Tire shop technician attempts to do a Ferris Bueller with a 700 horsepower Tesla.

The owner had put the car in valet mode, limiting the vehicle's power.

It isn't just valet parking services you should be worrying about when it comes to handing your car key to somebody else. Auto repair shop technicians can also damage and even wreck your car.

The latest repair shop incident to come to light involves the high performance version of the 4 door Tesla (the P85D), which comes equipped with "insane mode," a setting that enables incredibly fast acceleration.

In the video above, after making a repair, the technician takes the Tesla for a road test. Perhaps ensuring that the newly replaced sensor worked properly was a reasonable thing? But this technician stepped beyond the bounds of what was appropriate and professional when he stomped on the accelerator.

It wasn't his car. It wasn't his toy to play with. And he had no familiarity with the car. He had no business in getting a taste of the car's performance capabilities.

Unfortunately for him, the car was rigged with surveillance video and audio. Plus the Tesla's data logging equipment documented the stomp on the accelerator.

According to a posting made by the vehicle owner, the rogue technician may have lost his job.

What's the lessen for you?

Though auto repair shops should be trusted service providers, it's a mistake to blindly trust that they won't damage or mess with your car.

Similar to using valet parking services, you should take steps to defend your car.

  1. Remove items of value from the car before you arrive at the repair shop.

  2. Remove your garage door opener.

  3. Don't leave spare change inside the car.

  4. Give them only the one key necessary to operate the car, not the keys to your life.

  5. Use your smartphone to snap a shot of your arrival odometer reading.

  6. Upon arrival, use your smartphone's video setting to document the exterior condition of your car. Videotape the condition of your rims, the 4 corners of your car, under the air-dam, the front and rear bumpers, and the sides.

  7. Finally, if you have a dashcam, make sure the device is ready to record.

Valet parking attendants are more likely to engage in monkey business. They generally are younger. It's not a career position for them. And many are poorly compensated for their work and not well supervised.

But anyone who is given possession of your car should be looked upon skeptically when it comes to your vehicle's care and safe handling. And you should take precautions to keep honest people honest, and to position yourself for fair treatment if an incident does occur.   

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