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Rhode Island Man Outraged After Mechanic Took His Car Drinking and Driving

Rhode Island Mechanic Takes Customer’s Car For a Drunk Joyride

A man in Rhode Island is angry after discovering that the mechanic he trusted to service his car instead took it driving after drinking. A six-and-a-half minute video depicts the mechanic driving the man’s 2013 Mazdaspeed3 erratically as a child implores him to stop the vehicle. The start of the video shows the technician, employed by Tasca Automotive Group’s dealership in Cranston, Rhode Island, pushing the accelerator to the floor, redlining the motor. The car was in the shop because its owner, Alex Leach, claimed that it was consuming oil faster than normal. Following the video’s opening is a drunken play-by-play.

The technician is documented as he drives at speeds more than twice the legal limit, veers onto the shoulder, and bumps through potholes. Leach, who has treated his car with tender and loving care since its purchase last year, is disappointed in how the dealership is handling his complaints. Leach showed the video to an initially-shocked service manager, and he is now accusing the dealership of downplaying the incident.

Leach gave the shop foreman permission to drive the car for the weekend he was notified that the problem could not be identified. The following Monday, Leach was notified that the turbo would be replaced. It was not until a week later that the car was returned and he saw the dashcam video. Not only was the technician seen driving recklessly, but he was did so with a young child in the passenger seat. The child can be heard in the video telling the driver that he was scared and wanted the car to stop.

So far, Leach is not getting much cooperation from the dealership or Mazda. The dealership is defending its technician and has, to date, refused to give Leach the extended warranty he is asking for.

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