What do you do, hotshot? WHAT DO YOU DO?

".jdb." (brockmjd)
04/15/2015 at 09:22 • Filed to: None

Trying to decide whether to go with "keep my nose out of other people's business" here or "hey, maybe I should say something":
Yesterday, mid-afternoon, was at a Walmart and saw an SLK55 AMG driving through the parking lot. Driver didn't stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk and as the car came closer, I was all "Hmm, let's see what kind of douche is driving this..."

...It was a mechanic from the dealership across the street. Now ... I tried not to jump to conclusions, but it was hard to come up with any explanation but: This mechanic was running errands at a Walmart in a customer's $75,000 car. How I got to that conclusion:

It was not a car they were selling - it didn't have dealer tags; in fact, it had regular tags with a license plate frame from another dealership.

The driver was wearing a dirt-smeared mechanic's shirt from the dealership across the street.

The car had a plastic bag over the driver's seat.

I'm thinking it was pretty unlikely it was the mechanic's personal car because of the license plate frame thing - I doubt a mechanic would go across town to purchase a car from another dealership.

I'm OK with mechanics road-testing a car. And I know that there are some situations where you need to drive it a bit, let it sit, drive it some more, etc. And part of me is, of course, ready to mock the precious hand-wringing of a Mercedes owner; in that vein, I still remember an April Fool's version of Miata.net where they had BMW's instructions for removing spilled water from a floormat. (Spray Invisible Stain Remover, Part 45-2915, on the affected area and let sit 5 minutes....) But this seems like a stupid thing to do - an errant wind-blown shopping cart causes the dealership an enormous, expensive headache.

So: Do I call the dealership and say "hey, this seemed uncool" or just let it slide and think to myself "Hey. Maybe that dealership doesn't have the most responsible service department"

DISCUSSION (24)

505Turbeaux > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 09:27

I would have snapped a pic and shamed them on the interwebs. But I would call the dealer if the guy was driving unsafe. Road test it one thing, even running an errand on a road test. But not being unsafe in a customer car

CalzoneGolem > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 09:28

So, the guy can't combine his road test with some errands?

.jdb. > 505Turbeaux
04/15/2015 at 09:32

Full disclosure - it wasn't like the dude tore down the fire lane at 60 miles an hour; it was "a group waiting to cross & he didn't stop like he should have." Still not cool.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 09:34

While not stopping for pedestrians is not cool, it is possible he was not running errands. Or maybe the car was a trade-in that hasn't had the plate frames changed out yet. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but dealer employees on every level frequently use internal used cars to run quick errands. I can think ofo three situations where a tech would need to drive a car in a parking lot (maybe that parking lit just happens to be the best/easiest place to make certain maneuvers). If there were spotted bumps or pot holes he could have been looking for suspension noises. Or perhaps trying to replicate a low speed transmission concern. Or even a brake noise issue, which is not uncommon on performance cars during parking lot maneuvers.

505Turbeaux > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 09:34

yeah, no doubt. No Ferris Beuller style hoonage. But respectful driving is part of being a professional in that field. Respect for the car, respect for the owner, and respect for everyone around

Cash Rewards > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 09:35

Shoot the hostage?

.jdb. > CalzoneGolem
04/15/2015 at 09:36

I think there's a spectrum here — at one end is "I need to take this car out for half an hour and give it a full shakedown, make sure everything's at 100%. While I'm out, I put some gas in, and while I'm at the gas station, I run in to pee." That's 100% fine, I think. At the other end of the spectrum is "I've just done an oil change on a customer car and need to run the engine for a few seconds to make sure it doesn't leak. But I road test it anyway. And by "road test it", I mean "speed over to my girlfriend's house, pick her up, drive to a parking lot, have sex in the back, go to Taco Bell, pick up drippy tacos, eat them in the car, drop off the girlfriend, then go back to the dealership." That's obviously NOT ok. Certainly, "stopping in a Walmart" is near the "good" end of the spectrum, but I still think it's uncool. You give your car to the dealership to fix it, driving it only as much as is necessary to fix it. Hell, I'd still be pretty close to saying "nope, not allowed" if the "errand" was driving across town to another dealership to pick up some brake rotors. Not your stuff, not for your use. Period.

