Pacific BMW PDI Joy Ridden 1M Coupe Was Mine!

[lithium1330]

BTW, folks need to do a reality check if they firmly believe the dealers are babying their cars (sold or for sale) as enthusiasts would. I live near an overflow lot and I see cars moving between overflow and main lot. I see everything from econo boxes, vans, SUV's to limited edition 500+hp monsters ripping through between the lots. It's a residential street, so they can't go too fast for too long.

Point is... this stuff happens, every day. These former employees were just stupid to capture it on video and got caught.

[rad doc]

Agreed. I have a family member who is a BMW technician and has worked for several large dealerships in Texas. He says this essentially happens everyday. Some techs even take customer cars to pick up food, even fast food! Service GM's are aware and turn the shoulder. I asked what would happen if someone put a sticker that said not to drive the car, and he said they would probably do a few burnouts in the parking lot!! Makes me really not want to take my car in. Bad enough that when I did my break in service they put a dozen or so miles on it! Not to mention there have been tons of accidents in customer cars!!

[HondaGoneRogue]

Pshhh, my car had 3 miles on it when I picked it up. And to my knowledge, the ED cars have 000000. I know my dealer didn't pound on mine because they have a demo sitting right in the parking lot. They also drive demo cars to and from work, so why would they need to trash mine?

Not every dealer sucks balls. And to imply this was normal and accepted means you need a reality check.

[skier219]

I think it's nuts to pay $10K over, but that's your choice. The two big problems I see here are:

1) What was captured on video would be considered speeding and reckless driving on public streets (in a residential area, with lots of parked cars no less). If you, the vehicle owner, got caught for that, you'd be fined and/or have to go to court, and maybe to jail. In my state, that type of driving is actually a felony offense in certain scenarios.

2) Warranty violation. We all know manufacturers and dealerships can be slimy and try to weasel out of warranty claims if they have a valid reason to think it's related to owner abuse or track use. If you, the vehicle owner, were videotaped driving the car this way during the break-in period and the video wound up posted on YouTube for all to see, they would probably use that as an excuse to void the warranty or weasel out of any warranty claims.

It seems odd to me that the dealership has basically been busted for doing two things that would get the owner in major hot water. I expect the dealership should be in a similar form of hot water right now. Whether that should come from BMW or legal action, I can't say.

At a minimum, they should reimburse you for the extended warranty that you bought, and make damn sure this car gets VIP treatment from now on. BMW should make sure that the car continues to satisfy all conditions of their warrantees, and make a record of that. If it does not, then they need to do a buy back, since their dealer was the one who violated the warrantees, not the owner.

As for the criminal aspect, let the local cops/DA decide if they want to pursue the dumb-asses who were stupid enough to break the law and videotape themselves doing it. I have very low tolerance for this kind of driving -- in my opinion, smart people take it to the track where it belongs -- and I hope those morons get busted.

[MusclezMarinara]

Originally Posted by rad doc

Agreed. I have a family member who is a BMW technician and has worked for several large dealerships in Texas. He says this essentially happens everyday. Some techs even take customer cars to pick up food, even fast food! Service GM's are aware and turn the shoulder. I asked what would happen if someone put a sticker that said not to drive the car, and he said they would probably do a few burnouts in the parking lot!! Makes me really not want to take my car in. Bad enough that when I did my break in service they put a dozen or so miles on it! Not to mention there have been tons of accidents in customer cars!!

i would strap my go pro hidden somewhere inside see what they really do.

[HondaGoneRogue]

You would have to hardwire it for the battery to last. Hmmmmmm. Undercover expose?

[S54dan]

Originally Posted by rad doc

Agreed. I have a family member who is a BMW technician and has worked for several large dealerships in Texas. He says this essentially happens everyday. Some techs even take customer cars to pick up food, even fast food! Service GM's are aware and turn the shoulder. I asked what would happen if someone put a sticker that said not to drive the car, and he said they would probably do a few burnouts in the parking lot!! Makes me really not want to take my car in. Bad enough that when I did my break in service they put a dozen or so miles on it! Not to mention there have been tons of accidents in customer cars!!

