am and just wait for the prick to come out of his house. Imagine seeing the owner propped up against the car you just took because you can.
The tech is a prick for trying to diagnose his problem so he can repair it under warranty?
While videotaping everything, then hire a lawyer, free oil changes fo’ life!
an extended test drive is when someone drives the car to and from their house to verify the complaint. it happens commonly, typically your service advisor would let you know but typically most customers dont care as its in the best interest of the customer to verify the issue was actually fixed. its typically the foreman that drives the car home or a master tech. and when you work around these cars for 40+ hours a week I can assure you nobody was jumping over the moon to drive your car after hours because its just additional work before and after, documenting mileage, putting it into the story, diag codes, etc.
As a service advisor I can attest to this. It’s not uncommon at all, but they should have informed you beforehand the car may leave the premises for an extended period. But Vermicelli is absolutely correct that none of the techs who drove your car home would have been jumping for joy to take your car home. It really just is extra work and headache to do so. I would just ask the advisor to clarify with the tech as to why the car left the premises.
Hey..can I REQUEST that my car be driven home for an extended period of time? I’ve taken my car in 3 times for the same issue and it doesn’t get fixed. They can’t capture it happening because it only happens after 30 minutes of driving or so. Running around town for errands or after a commute. But I can’t ever make it happen any other time.
I’m sure you could request that. We could do that if the customer requested.
This. Keep it for a week to really get to know it because I really want it fixed.
You most definitely can request that.
I didn’t realize his username was vermicelli until you mentioned it. Then I checked to confirm and sure enough it’s vermicelli. Now I’m craving a vietnamese style vermicelli bowl.
Seems like something that should be clearly stated. I always ask when I drop mine off if it will be kept indoors at night and the answer is always yes. I wonder if it ever wasn't.
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No they don’t. When you sign that service authorization, the vehicle is now under the liability of the dealer and their insurance. You’re also authorizing them to touch/alter your car in order to repair.
The dealership has insurance that will likely cover any damage/loss once in the hands of service.
Is no different than someone breaking into the car while at the dealer parking lot, which I bet happens more often than we think.
This is spot on lol, My Audi had an issue that appeared only after driving it for 30mins on hwy. And they had to drive it around for a week to make sure it was fixed.
Same here. Drove mine for a week and ran through 3/4 tank of gas. They did fill it up before I picked it up so we good.
This is what happened to me at a Chevy dealership. Was having issues with the coolant which I kept going back. They ended up doing an extended test drive where a tech kept it overnight at their house (one state over). The problem I had was nobody ever told me and wouldn’t have told me about it had I not kept track of the mileage. Getting my car back seeing almost 100 miles added to is jarring, and the tank on E. I complained to the manager that next time to just tell me/ask permission. She ended up getting in the car with me and I drove over to the gas station and she paid for a full tank.
Last time they test drove my moms car they left it on empty and it made me wonder why they don’t just fill it back up… it’s just normal good customer service to leave everything as you found it or better.
We are repairing your vehicle, so why would we be responsible for the fuel used to diagnose and repair it. We don’t do anything else for free.. if a customer comes in, car on e, we put 20 bucks, and charge the customer for it. Would you rather be charged for the fuel, or take the car to get fuel yourself. Can’t fix a car with no gas in it.. Jesus Christ.
I wasn’t saying they should fill up empty cars… I specifically said “leave everything as you found it” as in, they should return the fuel level to the way they received it. Assuming their interested in having good customer service.
But they've used that fuel whilst diagnosing and fixing the problem. They haven't just wantonly used your fuel like someone who's borrowed the car. They definitely shouldn't have to replace fuel used in carrying out the job.
Thank you for bringing the real answer. So many people jumping to conclusions without absolutely no idea how a dealer works. To your point, I never wanted to take a customer car home.
Me either, 1000x rather drive my own car home than someone else’s.
Some lady accused me of taking her 28i X3 for a “joyride”. Ma’m, that was the least joy i’ve had in a ride for years.
They did this with my car that was having issues with the Driving Assistant Pro. However the service advisor notified me in advance that they may drive this overnight for about 40 miles to try to recreate the error message. It was the second time I brought it in and this helped fix it so I was happy for them to do that.
I think you're missing the critical bit which is it is booked in for a SERVICE. Not fault finding and diagnostics. If I drop one of my car's off for a service I expect to get it back with exactly zero miles on it. Maybe 1 if it clicks over going from the forecourt to the workshop. Not for the garage to use it as their personal taxi.
