Audi Mechanic Takes Car Home - Owner Reports it Stolen

[killramos]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/audi-mechanic-takes-car-home-for-weekend-owners-outraged-1.2734161


A Calgary couple is outraged after a mechanic at a local Audi dealership took their luxury sedan home for the weekend. Chris Jackson said he wasn’t told his Audi S4 was going to be driven by someone else for several days while it was getting fixed. He said he only found out when he returned to the dealership on the Saturday to get something he forgot inside his $70,000-car. Unable to find his car in the lot, he asked where it was parked. “And the dealer’s response was, ‘It’s OK, just go home, your car’s fine, it’s probably just somewhere on the lot. We can’t find it.’” Glenmore Audi is apologizing for poor communication with a Calgary couple after Chris Jackson was surprised to learn his Audi S4 was taken home for the weekend by a mechanic while it was in the shop for service. (CBC) Jackson said he walked around the lot three times looking for his car. “So I went back in and the dealer said again, ‘You just need to go home.’ And I said no, no, I need to find my car. I need to know where my car is.” Jackson said after about two and a half hours of arguing with staff at the dealership — plus a call to the police to report the car stolen — it was revealed where the car was. “They started calling their mechanics, and finally one of the mechanics answered and said that, ‘Yeah I have the car at home’. And he’d taken the car home for the weekend,” he said. “They only way that they had actually even decided that they were going to call these guys was that I’d called the police and said, ‘My car’s missing, the dealer doesn’t know where it is, I don’t know where it is, that’s a stolen car.” “So once they heard the police were involved they started calling these guys.” The owner of Glenmore Audi said the technician needed the vehicle for an extended period to test a faulty navigation system and is apologizing for poor communication with the Jacksons. "The police officer we spoke with said I've never heard of anything like this before, it's clearly ethically wrong,” Jackson said. Jackson said his four-year lease agreement stipulates that he get the car serviced at Glenmore Audi, which now leaves him feeling uneasy. “So I’m in a bit of a pickle.”

What do you guys think. IMO anything more than 10km should require owners consent. Seems very entitled and I'm suspicious because it was an S4.

Anyone have any opinions, stories on glenmore audi or other dealers letting their employees drive peoples cars.

[Mibz]

Porsche didn't need to take my vehicle home to diagnose a GPS antenna issue :dunno:

It's pretty much consensus that both the Audi dealerships in this City are staffed and owned by fucks, but I don't have any personal experience with them beyond a few test drives.

[CompletelyNumb]

The fact that they initially said "It's ok, just go home" makes it look like this isn't an isolated incident. A dealership should be very concerned if a vehicle they are supposed to be in possession of goes missing.

[FraserB]

Total BS that he needs to take it home to test the navigation. Just program an address down the road from the dealer and drive it around there. Doubt he's going to get a huge epiphany at home at 3AM and go back to working on the car.

I'd say get a tuner and a data logger. De-tune the car when it goes in.

I know the Drone security system will allow you to set a GPS fence and curfews for the car it is installed in, so that could be an idea too. If it happened to me, I'd simply use the GPS to find the car, report it stolen and then give the location to the police.

Needless to say, I think that guy is going to get a LOT of free stuff out of Glenmore Audi.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by FraserB

Needless to say, I think that guy is going to get a LOT of free stuff out of Glenmore Audi.

Hahahahahah. That's a good one.

[DeleriousZ]

I'd be pissed as hell if I found some random tech was taking my car home for the weekend. Especially if it was an s4 or equivalent.

[TheStigz]

Popular Glenmore Audi complaint- Shitty customer service.
Also, Like in this article.. They brush everything off. "Just go home" "Nothing we can do with that" "Sucks to be you" etc etc.

As per mechanics taking customer cars home that is a new one to me. You hear lot attendants taking cars (new and customers) for a spin, but never taking them home with them.

Sales at Glenmore Audi is also a joke.

[nickyh]

scumbags.

Something similar happened to me back in 2002.

My car was broken into and the ignition immobilizer did it's job, it went to the body shop first to fix the door handle that had been pried open then to the dealer to fix the ignition and re-code my car.
Took 4 weeks during this process.

When I picked up my car, I had less than 1/4 of fuel in the car and an extra 400km on my odometer - but because they never signed my mileage in - only the out, it was my word against theirs.
The front passenger seat was reclined and not how I had set it and on the back seat there were mailbox flyers.

When confronted all the dealer would do, was give me a gas chit to go re-fuel my car. They claimed it was the body shop, the body shop claimed it was the dealer.

I called CPS and spoke with a couple of officers who advised me they could not do anything and it was a civil matter.

I took it up with AMVIC, BBB, and the "Canada" of the dealer - all of them washed their hands of it.

To this day - I will never ever get my car repaired at this chain nor will ever buy this manufacturer of car. I am still bitter about the whole situation.

[schocker]

I thought glenmore was the good audi dealer here!

[TheStigz]

Originally posted by schocker
I thought glenmore was the good audi dealer here!

Worse than Royal oak :(

[Sugarphreak]

...

[googe]

WTF lease agreement stipulates a specific dealer you have to get service at?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by googe
WTF lease agreement stipulates a specific dealer you have to get service at?

I'm thinking the agreement is to only goes there for FREE servicing.

