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Saw something quite concerning at the local dealer today!

10K views 80 replies 30 participants last post by  hmk123 
#1 ·
We were looking at Gladiators and Wranglers on the lot of the local dealer today. One of the Wranglers had a sign inside that this vehicle was quarantined until 5/17/20 due to possible exposure to Covid19. Very strange! Did someone who worked on the line this Jeep came off of get diagnosed? It would seem so. Are they obligated to inform a potential buyer, after that date expires?
 
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#3 ·
My guess would be dealer employee.

Crazy! Like you can catch the flu from a car. The reaction to this virus is so over the top it should be studied in the future to learn about how not to react to viruses.
You can catch viruses from any surface for a period of time based on environmental factors. That's true for flu, or coronaviruses, which are related to many common cold viruses, which we know are "caught" from surfaces.
 
#4 ·
It seems to me that the dealership would have just parked that particular vehicle, and any others that were under quarantine, in a back lot somewhere out of view of the general public until after the quarantine period had expired. ;)

But I did find this one story where someone had their vehicle that needed to be serviced by a dealership, put under quarantine because the vehicle owner worked in the healthcare field.

"“They (the dealership) informed me that because of where my wife works the car would have to be quarantined for three days,” Wallis said.

He said he was informed that technicians did not want to work on his wife’s vehicle because she is a personal support worker in a long-time care facility where there have been recent cases of COVID-19."

Coronavirus: Ontario health care worker’s car quarantined by auto dealer (at https://globalnews.ca/news/6880524/coronavirus-health-care-worker-ford-car-quarantined/ )
 
#6 ·
Actually, from what I've been reading, the virus is easily killed off with exposure to sunlight's UV rays. Leave the vehicle in question out in the midday sun for a few hours (maybe turn it facing in the opposite direction once during the exposure) and it'll probably be safe to work on. That may not meet the specific safety requirements in your particular State, however.
 
#9 ·
We use UV lights in the hospital to sanitize some of our isolation rooms. It’s especially useful for clostridium difficile (C Diff) because it can kill the spores, but we use it to sanitize the Covid rooms too (along with other disinfectants). They use UV lights to sanitize the N95 masks too for reuse (X1).
 
#8 ·
I work in healthcare, and I’ve been around Covid positive patients. Lots of them. I now drive only my Mustang to work, and drive our Audi to take the kids to school and for everything else. It’s not a bad idea to err on the side of caution, especially with this virus. It’s no joke, that’s for sure.

That being said, I agree with @06PTElectricBlue in that it probably would’ve been best to put the vehicle out of view of the public for a while, unless their intent is to show that they’re being extra cautious and taking the customer’s safety very seriously. Brownie points can be beneficial, especially now when people are scared.
 
#12 ·
They also probably do not want the crap sued out of them if someone dies from exposure to the virus. Until a check is written and one signs the bill of sale it's their vehicle, and if they feel it's been exposed to covid they can elect not to allow anyone near it until they feel it's safe. With that said, they should've put it in the back. People need, it seems to re-educate themselves on the difference between public and private properties. A friend once came in my house and lit up a smoke, I asked him to kindly not do that as I no longer smoked. He was going to anyways and I asked him to leave. He said I was violating his rights. I told him as long as my name is on the deed and I'm paying the bills you have no say in the rules here. We aren't friends anymore. Lol
 
#32 ·
People need, it seems to re-educate themselves on the difference between public and private properties. A friend once came in my house and lit up a smoke, I asked him to kindly not do that as I no longer smoked. He was going to anyways and I asked him to leave. He said I was violating his rights. I told him as long as my name is on the deed and I'm paying the bills you have no say in the rules here. We aren't friends anymore. Lol
For good reason. Not much of a friend thinking it was okay to light up at someone else's house after being asked not to. What you're referring to - house rules - fall under what's called private law, which many folks do not have a clue about. I had myself never heard the term probably until a decade ago. Violations of private law almost invariably constitute trespass. In this case, one might think of trespass more in the sense of the "Lord's Prayer." Unlawful entry onto private property is just one instance. He was trespassing once he failed to abide by your rules, as long as they were not themselves illegal/unethical (can't require someone to violate public law, or their own modesty, etc.). "Rights" are highly restrictable under private law, absent public law codifying that or in common law, with customary pre-emptions, such as in the case of a public accommodation. Nobody can come onto my property and "keep and bear arms" without my permission. That's an invasion of my right to control of my domain. If I told you to take off your shoes by the door, you're obliged to do so. Your clothes, not so much...unless I live in a nudist colony perhaps.

