Have you ever wondered how your precious car is treated when you entrust it for the day, or longer, to a motor dealership or panel beating comp any for a service or repair?
Capetonian Tim Bishop had no such concerns when he took his wife's car for its first service at the Chrysler Jeep Dodge Lifestyle Centre in Century City last month.
When he collected it later that day he was thrilled at how clean and shiny it was, and raved to his colleagues about the great service he'd received.
But unfortunately for the dealership, Bishop later had reason to request a trip log from Tracker, which revealed that the Jeep had been taken on a wild, law-breaking joyride while in the care of the dealership.
In the space of 16 minutes, the HREFJeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8- a seriously potent six-litre V8, was raced across 10km, reaching a reckless 217km/h on Table Bay Boulevard, which has a speed limit of 80km/h.
The log detailed eight "over speed" entries, and one "harsh brake". This was clearly not a tame test drive.
Outraged, Bishop confronted the centre's manager, Mannie Wiggett, with the evidence: the detailed trip log off the SkyTrax device which, ironically, the dealership had arranged to be fitted when Bishop bought the vehicle.
"He apologised and asked me what I wanted. I said I didn't know and asked him to come up with something, but nothing's happened," Bishop said. "They've done nothing to make me feel less aggrieved and restore my faith in the dealership."
Pushed to mention what he would have expected, Bishop said an invitation to view the dealership's security measures and protocols around test drives would have been a start. "I work around the corner from the dealership. I wasn't even invited in for a cup of coffee to discuss the incident."
When I contacted Wiggett this week, he said the dealership had taken the incident very seriously indeed. "We conducted a full investigation and the technician, who was not entitled to drive that performance car, subsequently faced an external disciplinary hearing and has received a final written warning.
"If it was not for the fact that he is a single father and has work-ed for the dealership for many years, he would have been dismissed."
The dealership had "great sympathy" for Bishop, Wiggett said, "but we don't know what else he wants us to do". I suggested extending the vehicle's warranty by six months.
Designed for speed
Wiggett responded by saying this was not justified, as the vehicle had not been "violated".
"It is designed to reach a speed of 300km/h and it's not as if the technician drove it to Jo'burg. He only drove five kilometres."
Actually, it was 10km, a distance the technician probably presumed was unlikely to be noticed by the owner, but because the performance Cherokee "chews fuel", as Bishop puts it, it did occur to him that the fuel gauge had "gone down a lot" when he collected the car that afternoon but he didn't think much of it at the time.
"I find the whole thing appalling. We drop off our cars, sign disclaimers and then collect them, trusting that the company has acted professionally.
"As I've discovered, that isn't always the case. I shudder to think what might have happened as this guy was driving around at 217km/h. The safety and legal aspects aside, it was clear abuse of my property."
Hands of a third party
Asked to comment, Tracker's communications manager, Gareth Crocker, said the company was pleased that its technology had helped uncover the abuse of one of its customer's vehicles.
"And we urge all Tracker SkyTrax customers to make use of the 'Detailed Trip Log' reports, particularly when the vehicle is in the hands of a third party such as a fitting centre, panelbeater or workshop.
"Since the launch of Tracker SkyTrax a few years ago, information from these reports has been used to uncover a number of crimes, as well as many instances of abuse. These range from helping to solve a murder, to instances where companies have been able to uncover freight theft and even fuel being siphoned from trucks."
Tracker is not alone in offering this technology to motorists - several of its competitors market their own versions of it.
Given that hijackers clearly aren't the only baddies who need tracking, it's a worthwhile investment for those who can afford it.
Consumer Watch is published twice weekly in Independent Group newspapers. e-mail consumer@ knowler.co.za