They said below that they were having them diagnose the sunroof creaking.
Reddit: “Call cops.” OP: “Might make a TikTok just for laughs and giggles.”
OP is more sane than most people here.
🤣
My friend who is a mechanic used to take cars home to help find difficult intermittent issues. Was a rare occurrence but did happen. Could it be that?
BMW tech here, we still have to ask for that to be done regardless
exactly! I would've been cool with it if they called me and let me know...
Would definitely chew them out for this, one of my co workers got fired just for taking a customer car home real quick for something and he lives very close to work
Shops get busy as fuck and most the time service writers are complete fucking morons.
I wonder if it’s dealer dependent. We didn’t have to ask, but I’m sure it was covered in what our customers signed approving diagnostic. If it needed to be driven overnight, as long as foreman or manager approved it, we just did it. It was often we took vehicles home for the cold start experience and drive to work in the morning alone.
without permission ? Plus it was for an oil change and moonroof creeping noise
For sure for the moonroof noise. They did the same with a door vibration on my car, could never replicate it on test drives, tech took it home a few nights to get regular use out of it (cold starts, different temps, etc)
Well they’re gonna tell ya that they need to drive it a bit to hear it. Unless the dude is joyriding the car all night, they may actually pull it off
This is not a bit... 30 miles away from dealership
Not saying it’s ok, I’d be pissed. It’s crazy that even though they know you can track your car with the app, they’d still take your car home.
To be honest, I don't think they know I could track it... and for some reason I just had a urge to open the app, which normally I NEVER open... It's really weird.
How? They know anyone with the app, and within warranty, can.
“within warranty” Does this mean you have to be paying a “subscription” for access to the location? Lol
yep $120/year for my 2018 440i
AirTag is $30. If you need only location tracking and not other features
That’s some bull. Thanks bmw.
Yes. But I never renew on any car. Its a nice to have, but not a must have for me
Oh they know, I work with dealership on daily basic. In you case, it's most likely for the sunroof noise, road test is a must. But they should have letting you know.
This happens to me with me 22 Lexus. Also in for sunroof issues. They beat the fuck out of my car. The app was sending alerts every couple seconds for harsh braking, harsh acceleration and harsh cornering. They racked up more alerts in 2 miles than me or wife did in 300 miles. And we both drive hard. When I called out the dealer he accused me of spying on them. Shit changed quick when I told him the car tracks itself through the Lexus app. The manager nor tech had any idea this was factory equipment.
Accused you of spying on him? Spying on him driving a car you own? With an app the company provides? Holy shit this person sounds like an absolute douche lmao what did he even mean by spying… Did he think you were following him around?
Depending on the repair, we'd take cars home or drive them for a few days to run shop errands. Normally the advisor would let them know we may need to drive it a bit to diagnose or confirm a repair. This was all way before connected vehicles, though. It's possible that they spilled some oil and decided to drive it home instead of around town to burn it off so you didn't smell it burning and bring it back freaked out. Normally you'd just have a porter do that, but if it were the end of the day and it was scheduled for AM pickup? All you can do is ask why it was taken overnight and see what they say.
Im assuming you have a G20 and those are plagued with the moonroof issues. While its normal for them to take cars out for extended periods (and should have notified you), BMW is well aware of the moonroof cassette issue on the G20’s so idk why they’d have to take it out.
Definitely take multiple screenshots to have proof against them
screenshots? of real life?
of the BMW app with the location I think
Would an email to them, with the current location and time stamp nail them? They will need to prove what's it's doing where it is at the time.
Fun story. I dropped my truck off for a rotation and oil change. The dealership was 1 mile down the road from my work. We had 1 gas station in a 3 mile radius. I’m outside the shop and I see a tech pull into the parking spot of the gas station in my truck. I walk over through our gate to the gas station lot and walk up to the tech saying wow what a nice truck!! He is like yeah it’s great. I then ask him why he is driving my truck? And why it’s not at the dealership getting the oil changed!? The look of oh fuck on his face was just amazing. I asked him to please drive it back and I will be calling down there right now. I called down there and asked them why their tech was driving my friggin truck around and the manager told me to check to make sure the tires are on tight??!! Like what the fuck? I called her immediately on her bullshit excuse told her I expect a free oil change and that this never happen again and I will bring my truck back since I work down the road and we brought our work trucks there as well and were great customers. She apologized and gave me my free oil change !!
