It Was Waaaaaaaaaay Cool

[70Monte355]

First off I want to offer my condolences. I found this tread over on my Monte Carlo Board and they got it from a Mopar site...not many car sites don't know what happened.

I had a similar thing happen to my 87 Iroc when I took it to Sears to replace a tire that blew. They ended up rebuilding my entire rearend, new alternator, new battery, free tires, alignment, rental car while mine was being repaired, and I got his job. You just have to push...go higher and higher. Although my rearend wasn't tore up...it very well could have been. I made them hate the day they ever got my car. Go to Fords website and start blasting these threads to every email address you can find. This goes for The people that own the stang and for the people reading this tread...they need to know they are messing up. I would also suggest everyone take a minute out of their day to call the dealership and inquire on the incident.

I am not a Ford person ...but I am a car person..I understand the love and respect people deserve to have and as a car enthusiast I will help you anyway I can.

Good luck to the 03 Stang owner.

[astraboy]

Well, he aint gettin a job this side of the atlantic as well!
its made its way to www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs
so the UK based Subaru crew know what this wanker has been up to as well.
What a nobber. Christ I'm no angel in my cars (3-door Sierra Cosworth and Astra GTE with NOS) but if I perform my cars I make sure their my fookin cars! Dont perform some other fookers car eh!
Ah well, we all make mistakes, its just how you learn from them that counts. I should imagine that Stangman will be learning the art of keeping his gob shut

astraboy.

[70Monte355]

Don't want this lost...I know I will be be calling. Nice TA by the way

Originally posted by Trans Am WS6 420
Well, I read this saga, and I almost cried. I know I would go nuts if that was my car. So I tried to come up with the best way to help.

Oh my, lookie what I found:

http://nsford.com

Phone number: 1-800-525-9810

General Manager: Jim Thompson

Let's see how this plays out.........

Conversation:

Jim: This is Jim:

Me: Hello sir, are you the General Manager of Northside Ford in San Antonio, TX?

Jim: Yes.

Me: Are you aware of the incident today involving one of your technicians taking a customers car on a test drive of speeds of up to 140 MPH? And that when informed of this, your dealership had stated that they were not going to do anything about this out side of firing the technician.

Jim: No, I'm sorry, I'm not.

Me: Well, sir, the technician has bragged about it on a public message board, and the story has gotten around quite a bit today.

Jim: I'm sorry, you're catching me totally off guard with this.... What is the name of the person who's car it was?

Me: I don't have the name of the owner, but I can give you the plate number of the car.

<gives plate # as given on post from tech>

I'm sorry about catching you off guard here Jim. I just wanted to make sure you were aware that that this had happened, and that you were paying close attention to this. This story at this point has made it way across 15 -20 message boards, and has been read by over 100,000 people or more, quite a number of who make up your customer base in San Antonio.

Jim: ....

Me: It seems that this is getting a lot of publicity, and I just wanted to make sure you were aware of what was going on. Probably not a good idea for the internet to hear about your techs beating up on the cars in for service, and you folks not really trying to make things right with the customer.

Jim: And who are you?

Me: I'm just an SVT fan, and a concerned musclecar owner.

Jim: Well, I'm glad you brought this to my attention.

Me: Not a problem Jim, you have a good day.



Hopefully, he will now think twice before telling you they won't do anything..... Best of luck to you!

Remember, it doesn't always matter what you drive.....

- Matt

[Quik_30th_TA]

I read this on the 30th Annivesary Trans Am web site. This is something that anyone with a nice quick car has always dreaded. I have not yet had to take my car back to the dealership, but if I did I would have the service manager write the milage on the work order. This won't stop some jerk from pounding the car on a "test drive" but it will keep him from joy riding around. Anyway, everyone over here is with you Todd and wife.

[Matt Harwood]

OK, we're pretty much in agreement that:

1) The guy who did this is an asshat.

2) The entire world weeps for the owners.

3) The guy has been fired.

Now, with those out of the way, how about something constructive, like what would it take to make the owners whole again? The first step has been taken (the guy has been fired). What should the dealership do to make things right for the owners and to repair their (badly) damaged reputation in the community?

Some have suggested:

1) Free maintenance

2) Free oil changes

3) Free extended warranty

4) A new car (yeah, that'll happen)

If this were you, what would you expect and/or demand? Short of a new car (which won't ever, ever happen--there's no demonstrable damage to warrant replacement), what would you want if you were the owner?

Just a thought.

[Mustangbelle306]

I am here to just offer my sympathy to the lady who owns the Cobra...not to play the fiddle or anything, but events like these are EXACTLY why less women get involved in the automobile hobby. I've heard many men complain about how "there aren't enough girls who like cars". Well, why should there be, when predators like Stangman96 exist? Selfish losers who must abuse the nice possessions of others since they don't feel like earning them through hard work...If I were in a line of work that people PAID ME to repair and respect their personal property, you bet yer *** I'd do my job, and do it well. The job market is tough right now, and I know there are deserving mechanics that will more than fill the disgusting shoes of Stangscumbag96. Individuals like him are part of WHY I quit this message board, a place I called my home for 1.5+ years.

