Service test drive... thoughts?

[James5623]

Presented without further comment...

 

[westcoastGT]

I took mine in for the sunroof creaking , picked it up with 100 new KMs , a ruined wheel and tire and ripped steering wheel ! I wish I had a dash cam for that !! ALWAYS record your mileage and stipulate NO Service drives ................the replaced all the stuff they broke with new and a full tank but !!!

 

[MerlintheMad]

He finally put his seat belt on. The sound quality of the video is crap. He enjoyed himself. Did I miss anything?

 

[James5623]

That’s my question. It’s mostly because the windows were down. Seems a bit aggressive to me, but trying to stay objective, considering my past experiences.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I don't think he's busted. He drove very safely but with "spirited" acceleration, and not excessive at that. He wasn't thinking he was going to have anything to explain.

 

[James5623]

I guess it’s just not how I would handle someone else’s vehicle.

 

[NS_Stinger]

What was the car in for? If it was in for an oil change then not cool. If it was in for suspension work or something that makes sense that a tech needs to test drive it than I didn't see anything that would personally bother me.

 

[James5623]

Replaced a coil.

 

[eljay]

He finally put his seat belt on. . . . Did I miss anything?

Yup, two California stops.

 

[ShannonC]

Ran a red light, rolled through a number of "Stop" signs. I was waiting for him to duck into one of those houses for a quickie.

 

[Revvdmedia]

Replaced a coil.

I think some spirited runs and heavier throttle can be justified by an ignition component replacement, to be sure it works under all conditions. If you meant coil spring, that would be more relevantly tested over bumps and cornering, less on high speed acceleration. He sure was speeding for a bit though.

 

[James5623]

I understand testing the car a bit, just felt it was a bit more than was necessary.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I understand testing the car a bit, just felt it was a bit more than was necessary.

Well, he was only out for c. eight minutes. He never had it above maybe seventy. It's hard to tell by camera. He passed slower traffic briskly a few times. Cornering was very conservative. If you didn't have a dash cam you wouldn't be having this conversation!

 

[James5623]

Well, he was only out for c. eight minutes. He never had it above maybe seventy. It's hard to tell by camera. He passed slower traffic briskly a few times. Cornering was very conservative. If you didn't have a dash cam you wouldn't be having this conversation!

This is correct, also only have the dash cam due to the 13k in damage I had to deal with from getting a flat tire..

 

[SteveCo]

Well, there's several minutes of my life I'll never get back ... Was expecting a smoky burnout, some max-G cornering, or some other evil intentions.

I didn't see anything that I would consider remotely abusive. I was going to ask what the test drive was for, but I see you answered that it was a coil replacement.

As coils normally break up at higher RPM/cylinder pressure, I'd actually say that was a relatively restrained test - I'd expect to see them holding a gear (under boost) up to near redline, to make sure there was no misfiring occurring. He took it easy through the residential areas, and went far enough to get on a road with a higher speed limit for at least a bit of a test, then came right back.

I'd have no problem with seeing that footage on my car, after a similar service visit ...

 

[basysmith]

For a coil, I'd expect a bit more prolonged testing up higher RPM's. Looked like a responsible safe driver to me.

For an oil change and windscreen water top up, I'd be a little more suspect.

 

[James5623]

Fair enough. I feel better overall. I really trust the dealership, and they have taken good care of me so far.

Thanks for the feedback all!

 

[James5623]

Well, there's several minutes of my life I'll never get back ... Was expecting a smoky burnout, some max-G cornering, or some other evil intentions.

I didn't see anything that I would consider remotely abusive. I was going to ask what the test drive was for, but I see you answered that it was a coil replacement.

As coils normally break up at higher RPM/cylinder pressure, I'd actually say that was a relatively restrained test - I'd expect to see them holding a gear (under boost) up to near redline, to make sure there was no misfiring occurring. He took it easy through the residential areas, and went far enough to get on a road with a higher speed limit for at least a bit of a test, then came right back.

I'd have no problem with seeing that footage on my car, after a similar service visit ...

I get it.. I felt like it was only fair to post the whole thing. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[Helo58]

If you get to know the guy, it might not rub you the wrong way. Had a Lexus tech that owned a car similar to mine, and he turned out to be a great tech and resource for information after I got to know him. Trusted him implicitly when he worked on my car, I even encouraged him to lay into it on one of his test drives just so I could hear my own car from the "outside."

 

[Shrikecorp]

Thoughts were, in order:

• Where is this magical place with roads like a pool table and barely enough other cars to keep it interesting?
• This camera films better than a lot of movies
• This is looong... what's the TLDR?
• OH ... right. Is there a problem here...
• Does seem excessively long to validate a repair.