Camaro ZL1 Gets Totaled, Dealership Says Fuck You To Customer

"PRBot II" (prbot2) 01/10/2014 at 00:54 • Filed to: car crime, wtfcars

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! : Imagine bringing your Camaro ZL1 in for a paint issue, only to find out some shop monkey took your baby out for a joy ride, and smashes the car into a telephone pole.

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Reposted from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

"Imagine trading in your 2011 Camaro SS and selling your 1969 Camaro SS to buy a brand new ZL1 Camaro. These cars are borderline race cars with almost 600HP and about 550 lb.-ft of torque. Not for the weak of heart…

The ZL1 is your baby and you treat it with the best care you can. The car only gets driven about 11,000 miles in the two years you own it. But then you take the car into the dealer for some warranty work for an issue with the paint.

At 9:00AM Monday morning the dealer calls you saying your car has been totaled. What would you do in that situation?

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That's exactly what happened to one member over on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . According to his story, the car was dropped off for some paint issues. On a Sunday an employee of the dealership came in and took the car for a joyride. While out testing the limits of the car, the employee lost control of the car and wiped out a telephone pole.

As of right now the whole case is being hashed out by the owners and dealers insurance companies. The owner is asking for a brand new ZL1 and it looks like the dealer doesn't want to do that. There is a lot of talk on the forum as to what is right and wrong. Even the local media has also picked up the story and has been doing their investigations.

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Whatever the outcome may be, it's not going to be a pretty one. The owner lost out on his pride and joy and the dealership will lose out on money and its reputation."

Manuél Ferrari > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 01:01

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Wow

They should replace it for sure

Right thing to do

chuck07 > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 01:06

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I can understand the dealer not wanting to give him a new one, since the car is two years old. But I bet they will have a hell of a time giving him an exact replacement and the car will never feel the same.

So they should give him a new one, optioned however he wants.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 01:08

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Same or better.

The money to buy another same-year, same-mileage ZL1, plus some for time and transaction costs.

If that isn't available... the next closest newer, and/or lower-mileage ZL1, up to a brand new one if none others are available.

It is the dealership and moron employee's responsibility to make the customer whole, whether that is all value and expenses repaid, or an equivalent or better car to the customer.

The dealer would be insistent on not losing money and insurance coverage, if someone had done this to a car in their inventory.

In the words of Duvall's character in 'Gone in 60 Seconds': "You break it, you've bought it, my friend!"

M54B30 > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 01:09

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They lit the dealership Facebook page up... But honestly, at this point, GM HQ should've stepped in and resolved it themselves. The dealership is obviously a PR nightmare for them at this point.

Straightsix9904 > Manuél Ferrari 01/10/2014 at 01:12

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They just want to blame it on the employee that stole the car. I know that the employee stole the car but the dealership gave him access and was negligent. It still falls on the dealership.

Straightsix9904 > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 01/10/2014 at 01:13

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I think my favorite part of the story is where the dealership wants them to buy a 2 owner ZL1 from them with more miles and has been wrecked and then they call it even.

Straightsix9904 > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 01:19

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This Needs FP'ed

PRBot II > Straightsix9904 01/10/2014 at 01:31

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Seriously. I just got abused by a dealer myself yesterday. I'm sick of this crap. Hopefully Patrick George (Idk why, this just seems like his kinda material) writes up a heartfelt tearjerker that enrages Jalops across the globe, because this is total BS, and dealerships need to stop it with this crap.

Manuél Ferrari > Straightsix9904 01/10/2014 at 02:12

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To avoid screwing over the customer the dealership can pay and then go after the employee, if then really want to

So lame they are making the customer deal with this crap

I_AmDeath > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 02:26

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It's odd that they haven't to be honest normally Jalopnik loves this kind of stuff.

I_AmDeath > M54B30 01/10/2014 at 02:26

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I got banned from there facebook page myself. They are seemingly deleting any evidence of anything ever happening.