[killramos]

Originally posted by googe
WTF lease agreement stipulates a specific dealer you have to get service at?

Doubtful, probably could use royal oak. He is likely mistaken.

Good on the guy for calling the cops though.

I would consider keeping after the guy personally. Unless the dealer can provide documentation that he took the car out for a legitimate reason it's all on the one mechanic. The fact that they had to call him about this indicates here was no documentation.

People won't learn unless the book gets thrown at them, the police are already involved and from the story the officer seems pissed.

Go through with the grand theft auto charge IMO and see where it sticks. I bet the dealer will learn not to hire crackheads after that...

[pheoxs]

I fail to see how a technician needs take a vehicle home for the weekend to diagnose and issue. That is basically saying he's going to joyride / drive around all weekend in someone else's car and glance at the navigation from time to time?

Either he is working and the car stays at the dealership besides when it is being test driven or he is basically stealing it for the weekend.

Eitherway seems like a BS response from the dealership*

*If this is actually the whole story.

[rage2]

I had an issue way back then in my SLK32 where the car would only exhibit a weird behavior once every 2 or 3 days. The service guys couldn't figure it out after several services, and the service manager asked me specifically if he could just take the car as his personal car for a few days to duplicate it. It was the only way to find the problem and fix it. So yes, it does happen.

With that being said, I've heard stories like this before, such as a BMW mechanic who routinely went clubbing driving customer cars, so it's nothing new.

[killramos]

Originally posted by rage2
I had an issue way back then in my SLK32 where the car would only exhibit a weird behavior once every 2 or 3 days. The service guys couldn't figure it out after several services, and the service manager asked me specifically if he could just take the car as his personal car for a few days to duplicate it. It was the only way to find the problem and fix it. So yes, it does happen.

With that being said, I've heard stories like this before, such as a BMW mechanic who routinely went clubbing driving customer cars, so it's nothing new.

At least he asked you and they documented it.

Everything about this mechanic at audi is shady as hell and everything that was done was done to cover up the incident.

I gave my Volkswagen dealer permission to go do some drives to diagnose noises before as well (squealing belts and vibrating fuel lines), 2 separate times. But the km were kept reasonable each time (~5km) and it was all discussed ahead of time.

For those who think this guy is going to get free stuff, do you really think this guy was satisfied considering it was on CBC this morning?

That's half the reason I posted to give it additional exposure.

[GQBalla]

i can see it happening. I also regularly see douches ripping around in cars advertised for sale with dealer plates on.

[Inzane]

I'd be doing whatever possible to get out of that lease agreement.


PS - Why would someone LEASE an S4 anyway? A car like that would hold its value better than most making it a more sensible car to BUY IMO, rather than lease.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Inzane
PS - Why would someone LEASE an S4 anyway? A car like that would hold its value better than most making it a more sensible car to BUY IMO, rather than lease. If the value of the car at the end of the lease is higher than the buyout, you buy it out and sell privately.
If the value of the car at the end of the lease is lower than the buyout, you give it back.

How many lease v finance threads do we need to have before all the regular members understand it? :P

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Inzane

PS - Why would someone LEASE an S4 anyway? A car like that would hold its value better than most making it a more sensible car to BUY IMO, rather than lease.

How else do you drive a car you can't otherwise afford?

[killramos]

Originally posted by Inzane
I'd be doing whatever possible to get out of that lease agreement.


PS - Why would someone LEASE an S4 anyway? A car like that would hold its value better than most making it a more sensible car to BUY IMO, rather than lease.

I completely agree. It's their fault the car has extra kms and hours on the engine. Can't take those things back.

The only acceptable is to get out of lease and receive deposit back. Move on.

And hopefully audi throws the book at the owner.

[killramos]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


How else do you drive a car you can't otherwise afford?

People drive cars they can't afford? In calgary?

Impossible! :rofl: :bigpimp:

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Inzane
PS - Why would someone LEASE an S4 anyway? A car like that would hold its value better than most making it a more sensible car to BUY IMO, rather than lease.

S4 holds value? It's same as other cars, roughly 50% in 4 years.

This is not a R8 here.

[Mitsu3000gt]

This happened to me a long time ago as well.

I took my first S4 to a private shop shortly after I bought it thinking my MAF was bad. They told me it needed a new MAF, and I found out later the owner took my car home with him to Bragg Creek to "calibrate the new MAF" without my permission. I was livid, and did not return to their shop. I went home, had a look at obvious things myself (should have done in the first place...) and discovered my throttle body boot simply needed replacing due to age (had a tiny tear in it), so I installed a Silicon one myself, and problem solved. No more boost leak, power back to normal, and my MAF never did need replacing.

I would be pissed if I was that guy. The fact that they didn't tell him is the main issue. I would never let someone else I didn't know drive my car for that long of a time. We all know how people treat things that don't belong to them - just look at rental cars haha. No way.

[killramos]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
This happened to me a long time ago as well.

I took my first S4 to a private shop shortly after I bought it thinking my MAF was bad. They told me it needed a new MAF, and I found out later the owner took my car home with him to Bragg Creek to "calibrate the new MAF" without my permission. I was livid, and did not return to their shop. I went home, had a look at obvious things myself (should have done in the first place...) and discovered my throttle body boot simply needed replacing due to age (had a tiny tear in it), so I installed a Silicon one myself, and problem solved. No more boost leak, power back to normal, and my MAF never did need replacing.