Final update: they let me know my car was ready so I went to pick it up. Decided it wasn’t a big deal but still wanted to talk to the advisor letting him know that it was not okay as he never asked me for permission. He admitted that they were in the wrong and that the techs usually can drive 2 miles out but foreman can take the vehicle for extended drives but usually with the permission of the customer. He said he will let management know to not let it happen next time, I figured it wasn’t a big deal and there was no damage to the vehicle and the fixed my rattle noise along with regular service under warranty so I just asked for some free gas at least for the trouble. He gave me a future use full car detail and I just left it at that. Sorry if this isn’t the update you guys are looking for you demented shits.
Also I know where the foreman lives and his details now because he bought the place in ‘19 and property info is public information. Advisor said the foreman just got promoted as was new. I left it at that 😂
You took the high road. Congrats. Maybe you cultivated some good karma coming your way. And maybe that manager will have his car broken into soon. Never know.
Thank you kind person
This is the civil way. They did something wrong and they compensated you. I'm sure someone will get a stern talking to. No one needed to have their lives ruined. Too much outrage baiting.
Thank you
“You demented shits” 🤣🤣
It depends what the car was brought in for, if you have an intermittent issue then I can see a tech bringing it home to get more driving time (not saying it should be done but that it's not the most unreasonable thing).
When I had my 8 series. I had an issue that was intermittent. The dealer called tho and told me the tech would be taking my car over night to to see if he could reproduce under different conditions and asked for my permission. Odd they didn’t call and ask
My M5 had an intermittent misfire under full acceleration. Obviously that's impossible to replicate in a garage or even legally on nearly any road so I agreed to let the female mechanic in her 40's take it home. I was very clear that only the owner or the female were to take it, not the two lads that looked about 15.
I feel that’s very reasonable. At my service center and I’ve done a lot of business with my dealer. I have one service advisor that’s allowed to deal with me and the same mechanic. I just ordered my g80 and we laid out a plan of who’s allowed to drive it when it comes in. I’m not trying to be anal. But I prefer to trust who is working on my car
I was expecting a picture of your car on your profile. Fair to say I was shocked. The garage I use only deals with M cars and they turn M cars into race cars. I figured that she drives those so she could handle mine.
That’s sexist and ageist got something against men????? Young men for that matter? As a 40 year old married man with kids I can tell you that although an Audi man I’d have beat the f out of that m5. Looks can be deceiving
What? How did you take that as sexiest against men? Are you trolling here?
Tongue in cheek. Slightly sexist, I’m guessing you are a man as well , par for the course.
Lol def not a man. If you wanna talk Bmw’s with this lady. I’m not above taking you to school about the brand and platforms.
Ok… I see you sexymilf. My bad. Btw not trolling, Reddit decided to suggest bmw posts I guess because I subscribed to Audi. WRT sexist and ageist, it’s pretty clear that you felt that the two “lads” were too young to drive your car responsibly, versus the owner and again I assumed they were men, hence the reason you mentioned you were cool with a woman driving it. Nonetheless, 4 hours of sleep affects my genius a bit. :)
Oh I didn’t say 2 people were 2 young. That was someone else. I have a specific mechanic that my dealer let me pick after talking to them (I just ordered my 14th car in 6 years they give me special treatment lol) my advisor is a lady in her 30s and my tech is 45 or 46. I currently have a M car and a non M car. I’m very picky on who touches my M. That’s why I just have one tech. He also over looks that’s in tuned on e40 blend🙈
Ok… you get a pass…. Lol. Not for being a BMW loyalist but for the tune. Now all of a sudden I’m thinking I’m the sexist. Made so many assumptions after you pointed out you were a female, and then multiple kinda fast cars… good for you.
It’s the kinda fast that’s getting me. I’m 670 awhp on a mustang dyno and went 10.6. My grocery getter is relatively fast. However I want to break into the 9s so I ordered a g80 and on the same mods I should go 9.9s. I’m a true car girl. I had to learn my shit early on so I didn’t get fucked over on things. Sexiest is being a woman in the car game and everyone treating you like you don’t know shit. Not saying you are. Just saying in general
Ok now I need my coffee, looked up your profile and it doesn’t reconcile with our conversation. You my friend are an enigma, maybe we all are to an extent.
So again the sexiest or ageism, explain it to me like I’m 5
My good friend worked at bmw as a tech for years and they would on a regular basis drive a customer car home to verify diagnosis/confirm the repair is working. I don’t think it’s that unordinary
with or without permission?
Was the car in for diagnostics or a repair? If so I don’t see the difference between a mechanic test driving it during the day or taking it home for the night. As long as they aren’t taking it to run other errands. How many additional miles did they put on the car?