(One more thing - the dealer would not tell my wife over email how much taxes and fees would be. That gave me a bad feeling about them from the start. We all know that it means nothing to advertise a car at $500 less, but have $1200 in dealer fees...documentation, printing, sterilizing, mandatory stripe package...)
Had a very brief exchange with a local dealer maybe 8-10 years ago buying a used Liberty CRD, over document fees. When I called them bullpoopies (it was a few hundred dollars) the manager, who ironically sounded like he grew up near you, told the clerk to make it $56 (IIRC), which sounded like a reasonable cost to offset paperwork production costs. I know how "document fees" work. I had done my homework.
 
#13 ·
FWIW, we went to a Nissan dealer to look at a ProMaster that was offered at a bargain price (off-rental).

They routed everyone from the empty sales floor around into Service, which was packed full of people. No soap in the bathrooms. No disinfecting at all. We chose not to wait.
 
#16 ·
We tried coming in two different entrances and were told to go around the building both times. They didn't even ask why we were there. They were all just sitting around, laughing over coffee... maybe it was break time, or maybe it was just the usual car salesman attitude. Either way, they left all the doors open but had signs on and people just inside to send everyone back out. (No sanitizing at all, btw... was glad I had semi-disposable gloves since the washroom lacked soap, too.)

My usual dealer may charge more, but I guess I'll try some hardball negotiation.

(One more thing - the dealer would not tell my wife over email how much taxes and fees would be. That gave me a bad feeling about them from the start. We all know that it means nothing to advertise a car at $500 less, but have $1200 in dealer fees...documentation, printing, sterilizing, mandatory stripe package...)
 
#20 ·
I had my car at the dealer a couple of weeks ago for an emissions recall, and they started out by wrapping the steering wheel, shift lever and seat in thin plastic sheeting.
They left it to me to dispose of it when the car was ready.
 
#22 ·
How rude, they put it there, they could have removed it when they were done with your vehicle. ;)

Most all of the shops that I use, put some kind of protection on the floor and seat, but they have been doing that since before the virus, as a matter of keeping their customers cars clean. ;)

But they also remove it when they give me back my car. :)
 
#26 ·
The UV light used for disinfection is the UV-C (wavelength 280–100 nanometers) and is produced with artificial light sources.
It is not a safe for humans to irradiate themselves with it or look its light, can burn the skin, cause cancer, damage cornea, retina, ...

At earth ground level we are not afected by UV-C because are blocked in atmosphere by ozono and oxygen (as well ozone reduces the amount of UV-B).

 
#27 ·
The UV light used for disinfection is the UV-C (wavelength 280–100 nanometers) and is produced with artificial light sources.
It is not a safe for humans to irradiate themselves with it or look its light, can burn the skin, cause cancer, damage cornea, retina, ...

At earth ground level we are not affected by UV-C because are blocked in atmosphere by ozone and oxygen (as well ozone reduces the amount of UV-B).
Thanks, MJAB! Good info. Come to think of it, the main issue with the ozone layer depletion, and the reason we switched to R134a and then R1234abcdefgh (can't recall the actual name) or other refrigerants, was the ozone layer... one of our rare victories for the environment (made possible by a LACK of politicization; it's hard to believe that as late as Gerald Ford (R) and Jimmy Carter (D), the environment was not in any way political.) Indeed, Nixon (R) fully supported the EPA, if I recall correctly.
 
#29 ·
UV-C lamps are more common than can image, for example can be found in aquariums, terrariums, but also for "disinfection" of small objects as phones or as portable lamps.
The lamps themselves are not so expensive.
Perhaps, but is only my opinion, now are too common and too much persons doesn't even look at safety precautions.

