Firestone tried (did) rip me off.. what can i do?

I went to a firestone in phoenix Arizona 3638 East Thomas Road
If you go to that firestone be weary.
My car broke down this week so I had it towed to firestone. I asked them to do a diagnostic on the car for $80. They told me my timing belt needed to be replaced but that if i replaced the belt the car might not run because their COULD be a bent value. They said that their is no way to tell if the value is bent. They told me that it would cost $400 for parts and labor. $100 for the belt (witch you can get for $30) and $300 for the labor. I suspected foul play so I found a honest home business mechanic that was going to do the job for allot cheaper. He called me today and told me that the values badly damaged and that their was no way firestone could not have seen that. Firestone told me that their was no way to tell if the values wear bent. Firestone was going to have me spend $400 dollars knowing that the car was not going to run. They charged me $80 for a false diagnostics. What can I do to get my money back from them? I need some advice. I have a plan but it might not work... my plan...

Demand my money back because they did not do a real diagnostics on my car. If they dont give me my money back then I will get picket signs and hand out flyers in front of their shop exposing them as frauds. I will stand out their for weeks, I have no car, I have no job, I have allot of free time and # like this makes me furious. What more can i do?

reply to post by Infi8nity


I don't know how to help your situation, but timing belts suck. Mine broke, and I had to have the entire engine replaced. Hopefully it won't go that far with your engine.

I hope you have a better weekend...

Originally posted by Infi8nity
I have allot of free time and # like this makes me furious. What more can i do?

Get a workshop manual and fix it yourself. Learn something to boot with all that free time.

Don't waste it on parasites who use corporate handbook guidelines rather than brains.

What car is it?

reply to post by Infi8nity
I may be wrong, but I'm assuming they did a computerized diagnostic of your car for the $80. That entails hooking up a machine to your car's computer system (it costs $50 here). All it does is send computer readings to their machine, which probably wouldn't tell them if you had a bent valve. It would require a mechanic getting his hands dirty (removing your valve covers) to determine that and would probably cost you more than $80.

Save all receipts of proof of payment.

If credit card print out statements from the bank crossing off all important info.

Write the corporate head office wherever it may be.

Hope for the best.

Just another example of why no shops ever touch my cars unless its for smog or something. Most car shops are a joke. Just learn how to do it yourself. Get the books and rock it out. lol. I know its not that easy tho. Some people just don't get it. You could report them to the better business bureau. Or you could do some drive by molotov cock-tailing. lol jkng

They did the diagnostic and told you what could be wrong with your car.
I would just let it go. The guy you talked to could have been misinformed.
So you're out $80, money comes and money goes.

Maybe you are angry with yourself for not having a job or money to fix it.
Don't take it out on someone else.

usually you'll hear if the valve is bent so it isnt that hard.

what kind of car do you have? just fyi you probably have what's called an
Interference engine where the valves would be able to contact pistons if the timing belt breaks. non interference motors probably wouldnt bend a valve without some other catastrophic failure.

For what it's worth to add, I had Firestone attempt to make a situation I created for myself with letting brakes wear to the caliper MUCH worse when there had been no need. In fact, in my case, they'd taken apart the whole assembly to add the argument that they couldn't reassemble it at that point so I COULD leave and so, so sowwy..I had no choice. Errr.....

Someone who knows me may guess how that turned out. lol... I drove my car out to a mechanic who didn't try telling me all 4 wheels and the offending one needed major work that only a handy dandy Firestone credit card they'd approve me for on the spot could fix.

You did the right thing getting it out to someone else in my opinion. Honest mechanics are like unicorns. Everyone knows what one looks like, but try finding one in the wild!

My car is in the shop right now for something called a "clutch switch". Whatever that means. With labor, a new alternator belt and the part they're telling me $385. The frustrating thing is they have to order the damned part. I found the part locally at NAPA Auto Parts for like $60. I wish I could just buy it and have them use it. I hate not having a vehicle.

I'm hoping to get my car back today...but when it comes to these things, it always takes longer than you think. I probably won't have my car back until Tuesday next week

If I were you, I'd probably let it go -- sure, they should have diagnosed the problem right away, but I bet their SOP is to always, ALWAYS hook it up to a diagnostic machine. It makes them more $$ to default to the machine test first.

find a real mechanic that has a shop you cant go to a person.. have them give you an estimate and a written letter stating that the valve is bent it was clear to them and easy to see, ect...