What dealer is this?

[rad doc]

Originally Posted by HondaGoneRogue

Pshhh, my car had 3 miles on it when I picked it up. And to my knowledge, the ED cars have 000000. I know my dealer didn't pound on mine because they have a demo sitting right in the parking lot. They also drive demo cars to and from work, so why would they need to trash mine?

Not every dealer sucks balls. And to imply this was normal and accepted means you need a reality check.

Reality check? All I am saying is that it happens A LOT!! Sure there are good reliable dealers. I just happen to think that there are equally as many of the bad type. It is NOT abnormal for this stuff to happen.


DAN@UNITED: Several dealers in Texas is all I can say. But not isolated by any means.

[josephvman]

I'd like someone to point out the actual monetary damages the OP suffered as a result of the "joy ride"? So far all I'm hearing is that he doesn't have the fuzzy-feeling after finding out his bride isn't a virgin. The threat of destroying said dealer's reputation if they don't fork out some cash borders on extortion and that's a slippery road to go down, particularly if the dealer feels like sueing someone. The worst thing the OP could do is exactly what he did, which is to take a private dispute between to parties public, and expect a fair resolution.

If someone can point out the actual damages here, I'd like to hear it.

[Legion5]

Sigh, the public is so ridiculously misinformed about cars. This stuff is laughable. A lawyer, really?

I personally know some of the best engine builders in the world who build F1 engines, I race semi-professionally, I've worked for Indycar teams. The way your car was driven was actually pretty close to how you'd want the car's first few miles to be in a perfect world. The tech's did you a favor and probably increased the power output of your engine in the long run. You want the engine to rev in the first few miles for a few minutes.

Either way though something like this doesn't matter for shit, honestly, the 2k they offered you was more than generous. They offered to pay you thousands of dollars for breaking your car in like a racing car is broken in. They might as well have changed your oil for free and offered 2k for it.

Don't get me wrong, this sort of behavior shows the dealership is irresponsible, and not to be trusted with vehicles, BUT what they actually did here isn't something to worry about. It's this sort of fucking insane over reaction to something that is actually beneficial that really makes me lose faith in the average car buyer and enthusiast. Just because your car is driven like a real driver would doesn't mean it's going to explode the next day.

Cars are designed to be driven hard, they are over-engineered to a ridiculous degree on purpose, they are designed to handle being flogged ad-infinitum. Joy rides are bad because they risk crashes, not because the car can't handle it. Missing maintenance is about a million times worse than a joy ride.

[HondaGoneRogue]

Originally Posted by josephvman

The worst thing the OP could do is exactly what he did, which is to take a private dispute between to parties public, and expect a fair resolution.

Ummmmm their guy posted the video on a public website, maybe you've heard of it. It's called youtube. And it was public news (in the paper and on tv) before he even knew it was his car lol. So I'm pretty sure it was already public.

Originally Posted by rad doc

Reality check? All I am saying is that it happens A LOT!! Sure there are good reliable dealers. I just happen to think that there are equally as many of the bad type. It is NOT abnormal for this stuff to happen.

We know it happens, rape and murder happens as well. Should we just become complacent to it?

What's your point? Should we just let the dealers continue? Or make an example?

Originally Posted by Legion5

Sigh, the public is so ridiculously misinformed about cars. This stuff is laughable. A lawyer, really?

I personally know some of the best engine builders in the world ....

So I guess you know more than the BMW engineers that wrote the break-in procedures, which the dealer clearly went against.

Please don't start the preferred break-in argument. It's not the dealers decision to choose that, and that's not what this is about.

[Robert]

I think people forgot the fact what it means to buy a "new" car. Unless it's factory required or recommended pre-delivery drive check or other inspections I don't want my car touched. If it is and I am not informed then its fraudulent. Difficulty is in proving it occurred. People pay a premium for new. It's not about whether the car is mechanically damaged.

