Test Ride

[grog]

was sitting in ute today, heard bike coming. window down for a look. around corner came bmw s1000r, bloke riding dressed in bmw clothes. bike mechanic. next was a beautiful 100 metre wheel stand. great to watch. got me wondering. his bike? a demo, no because akra etc fitted. a customers bike in for a service? dont know the answers but would hope not some ones pride n joy. sounded unreal, went like smoke. 

[seth]

It wouldn't be the first time a mechanic has damaged a customer's bike while out for a "test ride"
It's partly why I do everything myself

[Taniwha]

Many years ago I had a REALLY hot car. 
The annual On Street Drags rolled around and my car was at the mechanics (having the ports matched & polished and a multi angle valve grind & polish) so I wouldn't be racing it.

Imagine my surprise then, when I watched it bag up, stage, launch and run a 10.7



That apprentice is stil the only occupant of my murder on sight list.

[Speedy1959]

Bloody cheeky git!!
I hope you had errr words with him ?

[Kiwifruit]

What was the story you got out of the workshop Taniwha ?

Years ago dad wound up with his dads Mini Cooper S . He took it to the local garage, I'm thinking for an MOT. Well dad gets a call from a mate that's spotted it hooning around. Goes straight to the garage where he's told no it hasn't been anywhere. The bloke had a lot of explaining to do as to why the engine was pinging because it was so hot !!

Nearly forgot...... I once worked in a panelshop in Auckland where the bosses sons car had broken down a few days before Christmas. So what do you do in this situation....... of course you take a customers car so you can still go on holiday with your girlfriend. You can imagine the sons surprise when confronted with the irate owner outside a supermarket in Tauranga...... only about 230kms away from the workshop. The owner tipped all their shite out onto the footpath outside the supermarket. Then went and pressed charges with the coppers. 
Some people are just brainless. 

There is a little aside to that story. The car was in the workshop for repairs and I was taking it to the paintshop about 100metres up the road, when I turned right into the driveway some clown was trying to overtake and hit me in the RR 1/4 panel. The boss told the owner what had happened and he said that's OK we don't need it over Christmas as we are going away, that's why the car was still in the workshop and available to borrow !!

[VladTepes]

Pays to take a photo of your odo and date before dropping a car or bike into any business you don't know or trust entirely.

Happens a lot.

And not just test rides but other dodgy practices too (charging for things not done). A number of workshops nowadays won't work on a car with a  dashcam fitted, unless proved to be off.

Makes you wonder what they have to hide / what they have been caught doing in the past.

[Tony Nitrous]

I was working on the mine at Boggabri, I had a real good wage but not enough time off, so I paid a Brisbane bike shop to put a cam chain in my GSX1400.

They didn't know that my KOSO dash records top speed / highest revs / temp etc. I set everything to Zero when I dropped it off, and had a look when I picked it up. The speed was WELL into being banned numbers!

I showed the workshop manager, he looked a bit concerned. I told him it wasn't a drama but just be aware of what your guys do and what the customer can find out. They hadn't been bouncing it off the limiter, but they'd let it stretch its legs a bit.

[Taniwha]

Long, long, long story short;
The Apprentice was charged and convicted with break and enter, theft as a servant, motor vehicle theft and car conversion, possesion & possession with intent. Sentenced to 18 months, served 6 and then 4 months P.D. Early release due to unrelated serious assault. 
His girlfriend was charged and convicted with recieving and handling stolen goods, possession & possession with intent. 3 months.
I was charged with Assault, striking an officer, and public disturbance. All charges dismissed.

The interior was wrecked. Ripped the stereo, speakers, subs and amps out. Pulled out the Recaros and harnesses, Spilled beer, bong water, coke and who knows what all over the back seat, floors and dash.
Swapped out the Cheviot Hotwires with SF 340s for stockies with crap.
Rear arches & quarters pounded to heck. Indicative of burnouts till tires popped, shredded, and completely disintegrated.
Moderate panel damage all over the car.
Engine needed complete rebuild.
Motec had the car sitting on the limiter for roughly 2 hours between 2100 and 0100.
Heavy Duty clutch needed replacing
Sequential 'box needed rebuild.

Repair estimates came in at;
20k for the paint & panel,
4k for the stereo,
6k for the interior,
15k for the engine, 'box, and clutch.
6k for the wheels and tires.
Would've taken over a year for repairs. So add in a years rental for a Falcon Sedan. Insurance paid out the full insured amount without a quibble.

Car was an 87 XF Ford Fairmont Ghia. Sahara gold with a pearl through it, colour matched mirror tints, colour matched aunger louvre, colour matched Cheviot Hotwires with Bridgestone SF-340 Eagers with the lettering out.
Engine was a ~600hp Windsor 351 with a bunch of goodies inside mated to a 5spd Holinger and an LSD.
Inside was a Pioneer Head unit, 2 amps, 4 subs, 4 6x9s, 2x 7x10s, Recaro Buckets, 4 pt Harnesses,
Half cage.

[Sweaty]

Glad you knocked the Sh-t out of that little dog. Can not believe what some arseholes think they can get away with.

[Mick_J]

They keep saying that crime does not pay but it plainly does.  People do £ks worth of damage and get a suspended sentence or community service.  They steal £ks worth of other peoples hard earned possession's and get a dam good telling off.  I think that if some scumbag does £20,000 of damage or steals £20,000 he should pay it all back or his assets sold to pay it off.

[Andre]

They certainly should pay up and then some for the stress/pain caused. If they can't pay they should have to work in prison and not get released till it's payed off. The meager pay for work there would keep them locked up for a long time. Unfortunately restitution for the victims is usually not a consideration courts get into.

[Latty66]

I find it strange how you get 14 years for murder and an average 24 years yes 24 years for stealing from the government .
Yet some tw*t nicks out from you and like you say bearly told off .
If you confront someone in the process of helping them selfs to your hard earnd stuff your within your rights to defend your self but if you run after them say hittin them with a bat thats common assault and your lifted (mutter mutter mutter )

[Mick_J]

No good being a victim in this country, better to be a villain, the law works for you then. 

[Kiwifruit]

The govt want to reduce the prison population here....... so they are looking at letting some out and not locking up some that deserve it.
Probably have set up a working group to look at how that might pan out.
They should just ask me !!

[Tony Nitrous]

Who would want to live in a country based around convicts!

Oh! ..... hang on a minute.....