Ever had your vehicle broken into while at a Dealership?

[petersonb]

Long story short:

Vehicle broke down on I-40 coming into OKC from Amarillo, TX. I had it towed to a dealership on a Saturday. It was dropped off there around 4pm, after their service center had closed. I knew it was fuel related, so I swapped out the fuel pump myself in their parking lot. I had to drive a ways to get to an O'Reilly's that had a fuel pump in stock, so by the time I got back, it was about 7:45pm. They closed the dealership at 8pm, but a couple of the sales guys knew I was there and they talked to the security guard, who agreed to let us out of the gates after 8pm, since we figured it would only take about 15 minutes for the fuel pump swap (easily accessed under passenger seat!). I was with my girlfriend in her car (luckily she lives in Newcastle).

At about 8:10pm, we had swapped out the fuel pump, car still didn't run, so we left. I knew I was just going to have the dealership look at it Monday morning when they opened.

Car sat there Saturday and Sunday night. When I showed up Monday, driver side window had been busted out, Pioneer Avic-Z110 head unit and Escort Passport 8500 radar detector had been stolen.

I replaced the head unit with a less expensive model (Avic X940, only $800 instead of $1100), and replaced the detector (about $350), and the dealership bill was for vacuuming the glass out, replacing the window, and fixing a blown fuse (in-line fuse to an aftermarket fuel boost pump under the trunk, I didn't know it was there. FML) for a total of $610.

Anyone have any similar experience ever? What did the dealership say to you about it? I'm inclined to think that since the dealership knew the car was there and had a security guard on duty that they would have some kind of liability. If not, then what would have happened if they had just stolen the whole car? I don't know what to think about it.

Looking for input. Thanks!

 

[beast1989]

I think this would be covered by insurance, their or yours I'm not sure though. Definitely worth looking into. Whether you filed a police report would probably come into play as well.

 

[HMFIC]

That's pretty sad that it got broken into with a security guard present.
What did the dealership say about it? What did the security guard say?
Were there any cameras that might have caught something?

 

[petersonb]

That's pretty sad that it got broken into with a security guard present.
What did the dealership say about it? What did the security guard say?
Were there any cameras that might have caught something?

Security guard hasn't said anything about it. Dealership claims they aren't liable because they have signs in the bays that say "Not responsible for damage/theft" etc... However, the car was parked outside because they were closed. Car was parked out of camera's view....?

I'm thinking about consulting a lawyer to see what the deal is. It all seems off to me.

Figured I'd poll OSA experience before lawyer though

 

[MFCEO]

just your car was broken into correct?

I call foul play, and convinced it was someone that worked there.

 

[BamaAlum97]

Not broken into...but I did have a shop wreck my pick up while they had it. Wrecked may be too strong of a word...they backed into a brick wall while unloading it off the lift. Smashed up the back pretty good. Their insurance covered it all plus a rental, but it was still a major PITA...

 

[petersonb]

just your car was broken into correct?

I call foul play, and convinced it was someone that worked there.

Exactly. Hard part is proving anything. And I will also note that my car stands out a little bit in the dealership lot, making it a bit more of a target, I suppose.

 

[TerryMiller]

While I'm not an attorney, I would guess that you are completely out of luck with regards to legal actions since your vehicle was never "logged in" with a service request to the dealership.

I remember years ago when I worked at a "major national electronics brand" store that sold car alarms. A guy came in wanting to buy an alarm because someone stole a $2000 stereo out of his vehicle. We went out to look at what options were needed for sensors and I saw that he had one of those soft-top Suzuki's Samurai. I told him that even if he did put an alarm with door sensors, it would be useless because all anyone had to do was cut the top and get in.

I figure that the stereo he lost was worth more than his whole vehicle.

I never go with anything other than stock radios and I've never been broken into.

 

[petersonb]

While I'm not an attorney, I would guess that you are completely out of luck with regards to legal actions since your vehicle was never "logged in" with a service request to the dealership.

I remember years ago when I worked at a "major national electronics brand" store that sold car alarms. A guy came in wanting to buy an alarm because someone stole a $2000 stereo out of his vehicle. We went out to look at what options were needed for sensors and I saw that he had one of those soft-top Suzuki's Samurai. I told him that even if he did put an alarm with door sensors, it would be useless because all anyone had to do was cut the top and get in.

I figure that the stereo he lost was worth more than his whole vehicle.

I never go with anything other than stock radios and I've never been broken into.

As much as I don't like it, I think you're correct. But, still contacting the dealership to see what can be done. It was never logged in, but they still knew it was there. I talked to at least 2 of the gentlemen who worked there (one of which has the same last name as the dealership.....). So yes, legally, probably nothing I can do. I wanted to fish for some past experiences though and get more info.

Thanks, OSA

 

[petersonb]

Come to find out, the dealership has been having issues with entire cars being stolen. In any case, I DO NOT recommend going to that dealership! I wish I would have known they were having theft issues beforehand.

Diffee Ford in El Reno, OK.