I would be pissed if I was that guy. The fact that they didn't tell him is the main issue. I would never let someone else I didn't know drive my car for that long of a time. We all know how people treat things that don't belong to them - just look at rental cars haha. No way.

Jeremy's Fastest Car in the World :rofl:

NYt9DO5WXr8

[Inzane]

Originally posted by Xtrema
S4 holds value?

Relative to an A4 or 3-series (non-M) it would, wouldn't it?

[killramos]

Originally posted by Inzane


Relative to an A4 or 3-series (non-M) it would, wouldn't it?

Might just introduce a bottom to the price. Don't know about holding its value relative to initial msrp. Still depreciates rapidly

[rage2]

It depreciates the same % wise as A4, 3 series, C class etc. It depreciates more $ wise because it's more expensive.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by Inzane


Relative to an A4 or 3-series (non-M) it would, wouldn't it?

Nope, it might opposite (withouth looking at residual %), base model cars usually have higher % residuals, by a few points, than more loaded models.

[killramos]

Nothing to kill a juicy thread like a discussion about residuals!

[mazdavirgin]

Shaddy for sure but the guy in the article sure comes off as a douche with his leased 70,000$ car which he just had to find. I mean really a lease is like a car rental you don't actually own the car.

[pheoxs]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin
Shaddy for sure but the guy in the article sure comes off as a douche with his leased 70,000$ car which he just had to find. I mean really a lease is like a car rental you don't actually own the car.

I disagree, regardless if it's a 5k$ or a 100k$ car, if I give it to a shop to fix and then it's gone completely I'd freak out if they don't have an explanation as to where it is.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by pheoxs
I disagree, regardless if it's a 5k$ or a 100k$ car, if I give it to a shop to fix and then it's gone completely I'd freak out if they don't have an explanation as to where it is.

But that's my point technically it's not even your car. The car belongs to Audi Canada or however the leasing entities is registered under. I think you have more of a leg to stand on if you actually own the damn car and it's not something you are renting. :dunno:

[dirtsniffer]

oh my god! his S4 was taken?!? for a joyride?!?!

Call the paper.. wait no.. call the premier.


The techs there probably work on S4's every day. absolutely nothing unique or rare about the car. Why would a tech want to take it for the weekend?

I have a two immediate family members that work in service at high end dealers in Calgary. It is not uncommon for them to need to put a few 100 km's on a car to diagnose some intermittent issue.

I agree that there was definitely a communication issue. But this guy thinking his S4 is a R8 :rofl: :rofl:

[nickyh]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


But that's my point technically it's not even your car. The car belongs to Audi Canada or however the leasing entities is registered under. I think you have more of a leg to stand on if you actually own the damn car and it's not something you are renting. :dunno:

That's the dumbest comment I've read in awhile.

I would think the $800 - $1300 a month car payment you are making each month makes it yours for 4 years. Who gives a stuff what happens at the end of the lease term.

There are many reasons why people lease that makes sense for them.

[killramos]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
oh my god! his S4 was taken?!? for a joyride?!?!

Call the paper.. wait no.. call the premier.


The techs there probably work on S4's every day. absolutely nothing unique or rare about the car. Why would a tech want to take it for the weekend?

I have a two immediate family members that work in service at high end dealers in Calgary. It is not uncommon for them to need to put a few 100 km's on a car to diagnose some intermittent issue.

I agree that there was definitely a communication issue. But this guy thinking his S4 is a R8 :rofl: :rofl:

S4's are very nice cars. While they may not be as unique as an exotic it is probably a hell of a lot nicer than what he normally drives. Thus taking it home would be pretty fun for the guy in al likelihood.

Calling this a communication issue is a gross oversimplification of the dealer actively hiding the fact that a car went home with a mechanic for basically no reason.

Diagnosing bugs with electronics the the job of people in Germany. Not a mechanic. Mechanics job is to replace navigation system when there is a issue.

Just because your family members do it doesn't make it right and you don't know the circumstances/ permissions that were given. A few hundred kilometres is a hell of a lot of driving for a diagnosis...

[killramos]

Originally posted by nickyh


That's the dumbest comment I've read in awhile.

I would think the $800 - $1300 a month car payment you are making each month makes it yours for 4 years. Who gives a stuff what happens at the end of the lease term.

There are many reasons why people lease that makes sense for them.

Yup basically the same as if you have some work done on your plumbing in a rental and your landlord lets their cousin chill in your place for the weekend.

You don't even own the house so who cares right?

[roopi]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak

Guy also sounds like a douche... he is going on about his 70K car and later it turns out to be a 4 year lease? He doesn't even own it :rolleyes:

Why does it matter if you own it or lease it? It's the same thing. You are paying for the car either way. As a business owner/contractor I'm sure you are savvy enough to know there are benefits to doing this.

Who know what this guys situation is. He could have leased it because he couldn't afford the finance payments or he simply leases it for tax purposes.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


But that's my point technically it's not even your car. The car belongs to Audi Canada or however the leasing entities is registered under. I think you have more of a leg to stand on if you actually own the damn car and it's not something you are renting. :dunno:

I disagree. You are paying for it, both lease payment and insurance. You get charged for mileage when it's over limit. You will have to meet certain condition upon return. Essentially, it's yours, especially if owner planning a buy out.