I_AmDeath > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 02:28

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https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id… Here is the theifs facebook

I_AmDeath > I_AmDeath 01/10/2014 at 02:29

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http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/in-for-a-pai… Here's another new's story you can add

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Manuél Ferrari 01/10/2014 at 02:39

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And they obviously aren't aware of how quickly a situation like this can go sideways in the age of the internet. A new car (that will mostly be financed by your insurance anyway) is a bargain compared to the goodwill and reputation your dealership will spend in the aftermath. Dealerships have had to completely delete their internet presence because they made a typo on a eBay listing...arguably a lot less of an issue than totaling a customer's pride and joy. Getting ahead of a issue like this is important...and they are already way behind it.

I_AmDeath > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 02:41

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Note to self I'm never going to take a sports car to a dealership.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > I_AmDeath 01/10/2014 at 02:47

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I think they deleted their page. When all is said and done, I think they'll find out what every other dealership that has ran headfirst into internet controversy has found...just do the right thing. It's a LOT cheaper.

I_AmDeath > Battery Tender Unnecessary 01/10/2014 at 02:49

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Doing right by someone is not only cheaper but its just how you should be as a human being :/ They also have a private group for employ's with 12 people in it.

Manuél Ferrari > Battery Tender Unnecessary 01/10/2014 at 02:59

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Exactly!

The bad PR costs WAY more than replacing the car. Lost sales are way bigger than one replacement.

I_AmDeath > I_AmDeath 01/10/2014 at 02:59

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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=58… Here is a local new's video that covers what happened.

puppyknuckles > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 03:09

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That makes me sick.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > I_AmDeath 01/10/2014 at 04:47

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I'd be a lot more cautious if I were you. Yes, the dude messed up but do you want to bring in his family as well? Fucked up.

Takuro Spirit > I_AmDeath 01/10/2014 at 07:09

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A parts guy????? Man, parts guys NEVER get to drive cool cars at the dealership.

Source: Parts guy.

(i may have borrowed a few LOT cars, but never a customer's)

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > Takuro Spirit 01/10/2014 at 08:46

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Same here, I wasn't in parts, but I did borrow lot cars, or the rental cars, NEVER EVER EVER would I take a customers car out.

Granted our lot cars were better than the custoemr cars.....

Audi S5 > All the Toyota Camry's we got in (No offense to you)

And We also had a Couple Tacoma Baja models, and Tundra Rock Warriors......So....yeah ahah Some came back muddy after a weekend of using it.

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 09:18

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Exactly, I've had a bit of fun in our used and new cars, but you don't hoon a customer's car. Even hooning the lot cars is more risk than it is worth. Before I started working here, one of the previous detailers wrapped a brand new Viper around a pole. No one is allowed to drive Vipers now except for management and the Viper tech.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > oldirtybootz 01/10/2014 at 09:21

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damn one idiot ruins it for all.

I was in good with the managers at the dealer, I used to buy them lunch and i did kiss a little ass so I could stay out of trouble.

And they gave me free reign on the parking lot sometimes. We would get shit tradeins and I would move them to the third lot off the property and maybe did donuts in the cars going to auctions.

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 09:36

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As far as the Vipers go, they're more of a liability than anything. I don't even like detailing them, I'd rather just stand back and look at them and not have to touch it and be responsible for anything.

I've driven a few interesting cars. I've went for swaps and came back with R/T Chargers and Challys, I've driven a used GTI, G35, Camaro SS, GT500, and more that I'm forgetting. Being just a detailer, I don't often get the opportunity to really drive them much further than the gas station next door, the body shop down the road, or other dealers in town.

The best customer car I've driven was a first gen SRT8 Charger, but I was limited to 55mph anyway.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > oldirtybootz 01/10/2014 at 09:39

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I've driven some impressive cars.

I was the shortest at one shop so I could slip past roll cages of race prepped Porsche's and what not.

I was allowed to drive the most impressive cars that came into there jsut cause I was short and was able to drive them witrthout stalling or spinning tires.

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 09:56

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Aside from the Viper, everything else we see here has plenty of interior room. I'm short too so everyone busts my balls about how they have to adjust any seat I've been in. Meanwhile I can barely touch the pedals after some of them have been in a car.

