Complaint Review: Firestone Complete Auto Care - Van Nuys California

david--based on your last post here--i will admit--i have also done this--mostly for the fact most cars get regular oil and it is rare to do synthetic oil changes--so i can see the point of watching--however--my point is this--it depends on how you go about it--if you come out there--and talk to they guy and initaiate friendly conversation------even i have no problem with this--and based on my previous posts-you should know i am the biggest a*****e and i hate people for many reasons--and if i find this to be ok then maybe all those should listen to this carefully--but if you come out and initaitae conversation-and your there--and most importantly-have an understanding that no one is perfect--then it is all good--you are not watching me but just chillin with me---now my problem is the people who stand there with there arms folded 5-10ft from you and just stare at you--it seems to me people expect perfection but yet cannot do it themselves--just as example-but say i am opening your air filter box in front of you while your there--and one of the clips holding it close breaks(this happens)--and your there watching--you will know i didn't purposely screw it up and s**t happens--and i will do what i can to fix it(even if it wasn't my fault)--but again--it comes down to how you are behaving--if your a typical person-who stands there with your arms folded and makes no mistakes and had seen this--i am an idiot who doesn't know s**t and you are perfect(and this seems to be the majority)--if your chillin out there and seen this and understand--it is whatever-s**t happens-i understand--but again--most people i feel lack understanding towards one another--this is why i prefer to have people away from me--there is not many that understand and again expect perfection --once again--it depends on how you approach the technician--my experience-95% of people are jerk offs

All is true what you say

Here is an update to another incident at the same store. 

Went for oil change but this time was waiting in customer service area.  Got bored and went outside and saw my car up on rack getting oil change.  I walk over to watch for a couple of minutes and the tech is filling my car with oil coming from the pull down oil line.  I ask him if they now deliver full synthetic through this line as I thought that was only for regular oil.  He says oh s**t and starts apologizing.  He had put regular oil in my car when I paying for full synthetic.  I would of gotten my car back with regular oil if I wasn't watching.  He kept apologizing profusely.

This was a simple mistake of the mechanic not paying attention to the paperwork but I bet it happens more then we know.

He corrected it and put full synthetic but I'm getting tired of having to watch the techs to make sure they are doing their job correctly.

david--you seem to be a good customer--although i see all points of view--i do have mine--and i made mine clear--in any case--you probably initiated frindly conversation and asked your mechanic what you need--most will be honest--the people i get--are if they do come out and ask me what is up--i tell them straight up--then after they talk to me they talk to the manger and the manger tries to sell them things they don't need--then mr customer says oh but bill said i didn't need it which gets me in trouble--god forbid i should also tell a customer the truth about the inside stuff on there auto repair(i have been fired for this)--i had a ford escape and the transmission shift would not go out of work and the stick just plopped over(it was disconnected/ the cable broke)--this car for this simple problem was in the shop for 2 days--this may seem like a long complicated story so i apologize--at very first-the manger had the other tech look at it(i had nothing to do with it at first)--after the other tech looked at it he asked me what i though--i asked what is wrong--he said the cdar doesn't come out of park--from experience i said try the brake light switch--the next day i come in--he wants me to put in a brake light switch--so first--the new switch they gave me was the wrong part(dealership part 2)--so i had to go back this time bringing the new switch wth a # on it--so i get the 2nd switch and this one did not fit either(plunger to long)--this took a day gpoin back and forth(not to mention the other vehicles a had to play with)--so i wanted to get this car out of the bay--the way to move it was by playing with the latch on the transmission itself-when the car was in reverse to back it out it showed it was in drive-this was weird--so i asked him to put the car in park--when i switched to reverse this is when the stick plopped down and i found it disconnected(it actually needed a new cable from the stick to the trans)--this was discovered only after I looked at it(remember i was not involved sort of)--so by the end of the day the problem was discovered--the next day i had to go get the new cable from ford--guess what--that part was to long and did not fit--i told the manger and he said they want there car today(some mangers just want things out of there face resulting in bigger problems)--so he told me to make it work--so i kind of did--to make it work i had to disconnect it from a guide--it worked in the shop so i was like cool--well go figure--the girl goes home--when she leaves her driveway the next time the car would not go in reverse--so i had to go to her house to resolve this--since i knew what was going on--i wiggled the cable a little and it worked--i told her exactly what happened that we had problems getting the riught parts which is also why it took so long and i knew she needed the vehicle so i tried to make it work--so i apologized--she was ok towards me(i do jnot know if she said something different to the manger)--in any case when i got back--the manger asked me what happened-i told him i told her the truth about the parts not fitting--what else was i gonna say?--am i suppuse to bs for this manger?-that is the managers job to bs people not mine!--so after i told him i told them the truth he said to me like i was an idiot "you told them that?"--i said yea-what did you want me to say?--so the next day as soon as i walk in the door he just says bill you're fired and that was it---well--i guess the point to all this---based on the original post and my view--try talking to your mechanic--do not just stare at him with your arms folded 10 ft from him/her--and if you ask his opinion--do not use it as an excuse to not buy something cause your to weak to simply say no to a sales person--why would you say but bill said i didn't need it?--when you say  but bill said i don't need it--i get in trouble for being honest--most places you cannot be an honest mechanic--moast likely i am leaving this field for issues like this--it is unfortanate cause i enjoy doing it--but hey--i can always work my own

