A Subaru service tech worker was caught unhooking a customer’s dashcam. Unbeknownst to the employee, however, was that they were still being recorded. The vehicle’s owner was so upset with the footage from their vehicle that they shared it online.
In an attempt to air their grievances they submitted it to the @NewYorkDashCam YouTube channel. Commenters who watched the driver’s clip were equally stunned.
Candid camera
The video begins with a recording from the front dash cam. The device’s lens is storing footage of the automotive center’s parking lot. A technician for the business is seen approaching the car. They use the car’s key fob to unlock the vehicle, pull open the door, and sit in the driver’s seat.
At this point in the clip, it appears another camera is activated. That’s because an interior recording of the car’s cabin is triggered. The service tech shuts the door and begins driving the car through the lot. After a series of turns, he appears to gun it as several vehicles and exterior fixtures move rapidly past the car’s windows.
Following this, the service tech appears to have clocked what he believes to be the car’s primary dash cam. Seeing a wire protruding from the rear-view mirror area, he disengages it. Afterward, he stops the car and proceeds to look behind him. Upon pausing for a second, he puts the car into park and cracks open the center console. Next, it sounds like he drops something inside the console (presumably the vehicle’s keys) and commences driving.
In the Subaru shop
Cursing to himself, he brings the car into the shop and re-engages its camera before exiting. Next, the video cuts back to him sitting inside of the car. Then the next part of the video shows the Subaru’s front dash cam directed at the dealership’s parking lot again.
This viewpoint appears to be the front camera view of the tech’s jaunt into the garage. The Subaru can be seen accelerating quickly through the lot between a narrow space lined with other vehicles. He arrives at a closed garage door and waits for it to open. When it does, he accelerates through the shop and parks the vehicle. He can be heard cursing into the camera’s mic.
Later, the tech can be seen at the front of the car. He pops it open and looks at a co-worker before the video comes to an end.
Unhappy customer
The individual who submitted the clip to the NewYorkDashCam YouTube channel provided further context. They explained they brought their Subaru in for service at a dealership for a check engine light. According to the shop, the customer needed to have a “part replaced.” So they left their vehicle with the business but were shocked by the footage their cameras recorded.
Firstly, the patron took issue with the fact the service tech disconnected the camera. The Subaru owner went on to explain that the tech mistakenly thought they unhooked the vehicle’s “main camera.” However, the primary recording device they utilized was actually installed in their car’s ODB port.
In addition, the client was stunned at the service tech’s driving. They were stunned at the acceleration speeds they reached in the center’s parking lot and garage. Also, the patron mentioned they could see the man was upset. However, they didn’t think it was right for him to seemingly take his frustrations out on their car.
Commenters agreed
Folks who responded to the NewYorkDashCam video were miffed on behalf of the Subaru owner. One commenter thought that a tech who treats client vehicles in this manner shouldn’t work in car service. “If that dealership is worth a [expletive] they will reach out to the public saying they are sorry and the guy has been fired. If they don’t, I hope they go bankrupt.”
Someone else also mentioned that they, too, thought the tech’s driving speeds were alarmingly quick. “That was too fast to be driving around a dealership lot. Especially at a busy dealership. That’s how people are injured or killed.”
Another echoed the aforementioned sentiment. “Hope this guy gets fired. Going through stuff. Driving too fast slaming doors. What a terrible representation of subaru service.”
One YouTube user speculated that the employee may’ve helped himself to the client’s belongings. “Gotta go through the console storage compartment, just to make sure he didn’t miss some goodies.”
And someone else thought that him unplugging the dashcam was a telltale sign. “The fact that he unplugged it at all tells you… Also flying through parking lots is an accident waiting to happen. I’d have filed a complaint with both the service manager and Subaru. People like this need to be fired.”
Dashcam confessional
Moreover, there have been additional service tech dashcam incidents to go viral on social media. One local news outlet shared footage of automotive workers taking a customer’s Corvette out for a “joyride.” The clip shows the sports car being taken out on an open road. An employee behind the wheel guns it, eating up pavement at high speeds.
In another incident, dealership workers were captured on a Honda’s dashcam intentionally delaying service. They can clearly be heard calling the customer an expletive. Apparently, the patron declined recommended work on his vehicle after bringing it in for an oil change. It seems that the workers weren’t fond of his reply to them. Consequently, they decided to let his car sit and wait for an oil change.
Furthermore, the service center went and performed the work the patron had already declined. As a result, he was hit with a $500 bill. The Honda dealership’s manager spoke to a local news outlet about the situation, calling it “embarrassing.”
A common practice?
One Reddit user who posted to the site’s r/Toyota sub claimed service techs also disconnected their dashcam. They said there’s no proof that workers took anything from their car. But they just couldn’t understand why the camera was disconnected “unless he was trying to hide something.”
There was one commenter who recommended the Subaru customer immediately file a police report. Speaking from the perspective of a service tech themselves, they wrote this was their manager’s protocol at their own shop. Additionally, the suggestion was echoed by another tech. Although, they did give a reason as to why the dashcam was disabled: “the customer has no right to record inside the shop.”
However, they did state that prior to performing work on patrons’ cars, they’re informed of this policy. The tech went on to state that anytime there is a grievance, they instantly tell clients to file a police report. This is due to the fact that there’s a litany of private security cameras recording at all times in the shop. So if a client suspects negligence or ill-intent on the service team’s part, police can acquire this footage.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Subaru via email and NewYorkDashCam via YouTube comment for further information.
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