Miles put on car during service??? | FerrariChat

Miles put on car during service???

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by cpiguy, Aug 2, 2012.

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  1. cpiguy

    cpiguy Formula 3
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    Oct 3, 2007
    2,107
    Westlake Village, CA
    Full Name:
    Arnie Friedman
    I'd like your opinion.

    I took my car in for it's one year service and when it got back they had put 17 miles on it. When I asked the service manager if they road test cars that are in for their annual service, he said "yes, we drive it around the block to make sure everythings ok. I asked him how many miles should that take, and he said "2 to 3 max". After I told him the car had 17 miles on it he did some checking and said they thought they had some kind of issue and test drove multple time to see if it reoccured and that must be why it had 17 miles on it. I just shrugged my shoulders and said, not worth a war with them and left it alone.

    So... 2 weeks later I end up with a electrical error message and take the car back in for them to check it out. They kept the car for a day and said no trouble found, everything checked out perfectly. Baffled I said OK and told them I'm sure they'll see the car again soon.

    When I got the car back this time it had 75 miles on it. I blew a cork only to have the service manager explain that they needed to test drive the car several times to make sure all systems were working properly.

    I'm currently on vacation, but when I get back, I don't even know what to do. I don't want to piss everyone at the dealer off cause they're the only convienient service center around and I plan to buy many more cars from them. I really like the sales side of the house. I'm frustrated and at a loss as to what to do.

    I appreciate knowing how you guys would handle this.
     
  2. GNALUZU

    GNALUZU Formula Junior

    Mar 23, 2004
    703
    Scottsdale, AZ
    Full Name:
    Adam
    Check the on board computer and see what the max speed was (assuming it was reset before the test drive). 75 miles seems extremely excessive, but if they also were speeding then you have a significant problem and might be better off taking the car somewhere else in the future.
     
  3. clockem

    clockem Formula 3

    May 18, 2009
    1,117
    Chicago
    Full Name:
    Gary
    I had my first year service done 2 weeks ago. Total miles put on the car was 7. 75 seems really high. Wonder if the mechanic took it home that night and brought it back in the am to see if he could replicate the problem.
     
  4. Speed Demon 1

    Speed Demon 1 Formula Junior

    Apr 22, 2009
    560
    Dallas-Fort Worth
    Full Name:
    SS
    IMO, 17 miles is unacceptable. 75 miles is multiple joyrides Ferris Bueller's Day Off style! If it happened to me, I will demand a full investigation and an explanation that reasonably explains the miles. If I do not get it, I will negotiate something in return from the dealership such as a quick Spider allocation (if you want it) or one of the first "458 Scud" allocation etc.
     
  5. 2k7997tt

    2k7997tt Formula Junior

    Oct 23, 2007
    768
    Westlake Village, CA
    Full Name:
    John M.
    17 miles is excessive and deserves an explanation from the service manager.

    75 miles is theft (use of one's resources by another without permission). This deserves a report to FNA.

    If the average original owner places 7500 miles on a 458 then the dealership just used 1/100 of your car.
     
  6. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Feb 11, 2008
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    Sorry you don't know what you're talking about.

    I used to own an shop and I can tell you sometimes it is required to check on the freeway or over different conditions. I think the dealer may owe a better explanation but it's not unreasonable or unacceptable at all.

    Sometimes a little communication goes a long way.

    That being said, only in a Ferrari would we worry about 17 miles on the ODO.
     
  7. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Point 1: Totally Agree. Deserves better explanation/documentation.

    Point 2: No, a total exaggeration not based on any facts. Refer to point 1.

    Point 3: Silly argument. So, is the dealer supposed to give the car back to his customer not knowing if he's fixed a problem just because he has to drive it some miles? Refer to point 1.


    My car arrived with 156 miles on it from the factory. Am I to be upset that they tested it several times because they wanted to get it right before I received it?
     
  8. arcticsilver997

    arcticsilver997 Karting
    Owner

    Oct 27, 2007
    203
    Northern California
    17 miles I can understand, I would not like it though. But 75 miles in one day for an electrical error message..... I would lose trust in the department no matter what explanation was given. I love the brand but things like this over time just makes the experience/ dream that less enjoyable.
     
  9. KB458

    KB458 Rookie

    Sep 14, 2010
    9
    Jenks, Oklahoma
    question...How do you check the on board computer for max speed?
     
  10. lipscomb

    lipscomb Formula 3

    Jul 30, 2007
    1,502
    Ca.
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    Lee
    I have sent you a pm.
     
  11. Noblesse Oblige

    Noblesse Oblige F1 Veteran

    Nov 7, 2011
    6,114
    Three Places
    My car was just serviced. The invoice stated that it had been road tested but no mileage amount was specified and I did not think to check it.

    It seems to me that it is unlikely that the dealer took your car on a joy ride. The 75 miles may seem excessive unless you had an issue that required that much of a run. I had a throttle fly-by-wire problem in my BMW awhile back. It was fairly subtle and sporadic. The dealer actually put on 150 miles to assess it. When I picked up the car they told me that they had done so and why.
     
  12. lipscomb

    lipscomb Formula 3

    Jul 30, 2007
    1,502
    Ca.
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    Lee
    If I got a new car with that mileage I would check the magazine racks to see how the Road and Track guys liked your car and perhaps where they enjoyed lunch......Easy Robert, just kidding. I'm sure they sorted out that transmission whine.
     
