Dealership drove my car into a pond. FMYLIFE....Dealer Response
03-28-2010, 11:33 AM
#122
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Ofallon, IL
Posts: 502
Anyway, I wrote to my State Senator suggesting that the California Vehicle Code be changed to prohibit remote start devices that could start a vehicle while it was in gear. The introduction of new bills is closed for this year, but he said he would consider it next year. Kind of sad to ask the government to regulate something that should be common sense.
Have to regulate seat belt usage, helmet usage and remote starting devises on manuals?
Banning guns takes them away from all the bad guys too, right?
03-28-2010, 12:29 PM
#123
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 552
So most of the logical people agree. Owner is liable. I guess my next curious question would be to the insurance company. We know that some insurance companies will drop / not sign up customers based on whether they have a charger or not. How do they respond knowing that the remote start feature was installed in a way that is not recommended by the manufacturer, which in this case is not done by an authorized installer and the bypass was done. I might call my own insurance company just to find out, though I don't plan on ever installing a remote start.
Last edited by Murphdog; 03-28-2010 at 12:32 PM.
03-28-2010, 01:07 PM
#124
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Washington
Posts: 70
ok....so for ****s and giggles, i decided to see what would happen if i remote started my car with it in gear
1 = i have a compustar
2 = i have the neutral start disabled
3 = probably wasn't the best for my car, but I wanted to see
What did i find out? ** IF THE EBRAKE IS SET 100% THERE IS NO WAY THE CAR CAN DRIVE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. PERIOD **
I sat in the car, hit remote start. The sucker cranked ( suprisingly forceful )car jerked with each crank of the starter but it did not start and stay running. It couldnt start and would stall out against the ebrake. HOWEVER, the compustar took it as a false start and tried again ( that kinda scared me cause the whole thing started bucking and jerking again ).
Total movement was maybe 2 feet, if that. Total horrible groaning noises = not nice.
So....i am led to believe that the dealer didn't set the ebrake on fully, and pulled it maybe 50% of the way or something.
1 = i have a compustar
2 = i have the neutral start disabled
3 = probably wasn't the best for my car, but I wanted to see
What did i find out? ** IF THE EBRAKE IS SET 100% THERE IS NO WAY THE CAR CAN DRIVE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. PERIOD **
I sat in the car, hit remote start. The sucker cranked ( suprisingly forceful )car jerked with each crank of the starter but it did not start and stay running. It couldnt start and would stall out against the ebrake. HOWEVER, the compustar took it as a false start and tried again ( that kinda scared me cause the whole thing started bucking and jerking again ).
Total movement was maybe 2 feet, if that. Total horrible groaning noises = not nice.
So....i am led to believe that the dealer didn't set the ebrake on fully, and pulled it maybe 50% of the way or something.
03-28-2010, 01:52 PM
#125
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location:
Posts: 178
There's no way in Hell the car overpowered the parking brake at idle. Either way you're lying. Either A. a few of your techs decided to take the car out for a ride and ended up putting it in a pond or B. the parking brake wasn't set.
03-28-2010, 02:48 PM
#126
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: North Pole
Posts: 6,716
I guess it all depends. Same thing happened to me. I thought it was in nuetral and released the clutch. My mustang lurched forward pretty hard, about 10 feet I would say. My e-brake was on too. Luckiliy I was in a empty parking lot, thank goodness no pond was in front of me, lol.
damn, 10 ft?!?!!? There were no concrete parking dividers?
03-28-2010, 05:33 PM
#127
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Crestview, Florida
Posts: 334
Nope. In the middle of a big parking lot without parking dividers.
This whole incident has made me want to go and recreate it in a empty parking lot again. I would like to see how far up you have to pull the e-brake to get it to hold your car in place or have it barely move. I might not have had mine pulled up far enough when it happened to me. Maybe luckydawgs e-brake wasn't pulled up enough either.
This whole incident has made me want to go and recreate it in a empty parking lot again. I would like to see how far up you have to pull the e-brake to get it to hold your car in place or have it barely move. I might not have had mine pulled up far enough when it happened to me. Maybe luckydawgs e-brake wasn't pulled up enough either.
03-28-2010, 05:43 PM
#128
2010 Section Moderator
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Lithia, FL
Posts: 3,328
having a remote start on the key fob like this doesn't make much sense, what if the keys are in your pocket and you bump the button while they are in your pocket, it could start the car without you knowing it. the other thing is when I park my car I leave it in first gear with the ebrake on, thats because I have small kids around, if I didn't have small kids around I would likely just pull in the garage and leave it in first gear.
besides it doesn't get cold enough in florida to need a remote start.
you have to know those guys at the dealership are laughing their asses off so hard they can't stand it. I am sure this will be a story they will laugh about for years. the guy that went out to get the car, is probably being teased constantly for don't let the car get away etc.
it does sound like in order to show the dealership as liable you would have to prove they were negligent, which is failing to take a reasonable persons care. they did so no negligence on their part.
besides it doesn't get cold enough in florida to need a remote start.
you have to know those guys at the dealership are laughing their asses off so hard they can't stand it. I am sure this will be a story they will laugh about for years. the guy that went out to get the car, is probably being teased constantly for don't let the car get away etc.
it does sound like in order to show the dealership as liable you would have to prove they were negligent, which is failing to take a reasonable persons care. they did so no negligence on their part.
03-28-2010, 05:51 PM
#129
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Crestview, Florida
Posts: 334
besides it doesn't get cold enough in florida to need a remote start.
03-28-2010, 05:54 PM
#130
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,401
Totally the owners fault.
- Install a remote start into a manual car is asking for trouble anyway, but bypassing the safety interlocks? D'UH !!!!
- Leaving it parked in the lot with no e-brake engaged is probably a good move by the dealership to avoid grief. After they had to un-sieze the first e-brake, many moons ago, I bet it's standard procedure to leave manual cars in gear, no e-brake.
It's the dealerships call to do that and nobody can say anything against it, there's nothing wrong with it. Hell, I never use the e-brake unless i have to either.
- Questioning the dealerships right to use the remote start? Give me a break....
- Insurance probably won't, and should not, pay out. Why would they? You install something on the cheap, which can only ever end in damage to the car, and expect them to pick up the tab? Yea right. We have enough trouble getting the fackers to pay out for legitimate reasons, why make it easy for them??
- Install a remote start into a manual car is asking for trouble anyway, but bypassing the safety interlocks? D'UH !!!!
- Leaving it parked in the lot with no e-brake engaged is probably a good move by the dealership to avoid grief. After they had to un-sieze the first e-brake, many moons ago, I bet it's standard procedure to leave manual cars in gear, no e-brake.
It's the dealerships call to do that and nobody can say anything against it, there's nothing wrong with it. Hell, I never use the e-brake unless i have to either.
- Questioning the dealerships right to use the remote start? Give me a break....
- Insurance probably won't, and should not, pay out. Why would they? You install something on the cheap, which can only ever end in damage to the car, and expect them to pick up the tab? Yea right. We have enough trouble getting the fackers to pay out for legitimate reasons, why make it easy for them??