Dealer Beware (Long but need to get the word out)

Thats just down right scarey. They should pay for the damages out of pocket. Also I wonder, did they have a key? or did they only have the FOB?

I guess I can sort of see their view as well. Either way - Their insurance should have paid for the damages and the repairs should have been done the correct way.

There's a good reason to not install remote or autostart systems on a car with a standard transmission.

I've had problems with aftermarket alarm systems as well. Had a new truck with an $800 Alpine alarm system in it. Brought it to the dealer for service and put in in valet mode. No problem right? Well - I get a call the next afternoon with a frantic service manager calling me to tell me I had to come down to the dealership immediately. The Service tech had left the keys in the ignition with the windows up. He had disconnected the battery to change out the alternator belt (standard operating procedure). He installed the new belt, reconnected the battery. Everything was fine. Slammed the hood and the alarm took off and went into protect mode. The alarm was doing exactly as the mfgr programmed it to do - when power is disconnected and re-connected - arm the alarm system. Hood was slammed - alarm went to town.. They tried to put it up on a lift (to disconnect the positive cable) in another bay by dragging it on jacks - that just made matters worse as the alarm now had two or more detections of invasion at which point in time it goes into full-protect mode and just keeps blaring its 130db siren (not the cute little chirp-chirp either..)... It is actually painful to be near anything that loud and they could not get it to go quiet.

When I got there, the alarm was silent. I asked them how they did it. Well - the guy from the body shop had just showed up with a new side window and a vacuum cleaner - they had smashed the window just a few minutes before I got there.. I was only 15 minutes from the dealership. They made it right but the service mgr told me that if I never brought that truck back into his shop, it would still be too soon..
Fine - I bought my next truck from another dealership, and a couple of other cars since then as well. I won't go back and likely you won't go back to NCF either..

Good luck to you!

Jeez, that was making ME angry, just reading it!

Clearly this was NOT an accident, and you should have reported it to the police. The detailer tried to 'hide' the damage? He 'accidentally' overlooked the clearly marked lock/unlock buttons on the fob, and just 'happened' to tap the engine start button the required number of times in the required time? PLEASE!

This is just another example of a dealer taking a bad situation and making it worse, rather than doing the right thing. They crashed your car and they're now lying about the incident (unless the highly improbable situation above actually happened!).

Spread the word on these scumbags.

Holy crap!
Someone needs to give that service manager a legal dictionary with the word BAILMENT highlighted.

Dang, make sure you folloe up here with how this matter is respoded to.

Wow, just wow. That really sucks Jason.

WOW!

What a nightmare. What I would do is send a letter to the editor of the local paper AND surrounding area papers. Then I would park your car across the street from them with a banner saying don't do business with them. An old friend of mine did that to Astoria Ford about 6 years ago...it was pretty funny but very effective. She would park it there in the day and take it home at night. There was'nt one thing they could do about it. Any how us women can be quite viscious when it comes to pay backs. Really sorry your going through that and hope you get resolution from the parent company.

Does remote start void manufacture warranty? I assume clutch safety switch is bypassed. Not trying to be an a$$, but they may have you by the cherries.

I'm still wondering did they HAVE to use the fob? or could they have just used a key and avoided their wrong doing?

JSkwarek said:

If indeed the remote start was triggered it was because in my opinion someone was playing with car not doing what they were supposed to be doing with it.

Jason

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Question for you. Does the remote start disable the clutch? You cant start the car unless you depress the clutch in, right? Or is that disabled completely?
Sorry to hear about ypur problem makes me mad too.
Sounds like a dirty, filthy car dealership, IMO.

1meanZ said:

I assume clutch safety switch is bypassed. Not trying to be an a$$, but they may have you by the cherries.

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BINGO....

I'm certainly not trying to be an @$$ either but there was a device installed on this car by someone other than Ford or an authorized dealer that could have very well endangered lives. This was the point I was trying to make when I said that I could see their view as well.

If the Clutch Safety switch was bypassed and their was no way for the remote start to tell if the transmission was in neutral - well - you're probably lucky that they weren't the ones sueing you regardless of the recommended procedure for parking the car. Face it - if Ford relied on everyone placing the car in neutral and setting the parking brake - they would have never had to put a clutch safety switch in anyway..

Again - I feel for you in the situation you were put in, but I also think I understand their position as well.

I totally see your point of view on how you were treated, no question about that. I your story is true, they really need to apologize for that treatment. And I somehow see some of their points as well. Someone clearly did something wrong too. If the person who did the act will not completely own up to what happened, I do think it is in the responsibility of the employer to make it right. I mean the dealership has insurance for these mishaps and mistakes and should file a claim on their insurance that something wrong happened by accident. Sure there is an aftermarket product installed that contributed to the accident, but the dealership is not completely out of the responsibility either. I think you are doing the right thing in at least bringing the matter to those that oversee the company in question. A better solution needs to be found.

To me, it seems you are already right in the eyes of the dealership as they wouldnt have finally caved in and fixed the car (even though the quality of the repair was questionable). As soon as they attemped a repair to me assumes fault and responsibility. Even if they did it just to shut you up. It's like a half a$$ sorry though. They should have just let it go and fix it correctly and take one for the team and understand that you will be back for good business afterwards (assuming you really have purchased that many vehicles from them). They have to see the larger picture.

Good luck and I hope it all works out. I will definitely follow the progress.