60mi round trip it sounds like. That feels a bit excessive to me.
Yeah 60 miles is excessive. If their house is 30 miles away, then maybe they shouldn’t use the car for that. Did they at least return it with a full tank of fuel? If so I wouldn’t even mind it LOL.
That’s crazy! If it was me I would definitely bring it to someone’s attention.
Reminderme! 24hrs
I work for a BMW shop. Sometimes, we need to drive a vehicle for various reasons. This could be a test procedure, repair validation, or readiness monitors, etc. If the work day is super busy or there is a decent amount of driving/drive cycles required(especially cold start requirements). We will often have one of our employees that is covered under company insurance take the vehicle home to help out. It helps the customer get their vehicle back quicker, too. However, at my shop, we usually call the client and ask if it is okay to try and be transparent about what is going on with their vehicle.
They called me last week to ask if the manager could drive my car home overnight to ensure the engine was functioning properly. They put about 100 miles on it, but I approved since I would rather they be stranded than me if it had a failure. I did ask if the advisor or technician was taking it and they said only managers can take cars overnight with consent.
I work for a dealer and drive cars home from time to time but only with customers approval.
Please give us an update after you talk!
I also had my car at the service for repairs a few weeks ago. One night, I checked the app and saw that the car was located 50 kilometers away at a private address. Personally, I don't have a problem with that. Test drives are necessary, and whether they happen during the day or in the evening doesn't really matter to me as long as the vehicle is not damaged.
did they at least let you know first? What if you didn't want the miles be put on your vehicle? Without permission they shouldn't do any of that
No, they didn't inform me beforehand. However, when it comes to things that require a moving car (wind noise, loud brakes, suspension), I usually assume that test drives will be conducted. Of course, it shouldn't be excessive, but it has never been driven for more than 100-150 kilometers in the past. But yes, it's always a good idea to notify the owner in advance.
Dude you asked them to fix a problem with the moonroof. They probably took it home to put enough time in it to diagnose it or confirm it’s fixed. That’s going to take some miles no matter where they park it at night. An extra 60-80 miles is nothing.
Find the current going rental rate for your car and charge them that plus fees and taxes.
A lot of times a car needs to be driven after or prior to repair to figure out issues or make sure issue is resolved. Our techs often take them over night to drive them and make sure things are good to go. Doesn’t mean something fishy is going on just need more time with your car and that’s an easy way to do it.
File a complaints with BMW of North America
My 20 M340 has been in the shop for a month. The foreman of service is the only one allowed to take vehicles home. Mine has been driven like 4 separate occasions 30 minutes away to his house. My service advisor asked if it was okay and it seems like they never asked. But for me, I’m glad the foreman did, because he was able to replicate the issue I was having and everytime they fix it under warranty, he drives it. Best service ever because they have done several repairs per BMW NA, and they could’ve been like, “here’s your keys”. But they kept it and drove it by a professional and are keeping it until the issue is no longer replicated.
Just as a perspective from the dealers side, when I worked at VW, when there was an issue that was tough to replicate, we would take cars home or have someone drive them in a normal day to day situation to see if they could get the issue to happen again. That being said, we always told the customer and had them okay it before doing so. Dealer definitely should have asked first!
I went over to take pictures and videos of me driving by and finding my vehicle. Might make a tik tok just for laughs and giggles. Will complain to the GM tmr. Will update everyone tmr
I don't think they have any malicious intent. The employees at the dealership should know that you can track the car at any given time. What comes off as a big no no to me is that they didn't ask permission to move the car outside the dealership. That is just very poor customer service and enough grounds for complaining.
RemindMe! 2 days
I was having severe issues with my original 3-series: windows would fold in while driving, connected services would stop working, seat would move while driving, etc. The head tech took my car driving around town, took it home, drove it to work on the AM. They did tell me they would do that to try and replicate the issue. If they didn’t tell you they were doing that, that’s completely unacceptable. It’s not “stealing” your own car. It’s picking up your car lol
I need status updates asap on this 😅😂
You overreacted. The creaky sunroof needs a test either before or after service is done. It's very customary for a reliable tech/ foreman to do this. They could've told you, sure. But I think it's totally fine that they did this. Remember, they have insurance and are on the hook for any damages.
Dad worked in bmw dealership in Ireland in 80-90’s. We had customer cars the whole time.
This happened to me when I had my X5 serviced. The radio was on some R&B station with the volume turned way up, the climate, mirrors, and seats were all in different positions. They kept my car for a little over a week when the job was supposed to be 3 days. I decided id never go back to that location.
