The automotive equivalent of who is the biggest dumbass

Autoblog

Ready to play armchair Johnny Cochran? Here's a story about a horse that got lead to water and then dove in. A Mustang Forum member, luckydawg003 (LD), took his manual-tranny 2007 Mustang GT in for warranty repair to Brandon Ford in Tampa, Florida. When he went to pick it up, the service manager departed to retrieve his car, then came back ten minutes later to say he had some bad news. According to LD, someone left the car in gear without the parking brake on, and when the service manager pressed the remote start button twice to start the car, it leaped to life and drove out of the dealer's lot, through a chain link fence and into a pond, getting completely submerged. Other twists to the tale: LD had an aftermarket remote starter that bypassed the clutch and would start the car even if it weren't in neutral. A forum poster going by the handle Tylus linked to the posts wherein LD asks for advice on how to achieve the particular bypass he was after. Some folks think it's the dealership's fault, saying the 'Stang was in their possession and the service manager didn't need to use an aftermarket remote starter to retrieve the car. Some feel it's LD's fault, having left an jerry-rigged system in someone else's car. And some say there's enough blame for everyone. Question is, what is LD left to do about his scuba-diving Mustang? Pictures of the car post-dive in the gallery below.

So what is your take? I think the moron should have never bypassed the clutch switch.

Agree^^^^ there's a reason most install shops won't touch a manual car when it comes to remote start.

He's just luck nobody got ran over, otherwise he would be at a lot bigger loss than a Mustang.

i agree with you john

cheap bastards think alike.

the tire shop left my big 1 ton in gear instead of using the parking brake and parked it 6" from another car. i hopped in, started it and let off the clutch just like i always do. it jumped forward and i jammed the brakes and stalled it and the only reason i didnt kill the car was my bumper was higher than it. i was pissed off that they left it in gear when i used the parking brake to park it when they got in to move it, however it was my bad for not checking to see i was in neutral.

I don't see why people even need "remote start", or even big red start buttons...

Automotive progression should have ended in the early nineties....(I am curmudgeon)

maroon92 wrote: I don't see why people even need "remote start"......

I see you've never lived in Wisconsin in the winter...

Agree on the big red button.

I never leave my cars parked in neutral. Always in gear, and rarely (if ever) with the parking brake on.

Never ASSume that a parked car isn't in gear when you start it, especially if it's got a remote starter and you don't know the car. The dealership's insurance will total it out...

I see you've never lived in Wisconsin in the winter...

yeah but after you go outside, fire up your ride and scurry back in, it makes your house feel that much warmer.

*not WI but Colorado above 8000 ft in 80 yr old house w/only wood burning stove

Not that big a deal to get a remote starter for a manual trans car. Punch the button when parking, turn the key off, exit the car. Car shuts off, but will not restart if a door has been opened.

And the Mustang dude should be responsible, but I,ll wager a lawyer will get him a new car from the dealer.

Did the owner tell the dealership about the clutch bypass? If he did, it's the dealership's fault IMO.

I wouldn't have given them the key fob.

Marty! wrote:

maroon92 wrote: I don't see why people even need "remote start"......

I see you've never lived in Wisconsin in the winter... Agree on the big red button.

yeah, but in this case we are talking about florida...

I used my first gen 7 to jump start a random strangers big diesel truck about 15 years ago. Jackass reached in the window of his truck, turned the key of his truck (which happened to be in gear), and parked his trucks bumper on top of mine. I didn't know much about diesels then, now I kind of wonder why it didn't just slowly idle its way over the 7 and off into the distance.

I grew up in Youngstown Ohio. In the '60s you needed a remote start because of all the car bombs. Seriously.

That will buff right out...OR...Challenge?

I waggle the shift lever to verify neutral before turning the key, every time. I hate when a friend rides one of my motorcycles and I find it in gear when I go to roll it into the garage after.

What a neutral interlock switch is great for is as a place to wire in a secondary switch - hidden, driving lights, whatever - to make it a theft deterrent.

Yup, I always check for neutral at least once before hitting the starter. A lot of my cars don't have an interlock, and I prefer to start the car with my foot off the clutch to save the thrust bearing.

Ignoring the whole issue here, why would he even do the bypass? That makes no sense whatsoever.

I always check three things before I jump out of my car, gear, brake, and lights. Accidentally left the lights on once when I first started driving, and haven't done it since. Don't live where it is perfectly flat so I always use the parking brake and park in gear. Always knock the shifter side to side before starting. Its all just habitual now.

Sorry, this one is the dealer's fault. I know Mustang owner might have tampered with a system, but not that long ago cars DIDN'T have interlocks, at all! My 83 RX-7 was 100% original when I got it and would start in gear (as does John's 82 RX-7). My 73 Hornet will too. Also my 74 Javelin did. And the 62 Rambler. And my 83 Turbo Coupe. I could keep going.

Point is it's the mechanic's lazy fault for screwing with something that wasn't factory and wasn't his. Always check for neutral before starting.

I've learned to always check that the car isn't gear. I've had a few 'oh shi-' moments at shops

Both sides share some blame here I think. Did the driver notify the shop that he had the bypass? Did the front desk pass that info on to the mechanic? A lot of mistakes where made, plain and simple.

I've learned to always check that the car isn't gear. I've had a few 'oh shi-' moments at shops

Both sides share some blame here I think. Did the driver notify the shop that he had the bypass? Did the front desk pass that info on to the mechanic? A lot of mistakes where made, plain and simple.

mtn wrote: Ignoring the whole issue here, why would he even do the bypass? That makes no sense whatsoever.

Because when you put your foot on the clutch to start the car, you're basically trying to force the crankshaft out the front of the block. Your thrust bearing is there to prevent this, but before the car starts there's no oil pressure. Your thrust bearing does not appreciate this, especially if you've installed a heavier clutch with more crank-pushing power.

Keith wrote:

mtn wrote: Ignoring the whole issue here, why would he even do the bypass? That makes no sense whatsoever.

Because when you put your foot on the clutch to start the car, you're basically trying to force the crankshaft out the front of the block. Your thrust bearing is there to prevent this, but before the car starts there's no oil pressure. Your thrust bearing does not appreciate this, especially if you've installed a heavier clutch with more crank-pushing power.

Ah... I was thinking that he bypassed it just for the remote start. That makes sense.

Marty! said: I see you've never lived in Wisconsin in the winter... Agree on the big red button.

Nope, but I lived in a couple of Michigan winters with a car that didn't have heat....One of those winters was in an Aspire with no rear hatch window... (I'm just tougher than those softies with remote start)