I think SA handled this wrong by telling them just go home when he's there to fetch something left in his car. And cars leaving the premise without records or anyone knowing about it is the issue. The fact that dealer need to call every mechanic on payroll to find out is very poor showing.

[roopi]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin
Shaddy for sure but the guy in the article sure comes off as a douche with his leased 70,000$ car which he just had to find. I mean really a lease is like a car rental you don't actually own the car.

So if the car was stolen who's responsible for it? The person who 'rents' the car or Audi? I'd care if my lease went missing especially with my personal items in it that some mechanic is driving around in.

[killramos]

Originally posted by roopi


So if the car was stolen who's responsible for it? The person who 'rents' the car or Audi? I'd care if my lease went missing especially with my personal items in it that some mechanic is driving around in.

Yup if it is Audis responsibility why should he need to carry insurance?

If it turns up at the scene of a crime who gets called? Audi? Not likely.

Honestly who cares if he wants to lease his cars. Maybe he wants a new one every 4 years.

[npham]

Shit like this happens at every dealership. Just like the BS that got joy-rided before the owner took delivery of it, or Jaymez's M3 that was hot dogged at BMW. The tech will get fired, and you bet your ass this doesn't happen again at that dealership.

Will this one story change anything? Not likely. If you want to maintain your warranty on your lease, I'm pretty sure you have to do it at one of the two Audi dealerships(owned by the same company/corp) in town. It sucks that it happened, and I would be pissed too, but I don't see what they are going to do for him. Some free swag? Free dinner?

I've only had great service from Glenmore(Royal Oak isn't as good IMO). Ian is sales is great and servicing has been good too. They gave my car back to me with a dirty hand print inside, and to make it up to me, they did a full interior and exterior detail at a 3rd party company. They definitely lost money on my oil change service.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by killramos
Yup if it is Audis responsibility why should he need to carry insurance?

If it turns up at the scene of a crime who gets called? Audi? Not likely.

Honestly who cares if he wants to lease his cars. Maybe he wants a new one every 4 years.

I'm not hating on leases just illustrating a point. You carry insurance on a lease because it's required in the contract you signed with the leasing body. It also explicitly says what type of insurance you must have on the car. For example if you were to lease a car and crash it without collision what do you think would happen? The owner of the car is going to sue you for damages and breach of contract.

I'm wondering if people have actually read their lease agreement contracts? I mean if you "own" the car for 4 years then you should be free to do with it as you please? Most lease contracts are loaded up with nasty little clauses. Just like why you typically won't see a modded leased car...

All I am saying is leases can get a little grey since the ownership isn't as cut and dry as people would like to make it seem. Leasing is fine and makes sense in a lot of cases but confusing it with owning the vehicle is a little dishonest. It doesn't excuse what the dealer did but it does make things a little grey since the ownership isn't all that cut and dry.

[lilmira]

mandatory derailment

Lease or no lease matters fuck all, it's a customers car therefore it should be treated as such, that's all that there is to it. May be it happens everyday may be it does not but they are caught this time and handled the situation poorly.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


I'm not hating on leases just illustrating a point. You carry insurance on a lease because it's required in the contract you signed with the leasing body. It also explicitly says what type of insurance you must have on the car. For example if you were to lease a car and crash it without collision what do you think would happen? The owner of the car is going to sue you for damages and breach of contract.

I'm wondering if people have actually read their lease agreement contracts? I mean if you "own" the car for 4 years then you should be free to do with it as you please? Most lease contracts are loaded up with nasty little clauses. Just like why you typically won't see a modded leased car...

All I am saying is leases can get a little grey since the ownership isn't as cut and dry as people would like to make it seem. Leasing is fine and makes sense in a lot of cases but confusing it with owning the vehicle is a little dishonest. It doesn't excuse what the dealer did but it does make things a little grey since the ownership isn't all that cut and dry.

^
We are off topic now but say you bought a new S4 with cash, would you not want the exact same or similar insurance on it as they make you take when you lease. I've always had the same coverage, whether leased, financed or owned on late model cars. Otherwise driving a new car with no collision would be silly.

Same with mods, my past leases were modified. No one can stop you from doing whatever you want with it. I've never actually made it to the end of any lease myself so to me there is 0 difference in how the car is treated vs if it's owned/leased/financed. If anything leasing gives you way more options and if you do smash the thing up during the time you have it, you can just give it back in most cases hands clean.

Back to the original story. I think this is mostly a case of simple misunderstanding. Always 2 sides to every story.

[TheStigz]

Originally posted by Aleks


Back to the original story. I think this is mostly a case of simple misunderstanding. Always 2 sides to every story.


:bullshit:

Can you please explain to me the simple misunderstanding? I believe the owner, and how he was never told about his car being taken home by a mechanic for a navigation system repair. This isn't a misunderstanding. This is Audi blowing the guy off saying go home, because they knew the owners car was at the mechanics home/possession most likely used for personal errands as well. When the owner made a big stink about calling the cops behold the truth came out.

