- Report: #1118017
Complaint Review: Firestone complete auto care - phoenix Arizona
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Firestone complete auto care
731 e union hills dr phoenix, az 85024 phoenix, 85024 Arizona, USA
Phone:
6029923949
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Firestone complete auto care Firestone put a bad part in my car!!!!!!! I HAD TO REPLACE MY WHOLE ENGINE! phoenix Arizona
On January 1st 2014 My car overheated on my way to work, I searched on my phone for the closest repair shop and that was Firestone complete auto care on union hills. I brought my car in at 11:12am they told me they would not be able to look at my vehicle till the next day January 2nd. On January 2nd a gentlemen called me from firestone and told me that they looked at my vehicle and did a block test, Everything came back perfect but they did notice that my cooling housing was cracked and that’s why my vehicle was overheating. He told me I needed to replace the whole cooling housing, radiator cap and both thermostats he quoted me at $540.58 I told him do whatever it takes to make my vehicle not over heat again. I picked up my vehicle at 5:31pm on January 2nd everything seemed perfect. I drove home which is not even a couple miles up the street .
The next few days I was off of work so I did little to no driving. Then on the 6th of January I was exiting the highway and noticed my vehicle was starting to overheat!!!! I immediately pulled over and shut off my car, I then called Firestone and told them my car overheated what the heck? The gentlemen on the phone tells me “oh it must be your head gasket then” I then told him I would bring it in first thing in the morning because I was very close to home. I allowed my vehicle to cool for atleast 20 mins with the hood open before I drove home. I dropped my vehicle off on the 7th of January, Firestone called me back later that afternoon and told me they did another block test and it failed so they said it was my head gasket. I go to pick up my vehicle and the gentlemen quoted me 1600.00 to fix the head gasket. I told him I needed to talk it over with my other half, so I drove home which was a couple miles from the shop. I call firestone later that day to try to schedule a day to drop off my car to get it repaired the gentlemen on the phone then tells me well our tech doesn’t feel comfortable doing the repair! Which upset me because he was comfortable enough to touch my vehicle in the first place? So I finally found a repair shop qualified enough to look at my vehicle, I had my vehicle towed there because it was pretty far from my house. It was dropped off on the 10th of January. They called me later on that day to update me on my vehicle, They said my head gasket was bad and that they wanted to continue to look feather into my engine.
They finally call me back on the 13th of January and tell me that my head cylinder was cracked as well and that they noticed my cooling housing was leaking! I immediately went down to the shop to look at my vehicle, sure enough the cooling housing was leaking which is funny because that’s what I paid firestone to repair! I asked the mechanic if I could take the part for proof that firestone put a bad part in my vehicle. He of course let me take the part, I called several other mechanics to get an insight as to why my head gasket blew and after speaking with several different people and doing research on how the cooling housing effects my engine I found that since they improperly replaced my cooling housing that caused my vehicle to overheat. My vehicle tested perfectly fine before firestone did the repair! (INCLUDING MY HEAD GASKET). If firestone would have tested the part before putting it in my vehicle my car would have not overheated again, head gaskets don’t just go back there is a root cause. I called the service manager at firestone on the 13th of January and explained to him what I found out, He offered to refund me for the $540.58 I told him that was fine which just goes to show that this company was in wrong and broke my vehicle! I posted my complaint on pissedconsumers.com on January 14th and a gentleman by the name of tom from firestone corporate asked if I could contact him in re guards to this matter. I told him this whole store he told me he was going to address this with his regional management. Then he said he was trying to locate my invoice number I sent that to him again on the 16th of January. He emails me back on January 17th with a case number 2049751 and said someone would contact me within 24 to 48 hours. On the 19th the service manager chuck from frirestone calls me and I explain the whole thing over again he tells me they want to send out an inspector and had no interest in really assisting me with this matter.
I then called the repair shop where my vehicle is, I told them that firestone wanted to send someone out they said that was fine but my engine is completely in piece because they are repairing my vehicle. I then email tom tell him that I have no interest in speaking with the service manager and that I would like someone from corporate to contact me because my vehicle is going to be finished this weekend. Tom emailed me back on the 20th telling me that an inspector has to come out to look at my vehicle(which is fine!) and that the mechanic should document his findings which is fine that’s what an invoice is for. I TOLD THIS PEOPLE SERVEAL TIMES I HAVE TO PART which I can bring back to the mechanic. It is now the 23rd of January and no one has contacted me or attempted to I am becoming very upset in re guards to this issue and would it resolved. I have had a rental car for over a week which is costing me $600.00 out of pocket! And they total repair for my engine if 3,200-3,800.00 I pick up my vehicle on the 25th of January! I am asking that firestone pays for the repair to my engine + the $540.58 they charged me on the 2nd of January + My rental car and towing. I have all of my receipts, Invoices, Call records and copies of the emails from tom at firestone corporate. I would like to be contacted as soon as possible before I seek legal assistance.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
krystelle lucas
phoenix,Arizona,
To answer your questions
#2Author of original report
Fri, January 24, 2014
Yes I searched my phone for the closet repair shop and it was New Year's Day so no one else was open. so they were my only option and when I brought my vehicle in they told me they were going to test my head gasket and everything else in my vehicle I have the paperwork firestone provided me which shows they tested my head gasket and it came back perfect. On the 2nd the root cause of my vehicle overheating was the fact that my cooling housing was cracked. so I told them to replace it. they replaced the whole housing it shows on my invoice that they provided me.
