Let's start from the very beginning, over 11 years ago. Here we go.... (this might take a while).Flashback to the Spring of 1997. My now ex-wife had her 1995 Toyota Camry into the Vista Auto Body Shop for some bumper repairs. She was rear-ended in a minor highway fender bender on the 101 freeway. The day we were to pick up the Camry from the bumper repairs, we received a call from the body shop manager at Vista advising that our Camry was in a major accident and that the car was now a total loss due to the nature of the accident. What? It was just in for a bumper re-alignment and color skin replacement, a half days work. Why would such little damage now be considered an un-repairable "total loss" ?!?!
Well, it turned out that one of the Vista Auto Body Shop workers decided to take our newly repaired car our for a little joy ride, for cocktails, during his lunch break, 11 miles from the shop, without a driver's license resident documentation or other legal proof of US citizenship. Vista refused to provide any other information, citing "insurance rules", on the name of the person who was driving tour Camry at the time of the accident. They did tell me the employee no longer worked for them 3 days later.
Since the car was totaled, Vista and their insurance company offered us a minimal discount on a then brand new 1998 Ford Taurus. We liked the idea of having a new larger car to replace the Camry, but were not too thrilled of the minimal discount they offered. After 10 days of back and forth haggling, plus our final threat to report Vista and their insurance company to the State of California Bureaus of Auto Repair and Insurance, they finally offered us a decent settlement which in effect gave us full high Blue Book value for the now destroyed Camry, and the new car for $4.25k USD less than their printed invoice. They also paid for our car rental until we had a settlement with them (from their own rental stock of course) Whew! That experience was behind us.
Slide forward to early 2002. I purchased a new 2001 Ford F150 XLT truck from Vista Ford. I got a pretty good deal, but only very marginally so compared to another dealership. They had no idea of my past experience with them 5 years earlier.
Slide forward again to Fall of 2006. I buy for my new wife a new 2007 Lexus IS350 from Vista Lexus (same dealership). I pay cash and opt in for the 7 year bumper to bumper service policy in addition to an additional 7 year bumper to bumper extended warranty.
Our relationship with that dealer had been good to great ever since. But something happened this morning that really has me thinking twice about my relationship with Vista Ford/Lexus.
Flash forward to the present, today about 9:10 am. I was riding my bicycle down Ventura Blvd taking part in my 3 day a week workout regime. I was about 1 1/2 blocks West from the Vista Ford/Lexus dealership itself. I noticed a car engine revving up pretty high, shutting down, and then coasting past me FAST. I turned my head in time to see a white 2007 Ford Mustang speeding to make a left hand turn onto a narrow side street. The Mustang was trying to complete the turn before the on-coming traffic negated the opportunity. The Mustang sped up, and with tires squealing and smoking from the short turn attempt left, the car lost traction and ended up plowing into the building on the far corner of the intersect, narrowly missing the fire hydrant on the corner. The car indeed barely made it by the hydrant which ended up just behind the drivers side door... less than an inch from the Mustang's rear quarter panel.
The damage to the Ford was significant to serious to the right front bumper, fender, hood, front right wheel assembly and hub (seriously bent), light clusters, etc. Pretty much anything that was in the front right corner of the Ford was mangled. After the impact to the building, which itself only suffered some minor chips and cracks, it was a concrete wall with a vertical 4 x 12 deccoratve wood facade, the driver of the Ford just sat in the car and called someone on his cellphone. He never initially got out.
Many people in the surrounding businesses came out and inquired with the driver if he was indeed OK. He kept saying he was, but would still not get out of the car. He made a cellphone call to someone, hung up, and continued to sit in the car, trying to re-start the engine. He said he wasn't trapped and not hurt continually to all who approached and asked. I sat there on my bicycle and continued to watch. I noticed the driver of the wrecked Mustang was avoiding all eye contact to all who were standing around him, at times putting his hand up in front of his face. What the driver didn't immediately see were the 4 to 5 people frantically snapping cellphone and digital camera pictures of him, the car, the building, and all that was interacting among the three. I thought it was strange for him to keep trying to start the car after the accident. He obviously wanted to leave the scene as soon as possible, so I jotted down the 'stang's license plate, car and driver descriptions... just in case.
Two minutes after he placed the cellphone call, and while he was still trying to start the wrecked car, a 2007 silver Ford Focus 4 door pulled up. A man got out of the car wearing a black Vista Ford logo vest. He nervously surveyed the damage, shaking his head vigorously. After a few minutes, the driver of the Mustang finally got out of the car under his own power. Well what do you know, he had a gray work shirt with a Vista Ford logo on the front. The puzzle was starting to solve itself, but I needed to be sure.
I walked the 50 feet to the Mustang, and in an off handed inquiry tone, asked the guy in the black vest if the Mustang driver was test driving the car after some repairs. He quickly responded that the car was indeed being test driven and that he's not sure what happened as the tech attempted to turn left.
I knew what happened. Remember, I actually witnessed the accident, and I pointed out to the guy in the vest (who ended up being Vista Ford's Service Manager so he says) that the skid marks left by the mustang started 150 ft plus from where the impact occurred, and that the car left braking and acceleration marks transferring the tire skidsmarks from the single rear drive side mark (acceleration) to the 4 wheel skid marks (braking) the last 40 feet. As a former sheriff's deputy, I've seen this before... and it usually gets written off as a diver exhibition of speed and unsafe turning movement infractions. But what laws were broken are not important here.
Now I began to wonder. Over a period of ten years now, I have either witnessed or experienced first hand the way Vista Ford/Lexus allows its service techs and body repairmen to treat their customers cars with little or no respect. One has to wonder as to how many other vehicles the Vista Dealership services get treated in the same fashion.
I rode my bike down to the Vista Dealership, which was only 1 1/2 blocks away to the East, and spoke with the Sales Manager (the Service Manager was unavailable, guess why). His name was Charles and he listened to my concerns with great intent and assured me that the treatment of customer vehicles, being serviced or not, it always done with great respect. I told him I had a very hard time believing that - and he agreed with me after I told him my experiences. I thanked Charles for his time and rode the bike back to the scene. I noticed that even though the car was still on the curb and into the side of the building, the police had not shown up... 40 mins after the accident. More guys from Vista Ford had shown up. I watched as one of them seriously banged his right knee on the fire hydrant while trying to move the Mustang from the scene. I wanted to complete my workout so I left continuing West down Ventura Blvd, the direction I traveling before the incident. I rode by en-route back to the office about 35 minutes after that and they were just starting to get the car off the sidewalk.
So somewhere out there is the owner of a 2007 white Mustang (6 cyl) who, by later today, will be told their pride and joy has been in a serious accident... and that it may or may not be repairable. Personally, if the car is totaled, they better get a new car just for Vista's sheer incompetence in handling a customer's property.
I am really thinking twice now about continuing my relationship with what I thought was one of the better car dealerships in the San Fernando Valley. You might consider the same as well if you do after sale/service contract business with them.