[dirtsniffer]

Originally posted by killramos

S4's are very nice cars. While they may not be as unique as an exotic it is probably a hell of a lot nicer than what he normally drives. Thus taking it home would be pretty fun for the guy in al likelihood.
I didn't work at Audi but I did work at BMW, many techs drove 335s, m3s, 5 series. Trust me, this car is nothing special. If this happened to an RS7 then it might be news worthy.

Calling this a communication issue is a gross oversimplification of the dealer actively hiding the fact that a car went home with a mechanic for basically no reason.
who is say it was no reason? This issue may have needed a few 100 km to diagnose

Diagnosing bugs with electronics the the job of people in Germany. Not a mechanic. Mechanics job is to replace navigation system when there is a issue.
just cause this guy thought the problem was the navigation unit doesn't mean it is. there are various sensors and modules that could be causing the problem. without witnessing the issue it can be difficult to diagnose

Just because your family members do it doesn't make it right and you don't know the circumstances/ permissions that were given. A few hundred kilometres is a hell of a lot of driving for a diagnosis...
In this case, you're right, I don't know the permissions given. But I do know that these things do happen and usually the customer is happy to have it done as it means that this problematic issue may be solved. Wait to you have an issue that isn';t throwing codes and the dealer can't repeat. you will happily let the service advisor or tech take your car so he can try to replicate the issue. I am not saying that is the case here. But this could legitimately be a communication error.

[roopi]

Originally posted by npham

Will this one story change anything? Not likely. If you want to maintain your warranty on your lease, I'm pretty sure you have to do it at one of the two Audi dealerships(owned by the same company/corp) in town.


It would be interesting to know how this works with different manufacturers. I was not aware of this policy with Audi.

I've leased in the past with GM and Ford and warranties have been honored by both companies without services done at the dealerships.

[killramos]

Originally posted by TheStigz



:bullshit:

Can you please explain to me the simple misunderstanding? I believe the owner, and how he was never told about his car being taken home by a mechanic for a navigation system repair. This isn't a misunderstanding. This is Audi blowing the guy off saying go home, because they knew the owners car was at the mechanics home/possession most likely used for personal errands as well. When the owner made a big stink about calling the cops behold the truth came out.

Exactly. If the dealer genuinely didn't know the car was taken home then it is their fault for hosting a culture of no accountability and no documentation on what is done to a customers vehicle.

However if this is completely off bounds and the mechanic was off doing whatever he wanted regardless of the dealers policies then the mechanic should be reprimanded, probably fired.

Based on the dealer telling him to go home, I think it is the former we are dealing with. This is the problem when owners have no choice on where to service their vehicles, the dealers get sloppy and the customer suffers.

I fail to see a second side to this story. What do you possibly think the mechanic was going to do to fix the navigation on the weekend. Remember that's what the issue was.

Not an intermittent noise, not a lack of power. It was an electronics problem. No offence but gps either works or it doesn't. Meaning if it doesn't work. Replace it. Not sure how you can justify bringing it home over that.

Basically there is 0 justification.

[killramos]

Originally posted by roopi


It would be interesting to know how this works with different manufacturers. I was not aware of this policy with Audi.

I've leased in the past with GM and Ford and warranties have been honored by both companies without services done at the dealerships.

I think his was a service agreement. Aka oil changes etc. warranty has nothing to do with the dealer.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by TheStigz



:bullshit:

Can you please explain to me the simple misunderstanding? I believe the owner, and how he was never told about his car being taken home by a mechanic for a navigation system repair. This isn't a misunderstanding. This is Audi blowing the guy off saying go home, because they knew the owners car was at the mechanics home/possession most likely used for personal errands as well. When the owner made a big stink about calling the cops behold the truth came out.

I don't jump to conclusion whenever something like this comes out in the news. Usually there is more to the story.

Things like this make 0 sense:

“And the dealer’s response was, ‘It’s OK, just go home, your car’s fine, it’s probably just somewhere on the lot. We can’t find it.’”
- I don't believe anyone at a dealer would say this to a customer no matter how crappy a dealer is.

“The customer is not accepting or returning calls from the dealership. Obviously this makes any dialogue difficult,” Audi Canada said in an email.
- If I had been done wrong by a dealer I would see what they are willing to do to make it right.

"Jackson said his four-year lease agreement stipulates that he get the car serviced at Glenmore Audi, which now leaves him feeling uneasy."
-I don't believe his agreement would stipulate this. What if he's in a different part of province, what if he moves. He likely gets free oil changes if he takes it there and pays for rest of his services. If he got Audi care he should be able to go anywhere.

So yeah I don't believe the whole story as presented.

Edit: You can service you car anywhere you want, leased or otherwise. As long as you have proof regular maintenance was done as outlined in the maintenance schedule, your warranty can't be denied.

[TheStigz]

I went on Glenmore Audi facebook. Somebody obviously already commented and Glenmore Audi's reply is:

"Glenmore Audi-We have taken responsibility for our mistake, apologized to the owners and have worked internally with everyone involved to ensure that this does not happen again."

Guilty.


:closed:

[npham]

Originally posted by TheStigz
I went on Glenmore Audi facebook. Somebody obviously already commented and Glenmore Audi's reply is:

"Glenmore Audi-We have taken responsibility for our mistake, apologized to the owners and have worked internally with everyone involved to ensure that this does not happen again."

