Chevy dealer replaces customer's Corvette after employee's 148-mph street race

The California Chevrolet dealer whose technician was caught street racing a Dodge Charger in a customer's C8 Corvette has made good by allowing the owner to trade in his car on a replacement at the dealer's expense – taxes and all.

Earlier this summer, the customer brought his 2021 Corvette in to Freemont Chevrolet to diagnose an engine tick, which turned out to be nothing more than a loose spark plug. When the customer got the car back, he discovered that the car's Performance Data Recorder (PDR) valet mode had recorded one of the dealer's techs taking the car for a spin after completing the work.

The Drive (which also reported the initial incident) caught up with the owner and dealer this week, both of whom expressed satisfaction at the outcome. The customer went home with a 2022 Corvette at no cost, leaving his 2021 model in trade.

A shakedown drive to validate a fix is not unusual, and we'd even expect techs to explore an engine's rev range (after warming it up, of course) if the powertrain is at the center of the issue. But an impromptu, 148-mph street race is not what we – or the C8 owner, for that matter – had in mind.

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