I left my car to be worked on at the dealership overnight. I dropped it off before closing and the service manager had my car key. I have a Jeep Wrangler with a soft top. Well, the rear passenger side window was unzipped and someone took out my aftermarket radio, Ipod adapter, subs, and amp. The service manager says they are not responsible for my loss and I have to claim it on my insurance. Is this correct? It sure doesn’t seem like it should be, there was well over 00 stolen from me. Shouldn’t the dealership take responsibility for this since I left my car in their care?
None of the stolen items were in plain site. The radio has a detachable faceplate which I always remove when I get out of my car, so it didn’t even look like I had a radio, just a black coverplate where a radio would go. My amp was under my rear seat and the speaker box was especially made for Wrangler’s to go behind the rear seat, so it cannot be seen unless you open the back gate or pull the enite back seat up.
Yes there are signs saying they are not responsible, they let me know that as soon as they told my me car was broken into. The dealer’s lot has pretty much no security whatsoever. The lot is always open, no gate or fences, there are no cameras, and the side of the lot my Jeep was on didn’t even have working lights, so it was pitch black on that side of the lot. Also strangely enough my car was the only car that they even tried to get into.
So for the people saying to remove valuables from the car before leaving it, you think I am supposed to take my dash apart and remove my radio when I am leaving it to be repaired at the dealership? That sounds a little ridiculous.
No. They are not responsible. Most dealerchips actually have signs posted that state that they are not responsible for damages or thefts. This is one of the reasons I have my expensive stereo equipment at home, and not in my car, and I NEVER leave anything out in the open that can draw people into breaking into my car.
Hell yes they are responsible…You left your Jeep in THEIR CARE and they failed to keep it safe while in their possession…
Most dealerships have signs telling customers to remove valuables as they are not responsible for items such as this. I bet if you went to look, you’d find one.
Call the General Manager of the dealership and see if you can get any satisfaction from him before contacting your insurance company. They should have reasonable security measures (cameras, etc.) in place and you should request these be available for your viewing (do that first thing since they don’t keep them long, and may record over them in 24 hour intervals). You might also hint that you suspect an employee, given this standard policy. You also need to file a police report for use in filing a claim with your insurance company, should it come to that.
According to this site, he’s not responsible for the safekeeping of items in your car unless he knew they were there.
He’s also not responsible for the theft unless it was caused by his negligence. That might be a hard thing to prove.
http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/automobile-mechanic-liability.html
If as you say you left your Jeep with the service manager before the close of business, then they should be responsible for the damages. While they cannot control what happened to your Jeep after hours, you did state you gave it to them prior to the end of business. Therefore, if they placed it in an area that allowed it to be vandalized, then it is their fault and their insurance should cover the costs.
While your insurance may cover the damages, you would have to pay a deductible. In tis case and in my opinion, it is the fault of the dealer where they parked your vehicle and in doing so are responsible for any damages that may have occurred. Your insurance should not be an issue in this case as the dealer should pay and repair any damages to your Jeep in addition to any other losses that you suffered as a result.
I work in a dealership, and yes the dealership is responsible… in fact they should have insurance coverage for just such an occurance.
We had about 10 customers cars broken into in our body shop and the dealership’s insurance took care of all of it.
They are responsible unless there is a visible sign posted on the premises stating that they are not responsible. Maybe you can take it to a small claims court.
Very un-likely they are. Most have signs posted you are responsible for any items of value left in your car.
Basically they are responsible for the “car” and anything permanently fixed to the car; other personal property must be officially reported at the moment to leave the car (in writing the same you do at a paid parking lot)
Some shops and parking lots require you to file a form listing musical equipmet and anything valuable instaled in the car in order to be protected. If the have a sign stating this then they are covered, if they don’t have any sign then they have to pay.
In your case obviously they are responsible (the radio was fixed to the car so it’s not like you forgetting a cell phone) but you will have to fight this up if you didn’t have them sign for the car plus your extra stuff. The owner knows they are responsible but he is just trying to see if you buy his crap (by the way it’s almost sure that they stole your stuff).
Keep the police report and make your insurance fight them or just take them to small claim court. Also call your insurace surely they know what are the resposabilities of the shops in your state.
No the responsiblity comes down to your insurance company. If they feel the dealership should pay, the insurance company will sue the dealership to recover their losses. That is why you buy insurance-to protect yourself from losses.
Generally,the dealership’s insurance will cover the damage to the vehicle. Valuables left inside are your problem.
Just because they have signs saying “we are not responsible for…” does not mean they are protected. Just like having signs at a hotel saying the same thing. The problem is that you have to prove that they have had previous break-ins, knew about it, and did nothing to prevent the problem from happening again
Find a good attorney, they have to take special care of your auto. Since you have a soft top then it should have been parked inside. Signs are there to confuse the honest people, check with a good attorney.
Yes they are responsible
I bet the dealership took out all ur stuff and sold it and when u came back they said sum 1 broke in and stole it..
Your insurance guy should talk to their insurance guy and let them battle it out.