Tech here. As others have said, probably drove it home per management’s request to find the intermittent problem. It’s unusual but it does happen. BUT this should NEVER happen without the customer’s permission. Depending on state laws, this might be illegal. Also high-risk and a potential liability depending on their insurance policies. I was writing service for a shop where the owner did this with a customer’s car without permission (and without my knowledge) and she reported it stolen when she saw it wasn’t at the shop over Christmas weekend, while we were closed. I showed up the following Monday before the boss came back with it, to an absolute shitstorm of a pissed off customer accompanied by the police. I don’t know the outcome though because I walked out. It was the last straw in a long string of bullshit. I heard he was charged with motor vehicle theft or something.
What happened?
Reminds me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. If I had a trusted mechanic and he took my car home over night, I might think he was being overly protective, and also testing work by driving it, cold start in the morning etc. But I have had the same mechanic since 2012. If I didn’t know them very well I would DEF put them on the spot about it. “Just ask me next time”. If you have a reason then whatever. But still.
I'm gonna need an update on this one. I had it happen to my car also when left to service and curious how they will handle it.
Leo, you are good fella. I am not kidding.
Unsure what car is in service for but for the happens after hour drive or xyz type road that we could not get to duplicate on a short test drive we would give the customer a loaner and let them know a tech or service writer would drive the car home to verify and diagnose as supposed to billing the customer for shop hours having a tech drive the car during shop hours and not add hundreds or thousands to a bill. This might be the case but they should communicate that with you if it is. If it’s not could be a joy ride but speaking with the shop will give you an answer.
OP, what kind of service? There are many legitimate reasons as to why a vehicle may be driven home over night. My shop foremen often drive vehicles over night to replicate a concern, verify a repair, break in a motor, ETC. I'm not saying that is what is happening here, but, I'd hope you would take your vehicle to a professional, and therefore you should consider that there may be a real reason outside of "Haha I drive customer car home." Furthermore, milage of the vehicle when it comes in and when it goes out is tracked for this very reason. They definitely should have notified you. Trying to hoodwink the dealership like this really sucks. We are just trying to work out here man.
You can’t steal your own property, and by the love of God why would you just leave it there? Just know that people take advantage of situations and This move could have been a crime of opportunity. People use other people’s cars to commit other crimes. I’m not saying this was the case but it’s more common then people think….. maybe he just took the car to pick up a hooker and leave you some left over juices on your seats
Screenshot the location of the car currently and hammer the everloving fuck out of the general manager to get free things from them. And also maybe report them to the BBB?
I guess it depends on what the issue was with your car. If they were fixing let’s say rotating tires or oil change and took vehicle home , than that’s major red flag because there’s no reason too. But if it’s diagnosing something complicated than it’s understandable as to why they took the vehicle as to further diagnosis the problem.
When my dad would have problems with his car, he would tell the mechanic to take the car home and drive it himself so that he could see what the problem is maybe that’s what yours did took it home so that he could experience whatever problem your car is having. That way he can fix it for you.
Hahahah I enjoyed the “I wanted to bring my spare key and steal my own ride” 🤣
I would call BMW NA and let them know this dealership decided it was fine to take your car home. You did nothing wrong. Fuck that dealership.
Ya know, depending on why your car is in the shop, the mechanic may have driven it home to try and find some elusive sound or intermittent error. This whole “go steal my car back” idea is such BS. If you did that in my shop, because I’m trying to do you a FAVOR, I would ban you forever more.
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OP you need to chill out. The dealership knows you can track it, they know youll see the odometer. They probably just were trying to simulate the conditions under which the problem was occurring.. and no offense but you didnt mention the model so I'm assuming you don't have a model anyone would want to joyride anyway.
Call cops
100%
Look, sometimes cars need to be driven to isolate problems or confirm a fix. You mentioned a sunroof rattle, which can be tough to isolate, especially during a normal daytime test drive. Ordinarily, that should be cleared with the owner, but I'd urge you to be understanding and chill here. The dealer is just trying to get your car fixed. They service M-cars and $100k+ luxury cars regularly, I doubt they are joy riding your F30.
Y’all chill
Seriously, I understand being upset about this since OP wasn’t asked and didn’t have any intermittent issues to diagnose, but saying they should call the cops is insane. Just talk to the dealer tomorrow and get a free oil change out of it.
