Warning to those who use key drops at dealers.
04-21-2003, 06:26 AM
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Warning to those who use key drops at dealers.
I just wanted to pass along some information to prevent any Z owner from experiencing what my fiancee and I went through this weekend. On Saturday, my fiancee's Eclipse was stolen from a Mitsubisihi dealer in the Washington DC metro area 
Now, while I realize that cars are stolen every 23 seconds in this country, this situation proved to be a bit more frustrating considering the way in which it was stolen. On Friday night, we dropped the car off at the dealership and left the keys in one of those after-hours drop off boxes. We had used this box several times in the past and have never had any problems. I have always been skeptical of leaving the keys to my vehicle in these boxes and have never done so for my Z or 3KGT, but my fiancee swore by the convenience factor and used it every time she needed service on the Eclipse. On Saturday morning, we drove to the dealership to pick up the car. I didn't see the car parked anywhere on the lot and assumed that they were possibly still working on it, although I thought it strange for just an oil change to take so long. When we went in to inquire about the status of the car, the service manager and staff looked at us like we were crazy. They did not know where the car was, no one had worked on it, and it was not in their computer system. The grim realization was starting to set in. We poured over the lot, called the dealership's other locations, and checked the body shop to no avail....the car was gone and no one know anything about it
The police said it was probably an inside job considering the fact that the box had not been damaged or tampered with. We did find out that our car was the fourth stolen within the last two months. Unbelievable that the dealership has yet to change any of the safeguards to prevent this type of thing.
So as not to make this a version of "War and Peace", I'll just say to my fellow Z owners to be cautious about the convenience factor of these boxes. If it would have been my Z I can honestly say I would not have been as calm as I was when handling the dealership staff. Hopefully the police can recover the Eclipse before too much damage occurs, but I'm pretty sure we won't see the car again.
Now, while I realize that cars are stolen every 23 seconds in this country, this situation proved to be a bit more frustrating considering the way in which it was stolen. On Friday night, we dropped the car off at the dealership and left the keys in one of those after-hours drop off boxes. We had used this box several times in the past and have never had any problems. I have always been skeptical of leaving the keys to my vehicle in these boxes and have never done so for my Z or 3KGT, but my fiancee swore by the convenience factor and used it every time she needed service on the Eclipse. On Saturday morning, we drove to the dealership to pick up the car. I didn't see the car parked anywhere on the lot and assumed that they were possibly still working on it, although I thought it strange for just an oil change to take so long. When we went in to inquire about the status of the car, the service manager and staff looked at us like we were crazy. They did not know where the car was, no one had worked on it, and it was not in their computer system. The grim realization was starting to set in. We poured over the lot, called the dealership's other locations, and checked the body shop to no avail....the car was gone and no one know anything about it
The police said it was probably an inside job considering the fact that the box had not been damaged or tampered with. We did find out that our car was the fourth stolen within the last two months. Unbelievable that the dealership has yet to change any of the safeguards to prevent this type of thing. So as not to make this a version of "War and Peace", I'll just say to my fellow Z owners to be cautious about the convenience factor of these boxes. If it would have been my Z I can honestly say I would not have been as calm as I was when handling the dealership staff. Hopefully the police can recover the Eclipse before too much damage occurs, but I'm pretty sure we won't see the car again.
04-21-2003, 07:09 AM
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DAMN that sucks!!!!
And what is worse, my wife and I dropped the Z of last night at an NOVA dealer to have the leather installed today. I didn't like the idea of dropping the keys, but the convience of it made me do it.
Time to call the dealer and make sure they have the car!
And what is worse, my wife and I dropped the Z of last night at an NOVA dealer to have the leather installed today. I didn't like the idea of dropping the keys, but the convience of it made me do it.
Time to call the dealer and make sure they have the car!
04-21-2003, 08:55 AM
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Last time I took my truck in for service I was able to pull out 7-8 sets of keys from people that stuffed theirs in before mine. The slot is so small that it gets jammed and the keys pile up. I stuck mine in below the other ones, but was very suprised at the ease with which I could have driven off with any number of cars. But, they were all Fords, and who wants to steal a ford anyway?
04-21-2003, 09:00 AM
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Holy crap! Sorry to hear about that!!! My first 3G Eclipse was stolen, and if she is anything like me I was dang near devastated (even though it is a Mitsi). I hope all goes well and they can find it in one piece.
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04-21-2003, 11:18 AM
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Thanks for all of the replies. I have some news to report...much faster than I thought. It seems as though the police have located the vehicle sans tags. I figured if we found the car the tags, as well as CD's, stereo etc., would be missing. However, it seems as though the person(s) only stole the tags and nothing else.
I give a lot of credit to the local police department for finding the car within 48 hours. For those of you familiar with the DC area, the car was stolen in Silver Spring, MD and was found abandoned in Rockville, MD (about 15 to 20 mins away). The Montgomery County (MD) Police (remember them from the sniper coverage) were responsible for taking the initial report and recovery of the vehicle.
WashUJon- We are considering some type of legal recourse soley based on the way we were treated by the dealership. If we were treated with a little bit of respect and courtesy, we probably would leave well enough alone and hope for the best. We purchased the car from them, used them for service, and I even began taking my 3000GT to them because I was so impressed with their professionalism and workmanship. However, after they basically brushed us aside and skirted any type of responsibility, especially after admitting this was not the first incident, we are consulting our attorney.
I'll let everyone know how this unfolds...
I give a lot of credit to the local police department for finding the car within 48 hours. For those of you familiar with the DC area, the car was stolen in Silver Spring, MD and was found abandoned in Rockville, MD (about 15 to 20 mins away). The Montgomery County (MD) Police (remember them from the sniper coverage) were responsible for taking the initial report and recovery of the vehicle.
WashUJon- We are considering some type of legal recourse soley based on the way we were treated by the dealership. If we were treated with a little bit of respect and courtesy, we probably would leave well enough alone and hope for the best. We purchased the car from them, used them for service, and I even began taking my 3000GT to them because I was so impressed with their professionalism and workmanship. However, after they basically brushed us aside and skirted any type of responsibility, especially after admitting this was not the first incident, we are consulting our attorney.
I'll let everyone know how this unfolds...
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