Firestone Store Visit

[PontiacHO]

This post hopefully doesn’t offend any hard working honest folks in the automotive repair industry. This is my experience earlier today while getting a state inspection on my vehicle. While waiting for the state inspection I could hear the service representatives making followup calls to customers to discuss the “findings” of their cars left for service. They called several customers to reveal that due to “stripped drain plugs” they were going to need “oil pan replacements“. Coincidence? I doubt it. Not to mention the conversations about “brake fluid flushes”, “coil packs and ignition wires“ to go along with “your tune up”.
That’s all I’ll say. Form your own opinions.
It was amusing that my battery that’s three years old is ”failing” but they never turned on my windshield wipers while performing required annual safety/emissions inspection. Wonder why the automotive industry has a bad name? I hate that since I’ve made my living in it for 40+ years.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I had the exact same experience at Firestone in November 2018. Called about my cabin and engine air filters, my serpentine belt, and other "services."
All of those had been changed within 3 months of the visit.
They made my wheel balance much worse in the process.

Hard pass on Firestone products and repair shops in perpetuity.

 

[GSCJR]

This post hopefully doesn’t offend any hard working honest folks in the automotive repair industry. This is my experience earlier today while getting a state inspection on my vehicle. While waiting for the state inspection I could hear the service representatives making followup calls to customers to discuss the “findings” of their cars left for service. They called several customers to reveal that due to “stripped drain plugs” they were going to need “oil pan replacements“. Coincidence? I doubt it. Not to mention the conversations about “brake fluid flushes”, “coil packs and ignition wires“ to go along with “your tune up”.
That’s all I’ll say. Form your own opinions.
It was amusing that my battery that’s three years old is ”failing” but they never turned on my windshield wipers while performing required annual safety/emissions inspection. Wonder why the automotive industry has a bad name? I hate that since I’ve made my living in it for 40+ years.

That's why I got into the car business. I was always interested in cars and then when I was almost taken for several hundred dollars as a high school student, that was the final push to get into the trade.

 

[Davejam]

Yeah, terrible. Avoid like the plague.
And who would have stripped the drain plugs...they would have.

 

[simple_gifts]

Sears got into hot water 25+ years ago about this; service manager's pay was tied to the business that was done; "things" started getting suggested that were not really needed.

Somehow there is a middle ground between having no stake in the business so the extra mile never traversed to fleecing the customer as your pay/job relies on it.

 

[CharBaby]

Although I do most/as much as I can maintenance & repairs on all of our vehicles, every once in a while I have to pay someone else to do a repair. Maybe it's winter with 6" of snow on the ground and 10 deg's F. One time, I had just gotten out of the hospital and couldn't do strenuous work for around 3 months.

Anywaaaay, my point is, I absolutely hate the workmanship of most techs although, bringing my car to a shop does help weed out the bad ones and find the good ones.

 

[nwjones18]

I am forever scarred by listening to the service manager at my local GM dealership call someone and tell them that "replacing an intake manifold was normal maintenance". They then told me the only way to fix the oil leak on my Northstar was to "remove the engine and reseal the whole thing" I'm talking about a 2 drip on the floor per week leak.. I took it to them initially to do a transmission fluid change and inquire if my leaking rear axle pinion seal was covered under some sort of extended warranty (I'd seen a TSB about it). They told me it wasn't and that would be $1100 to replace. I told them to take my car off the rack and to not touch it again.

On the other hand my few experiences with my local Firestone have been positive. All I go to them for is front end alignments and I actually had a tech come find me to compliment me on my work when I rebuilt the front end on the F-150.

 

[kschachn]

Sitting in the waiting room and listening to the conversations the service advisors have with customers (both in-person and on the phone) is a great way to determine the honesty and competency of a shop.

 

[PontiacHO]

Sitting in the waiting room and listening to the conversations the service advisors have with customers (both in-person and on the phone) is a great way to determine the honesty and competency of a shop.

And that I did...

 

[AutoMechanic]

I stay away from chain shops I used to work at one not Firestone but another one. I know people who work there and they have told me what they did. I’m a mechanic so I never go to a shop except my own shop anyway. Part of the reason I became a mechanic is because I didn’t trust these places. I’m an inspector too though I don’t do many inspections anymore since I’m not at a shop currently that I can do them at since I do road service now mainly. Those chain shops have pulled fast ones on many people I know. Once I had put some brake pads on my friends car and he went there for inspection and they tried to tell him oh your brakes are metal to metal we can’t let you leave until we change them he said I will leave if I want too and then he managed to get the keys and he walked out there and drove off. Definitely what gives us mechanics a bad rap. When I was a kid they tried to tell my dad he needed a serpentine belt but he had just changed it so he knew they were lying so he went somewhere else.

 

[thescreensavers]

while waiting for my lifetime alignment on my Jeep, the store by me actually didn't try to pull anything and from what I heard was giving proper feedback.
When I went up to pay they told me my tires are due soon(which I already knew) gave me some quotes but, that was that.

Completely depends on your stores manager.

 

[PontiacHO]

FWIW. I do all my own service & repairs. Only to someone else for tires and state inspections.

 

[PontiacHO]

while waiting for my lifetime alignment on my Jeep, the store by me actually didn't try to pull anything and from what I heard was giving proper feedback.
When I went up to pay they told me my tires are due soon(which I already knew) gave me some quotes but, that was that.

Completely depends on your stores manager.

There are honest shops. Be glad you have one close by.

 

[Wolf359]

Completely depends on your stores manager.

Yeah, depends on the area. I just check the local reviews. Goodyear also has some bad reviews, but the one I go to is decent so I keep going there for alignments. They used to try to upsell me on stuff when I had a Ford but with the Mercedes, they don't bother and I just get their 3 year alignment.

 

[Blinker]

Firestone leaves a lot to be desired. They should just stick to selling tires imo.

 

[The Critic]

What’s wrong with brake fluid flushes?

Did they provide you with detailed results of their battery test?

 

[PontiacHO]

Brake system flushes are fine If YOU want that as part of YOUR service. Personally I think allowing that done opens the door to stripped bleeders and then an opportunity to sale new calipers and/or wheel cylinders. Some things are better left alone in my opinion. I found it odd that within the 30 minute time frame I was there, every customer call was to recommend that as well as all of what I mentioned originally. My truck has three year old Delco battery. They said the same thing last year when it was two years old... Of course they will give me the results of their battery “test”. It will be a failing cold cranking amperage number.

 

[The Critic]

Brake system flushes are fine If YOU want that as part of YOUR service. I found it odd that within the 30 minute time frame I was there, every customer call was to recommend that as well as all of what I mentioned originally.

If the vehicle is more than 2 years old or there is no service history on file, a brake fluid flush may not be an unreasonable recommendation.

My truck has three year old Delco battery. They said the same thing last year when it was two years old... Of course they will give me the results of their battery “test”. It will be a failing cold cranking amperage number.

I have tested many OEM batteries that are 2-3 years old and they had a failing result. And I have also seen them fail during that timespan. Not uncommon at all.

 

[PontiacHO]

I agree. But the point is mine isn’t failing!

 

[The Critic]

I agree. But the point is mine isn’t failing!

Sounds like a difference in opinion or test result? If their tester showed a failing battery when the battery was tested using the correct inputs, then someone's tester is incorrect?