Take a copy of that letter along with a letter you write demanding back your money for them not diagnosing your car correctly and tell you that you had to fix things before they could tell if something was broken. Let them know that if you do not recieve a refund check withint 30 days you will be filing a civil suit.

There's a chain of local tire shops here that'll hold people hostage when they do summer/winter tire changeovers.

What they'll do is take your current tires off, and then tell you that they can't put your other ones on because they are to worn. They won't let you leave or put the original tires back on. Usually, they end up selling the poor sap a new set of tires.

I hate that place.

Originally posted by nerbot

Originally posted by Infi8nity
I have allot of free time and # like this makes me furious. What more can i do?

Get a workshop manual and fix it yourself. Learn something to boot with all that free time.

Don't waste it on parasites who use corporate handbook guidelines rather than brains.

What car is it?

I cant fix it it has bent vauls. To fix it i need a new engine.

Originally posted by Infi8nity
(witch you can get for $30)

"witch" is for people who can do it themselves. Do you know how much it costs per month to just keep the doors of a Firestone building open? It's not at all wrong or unusual for a store to mark up the parts. They have to pay people to keep inventory, order, etc. If you do it yourself you absorb all those costs

I suspected foul play so I found a honest home business mechanic that was going to do the job for allot cheaper. He called me today and told me that the values badly damaged and that their was no way firestone could not have seen that. Firestone told me that their was no way to tell if the values wear bent. Firestone was going to have me spend $400 dollars knowing that the car was not going to run.

That's not true and they told you that up front. Not only that, your "honest home business mechanic" confirmed and corroborated what Firestone said. They said they couldn't tell if the valve was damaged. Your mechanic said the valve was damaged and there was no way Firestone could have known. So, NO, Firestone DID NOT know the car would not run and they also had the presence of mind to tell you that up front so that you could make the decision.

They charged me $80 for a false diagnostics.

No, they did not. They did the diagnostic and it told them you needed a new timing belt. The diagnostic could not tell whether your valve was bent, and they told you that up front. Their diagnostic was done properly.

What can I do to get my money back from them? I need some advice. I have a plan but it might not work... my plan...

Demand my money back because they did not do a real diagnostics on my car. If they dont give me my money back then I will get picket signs and hand out flyers in front of their shop exposing them as frauds. I will stand out their for weeks, I have no car, I have no job, I have allot of free time and # like this makes me furious. What more can i do?

They aren't frauds. If you do this it is you who are the fraud. They did what they said they were going to do and yes, it was a "real diagnostic." In fact, they quite honorably told you what they couldn't tell and that saved you $400, didn't it? So you could give the job to your "honest home mechanic" and get it done for less. and what did your mechanic find? A bent valve. Duh!

If Firestone had done the diagnostic, told you you needed a new timing belt for $400, then you paid the money and they did the work and THEN they told you about a bent valve, you might have a case. But they did not do that. They saved you $400.

You ought to be thanking them.

Originally posted by Infi8nity
I cant fix it it has bent vauls. To fix it i need a new engine.

If you had a bad tooth, should we throw you away?

A bent valve is replaceable. Other work may need to be done but don't let anyone tell you you need a new engine. That's ludicrous.

So what car is it?

Honestly I’m not surprised you had this experience with Firestone or any chain shop for that matter. I use to work for an automotive parts manufacturer and worked with Firestone’s, Goodyear’s, etc. across the southwest. Frankly they are idiots and are nothing more than a lube shop/tire shop with few exceptions. That is why I do all my own maintenance and repairs. I would personally let your $80 go and never do business with them again.

Now as for your belt going bad, depending on your vehicle you may need to or should rather, replace the belt, the timing pulleys, and possibly a timing tensioner if your vehicle has one. Since you already have the engine open you should replace the parts so you don’t have another failure because of a different part. In regard to the bent valve/s, valves are very easy to replace just a c-clip, spring, and some bushings/gaskets, the hardest part is taking the head off the block. If you have an overhead camshaft then you will need to replace the bearings if you have to remove the camshaft. Replace the head and valve cover with new gaskets. You will also need to reset your timing.
Cheers!

you dont need a new engine. take the head off of the top of the engine. take it to a machine shop, and have them rework the head with new valves.