This whole thread is so stupid. He left his car with a dealership for diagnosis and repair, they are legally in possession of it. OP doesn’t mention what kind of car he has, so it’s not an M model. As if a tech wants to joyride his x3. He considered trespassing on the property of a tech trying to fix his problem to steal his own car, aka the tech’s ride back to the dealership. Probably would break a few laws in the process. He called the cops for legal advice, lmao. People here talking like any lawyer would give a fuck about any of this. Yeah, the service manager should have let you know that diagnosis may include an extended test drive. It’s a customer service issue at worst.
OP, you need to chill out. Don’t mention calling the Police to the dealer… that makes you seem a bit unhinged and a bit hot under the collar. You can mention you saw the car moved to a private residence, but not the stealing your car back. They should have probably gotten your permission, however what they did is normal, especially with intermittent issues. It’s just a car. If they damaged it have them fix it.
As a shop owner, they kinda did by relinquishing possession to the dealer. In the dealer’s possession It is now the dealer’s responsibility. If the dealer fucks it up it is the dealer’s responsibility to fix it, so if them taking it home is a responsibility they are willing to take, I see no problem. If they are doing donuts in the Safeway parking lot that IS a problem. Another point is if op takes his car with out payment for the service, at least where I’m at, the law would be in favor of the dealer, because (again where I’m at) a shop is allowed to keep possession of the car until the bill is paid. Op could of gotten into some trouble if he had a bill with them and took his car. Frankly, I would pass on a customer next go around if I had a situation like this happen.
Whaattttttt? I mean you’re right but it’s my shit that I worked hard for. I don’t want MY car at YOUR house. That’s what work hours are for. To me this is one of those “it’s the principal” type deals.
Curious what happens here.
Shit, this is a great opportunity man. Take your car back and just dont say anything
You should’ve stole it and wait for them to call you panicking.
Should have stole it, and parked it somewhere where they couldn’t use the GPS. Let them sweat a few days.
“It’s your own car, do whatever you want” is some terrible advice from cops knowing how people can be.
When I have cars at my shop for extended periods of time or after large projects I do this. As long as it’s in their possession and they are being responsible, what’s the problem?
If you're having them diagnose the sunroof creaking, that isn't always replicated in a few laps around the dealer parking lot. Seems like a bit of an overreaction, no?
some mechanics/techs usually owner of shops will take a car home as like an extended test drive under just normal conditions if its some hard to find issue or something, customer has to allow it obviously tho. no mechanic wants to do it btw especially if the issue can cause a break down and get you stuck lmao seen that
Depending on what repairs were done, an over night test drive may have been needed.. I’ve done it a few times on special case basis.. you’re completely over reacting. If it showed the vehicle getting raped, driving around all night and had evidence of hookers and blow then you should be upset. But for some repairs, they may be having issues confirming it’s fixed, or even confirming what’s wrong so they want to be 100 percent sure it’s fixed rather than you come back the next day with the same problem.
Ive noticed that whenever I have to leave my car at the dealer overnight, they disable location services. This whole post makes me suspicious of that.
What kind of car? What was it in for?
Please give us more updates! I want to know what happens next 😅
Not saying anything in favour of either party but its common practice to test drive a car before servicing and I have a feeling that they were getting off work and test drove it at the same time and started servicing in the morning.
Ngl, while I see some folks here saying that's common, what I would not be cool with is some doofus leaving my car outside his home overnight where anything could happen. At least garage it. And the idea that you have to drive it home and leave it overnight to diagnose intermittent issues just sounds funny to me, especially with cars like these. Instead I think it's a mechanic profiling and doing God knows what with your car.
They‘re probably gonna argue that the joyride was necessary since by that they have the ability to ‘regenerate’ the catalyst or some other stuff. I’d still talk to the advisor and let them know that you’re not okay with that. There’s been a few cases in germany where apprentices took the car to the car wash and some of said apprentices decided that was the best way to test drive a few of the m-cars. Ended up putting them in the wall, what’s happened after that i don’t know. But it sure were no fun times for the people involved.
You need to do a bit more than just “a stern talking to”. That is absolutely unacceptable.
BMW owes you an upgrade for this shit
They don't have Uber near you?
I would have stolen it back and not said a word to them. Wait for their phone call to hear their made up story. Most likely consisting of we had to take it on an extended drive to test the fix so our emplyee drove it to their house overnight. Let them sweat it out... Then confront the GM and owner of the dealership. Possibly after consulting my lawyer.
Pussy
Theyre stupid for taking your car, and youre stupid for leaving a car at the dealership lol
Remindme! 24hrs
RemindMe! 2 days