They don't necessarily trust mw with hi-po cars here since there's really no reason for me to have to drive them, but as far as moving cars around the lot anything is free game aside from Vipers. I'm our parking professional.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > oldirtybootz 01/10/2014 at 09:59

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Until you have parked a caged Porsche 911 with a race clutch and a dog box without beign able to turn your head because the seat is too massive you are nto a parking professional xD

I got it perfect ony my first go, no stalling, and was inbetween the lines and 3 inches from the curb. Backed in.

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 10:02

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Haha well I'll never havw thw opportunity to drive a race spec 911 while I'm at this place. I'd love to give it a go though. If I can manage Sprinters and Promasters with shit rear visibility I think I could do it.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > oldirtybootz 01/10/2014 at 10:09

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I also did box trucks. I managed to sneak one between an Aston and a Ferrari once. My boss went apeshit when he saw me do it.

I was confident to not hit one.

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 10:16

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Man, I need to get in at a real dealership.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > oldirtybootz 01/10/2014 at 10:19

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This wasn't my dealership job.

This was just a shop.

I worked at Toyota for some time.

The first shop was a BMW specialty shop, we did some of everything, all the high end cars down to the shit boxes.

Second shop was a Banks dealer selling all the Banks performance kits

Third was the Toyota Dealer.

Now I'm at a place I hate and need to get out ASAP, but the manager now has me as the shop golden boy and I don't catch shit for anything I do wrong. Not thats its much, jsut failing to do some paperwork stuff.

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 10:26

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I worked at a grocery store at the seafood counter beforw working here. This place isn't that bad, but the shop itself is outdated as fuck, I'm a bit underpaid for all the hats I wear, and ths sales department has their heads up their asses most of the time. It pays the bills though. Supposedly when we expand and get Chrysler and Jeep, a job as the internet sales guy could be in my future.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > oldirtybootz 01/10/2014 at 10:29

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At least you can go somewhere with it.

Dealerships have ways of allowing you to work up.

Techs become writers.

Sales can become managers.

And You can go in a few different routes in your position.

If they allow you to do internet sales and you like that that is perfect.

Where I am at I can't go anywhere as soon as I want to. I have to wait so long just to get moved to the counter and work as a writer. I don't make enough in the shop.

George McNally > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 10:30

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We had a problem with our Outback last year.....had a weird vibration/strumming noise coming from the front end.....took it to the dealer-the dealer said they would road test it and fix it since it was still under warranty.

Unbeknownst to them- I stashed my phone with a GPS tracking app under a blanket in the rear of the car.

Dealership called and said they road tested the car and couldn't hear/find anything. I went in to pick the car up and asked to speak to the general manager- told him what I did and produced a print out of where my car went in the 12 hours it was there.

They moved it from one side of the lot to the other (A total of 100 feet) I asked him how his mechanics could have surmised that nothing was wrong with the car in a 100 foot test drive......lots of red faces.

Long story short- they gave us a loaner and ended up replacing both front wheel bearings and CV joints. I won't be taking the car back there unless I have to get warranty work done.

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 10:31

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I just wish I'd stayed in school and majored in business. As it is I'd like to go back, maybe work for an automaker one day.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > oldirtybootz 01/10/2014 at 10:33

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I can always go back and do what I wanted which was business classes as well.

But I already have way too many student loans....

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 10:47

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Fortunately I only wasted a semester and about $2500.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > oldirtybootz 01/10/2014 at 10:51

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One year and around 50 thousand dollars to learn nothing....

oldirtybootz > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT 01/10/2014 at 11:16

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Yikes! Thank god I went to community college.

And back to the hooning, in the snow last week I may have done some e-brake drifting in a turbo Dart and Forester XT.

Victorious Secret > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 12:14

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How hasn't this been Jalopnik'd yet?

PRBot II > Victorious Secret 01/10/2014 at 12:21

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I'm sure they've known darn well about this case for a while. Much like God, Hardibird works in mysterious ways.

Victorious Secret > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 12:24

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This is just like that M5 disaster story from a few years back, it took the guy 16 months and a successful lawsuit to get the dealer to pony up.