  13. jcosta79

    jcosta79 Formula 3

    Nov 15, 2011
    1,368
    Dallas, TX
    Full Name:
    LaJonathan
    Is this warranty work? If not, check your invoice for the hours of labor charged. (Actually it might be on there anyway even if it is warranty work) 75 test driven miles has got to take at least an hour and a half to two hours to do, correct? (Unless they're test driving your car at 100+ MPH) :D

    If they didn't charge you or note down at a minimum that many labor-hours than something might be fishy. I assume that they would document honest test-driving mileage under diagnostic labor. But joy ride mileage would not be documented. (At least one would hope)

    Just an idea. Let us know what you find.
     
  14. S Brake

    S Brake F1 World Champ

    Aug 3, 2006
    17,182
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    Dave
    I can understand 17 miles, but if there was a problem that warranted 75 miles worth of testing I would think a phone call would be made to explain the issue. The actual miles don't worry me as much as the behavior and lack of communication.
     
  15. cpiguy

    cpiguy Formula 3
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    Oct 3, 2007
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    Arnie Friedman
    Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm beyond frustrated and don't know exactly how I'll deal with them when I get home from vacation.

    The work being done was warranty and what's even more interesting is that their tests show no trouble found. How could you possible drive the car for 75 miles on an electrical issue that they claim was caused by the battery not being fully charged.

    I did not reset my high speed counter before taking it in for service, but I do have pictures of the odometer before and after. They also burned a 1/2 tank of fuel in the process.

    You know what they say. Where's theres smoke there's fire. This just ain't right and I wish I knew how to handle it without alienating the dealer.
     
  16. cpiguy

    cpiguy Formula 3
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    Oct 3, 2007
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    Arnie Friedman
    #16 cpiguy, Aug 2, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  17. jcosta79

    jcosta79 Formula 3

    Nov 15, 2011
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    LaJonathan
    I think you got it backwards. They should be afraid of making YOU upset. If they don't treat you that way, tell them to pound sand and take your business elsewhere.

    You can get your Ferrari's from someone else that appreciates you as a customer.
     
  18. mike_747

    mike_747 Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2008
    794
    Seattle
    I get 66 miles driven. 66 miles using 1/2 tanks of gas - sounds like spirited driving indeed!
     
  19. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    #19 TheMayor, Aug 2, 2012
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2012
    I agree with this. They need to communicate better why the car was taken, where it was taken, and what was done. There's a credibility gap here that needs to be closed between you and the dealer.

    It's their responsibility to communicate to you. It's your car -- you can ask anything you want. Alienation has nothing to do with it. You are completely in your rights to ask "what gives here?"

    There may be a completely logical reason. But, they should not just blow it off to you and say "oh well".

    They have these surveys from FNA that they send you after service. Believe me, they don't like it when people complain on them. "They took my car for a 75 mile spin and can't explain why" is not something that they want to see on one of these surveys.
     
  20. RickLederman

    RickLederman F1 Rookie
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    Sep 18, 2007
    2,829
    Swanton Ohio
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    Rick Lederman
    I would agree that they should give a clear explanation ... HOWEVER that many miles is really no big deal. My dealer though tells me even after a brake pad change customers get all wound around the axle about a couple miles on the odo and it takes a good 20 to 40 to seat new pads good enough to make them work. Miles really just don't matter, fixing the car correctly does. As long as your dealer gives you some sort of reasonable answer then who cares about the miles. Ask the mechanic that worked on it, that is what I do and I always get the straight answer. If a couple extra miles (and 75 is a couple in my book) bothers you just park the Ferrari and look at it dreaming about the fun you should be having with it. For my money I will drive mine and let the mechanic do what he needs to do. 11,000 miles since December 8, 2011, and having them do my first oil change this Monday!

    Rick
     
  21. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
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    Sep 18, 2002
    19,344
    The Cold North
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    Tom
    You guys are not understanding one thing. Techs that work on these cars day in and day out don't care about getting there jollies off in a Ferrari. They drive the dam things everyday of the week. They might as well be a Honda to them.
    If there was an issue they decected during the routin service would you not want it fixed? Instead it will crop up on here how poorly they performed there service because they didn't do there job by road testing the car.
    No win issue here for the shop.
     
  22. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
    Consultant Professional Ferrari Technician

    Sep 18, 2002
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    Tom
    Sorry about the spelling..iPhone auto correct...
     
  23. jcosta79

    jcosta79 Formula 3

    Nov 15, 2011
    1,368
    Dallas, TX
    Full Name:
    LaJonathan
    I think the major concern here is the secrecy and lack of communication. The service guy or the tech should have just come out and said exactly what they were doing with the car. If it takes 75 miles, it takes 75 miles. There should not be any issue with explaining that.

    But what if they used the car to go pick up a customer or to go get lunch? That's not technically a joy ride but I still wouldn't want the techs doing it and it might explain the hesitation/lack of clarity on the part of the service department.
     
  24. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Baloney.

    I used to own a Ferrari repair shop. Mechanics DREAD taking the cars on the road for fear they will damage them in the process and get fired or reprimanded for something including getting a speeding ticket. No one wants to tell the customer their car got damaged on a road test.

    I suggest you comment on things you know about.
     
  25. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    This.
     

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