Guilty.


:closed:

LOL who said they weren't guilty? Everyone who services their cars there, including me, said they fucked up.

[TheStigz]

Originally posted by npham


LOL who said they weren't guilty? Everyone who services their cars there, including me, said they fucked up.

I got the impression from Aleks that he is leaning towards Glenmore Audi (in support of a simple misunderstanding)

[Aleks]

Originally posted by TheStigz


I got the impression from Aleks that he is leaning towards Glenmore Audi (in support of a simple misunderstanding)

Not at all. I'm sure they did something to make this guy call the cops on them. All I was saying is I don't believe the whole article as parts of that story make no sense like having to service his car there.

[TheStigz]

Originally posted by Aleks


Not at all. I'm sure they did something to make this guy call the cops on them. All I was saying is I don't believe the whole article as parts of that story make no sense like having to service his car there.

My apologies for that assumption.

[Inzane]

Originally posted by Aleks
"Jackson said his four-year lease agreement stipulates that he get the car serviced at Glenmore Audi, which now leaves him feeling uneasy."
-I don't believe his agreement would stipulate this. What if he's in a different part of province, what if he moves. He likely gets free oil changes if he takes it there and pays for rest of his services. If he got Audi care he should be able to go anywhere.

So yeah I don't believe the whole story as presented.

Edit: You can service you car anywhere you want, leased or otherwise. As long as you have proof regular maintenance was done as outlined in the maintenance schedule, your warranty can't be denied.

All that means is the owner likely lacked understanding of the conditions of his lease agreement. If he got that part wrong, hopefully someone points it out to him so he knows he CAN take his car elsewhere in the future.

[max_boost]

The article is written to make Glenmore Audi look like the devil. Ya know, can't trust dealers, they are evil! lol

Beyond so funny, cause making payments on anything means you can't afford it. CASH ONLY!

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by max_boost

Beyond so funny, cause making payments on anything means you can't afford it. CASH ONLY!

Any real baller wanna-be uses a HELOC, so it give the appearance of being an actual baller :rofl:

[flipstah]

Regardless of lease or whatever, the owner did the right thing and hopefully, Audi Canada does something about this.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by TheStigz


My apologies for that assumption.

No worries.

It is really odd that something like this would get to the point cops would get called. Pretty huge waste of their time too.

[max_boost]

I wonder how frequent something like this happens lol I dropped off my car for service and they said too busy can't do it and i say OK no problem lol cause I really don't care haha just call me when it's ready. I can see why the owner be angry though.

What would make you guys satisfied? A credit of some sort for future service?

[n1zm0]

When I worked for the dealer, techs used to take vehicles home for the night or weekend to diagnose the intermittent stuff, however with customer consent, so it does happen.

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by max_boost
I wonder how frequent something like this happens lol I dropped off my car for service and they said too busy can't do it and i say OK no problem lol cause I really don't care haha just call me when it's ready. I can see why the owner be angry though.

What would make you guys satisfied? A credit of some sort for future service?

Your Porsche isn't even a PDK some say, doubt u gotta worry about joyrides unless they got female techs.

Easier just to snap a pic with your phone when you pull up to the service counter for drop off.

[Joe-G]

To be fair, there are usually two sides to every story. But that article does seem heavily biased towards Glenmore Audi.

I belive customer cars have been driven home or over the weekend in the past, but under special circumstances provided customer permission. I believe it was usually to replicate and diagnose customer issues that were sporadic. IIRC, the shop foreman would be in charge.

I honestly think it was a case of customer, service advisor, and service technician miscommunication. I can't think of one technician at Glenmore Audi that would even think of pulling that kind of shit. They've all been there for years, and their turn-over rate is non-existent. I'm not some newer user that signed up to defend them, but I just wanted to share my opinion that they're all stand up guys. Forgive me if I'm in the wrong, but I think his complaint is blowing it out of proportion IMO.

If it really was a single technician that took the car home under ill intentions, then by all means. But I still wouldn't write them off based on an action of one individual. Btw, I don't work for Glenmore Audi if that's how my post comes off... :drama:

[max_boost]

Originally posted by TomcoPDR


Your Porsche isn't even a PDK some say, doubt u gotta worry about joyrides unless they got female techs.

Easier just to snap a pic with your phone when you pull up to the service counter for drop off. not to mention it's also an American car and cad car > usa car lol

Calling the cops seems like a good solution for things lol ha

[Ven]

Originally posted by n1zm0
When I worked for the dealer, techs used to take vehicles home for the night or weekend to diagnose the intermittent stuff, however with customer consent, so it does happen.

I used to do it all the time, with consent. It's especially effective in diagnosing and fixing problems that are intermittent and otherwise get the, "unable to replicate fault/no fault found" work orders that just piss off customers and would frustrate techs. This is FREE diagnostic time and limits repeat non-productive visits. I found it very worthwhile.

[nickyh]

If my car needed diagnotics done on the road, i am ok with that, as long as the driver does not put 400km on my car and as long as i am told up front my car will need to be driven.
Consent is the key word here.