A part of UV-C spectrum has more germicidal effect than others.
The 185 nm wavelength (always in UV range) is able to produce ozone, that is also used for disinfection, but is also harmful for persons. There are some lamps that have the combine the effect.

I know because 2 - 3 years ago was looking for water sanitizers for potable water tanks, not because I am a UV-C passionate :) .

As the thread was about cars and sanitazing them, going back in theme, Since about 2 weeks Fiat commercialis about restart and protection.

So now there is a D-fence pack by Mopar that is available with Fiat Panda or 500 (maybe also for the others).
The pack includes a high efficiency cabin filter, a portable air purifier with HEPA filter and a portable UV lamp.

Commercial title: "Riparti con Panda e il nuovo D-FENCE Pack!" (Restart with Panda and the new D-fence pack!)


note: Fiat Panda is the best selling car in Italy.
 
#31 ·
We have a portable UV-C lamp. Clear warnings on it, keep away from hands! We use it for incoming mail now... at the start we used it for groceries. That got old fast. Have to wear gloves while using it. I don't think it's really powerful enough to do much.

Glad hydrogen peroxide works. It's my go-to liquid because it's nontoxic after exposure to air and light (turns into water), and if I accidentally spill some on myself, it's not the end of the world. Not bad for the sewers, like bleach.
 
#33 ·
Hydrogen peroxide, bleach, isopropyl alcohol (higher percentage the better)...all can be used for various surfaces/materials.

For our N95’s, we label them with our names & unit, put them in labeled bags and then they’re picked up to be sanitized. They return them to the unit in a big cardboard case that looks like it should have donuts in it. And no matter how many times I see the case delivered, and knowing what is actually inside, I’m still disappointed it’s not donuts. :D
 
#34 ·
On the original topic, chemical cleaners have to be used with a lot of care in a car interior. Hydrogen peroxide won't damage much, but it can bleach fabrics (as you should expect from... a bleach). The one material it can damage is nylon (used in seat materials and seatbelts). Chlorine bleach is not good at all, and will damage ABS, the hard, smooth plastic used for interior trim.
 
#35 ·
I woorkfor a very large car rental company at RDU. I am a p/t driver that moves rental vehicles between numerous locations through out the area. When 19 reared its head, the company did not know what to do to stop the virus spread. We are transported to locations in a Mini van with 6 people seated. The driver's had to supply our own disenfecting wipes, gloves and masks. The company never acknowledged that there may be an issue with us drivers or the customers. I was laid off via text message.
Most of us drivers are retired andsand in poor health. We were amazed at the companies lack of concern.
This was well after the pp protocol was announced.
As for me, and many others,we wll notrnot betbe returning to that company.
We have seen that the car return crews that prepare the vehicles for rent, can even vacuum out a car so I don't know what the company will do to protect us and it's customers.
 
#38 ·
#45 ·
More concerning is the Gladiators that have been sitting unmoved on dealer lots here for 11 months now.

I mean, literally unmoved. The gas is probably stale now.
 
#47 ·
Good point on the gasoline. We mentioned earlier that the $1/gallon gasoline prices were likely to clear out fuel before it went bad. Lots of people are going to screw up their fuel injectors over the next weeks. I'd hope dealers had someone moving those cars or boosted the tire pressure. (That's what I do when I put the Valiant away each winter.)
 
#48 ·
Amazingly enough, when I started my Mustang after it sat dead in the driveway from September to February (maybe longer, I don’t recall), I put a new battery in and it started right up. The tires were low...and of course my compressor decided it was no longer going to work...so I pumped up all 4 tires with a bicycle pump. Yup, my new neighbors probably think I’m a lunatic. Forearms of STEEL!! :cool::p

I was concerned about the gas being bad, but it drove fine, and it was a full tank. Once I got the electrical gremlins sorted out (bad Sync module), it’s been driving fine. My mechanic gave it a looksee when it was in for the e-gremlins.

Sure, that’s just one instance...but it was sitting outside all winter unprotected, and it’s a 10 year old vehicle with 125k miles. Brand new vehicles would probably fare better, I would imagine. Though the thought did cross my mind about dealer lots.
 
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