Caught: Dealer Trashes Camaro

We've all heard horror stories about cheating dealers but it's not often that unprofessionalism is captured on camera. So, when Chevrolet Camaro SS owner William Clark,noticed problems with his ride at 25 000km, he took it to a dealer in Greenville, South Corolina.

He reports: "They gave it back to me damaged, I left, and 10 minutes later it had to be towed back to that dealer. Accusations flew but nobody was man enough to admit it."

'Drove it like they stole it'

Clark called a Chevrolet customer assistance centre and explained what had happened. The centre sent him to a dealer in Easley, South Carolina. An appointment was scheduled when the problem re-appeared... only this time the mechanics were caught red-handed abusing his Chevy.

Clark reports that he noticed his gears were grinding at low speed and that he struggled to shift. Thinking that his car might have been tampered with he hid a recording device in the vehicle. What followed was a shocking audio clip of at least two passengers commenting about how they were thrashing Clark's Camaro during a 20-minute test drive.

"The service manager and his crew took the car for a 20-minute, tyre squealing, 'drive it like you stole it' joy ride," Clark said.

In the video you can hear a mechanic stating: "I didn’t use the clutch and I went through to sixth," to which the passenger commented "I don't think they warranty if you beat the shit out of your car."

The worst part was how the service personnel planned not only to bill Clark but also charge General Motors for warranty work. "If it was me, I'd write this f**ker up at him buying a clutch for it... him buying a clutch disc, let them warranty the pressure plate, bill them in on two days later so I'll get paid to put a clutch in it, and then get paid to put a pressure plate in it."

No help from customer service

Clark confronted the fixed operations director with his "evidence" but the automaker refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing. "The director offered his personal reassessment and if he found things not in order then he may repair it for free. Or maybe, perhaps they would let me trade it in for another car on their lot. Can you believe this guy? He is trying to sell me a car because mine is broken now!

"I suggested the dealer buy it, repair it, CPO it, sell it, and then take the difference out ot the offending parties' pay."

The customer service centre refused to assist, even though it recommended the dealership, claiming "it's a dealership issue".

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