A familar cliche comes to mind...also known as the Golden Rule Learn it Stangman, and you'll go farther in life.

Signing off,
Belle

[Mustangbelle306]

Originally posted by CrotchrocketCBR
im a tech at an SVT dealership here in FL, and i cannot wait untill another 03 cobra comes in, because i will beat the living piss out of that car, just becuase you got this tech fired.

Mmhmm....

He was fired because HE abused his workplace priveleges...I've worked at several Ford dealerships, and seen more than one tech get fired on his OWN accord, and no internet "assistance" for the same type of BS. Sorry, but mechanics like him are a dime a dozen, and its no sweat to fire his risky *** for someone just as capable, who may be just a BIT less idiotic

I hope the next time you have to take your Honda in for whatever service, someone "beats the living piss out of it", and wheelies it into a brick wall because one of their incompetant buddies got fired...Oh, but I'm sure you're also one of those great fellows that thinks since he can work on his **** himself, everyone else deserves their toys abused because they choose to not learn the intracacies of an engine, right?

Thought so.

[Try Me]

Agreed.

BW, MustangBelle is exactly that.

[timoioi]

What??! Stangman96 hasn't bothered to post an update to tell us what has been going on? That's not very polite of him!!

Oh yea, DefCon mailing list checking in! dc-stuff@dis.org
representin! word.

[nytflyr]

found this via http://www.michiganlcoc.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

More so than the "test drive" these two statements really pissed me off.

"NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT IS OWNED BY A FEMALE"

"besides, if i broke it, i'd have to fix it anyway, and most likely get paid to do it too.. "

Im lucky I trust my mechanic and I know he wouldnt abuse my classic lincoln.

[SFSaturnFan]

Here's a shout out from SaturnFans.com and San Francisco, CA.

I have to say, one of the reasons I got a Saturn was because as a woman, I am very concerned about being d*cked over by the service department. In this case, I suspect that Stangman96 didn't really care about the gender of the owner when he took out that Cobra, but it certainly didn't help.

By the way, my brother in law works at a Ford dealership on Long Island, and I sent him this thread. Spread the word!

[Bookerdog]

Originally posted by stangman96
BY THE WAY, THE CUSTOMER'S COMPLAINT WAS LACK OF POWER AND POOR GAS MILEAGE, WHAT A CROCK... NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT IS OWNED BY A FEMALE, SHE EVEN SAID IT WAS DYNOED AT A SHOP AND THEY TOLD HER THAT THE CONVERTORS WERE TOO HOT AND THE FUEL TRIM WAS WAY OFF. I HOOKED IT UP TO THE COMPUTER, FUEL TRIM WAS NORMAL, CAT TEMP WAS OK, NO CODES, AND IT RAN GREAT. GO FIGURE.. OH YEAH, SHE EVEN TOLD THE SERVICE WRITER TO MAKE SURE THAT NO "PUNK" DRIVES HER CAR, WELL SINCE I AM THE MUSTANG SPECIALIST HERE AT THE DEALER, I GUESS I AM "THE PUNK"

OK, first off, my condolences to the owner, no one should have to put up with this.

I'm more than a little surprised that we haven't seen anything from Ford on this one. I mean, this is an SVT dealer, and two other dealers refused to work on the car because they didn't feel they were trained up on it. Apparently the finest Mustang SVT mechanic in all of San Antonio was our good friend stangman96. Shouldn't Ford be here reassuring all of you faithful SVT owners?

I can't beleive what a poor mechanic stangman96 is. OK, the car has been dynoed, and the owner has a very specific complaint that only an owner with fairly sophisticated knowledge of high performance engines would have. Poor fuel mileage and hot cats when run on the dyno. OK, that means when running at high RPM there is too much heat bleeding into the exhaust.

Any tech worth his salt knows a hot cat means one of two things. 1. The exhaust timing is off and the valves are opening too soon, or 2. The motor is running rich and unburnt fuel is making it's way into the exhaust system.

With the added complaint of using excessive fuel, I'd wager that the answer is number 2. Oh, but that can't be right, stangman96 hooked it up to the computer. Hmm was that at idle? Was it at 2000 rpm? I'm so sick of "hot shot" techs who won't do anything more than hook up a computer. But this one goes the step further and decides that since he knows how to put a plug in an OBDII port, that he knows how to drive a car 140mph, despite the fact that he would have failed fuel systems 101.

I'm just sick of the guys behind the doors of auto shops thinking that the folks on the other side are idiots. This post pointed out quite nicely that the mental challenged appear on both sides.

[gawilliam]

I was really burned up to hear about this flagrant act of customer abuse by a Ford dealership - burned up, but not surprised.