CalzoneGolem > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 09:38

I agree and argue that this could be close to the first end of the spectrum.

ttyymmnn > Cash Rewards
04/15/2015 at 09:42

Always shoot the hostage.

.jdb. > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/15/2015 at 09:44

If he'd just been driving through the parking lot, I would have been with you mostly (except there's literally a deserted stretch of road with potholes and curbs and anything you could possibly want about half a mile away. But still, I'd be mostly with you.) But the dude stopped, parked, got out, & went in.

.jdb. > CalzoneGolem
04/15/2015 at 09:44

Absolutely. I guess I'm wondering how low the "hey, not cool" bar should be.

.jdb. > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/15/2015 at 09:45

The "customer trade" explanation is a reasonable one.... but even if the plate frame wasn't changed, it's a serious violation to drive around with the customer's tags on, and this was not a dealer tag.

CalzoneGolem > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 09:47

I dunno that's a tough one. As long as there is no evidence of the use and the miles aren't excessive then there shouldn't be an issue. I'm not sure how to decide the miles issue.

.jdb. > CalzoneGolem
04/15/2015 at 09:55

Yeah. I'm kinda on the fence. And you can actually see the dealership from the Walmart, it's literally across the street. But .... on the other hand, if it's that close, dude coulda walked. Didn't need to take a $70,000 customer car.

CalzoneGolem > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 09:59

There's a thin line between acceptable and not.

Coty > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 10:23

I doubt a mechanic would go across town to purchase a car from another dealership.

Happens a lot, actually.

Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 10:40

As somebody whose car got hit while parked in a parking lot last weekend, I agree. If this mechanic left the car at the mercy of Walmart shoppers, without the owner's permission, that's not cool.

Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 10:41

If he parked the car and went into Walmart, leaving it open for door dings and scratches, that's messed up. If he was just driving through the parking lot, that's fine with me.

Meatcoma > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 11:20

He had to run to Walmart to get a oil filter.

theuserformerlyknownasaluminumfoil > ttyymmnn
04/15/2015 at 11:56

Take her out of the equation. Go for the good wound and he can't get to the plane with her. Clear shot.

cornerslide > CalzoneGolem
04/15/2015 at 19:37

I don't want to be the jerk here but let's say I worked at an office building and my boss is on my floor. Would I get up and walk out to run an errand on company time? I won't say this is 100% but my guess is my boss is not going to be on board with this. The fact that this guys boss can't see him is irrelevant.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > .jdb.
04/15/2015 at 21:04

Fair enough. Sounds like it was a customer's car. Not acceptable.

ACESandEIGHTS > .jdb.
04/20/2015 at 16:22

This is waaaaaaay to late to have any effect, but I hope you didn’t drop the dime on the man. Not karmically or humanly or otherwisely cool.

Meanwhile: Pop quiz, hotshot is like the best intro to a question ever—I make sure to use it weekly.

.jdb. > ACESandEIGHTS
04/20/2015 at 16:40

I went round and round with myself and friends on this. Part of me was really stuck on the “It’s not cool to run errands in a customer’s vehicle, especially a really nice one.” Another part of me was going through stereotypes on both sides of both sides — maybe the car owner is a rich douche who made millions as a patent troll attorney who murders puppies. Maybe the owner is a bona fide enthusiast who has dreamed of this car for a decade and finally made the dream a reality. Maybe the mechanic is a jerk who swung by Walmart to pick up a case of Natty Light and a copy of Wife-Beaters’ Monthly. Maybe his wife called and said that his kid’s doctor just called; they need to pick up a prescription ASAP at this Walmart.
Ultimately, my wife pointed out that I should do better things with my time. She had a pretty good point.