I suppose its okay for your fiance to sleep around with few other people before wedding day since by doing so doesn't damage her physically. People cheat all the time, must be okay.

[Vintage]

1) it is irrelevant that he paid over sticker

2) it was sold to him and then taken for a joy ride and NOT disclosed

3) no one will ever know what the techs did to the car that is not on the video

4) only the owner should drive it like this, and, yes, it was meant to be driven hard and fast but not by dealership employees after it was sold to a customer

[rad doc]

Originally Posted by HondaGoneRogue

We know it happens, rape and murder happens as well. Should we just become complacent to it?

What's your point? Should we just let the dealers continue? Or make an example?

Dude, did you even bother to read the thread? lithium1330 commented that this happens and I was simply providing some additional information regarding how this is a common occurrence. Never did I say to be complacent. The point was a warning to others who were not aware. Did I really need to spell that out?

[tkbr0wn]

Originally Posted by VintageBMW

1) it is irrelevant that he paid over sticker

2) it was sold to him and then taken for a joy ride and NOT disclosed

3) no one will ever know what the techs did to the car that is not on the video

4) only the owner should drive it like this, and, yes, it was meant to be driven hard and fast but not by dealership employees after it was sold to a customer

I am not sure that #2 is a fact. I am under the impression that this car was not sold at the time of the joyride.

[HondaGoneRogue]

Or, he could be settling. I think thats more probable. Happens in vendor and group buy threads all the time.

[Vintage]

Originally Posted by tkbr0wn

I am not sure that #2 is a fact. I am under the impression that this car was not sold at the time of the joyride.

sorry - that is what I understood but it is a very important fact to any legal claim (i.e. whether sold before or after joy ride)

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by TwinDarkness

i think OP is trolling us.... he still hasnt replied. and he only has 2 post.

EPIC FUCKING FAIL

Since post #20 (http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...9&postcount=20), he stated he has involved his lawyer. I'm sure he has been advised to stop public comments about the issue (or is in fact in the process of settling as has been suggested earlier).

I do find the crashed M5 thread (referenced earlier, texas dealership) even more entertaining because it includes PDF letters from both the plaintiff and defense counsels, including proposed/offered settlements, etc.

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by jkoral

Since post #20 (http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...9&postcount=20), he stated he has involved his lawyer. I'm sure he has been advised to stop public comments about the issue (or is in fact in the process of settling as has been suggested earlier).

I do find the crashed M5 thread (referenced earlier, texas dealership) even more entertaining because it includes PDF letters from both the plaintiff and defense counsels, including proposed/offered settlements, etc.

seriously??? wow that's wrong on so many levels it's not even funny; talk about lack of client control

[HondaGoneRogue]

Originally Posted by rad doc

Dude, did you even bother to read the thread? lithium1330 commented that this happens and I was simply providing some additional information regarding how this is a common occurrence. Never did I say to be complacent. The point was a warning to others who were not aware. Did I really need to spell that out?

Originally Posted by HondaGoneRogue

We know it happens, rape and murder happens as well. Should we just become complacent to it?

What's your point? Should we just let the dealers continue? Or make an example?

No one here is gasping in shock and horror that it happened. You aren't saying anything that no one doesn't already know. Valets do it too. The point and topic of this thread is that they price gouged, denied a test drive, and then let thier techs do this while providing proof.

Sorry if I misunderstood you and the other guys post but it came off like "Shit happens".

[skybox]

If any one wanted to see what was on the news about the video.
http://www.ktla.com/news/mobile/ktla...,5761825.story

[rad doc]

Originally Posted by HondaGoneRogue

No one here is gasping in shock and horror that it happened. You aren't saying anything that no one doesn't already know. Valets do it too. The point and topic of this thread is that they price gouged, denied a test drive, and then let thier techs do this while providing proof.

Sorry if I misunderstood you and the other guys post but it came off like "Shit happens".

Thats is not at all what I meant. I provided the information simply to say while we know it happens, it may be even more ubiquitous than we think!