or go to the junkyard and buy a used head assembled. buy a $30 head gasket and bolt it on. probably get it done for less than $200 at the junkyard.

and get a job

Originally posted by schuyler

Originally posted by Infi8nity
(witch you can get for $30)

"witch" is for people who can do it themselves. Do you know how much it costs per month to just keep the doors of a Firestone building open? It's not at all wrong or unusual for a store to mark up the parts. They have to pay people to keep inventory, order, etc. If you do it yourself you absorb all those costs

I suspected foul play so I found a honest home business mechanic that was going to do the job for allot cheaper. He called me today and told me that the values badly damaged and that their was no way firestone could not have seen that. Firestone told me that their was no way to tell if the values wear bent. Firestone was going to have me spend $400 dollars knowing that the car was not going to run.

That's not true and they told you that up front. Not only that, your "honest home business mechanic" confirmed and corroborated what Firestone said. They said they couldn't tell if the valve was damaged. Your mechanic said the valve was damaged and there was no way Firestone could have known. So, NO, Firestone DID NOT know the car would not run and they also had the presence of mind to tell you that up front so that you could make the decision.

They charged me $80 for a false diagnostics.

No, they did not. They did the diagnostic and it told them you needed a new timing belt. The diagnostic could not tell whether your valve was bent, and they told you that up front. Their diagnostic was done properly.

What can I do to get my money back from them? I need some advice. I have a plan but it might not work... my plan...

Demand my money back because they did not do a real diagnostics on my car. If they dont give me my money back then I will get picket signs and hand out flyers in front of their shop exposing them as frauds. I will stand out their for weeks, I have no car, I have no job, I have allot of free time and # like this makes me furious. What more can i do?

They aren't frauds. If you do this it is you who are the fraud. They did what they said they were going to do and yes, it was a "real diagnostic." In fact, they quite honorably told you what they couldn't tell and that saved you $400, didn't it? So you could give the job to your "honest home mechanic" and get it done for less. and what did your mechanic find? A bent valve. Duh!

If Firestone had done the diagnostic, told you you needed a new timing belt for $400, then you paid the money and they did the work and THEN they told you about a bent valve, you might have a case. But they did not do that. They saved you $400.

You ought to be thanking them.

edit on 1/11/2013 by schuyler because: (no reason given)

READ IT AGAIN My mechanic did not say their was no way for firestone to know if the values wear bent he said their was no way could NOT know they wear bent.
They wear trying to get me to buy parts and pay for the labor before it was done because they said their was a chance the car was not going to run, because the values MIGHT be bent. WTF? THEY COULD SEE THE BENT VALUES. THEIR IS NO MIGHT ONLY IS! They told me they would not be able to tell if the values wear bent until I got a new belt. How was my mechanic able to tell me that my values wear bent BEFORE I GOT A BELT????

Originally posted by bjax9er
you dont need a new engine. take the head off of the top of the engine. take it to a machine shop, and have them rework the head with new valves.

or go to the junkyard and buy a used head assembled. buy a $30 head gasket and bolt it on. probably get it done for less than $200 at the junkyard.

and get a job

What he ^ said. And if your "Friend" mechanic is any good he should have TOLD you the same!!

Originally posted by Infi8nity
READ IT AGAIN My mechanic did not say their was no way for firestone to know if the values wear bent he said their was no way could NOT know they wear bent.
They wear trying to get me to buy parts and pay for the labor before it was done because they said their was a chance the car was not going to run, because the values MIGHT be bent. WTF? THEY COULD SEE THE BENT VALUES. They told me they would not be able to tell if the values wear bent until I got a new belt. How was my mechanic able to tell me that my values wear bent BEFORE I GOT A BELT????

Tell you what, sunshine. Thanks for including the address of the Firestone Store. I'll be calling the manager, a guy named Jason Hastings, and I'll be informing him of your little shenaigans here, then will let him in on your little secret plan here. Firestone did nothing wrong here. They informed you of the situation BEFORE you spent the additional money. Your backyard mechanic is just that--a backyard mechanic. There is NO WAY they could tell a valve was bent by sticking computer diagnostioc on your car. It's a mechanical problem that does not "throw a code" to the computer. And that's EXACTLY what they told you--they couldn't tell, upfront, before you spent the additional money. You have not been harmed, and you have no case.

That was right honorable of them. You want to get bent out of shape over it, be my guest. Pardon me why I make that call.