Privacy Policy

Last Updated: November 6, 2025

Introduction

Look, we get it - privacy policies can be a real drag to read through. But here at Dusky Rune Parallax Auto Repair, we're all about being straight-up honest with our clients, whether it's about your BMW's transmission or how we handle your personal info.

This policy lays out what information we collect when you visit our shop or use our website, why we need it, and how we keep it safe. We're based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, so we follow all the Canadian privacy laws - specifically PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) and BC's privacy regulations.

Running a specialized European auto shop means we deal with some pretty specific vehicle data and customer details. We've put together this policy so you know exactly what's happening with your information.

Information We Collect

When you bring your ride to us or check out our website, here's the kind of stuff we might collect:

Personal Contact Information

  • Your name and how you like to be addressed
  • Phone number (we'll call or text for appointment reminders)
  • Email address for quotes and service updates
  • Mailing address (sometimes needed for warranty stuff or parts delivery)
  • Payment information - though we don't store full credit card numbers, that goes through our secure processor

Vehicle Information

  • Make, model, year, and VIN of your vehicle
  • Current mileage and service history with us
  • Any modifications you've had done (especially important for our performance tuning work)
  • Diagnostic codes and technical data from our scans
  • Photos of your vehicle and any specific issues we're working on

Website Usage Data

  • IP address and general location data
  • Browser type and device info
  • Pages you visit and how long you stick around
  • Stuff you click on and forms you fill out

How We Use Your Information

We're not out here selling your data or doing anything shady. Here's the real deal on what we use your info for:

Service Delivery: Obviously, we need your contact info to schedule your appointment and let you know when your car's ready. We keep vehicle data so we can track your service history and make better recommendations down the road.

Quality Control: Sometimes we keep diagnostic data and photos to review our work and make sure we're staying on top of our game. This also helps if there's ever a warranty question.

Communication: We'll shoot you appointment reminders, service updates, and occasionally let you know about seasonal maintenance stuff (like winter tire changeovers). You can opt out of the promotional stuff anytime.

Billing & Records: Gotta keep financial records for tax purposes and business accounting. Canadian law requires us to hang onto this stuff for a certain period.

Website Improvement: We look at how people use our site to make it better and easier to navigate. Nothing creepy, just basic analytics.

Vehicle Data & Diagnostic Information

Since we specialize in European imports and performance tuning, we deal with some pretty detailed vehicle data. Here's what you should know:

When we plug into your car's ECU for diagnostics or tuning, we're accessing all sorts of technical data - error codes, performance parameters, fuel maps, you name it. This info stays in our system tied to your vehicle's VIN so we can reference it for future work.

For performance tuning customers, we keep backup copies of your original ECU maps before any modifications. This is just good practice - means we can always revert back if needed. These files are stored securely and aren't shared with anyone unless you specifically ask us to (like if you're taking your car to another tuner).

Note: If you've got custom tuning work done elsewhere, let us know before we do any diagnostics. Some aftermarket tunes can flag things that aren't actually problems, and knowing your mod history helps us do better work.

When We Share Your Data

We're pretty protective of your information, but there are a few situations where we might need to share it:

Parts Suppliers & Specialists

Sometimes we need to share your vehicle info with parts suppliers or specialist sub-contractors. Like if we're sourcing a hard-to-find part for your Porsche, we'll need to give them your VIN and vehicle specs. These folks are bound by their own privacy agreements.

Warranty Claims

If you're getting warranty work done, we'll need to share relevant service records and diagnostic data with the warranty provider or manufacturer. That's just how the warranty game works.

Legal Requirements

If we're legally required to hand over information (like if there's a court order or safety recall), we gotta comply. Haven't had to do this yet, and hopefully never will.

Business Services

We use some third-party services to run our business - things like appointment scheduling software, email services, and payment processing. These companies only get the minimum info they need to do their job, and they're all bound by strict confidentiality agreements.

What we DON'T do: We don't sell your data to marketers, we don't share your contact info with other businesses for their promotions, and we definitely don't post your personal details on social media without asking first.