[bignerd]

Maybe the owner really did think it was stolen, if the owner can't find it, Audi doesn't want to look for it and doesn't know after 2.5 hrs where it is, that only leaves a few options, theft being on of them.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by bignerd
Maybe the owner really did think it was stolen, if the owner can't find it, Audi doesn't want to look for it and doesn't know after 2.5 hrs where it is, that only leaves a few options, theft being on of them.

Article says he showed up Saturday. Maybe service wasn't open Saturday and in my experience sales people know next to 0 about what goes on in the service dept.

[npham]

I think Service is open partially on Saturdays at Glenmore.

[gpomp]

Originally posted by npham
I think Service is open partially on Saturdays at Glenmore. Right off their website:

SERVICE/PARTS DEPARTMENT CLOSED SATURDAYS DURING JULY AND AUGUST

http://glenmoreaudi.com/

[dirtsniffer]

Just adds to the likelyhood of it being a communication error.

The sales side wouldnt havd access to any information about work orders or even know where to find the keys.

[mrsingh]

Did anyone see the Autoblog article where they said the car was driven 500kms by the tech over the weekend?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/13/audi-mechanic-takes-owners-s4-home-weekend/

[dirtsniffer]

Ya sounds about right. He didnt take it home to park it on the driveway.

This was definitely a fuck up but I highly doubt it was malicious.

Also, it would have been over the course of 24 hours. Dealers are closed sunday so he would've gone in on the saturday. So it probably occured in one session, most likely on the highway.

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

So what Audi drivers think they can just roll through stop signs at like 7 km/h?

2:08

[mrsingh]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
Ya sounds about right. He didnt take it home to park it on the driveway.

...So it probably occured in one session, most likely on the highway.

While I agree the story is likely overblown, and I'm not rushing in ready to hang the management over this, I can't see not being upset about it. There is no way I'd consider 500 kilometers reasonable use for a diagnostic, especially without my explicit permission. Where'd they drive to Edmonton and back?

Disclaimer: I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play one on television. :dunno:

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by mrsingh
Did anyone see the Autoblog article where they said the car was driven 500kms by the tech over the weekend?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/13/audi-mechanic-takes-owners-s4-home-weekend/

The comments on that article confirm, people are getting exponentially dumber every single day.

[A790]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
I agree that there was definitely a communication issue. But this guy thinking his S4 is a R8 :rofl: :rofl:
Regardless of the type of car, a mechanic taking it home - unannounced to anyone, including the staff at the dealer - is abusing their privileges and breaking my trust as a customer.

That's not okay with me. I wouldn't do that to any of my customers. Why do you feel it's acceptable behaviour?

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by A790

Regardless of the type of car, a mechanic taking it home - unannounced to anyone, including the staff at the dealer - is abusing their privileges and breaking my trust as a customer.

That's not okay with me. I wouldn't do that to any of my customers. Why do you feel it's acceptable behaviour?

:werd:

[Mibz]

Originally posted by A790
Why do you feel it's acceptable behaviour? Because if he wouldn't be proud of a car, nobody's allowed to be proud of it. Is this your first time on Beyond?

[A790]

Originally posted by Mibz
Because if he wouldn't be proud of a car, nobody's allowed to be proud of it. Is this your first time on Beyond?
I hate all-talkers dude. You know me... lol.

I'd flip my shit if Lexus did this with my IS, and it's "only" a $60k car.

[mrsingh]

Originally posted by A790
I'd flip my shit if Lexus did this with my IS, and it's "only" a $60k car.

If that happened at Lexus, I have no doubt they would do absolutely everything in their power to make it right. One of the main reasons to buy a Lexus is their amazing service.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by mrsingh
Did anyone see the Autoblog article where they said the car was driven 500kms by the tech over the weekend?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/13/audi-mechanic-takes-owners-s4-home-weekend/

It's actually in the video of the cbc link as well. Dealer said 150km and owner said 500km.

Regardless, that's a lot for a weekend even at 150km consider I assume the car is dropped off on Friday and this thing blew up on Sat.

[lilmira]

The tech's response: "yeah, the natvigation is indeed faulty, I couldn't find my way back to the dealership" ;)

[colinxx235]

^

Agree with you Cam, 100%

I'm aware that an S4 isn't an R8 GT, or a porsche GT2, etc etc. Same goes with 335, M3, C63, IS (list goes on)

But realistically what do most of those service techs make? 25/hour? Even if they make 30 or 35/hour the car still represents more than an entire years wage. Which is totally aside from the point. Just putting a notion that these cars are most often not obtainable on their salary.

It is your property, whether it is rare, common, special to you or not. Just because someone is performing maintenance work on it and they see them everyday, doesn't give the right to joyride or abuse that position. It is a trust that your car will be taken care of, and if something outside of a typical in house scope/5-10km diagnostic run is being performed that you would be made 100% aware of what is required and agree to it.



I have a video saved at home from glenmore Audi of a tech taking my car up to killarney, picking up his friend, driving him a few kms and then dropping off. Meanwhile stating "hey I should hurry up, this guy has a camera thingy, it records everything I think, not sure about sound but I don't want to push it" (they then discussed it for a few seconds cause the passenger thought it was really weird). I never published it, or brought it up to glenmore because my issue of bringing in the car required a road test, and while he did use it for personal it wasn't abused, driven hard, nor was killarney anything that I deemed excessive. It was also returned with a great detail job (some are better than others there) and he also assessed the issue + corrected it. But if I was in the situation of my car being used for a weekend or anything 50km+ I would be pretty ticked off if not given prior notice and justification.