It doesn't surprise me, either, that the dealership is stonewalling the customer. My experience is that Ford dealers are worse than any other car company when it comes to making right what they've screwed up. That's probably because - again, at least in my experience - Ford is completely unconcerned about how dealers treat their customers as long as they're making their sales quotas. I'm convinced that Ford will ignore the awful treatment one of *their* customers received at the hands of one of *their* dealers, and - if they ever respond to Tracy or to the enthusiast community at all - will take a "we're all right, Jack" position, and claim they don't bear any responsibility at all for their dealership's behavior because they're "just a franchisee." (Yeah, that's bitter experience talking.)

So, I don't think Ford will do anything like pulling the dealer's SVT agreement, or even pressure the dealer to do the right thing. Maybe it would help if enough customers let Ford and the dealership know that they wouldn't do business with them, but I doubt it.

I love Mustangs, but I'd never own one new enough to be under warranty - because while Ford may build great cars, they build lousy service organizations.

My $.02 on the whole affair . . .

[Musicboy]

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

[redta]

I registured on this board to say just how stupid that it was to drive someone eles car that way and then brag about it on the internet. And I guess you now know that since you got FIRED over it and just in case you did not well you should have been FIRED. I would not be happy with just you losing your job I would want your SVT certification. And further more you provied how stupid you really are used car sales men have figured it out. Tell me why do you think they use the term 1 owner female driver never driven hard. Maybe they know something you don't well after reading what you wrote that is not hard to figure out.

[Mustangbelle306]

Originally posted by Try Me
Agreed.

BW, MustangBelle is exactly that.

I guess I missed something? Perhaps I missed more, since my post has been edited . No big deal, it was basically old news to many members anyways

Oh my..."exactly that" can mean OH SO MANY different things...especially to different people

Belle

[Mustangmom2k]

Good Lord! No wonder I haven't been able to log in for days! And I have a cable modem! Just saw this today, linked from the Female Power forum. I've been literally reading all day, here and on SVTPerformance.com.

I'm sure I can't say anthing more than has already been said, but here goes:

1. What's "waaaayyyy cool" is how other car clubs have shown support.

2. It's also "waaaayyyy cool" that he lost his job. I would also go after the dealer for some kind of accountability, and I'm sure you're going to. The SVT board says you guys have a lawyer and cannot comment further because of the legal action you're taking. That's also "waaayyyy cool", and I wish you the best of luck with it all.

3. To those who just didn't get it at first, maybe now you understand that it's not waaayyy cool to abuse another person's property without permission. Not only did you not have permission, but you had explicit NON-permission, so your act was deliberately defiant. And THEN to brag about it, on a Mustang site no less (!). Can you imagine the sense of violation the owners felt when they read THAT?! I think it's much like taking your kid to daycare and finding out he's been beaten or molested. (Not that a car has the same value as a child, but the principle would be the same.)

4. You obviously never dreamed that a woman Mustang owner would be a member of a Mustang site, and that was your fatal mistake. Ya know, if the car had already been dynoed, she probably was no stranger to a performance-oriented outlook, even if she was only having warranty work done at the time. Therefore, she probably hangs out on a Mustang web site (since the average car owner has no clue what a dyno is)...duh. And she deserved to have her car thrashed becuase she took it in for warranty work?! Well, now you get what YOU deserve.

5. To Tracy, from another female Mustang owner/racer: cut his b@lls off. Period. (I'm speaking figuratively, of course...maybe.) Seriously, the anguish and uproar this has caused is most definitely a lawsuit in the making. Best of luck to you!

[ENOz28]

I found this thread on www.corvetteforum.com and I am really suprised at the audacity of stangman. I am from San Antonio and currently reside there. Up until very recently, Northside Ford was the only SVT dealer in San Antonio. But Jordan Ford in San Antonio now is also an SVT dealer. The way I see it, unless Northside Ford takes care of the cowner of this car, they are going to lose a lot of business to Jordan Ford. I just hope stangman doesn't get hired by Jordan Ford either.

[ColinOpseth]

Hey, new member here.

The link to this thread was posted over at GMPerformance.org: http://www.gmperformance.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=1427

To Todd and his wife: That guy was a total prick. I understand why you didn't want to take your car to that dealer. I hope that you find someone that will take care of your car the way it should be. I'm a GM guy but if someone did that to my car I'd literally beat his *** with a tire iron.

To the retard, you know who you are: I'm glad you got fired. I'm glad you look like a moron and I hope that every Mustang club that you ever try to join kicks your sorry *** out. People like you are a waste of skin and to be proud of what you did only serves to show that you have ***** for brains, and maybe less. Grow up.

I'm glad this thread has gotten around the world. Maybe people will start a website about bad dealers so we can narrow down the retards.

later!
Colin

[devilman]

checking in from www.garageracing.com and i have to say is talk about the dumbass of the year award.

i hope the 03 snake is alright, and not hurt. it never seems to amaze me how stupid some people can be. the techie thought that tracy (the owner of the snake) didn't know that about cars, and didn't know about the internet. man i hope he doesn't place bets. good luck on your 03 snake and hope she is still running strong.