I was expecting a side benefit of getting a stick for my next DD would be not having anyone else bothering me to drive it. However, the unintended consequence here is that the two times I've had to take it to someone else I've had to see it be mistreated. I have to say that it's really starting to irritate me and now it's even going to cost me money.
The first time was at the emissions testing station (before it was even tagged, fercryingoutloud!) when the guy had to get a waiver from his boss because he couldn't follow the test routine and then pulling it out of the bay jerked and bounced it and finally left it where it stalled, still in gear and without the parking brake set.
The second time was when I took it to a local well respected tire shop for new tires. One tech got it from the parking lot and seemed to know what he was doing so I breathed a sigh of relief and went and sat in the waiting room. A while later they called me up to hand me my invoice and that my car would be right out. This time it was being driven by some fat slob that couldn't be bothered to admit he didn't know how to drive stick and either get a tech that could or just hand me the keys in the bay. I cringed as I watched/heard him slipping the clutch half way across the parking lot. I was just glad to get it out of his hands and didn't think that he might have actually done serious damage in the 50ft he had driven it. The clutch was already on the long list of things that the car was going to need in the next 12 months but courtesy of this idiot now there is just barely any travel in the pedal at all. I have no doubt that in getting it out of the bay and up to the door he took the clutch life left from maybe 25k down to hopefully at least 10k but I wouldn't be shocked it it started slipping any day; it now just barely catches in the last 1/2" of pedal travel. There's no point in complaining to the shop. How am I supposed to prove it?
So, am I doomed to have my baby abused every time I take it in for someone else to work on? Those of you that also drive stick is this just the way it is or have I just been unlucky? I'm kind of at a loss as to how to prevent this. What good is asking a mechanic if he knows how to drive? What's he going to say? "No, you're right, I don't know how to drive a stick." Yeah, right, minus big Man Points there.
The first time was at the emissions testing station (before it was even tagged, fercryingoutloud!) when the guy had to get a waiver from his boss because he couldn't follow the test routine and then pulling it out of the bay jerked and bounced it and finally left it where it stalled, still in gear and without the parking brake set.
The second time was when I took it to a local well respected tire shop for new tires. One tech got it from the parking lot and seemed to know what he was doing so I breathed a sigh of relief and went and sat in the waiting room. A while later they called me up to hand me my invoice and that my car would be right out. This time it was being driven by some fat slob that couldn't be bothered to admit he didn't know how to drive stick and either get a tech that could or just hand me the keys in the bay. I cringed as I watched/heard him slipping the clutch half way across the parking lot. I was just glad to get it out of his hands and didn't think that he might have actually done serious damage in the 50ft he had driven it. The clutch was already on the long list of things that the car was going to need in the next 12 months but courtesy of this idiot now there is just barely any travel in the pedal at all. I have no doubt that in getting it out of the bay and up to the door he took the clutch life left from maybe 25k down to hopefully at least 10k but I wouldn't be shocked it it started slipping any day; it now just barely catches in the last 1/2" of pedal travel. There's no point in complaining to the shop. How am I supposed to prove it?
So, am I doomed to have my baby abused every time I take it in for someone else to work on? Those of you that also drive stick is this just the way it is or have I just been unlucky? I'm kind of at a loss as to how to prevent this. What good is asking a mechanic if he knows how to drive? What's he going to say? "No, you're right, I don't know how to drive a stick." Yeah, right, minus big Man Points there.