How We Keep Your Data Secure

We take security seriously - whether it's your car or your data. Here's what we've got in place:

  • Physical Security: Our shop's locked up tight when we're closed, and customer records are kept in secure areas. Only authorized staff can access customer files.
  • Digital Protection: Our computer systems are password-protected, we use encrypted connections for online transactions, and our network has proper firewall protection.
  • Payment Security: Credit card processing goes through PCI-compliant payment processors. We don't store your full card numbers in our system.
  • Staff Training: Everyone on our team knows the importance of customer privacy and how to handle personal information properly.
  • Regular Backups: We back up customer data regularly (in case of system failures), but these backups are encrypted and stored securely.

That said, no system's 100% bulletproof. We do our best to keep everything locked down, but if there's ever a data breach, we'll let you know right away and tell you what steps we're taking to fix it.

Cookies & Website Tracking

Yeah, our website uses cookies - not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately. Here's the lowdown:

Essential Cookies

These are the ones that make the website actually work - things like remembering what's in your cart if you're booking multiple services, or keeping you logged in if we add a customer portal later.

Analytics Cookies

We use basic analytics to see how people use our site - which pages are popular, where folks are getting stuck, that kind of thing. Helps us make the site better. This data's anonymous - we're not tracking individual people around the internet or anything weird like that.

Marketing Cookies

If you see our ads pop up after visiting our site, that's retargeting cookies at work. You can disable these in your browser settings if they bug you.

Most browsers let you control cookies through their settings. If you block all cookies, some parts of the website might not work as smoothly, but you'll still be able to see our services and contact info.

Your Privacy Rights

Under Canadian privacy law, you've got some solid rights when it comes to your personal info:

Access Your Data: You can ask to see what personal information we've got on file for you. We'll show you within 30 days (usually way faster than that).

Correction Rights: If something's wrong or outdated in your records, just let us know and we'll fix it. Happens all the time when people change phone numbers or move.

Opt-Out Options: Don't want promotional emails? No problem - every email we send has an unsubscribe link. You'll still get important stuff like appointment confirmations, but no marketing fluff.

Data Portability: Want to take your service records to another shop? We can provide you with a copy of your vehicle's service history.

Deletion Requests: If you want us to delete your information, we'll do it - with some exceptions. We gotta keep certain financial records for tax purposes, and if there's ongoing warranty stuff, we need to maintain those records. But we'll delete whatever we legally can.

To exercise any of these rights, just give us a shout at info@duskyruneparallax.info or call us at (604) 555-7829. We'll need to verify your identity first (can't just hand out customer info to anyone who asks), but then we'll get you sorted.

Children's Privacy

Our services are aimed at adults who own vehicles. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you're a parent and think your kid's somehow given us their info through our website, let us know and we'll delete it right away.

That said, if you bring your teenager in to learn about car maintenance or you're having their first car serviced, we'll need basic contact info for the vehicle owner (probably you, the parent). Pretty standard stuff.

Changes to This Policy

We might update this privacy policy from time to time - new laws come out, we add new services, technology changes, whatever. When we make changes, we'll update the date at the top and post the new version here on our website.

If there's a major change that affects how we handle your data, we'll send out an email to let you know. For minor tweaks and clarifications, we'll just update the page - check back occasionally if you're curious.

Your continued use of our services after policy updates means you're cool with the changes. If you're not, no hard feelings - let us know and we can discuss your options.

Questions? Get in Touch

If you've got questions about this privacy policy, how we handle your data, or you want to exercise any of your privacy rights, we're here to help.

Dusky Rune Parallax Auto Repair

1847 Parallax Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 4M2

(604) 555-7829

info@duskyruneparallax.info

We typically respond to privacy inquiries within 48 hours. If it's urgent, give us a call - we're usually easier to reach by phone during business hours.

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

If you're not satisfied with how we've handled a privacy concern, you've got the right to file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. You can reach them through their website at priv.gc.ca or by calling 1-800-282-1376.

Thanks for taking the time to read through all this. We know privacy policies aren't exactly thrilling reading, but we think it's important to be transparent about how we handle your information. At the end of the day, we're a local shop that depends on trust - both when it comes to working on your vehicle and handling your personal details. If you've got any concerns at all, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help.