manual transmissions and service technicians

[paul123]

my old car was a boring car and I didn't give it a second thought dropping it off for maintenance, repair, inspections, etc. However, with this car, I am a little concerned that service technicians will have a bit of "fun" with it before calling to tell me its ready. Automatics are by nature generally safe, but manual transmissions can easily be abused with high RPM clutch drops, aggressive shifting, line lock, etc. Anyone concerned about this?

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[GT Pony]

Yes, too many instances of repair shops abusing customer cars. I'd be concerned too. If you drop it off, tell them you've recorded the mileage down to the 1/10 mile and if it doesn't need a test drive then you don't want to see any miles put on it. I have even demanded that I go along during any "test drives" by the dealership.

 

[TruBlue16]

You cant completely prevent abuse but you can setup a MyKey for them to use that limits top speed to 65 and forces advancetrac to remain enabled.

 

[jwhite]

I really do trust my dealer. Plus I run my car pretty hard as it is anyway so I don't get to exited about a service tech giving it a little extra.

 

[jasonstang]

Just take it in on a Saturday so you can be there when they do the work.

 

[BallisticBurrito]

You cant completely prevent abuse but you can setup a MyKey for them to use that limits top speed to 65 and forces advancetrac to remain enabled.

That is an extremely good idea.

 

[montreal ponies]

Dash cam, and tell them about it.

 

[LETHAL]

Dash cam, and tell them about it.

:clap2:

 

[madweazl]

I dont worry about it too much. The only issue I have had was with my GTO; whoever drove it came into the parking lot to quickly and scraped up the front bumper cover pretty bad. As for the clutch, if they hurt that I couldnt care less, just one more thing they will be fixing and they dont want to see your car for warranty work because they typically lose money (the tech).

 

[MultiMediaWill]

The MyKey is a great idea, and I can't believe I didn't think of that before. Those ford f*uckers put 10 miles on my car when I dropped it off a few weeks ago. I always take pictures of my spedometer right when I drop it off.

 

[cognizantphotos]

I dont worry about it too much. The only issue I have had was with my GTO; whoever drove it came into the parking lot to quickly and scraped up the front bumper cover pretty bad. As for the clutch, if they hurt that I couldnt care less, just one more thing they will be fixing and they dont want to see your car for warranty work because they typically lose money (the tech).

Thats not always true, i would say most of the time the tech is winning whenever its warranty work. Unless they're paying you lets say 3 hours to replace a dashboard, when in reality its 4-6. Those cases are rare though, id say more often then not warranty pays extremely well.

 

[paul123]

I am not necessarily referring to Ford service technicians. There are a number of independent shops nearby that would be much more convenient for routine maintenance. Is there a compelling reason to go to the Ford dealership for something like an oil change or brake fluid change ?

I doubt MyKey would do what I want. I would like if MyKey could limit RPM's to say 3000, so that the Mustang drives like a Camry.

 

[daltron]

Maybe I am just being picky because it's new, but I hate letting anyone drive my car because it's a manual. Picked it up from the valet after brunch and for about 10 seconds as it was waiting for the car in front of it to move the valet just kept feathering the clutch on the slight incline rocking the car back and forth instead of just using that magical middle pedal. Like I said, maybe I am just being picky but if my wife wasn't there I probably would have said something not so nice.

 

[paul123]

... the valet just kept feathering the clutch on the slight incline rocking the car back and forth instead of just using that magical middle pedal ...

this is another concern I have, aside from potential hot rodders. So few people are in manuals these days, that it could easily be the case that a service technician can't deal with a clutch. And high horsepower + clumsy clutch = problems

 

[martin]

My concern is, do they know to drive it---parking lot to service bay----without grinding the geers or riding the clutch. I mean, where did they ever drive a manual?

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