Imagine taking your car to the body shop and learning that someone, or a group of people, took your car for a joy ride. Maybe they did even more than that—the mind reels.
That’s what may have happened to TikToker Salya Cubias (@salya.cubias), who shows that she had a strange iPhone connected to her car’s Bluetooth. She also says that her car had less fuel than it did when she delivered it to them.
“You dropped your car at the body shop, and this is how you find out they went on a joy ride and left you with no gas,” the text embedded in the video reads.
Motor1 reached out to Cubias for a comment through TikTok’s direct messaging service, but didn’t immediately receive a response. We’ll update this story if she responds.
What If This Happens to You?
This scenario may sound wild, but there is precedent for what Cubias claims happened to her. People have reported situations in which a body shop or car dealership seized a car and then took it out for a joy ride.
In 2019, Jalopnik wrote about a person who brought their 2016 Range Rover into the shop and found 425 miles added onto the odometer as part of a “road test.” When the driver took a look at a log provided by Range Rover, they found that the SUV had been taken to bars, restaurants, and a concert after midnight.
Jalopnik asked lawyer Steve Lehto about what to do, and they said the consumer had very little recourse to get their money back.
“I'd suggest never going back and maybe reviewing them HONESTLY on some sites like Yelp and so on,” Lehto told the outlet.
A few weeks ago, The Auto Wire reported on a BMW owner in Louisiana who took their car into a body shop for a repaint of their bumper. Fairly straightforward job that doesn’t require a test drive, right?
Well, apparently not, because the shop owner’s 19-year-old grandson reportedly took the car out for a joy ride. The BMW owner demanded a full refund, which led to a dispute over money. The owner of the body shop claimed that the incident was something he “had no control over.”
Commenters on Cubias’ TikTok commiserated with her about the experience.
“One time they left me on E after I had a full tank when I dropped it off and nothing but trash everywhere on the passenger side floor,” @gsvazq wrote.
Advised another, “This is why I always take a picture of my mileage & gas before dropping off.”
@salya.cubias This happens all the time
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