Well,
I have to say that I am unfortunately NOT surprized by the post that started this thread. As a former Ford technician, & a professional driveability tech of Ten years, I have seen this behavior ignored by service departments over & over. That is why it has become a common problem in the repair industry.
I've worked for Ford, Nissan, & Chrysler, & I've watched techs tear out of the dealership on two wheels, in Irocs, Stangs, Birds, 300ZX's ect.. right in front of the service manager, with no reprimand. In fact sometimes they'd just laugh.. I left that business to be a computer tech, because it has lost it's pride. Not all technicians behave this way of course, but way too many do, & few dealers care as long as they can turn out the work, & numbers..
I can honestly say that in all my years as a professional tech, I only thrashed a car once, & that was because the owner was sitting right next to me, & told me she wanted me to "see what this baby can do." It was an insanely fast 88 Grand Am or Sunbird with a 2.0 Ltr. turbo.. Even then I felt a little liable about laying into someone elses throttle. In my case the vehicle never exceeded 50 MPH.. Obviously driving 140 mph
anywhere but on a track, is a flagrant disregard for anyones life, including your own. I truly hope that this kid has learned his lesson. Everyone makes mistakes, but mistakes come with consequences.
If this were my dealership, I'd be kissing Tracy's feet & begging for forgiveness, after I'd offered her a 1 week stay at Disneyland Florida or something. If I were Traci I'd be contacting the media, as well as her lawyer, in order to get compensation. One more blemish has been added to the face of the Auto service industry..
I'd propose a system for all Hotrodders, if I really thought it could work. By no means is this idea meant to trivialize the wonderful "Amber alert system" designed to recover kidnapped children. But similarly, wouldn't it be great if their was a central database on the web where if one hotrodder saw a car being thrashed coming out of a dealer, or by a guy with a tech uniform, they could report it?
I know, hard to implement, hard to prove in most cases, but we can dream a little. I wish the best for Tracy. In a way I feel bad for the tech too, in that he has some growing up to do.. I sincerely hope he does it before he hurts himself, or even worse, someone else. Best wishes, DL Mustang & Firebird owner