I'm not questioning Q.C., or any other employee. I'm also not questioning or criticizing the Q.C. procedures in place and i understand the possibility of a few necessary accumulated miles on the clock when it arrives at the dealer lot.
What i do NOT want, is for anybody to drive my new vehicle home, oftentimes a little joy riding and hitting the local mall. Besides that, if Chicago Assy is anything like the Ford Plant i worked in, (and i have no reason to believe it's not) the upper echelon driving those vehicles do not baby them and some drive them in ways i wouldn't, and do don't. There is a break-in period for new brakes/rotors and from what i seen, they couldn’t care less. Even though today’s engines don’t require break-in, i do drive my new vehicles as if they did
. Bought a new Mustang GT (our summer car) 2 years ago and my dealer did a dealer trade little ways from here near Ottawa, Ontario. No way would i let them go get it and put the cruise control on for the 7 hr drive. No way. I went up and got it myself, so i can fluctuate speeds and be easy on the brakes for the first few hundred km.
As said before, to them it's nothing other than a free vehicle and free gas. Nothing more.
While i still worked at the plant, I’ve seen them walk up to their vehicle of the day, look at it real quick and go pick another because they spotted a rip in the seat and other reasons (damage from some workers screwdriver in back pocket or some other tool) simply because they don’t want to take the time to write it up, which they're required to do. To find defects is the actual purpose of those "tests", and it is in fact faithfully done by newly promoted qualified personnel, but it's short lived and soon becomes just a free ride.
You listed some of the Q.C. procedures in place that need passing before units are being shipped yourself. Somebody driving MY vehicle home is not necessary and has no purpose, other than a perk the echelon gave themselves. It also makes it a used vehicle once it's been driven on public roads and parked in a private driveway over night. Maybe not to others, but it does to me.
In case you missed my earlier post regarding my truck. This thing cost me 72 thousand dollars back in 2012. It had been picked as a "randomly selected" vehicle. No surprise there, since most of them are the top of the line models. They never, or seldom pick any entry level units.
I knew when it had been delivered to the dealer and drove over with my camera in hand to take pics all the way around it, which i do every time and it does pay off, as it did again.
First thing i noticed was mud all over the sides and underneath. Clumps of mud, not just dirt. Looked like somebody went mudding.....
Then i noticed the sticker about being "randomly selected". Had 68km on it.
Then i noticed a ding in the bumper. Sweet.....almost walked away but didn't after the dealer assured me they'll wash it all away, even the clumps underneath, which i knew they would anyway, but it infuriated and annoyed me to no end. How dare they. Took me 2 years to get a replacement skin for the bumper that came in damaged. As you might know, the best paint job you'll ever get is the one from the factory, being properly applied and baked at perfect temperature and humidity, and that’s what i wanted instead of having it sprayed locally. (Ford resisted sending a painted one).
Matter of fact, Ford tried to claim the dealer caused the damage. Right up to the point when i send the dealer proof, one of the pictures i had taken right after it was delivered.
So, you see my point. I buy new, i want new! They can drive other peoples new vehicles all they want. Just leave mine alone. I won’t accept it if this happens again. Dealer is aware of it and apparently Ford is too.