Have these dealers learned NOTHING?

Don't piss off the internet. It gets bored easily and will burn a city to the ground just for entertainment.

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > I_AmDeath 01/10/2014 at 13:29

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I always worry about his when i take my BRZ in so I always just stay around the whole time. I only take it to the dealership for service because I don't want to loose the warranty and i know how screwy they can get with that stuff. once i burn out my warranty though it will only ever be worked on by myself in my own shop. It may not have cost as much as this guys Camaro but I'm 22 and spent most of my savings on it so I'm pretty protective of it.

bre92ser > M54B30 01/10/2014 at 13:34

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GM would have nothing to do with it, its between the dealer, employee, customer and insurance company. People understand that car dealers, with the exception of Tesla, aren't owned or operated directly by the OEM they are selling, they are independent businesses, right?

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 13:40

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Imagine if he hadn't wrecked the Camaro though. The guy who owns (owned?) it would then end up with a Camaro that was driven pretty damn hard and may have other issues with it after. The worst part about all of this is the fact that this happens. And because the person who's joyriding ends up successfully getting it back to the mechanic/dealership without a scratch, he does it again and again until he wrecks it. I can almost guarantee that the employee who wrecked the ZL1 has done this type of shit before.

M54B30 > bre92ser 01/10/2014 at 14:15

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But they are representative of the companies they sell. Consider this an extrapolated version of when companies fire employees who do stupid stuff on Twitter or Facebook on their personal time. It's not their job to meddle with employee behavior outside of work but if it's embarrassing or detrimental to company values than action needs taken.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 14:56

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He was a crime reporter in Texas before Jalopnik which I think is why he either gets handed or takes on these types of stories.

PRBot II > Battery Tender Unnecessary 01/10/2014 at 15:06

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Interesting. Would this be insider info you learned during your E30 M3 drive with him?

Anyway, I just checked the Car Crime tag on Jalopnik, and the stories seem to be pretty evenly distributed among Torch, Zac, Travis, and Patrick (maybe with slightly more for Patrick).

Battery Tender Unnecessary > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 15:11

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Hehe, that and this from his Jalopnik bio:

Patrick George — Moderator, Jalopnik Patrick George is a Senior Writer at Jalopnik , a former crime beat reporter for The Austin American Statesman , and currently in search of his dream car.

PRBot II > Battery Tender Unnecessary 01/10/2014 at 15:23

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Woah, they have bios? Where are these? I tried searching, but to no avail.

ncasolowork2 > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 15:42

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What was the final outcome of this story?

PRBot II > ncasolowork2 01/10/2014 at 15:45

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Like North Korea, it's still developing.

GeorgeyBoy > I_AmDeath 01/10/2014 at 15:59

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I hear he lives in a trailer so it's not like he can afford to pay the price. He messed up, but in all reality the dealer that employed him should make it right. He should be charged with the crimes that he committed, but to harass him and his family is totally unethical and not needed.

Manuél Ferrari > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 16:26

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RAPHAEL ORLOVE stole your post!!!

PRBot II > Manuél Ferrari 01/10/2014 at 16:42

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LOL, no he didn't... besides, K-Roll leaked the story to Oppo on Wednesday and Orlove gave him due credit.

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bre92ser > M54B30 01/10/2014 at 17:03

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It shouldn't in this case. Just because one independent dealer brings a bunch of negative press on themselves somehow GM takes a hit for it? If it were (or is, i dont know) part of a larger dealer network (i.e. Lithia), then they should take on some negative press as well, but in instances like this, the factory has zero influence on the dealers actions. if it were an issue with the dealer not covering something under warranty, for example, they would, but this is a matter with the dealer itself. I've been working for a dealer for ten years, and met with plenty of factory rep's for multiple car lines in parts, sales and service. trust me, matters like this, the factory has and wants nothing to do with it. now, if this had occurred due to a manufacturing defect of the car, and there was something that warranted buyback, they would get involved, but definitely 100% not in this case. It isn't their territory.

Manuél Ferrari > PRBot II 01/10/2014 at 17:09

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Oh NVM. Accusation recalled :)