[killramos]

Originally posted by colinxx235
^

Agree with you Cam, 100%

I'm aware that an S4 isn't an R8 GT, or a porsche GT2, etc etc. Same goes with 335, M3, C63, IS (list goes on)

But realistically what do most of those service techs make? 25/hour? Even if they make 30 or 35/hour the car still represents more than an entire years wage. Which is totally aside from the point. Just putting a notion that these cars are most often not obtainable on their salary.

It is your property, whether it is rare, common, special to you or not. Just because someone is performing maintenance work on it and they see them everyday, doesn't give the right to joyride or abuse that position. It is a trust that your car will be taken care of, and if something outside of a typical in house scope/5-10km diagnostic run is being performed that you would be made 100% aware of what is required and agree to it.


:werd:

I just think no one has any respect for personal property of others. To many people who think of nothing but themselves these days. 0 respect for anything.

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by colinxx235
It is your property, whether it is rare, common, special to you or not. Just because someone is performing maintenance work on it and they see them everyday, doesn't give the right to joyride or abuse that position. It is a trust that your car will be taken care of, and if something outside of a typical in house scope/5-10km diagnostic run is being performed that you would be made 100% aware of what is required and agree to it.
:werd:

I was going to make the same point until you beat me to it. :)

It doesn't matter if it's a teenager driving his first $2000 Honda Civic, this guy in his $70K Audi, or me in my $30K Subaru.

It's MY car, and MY property. I've spent tens of thousands of dollars on it, and I'm proud of my car.

Is my car a Gallardo or an R8? Heck no. But you can be sure that there would be hell to pay if anything happened to it while it was in the dealership's care.

[A790]

Originally posted by mrsingh
If that happened at Lexus, I have no doubt they would do absolutely everything in their power to make it right. One of the main reasons to buy a Lexus is their amazing service.
Funny you mention that- we were going to buy a BMW but it was like pulling teeth to get them to talk to us. So we said "fuck them" and walked over to Lexus.

[avishal26]

Originally posted by A790

Regardless of the type of car, a mechanic taking it home - unannounced to anyone, including the staff at the dealer - is abusing their privileges and breaking my trust as a customer.

That's not okay with me. ............

:werd:

I would never go back to the same dealer if this ever happened to me. But if this does happen to me, I'm screwed because there's only one Infiniti dealer in town :rofl:

[killramos]

Originally posted by avishal26


:werd:

I would never go back to the same dealer if this ever happened to me. But if this does happen to me, I'm screwed because there's only one Infiniti dealer in town :rofl:

i know a guy who gets his services every summer on vacation in kelowna :rofl:

[heavyD]

What the hell is wrong with some of you people? It wouldn't have mattered if the car was a leased Honda Civic. That fact is that the registration is in the owners name, he's making monthly payments on the car and it's borderline theft for a mechanic to take his car home for a weekend without owner permission.

I am fully aware this type of stuff happens as I ordered my 2012 Mustang GT from Universal Ford and after not getting satisfactory answers from the dealer to the status of my car I called Ford Canada only to find my car was delivered to the dealership days ago. I go to the dealer to find out what's going on and find my car that was delivered days ago has 125 km's on the ODO. Apparently a salesman decided he was going to take home the first 2012 they received for a few days. There's a reason the we call them "stealerships" and that's because they are rotten to the core and build on the foundation of lies and deceit.

[nickyh]

I usually sit & wait while my car is being serviced at the dealer. I use a day off to get it done, why - because I don't trust anyone anymore with my property based on my experiences with one dealer in town.

(The joke is, the first sign I should have never returned to this dealer was when they test drove my brand new car on it's 3 month service and crashed it into a curb....

Two hours later for an oil change turned into a whole other story for me.)


I just about lost it last year when the service dept at Fifth Ave Auto could not find my car, turned out it was in the wash bay, but it brought back bad memories very quickly.

[TheStigz]

This story is spreading now

Beyond, auto blog, and now Leftlane news.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/canadian-audi-dealerships.html

[heavyD]

Audi Canada is involved which is probably the last thing a dealer would want. Has the mechanic involved been terminated? Wouldn't be surprised if someone loses their job over this as Audi Canada is likely very unhappy about the bad press.

[SOAB]

I doubt the mechanic did anything wrong. it was probably the service advisor that failed to inform the customer of the required extended test drive or the salesperson that tried to brush the customer off that got fired.

[Lex350]

I think for the amount of kms he put on, he certainly did something wrong.

[rage2]

Originally posted by rotten42
I think for the amount of kms he put on, he certainly did something wrong.
This.

My issue on my car took months to figure out, and with the service manager taking the car home for a week, and it was 1/4 of the mileage that buddy racked up.

[Lex350]

Originally posted by A790

Funny you mention that- we were going to buy a BMW but it was like pulling teeth to get them to talk to us. So we said "fuck them" and walked over to Lexus.

That is exactly what happened to me way back when I got my IS. I stopped by Crowfoot BMW after the gym so I wasn't "presentable" I guess. Nobody would talk to me. So I went to lexus because I liked the car and they had a good reputation for service.