on the 6 th my car overheated again I brought it back to them on the 7 th and then they tell me it's my head gasket which is funny because my head gasket was perfectly fine before they repaired my vehicle on the 2nd ! Then when I took it to another shop sun devil auto I told them about the repairs I got at Firestone. after sun devil looked over my vehicle they noticed that the cooling housing was leaking where it connects to the head cyclinder the guy from sun devil called me and told me to come down and look at it because I couldnt believe that it was leaking since I just got it repaired I was pissed! I'm not an idiot if they would have properly repaired my vehicle I would not be in the situation I am in. I had no choice but to take my vehicle to another repair shop as soon as possible I am a single mother with a full time job I can not afford to be with out a vehicle, I didn't have time to get quotes and tow my vehicle to a ton of other repair shops so they could look at it. I have done my research and my father has worked on cars for years I no how a cooling system works. Nothing else was wrong with my vehicle to make it over heat, first my car over heated because my cooling system was cracked they supposedly fix it, since they put a bad cooling housing in my vehicle that's what caused my vehicle to overheat once more. sun devil auto is replacing the head gasket the cooling housing and rebuilding my head cylinder basically replacing the whole engine. I even spoke with my warranty company that I have for my vehicle explained my situation and they advised me to file a claim with Firestone. I have all my invoices, receipts,voicemails,emails and I'll get statements from everyone who is repairing my vehicle. and I will speak with my lawyer if this does not get resolved. I will have to pay for my vehicle on the 25 th because I have no choice, but I will expect firestone to pay me back for the damage they caused to my vehicle.
BSRO Social
Bloomingdale,Illinois,
corporate response
#3UPDATE Employee
Fri, January 24, 2014
Hi Krystelle,
My name is Tom and I am with the Firestone Complete Auto Care Corporate Offices. I have read through your review and beleive I can assist you further. Per our previous conversation, a claims advisor was assigned and an inspector will be sent to determine if our service was the cause of failure. If it found we are liable, all of your related expenses will be covered by us to help make things right. That being said, I have located your claims advisor and will be emailing you shortly with the contact information. I will also follow-up with the claims department so that you are contacted today (1/24/14).
Robert
Irvine,California,
A few comments...
#4Consumer Comment
Fri, January 24, 2014
This entire report is a bit odd.
First of all they are just a couple of miles from your home and your car broke down on the way to work. Okay...but then why did you have to search your phone for the closest place? One would think that you would know what repair shops are near where you live.
Now as to your mechanic where you are doing the repair. Of course he let you take the part, it's no "skin off of his back" so to speak. But when you pick up your vehicle on the 25th, tell him that you are going to sue Firestone. Let him know that you want him to be your "star" witness and testify in court that he is certifying based on his experience that Firestone was negligent in putting in the part as it was obviously damaged when they put it in. Oh and when you tell him this, let us know how fast he backtracks on any statements he made.
You also can't count any other mechanic you "called". As they are only getting their possibilities from what you said over the phone, they didn't look at the car.
One other problem with this. What was your originial problem...oh yea a cracked cooling housing. What was the diagnosed problem the second time...oh yea a cracked cooling housing. Perhaps it is a coinsidence that the new part had exactly the same issue, or perhaps there as you say had to be a "root" cause.
So what happens if just by chance, after spending $3,200-$3,800 on the 25th your car has more issues on the 26th..or even early February will this mechanic also all of the sudden become "unqualified" to look at your car?
My vehicle tested perfectly fine before firestone did the repair! (INCLUDING MY HEAD GASKET).
- NO it did not test "perfect" before they did the repair. After all if it was perfect why were you there and replacing the entire cooling system?
If firestone would have tested the part before putting it in my vehicle my car would have not overheated again
- And just how many years experience repairing cars do you have that qualifies you to make that determination? How how did you want them to test it? Just how long did you want them to test it for. After all you were able to drive home, drive "minimally" for several days and then drive to work. You then drove it home and back to Firestone. But when it did overheat and you knew your previous issue was a crack one would think that you would have looked at your coolent level, after all you had the hood up..right? So was there coolant in it? How about when you got home?
On the 19th the service manager chuck from frirestone calls me and I explain the whole thing over again he tells me they want to send out an inspector and had no interest in really assisting me with this matter.
- And again..just what crystal ball did you use to determine this? It is actually pretty standard that when a claim of damage is made..that the company is just not going to take YOUR word for it. They are going to want to look at it themselves. Which according to you..they did send out an inspector.
And they total repair for my engine if 3,200-3,800.00 I pick up my vehicle on the 25th of January! I am asking that firestone pays for the repair to my engine + the $540.58 they charged me on the 2nd of January + My rental car and towing
- This is probably your biggest issue. If it is just your head gasket you are going to have a hard time justifying the $3,200+ cost. Hopefully you got a couple estimates. As that is approaching the cost of an entire engine replacement. A head gasket takes only about a day in labor and while you didn't give your make or model of car an average would have been around the $1200-$2000 range. This mechanic is not only charging you $3,200+(which by the way if they are working on it why don't you have a FIRM written estimate). They are taking over a week to do it. Which again goes back to the question..what happens if when you get the car back something else goes wrong?
Look, I am not saying that they were not negiligent, but I am also not saying that they were. And you are going to have a tough time proving it.
