Firestone Service Centers

[blandnuts]

I get to do my truck this month, I'm so excited! Actually, this place off of Justin was a good experience last time I was there.

[90MarkVII]

Back when my wife still had her Magnum, I rebuilt the front end at around 70K miles (yeah I know, Chrysler shit). I did pretty much everything, lower control arms with ball joints, upper bushings, struts, inner/outter tie rods, sway bar bushings, end links, etc. Had a brand new set of BFG's mounted up before I put the wheels back on, Got it as close as I could with a tape measure and then took it to Christian Brothers over in Roanoke for an alignment. When I dropped it off I even told the guy that I had just rebuilt the front end, put new struts, shocks, and tires on it, and only needed an alignment.

Later the same day I get a call from a different guy, telling me that they've looked my car over and that the front end is so shot that they can't do an alignment...shoots me an estimate over $1600. I told him that I live close by, so would just come up there. Drove up there (with all my parts receipts on hand), and when I got there I asked the same guy I talked to on the phone to show me exactly what he was talking about....waited for some uniformed monkey to pull the car back onto a lift, and then he walked me out there to show me...instead I pointed out everything brand new to him, then pulled out my receipts, which by that point he didn't even want to see. Asked him if they were going to do the alignment like I originally requested, or should I go ahead and give Saul Garza a ring right now?

The alignment was done while I waited, and at no charge.

A (not so)Christian Brothers shop charged a friend of mine for a 4 wheel alignment on a Chevy pickup.
I explained how he was ripped off, and he went to the shop and they did refund him his money.

[bonnie&clyde]

Took my work truck there for an oil change before going out of town, waited 2hra for an oil change only to find out later as I'm driving the truck they didn't tighten the oil plug all the way and damn near blew out the engine

[R3_82GT]

Never ever again. I took my Mustang to the one on McCart just to set the Toe when I replaced the rack. Told them do not drive it, come get me (I didn't figure they even knew what to do with the transbrake and it is reverse manual valvebody). I'll said I'll pull it in front on the alignment bay and you can drive it in if we have to. Waited about an hour, and then see it tearing across the parking lot. The "shop kid" game back about 10 minutes later. He hadn't turned on the electric fan (it was over 100 out) and it was at 240+degrees. Right after that it started overheating which Brooks finally figured out was a cracked #8 cylinder.

[KBScobravert]

Never ever again. I took my Mustang to the one on McCart just to set the Toe when I replaced the rack. Told them do not drive it, come get me (I didn't figure they even knew what to do with the transbrake and it is reverse manual valvebody). I'll said I'll pull it in front on the alignment bay and you can drive it in if we have to. Waited about an hour, and then see it tearing across the parking lot. The "shop kid" game back about 10 minutes later. He hadn't turned on the electric fan (it was over 100 out) and it was at 240+degrees. Right after that it started overheating which Brooks finally figured out was a cracked #8 cylinder.

I would have been in jail. Someone would be getting an ass beating.

I had all new MM Suspension put on my Cobra back in 2007. I had just bought the car 2 weeks prior and had all the parts waiting for the car when I came home on leave. The car was 12 years old and 100% stock with 30,000 miles when we replaced all the suspension and took it to get aligned. It was a place over off Pioneer near Bowen in Pantego. The guy who did the suspension work recommended them. I was with the car the whole time, told the guy I was super anal and wanted it right. I was watching the screen when he took a hammer and started smacking the brand new black powder coated caster camber plated on the strut tower. I almost killed him when I yanked his leg off the rack and he fell. I was so fucking pissed and I think he crapped himself. I look at the damage and he had chipped the powder coat and fucked the paint on the strut tower where he was hitting it.

[90MarkVII]

I would have been in jail. Someone would be getting an ass beating.

I had all new MM Suspension put on my Cobra back in 2007. I had just bought the car 2 weeks prior and had all the parts waiting for the car when I came home on leave. The car was 12 years old and 100% stock with 30,000 miles when we replaced all the suspension and took it to get aligned. It was a place over off Pioneer near Bowen in Pantego. The guy who did the suspension work recommended them. I was with the car the whole time, told the guy I was super anal and wanted it right. I was watching the screen when he took a hammer and started smacking the brand new black powder coated caster camber plated on the strut tower. I almost killed him when I yanked his leg off the rack and he fell. I was so fucking pissed and I think he crapped himself. I look at the damage and he had chipped the powder coat and fucked the paint on the strut tower where he was hitting it.

Along those lines....the jackass at Tom's Alignment on Blvd 26 did the same thing. Hammered my CC plate hard enough that it had a divot on the side.
I explained their stupidity to them. Was told they were not going to pay for a replacement plate.
This was several years ago. They may have a newer jackass tearing stuff up now.

[4king]

If it's one of my performance cars, or one of my prized daily drivers I can't replace I always stand there with them if they are doing tires or an alignment. On the wife's truck or our ford fusion, I could care less if they use a hammer to align it as long as it drives straight. My hard to replace cars though I'll be out there just talking to the tech about why I'm so anal about the car

Bottom line with any shop, it is very hard to hire some one who is a car person. If you find some one who is a car person who appreciates your car I'd suggest always going back to them. Otherwise a tech who works on your car is usually just some one who worked their way up from oil changes. The large repair chains have a hard time keeping experienced technicians, firestone especially does tons of fleet service. The one by us does nothing but tires and oil changes all day and a few brake jobs. It's great money for the writes but for techs the labor is low and skilled work is few and far between