Did Dealer Take Corvette Forum Member’s Car on 80-Mile Joyride?!?

What would you do if a service technician racked up lots of miles on your Corvette and then lied to you about it?

It’s something that, at least once in your life, you’ve probably feared happening. Owning a cool, fast ride like a Corvette is sure to entice some wide-eyed dealership employee to “test drive” it a little more than you’d like. If you’re (they’re?) lucky, you might never find out. In a worst-case scenario, they might just wreck the thing. Or, in the case of Corvette Forum member 97Black, you suddenly find yourself facing problems that just weren’t there before.

“I’m looking for some advice on how to handle what happened to my car while it was in getting the mag ride software update. I took my car in on Wednesday and thought it would be an hour to hour and a half job. The service adviser told me they were having an issue with their system and would take a bit longer. He was advised by GM that the car must sit there for the eight hours or it might not work properly. No problem, I said. I didn’t want any issues if that’s what I had to do.”

Sounds a little crazy, but you can’t blame the OP for not overthinking it. But then, things began to get stranger.

“The next day, the service adviser said the software didn’t download properly and they noticed the service rear axle light came on in the dash. Took all day to figure out the problem and said it was due to the battery getting low while performing the update, which triggered the light. They told me to call Friday and check on it. I called and they said it was all set and everything worked properly.”

Sadly, that wasn’t the end of the story. Little clues were immediately present that this Corvette hadn’t just been “sitting” at the dealership all this time.

“I came in and upon seeing my car I notice bug guts on the front bumper and hood. My outer exhaust tips were charcoal black (red flag). I brought it to them in pristine condition. When I’m paying my bill, the cashier said I need to get gas as my gas light was on (red flag). I brought it in with at least 1/3 of a tank. I questioned the gas usage and she said the invoice showed the same mileage as when I brought it in as when I’m leaving.

Well, the first thing I check is the odometer and someone at the dealer drove it for 80 miles. I’m pissed off and all managers and service people are gone for the day. I left voice mails and expect a call Monday. I’m sorry for my long story, but what should I expect from my dealer for their breach of trust? This car is my dream car and I treat it with such care.”

As you might imagine, reactions to this incident range from angry to downright livid. Many members offer suggestions, such as checking OnStar for the mileage driven or blasting the dealership online. But the OP finally got his answer, even if it wasn’t a very satisfying one.

“Just spoke with the service manager and he assured me he was the one that had to drive it those amount of miles on several trips to try and get the monitors cleared so it would pass the NYS inspection. He was adamant that he was not hammering the car and only drove it because of the issues brought on while updating the software.

He was very apologetic about the lack of communication as he thought the service adviser was keeping me posted. I’m taking him for his word that what he said is actually what happened. I love how the car rides now. I only asked for an oil change since they left my car on empty, and he agreed to that.”

But even though the OP seems to be over it, many other members are not. And we want to know what you think! What would you have done if this had happened to you and your Corvette? Head over here and let us know!