Bill, obviously my deligence found that someone was trying to screw me over.  Now not all mechanics try to take advantage of you but it is a well known fact that it is happening.  You just have to look at past reports of the oil lube industry and a owner of 22 Midas stores in California was barred from owning any new car repair type stores for 2nd infraction for overcharging customers when not performing work or work was not necessary.  Unfortunately, you work in an industry that has been subject to very bad practices and I fortunately caught it occurring.  Now I trust my Firestone but only when one very specific tech works on my car as he told me once I didn't need the work done even though the store manager was trying to sell me on it.  Only he can work on my car otherwise I go somewhere else.

I'm sorry you have so many problems and are so paranoid.  I hope you can work your personal issues out.

first off--you did not answer my question--how would you like to be wathced like this??--imagine you are just walking down the street-doing your daily walk/routine--and someone the whole way you do not know is just walking next to you and staring at you???--it is the same concept--would you like this???--i am doing my daily thing such as working on cars and i do not want people staring at me---do you have any understanding of other people's feelings??---yes it is true that people have a right to watch and stalk cause it is there property---but--if your are upsetting others why would you exercise that right??---to stisfy your own self for whatever stupid reason you have cause you think everyone is out to get you---second off--i am an honest and diligent person--and i just don't like people staring at me when i am working--period--that is just how i feel--but that is hard for you to undertsand cause you are the only one in this world and everyone is meant to serve you and inspct your property--and you can stare at everyone and everyone likes it cause in your world this is true--but not in mine!!!!---second off--i have been fired---but cause i was honest to a customer(this is not good when working for other people in an auto shop-still do not understand why)--who came and talked to me--not someone who stared at me(with there arms folded) for all this time--and then asked me something about his property--most of these people do not come up to you and try to initiate a friendly conversation--they just stare--then ask you about there car--my problem is i hate people--and for my reasons--at least i know my problem---maybe it is time you realize yours--again--there is others ways to avoid being ripped off--not stalking

If you are diligent and honest then, you wouldn't care less if people are watching.  they have the right to watch you when you are working on their property.

It's not the point whether the OP can perform the 27 point inspection, the point is the garage was supposed to do it.  I take my car in to a mechanic because I don't want to work on it.

You have some serious issues there Bill and I can understand why you were fired.  My dealership has a window into the garage and chairs in front of it so people waiting can view their car being serviced.  How would you like working there?

as a mechanic--you are what i call a stalker--i hate people like you---i am pretty sure you don't ALWAYS watch people from across the street---but you stare through a window at them----how the f would you like it at your job working on someone else's property and have that person watching you like you are going to f it up??--this makes me nervous--when i get nervous-thast is when things get f'd up--apparently you do not have people watching over your shoulder where you work???--on top of this---an auto shop is not a peep show----you do not stare at other guys like in a nudy bar or something and let alone not tip--it is the same concept--other people may not mind--but i do--and some people do not like to be stalked like this ---if you are so paranoid about others touching your car--you should learn to do it yourself---if you are so vigilaint in knowing what you need for your car why would you not request an oil change when you know you need it???--if you know you need an oil change and after it is done why not check it??--if something soesn't feel right-you bring it to someone to check it--if you have a doubt about what they tell you--then investigate-get a second opinion--there is no need to stalk--you may have had some bad experiences in the past--and do what you do for whatever reason---but there is a few honest mechanics out there---so now--you punish everyone with your stalking---i had one of these stalkers today who wanted an oil change--standing in the shop 10 feet from me---i do not like this one bit---so i just changed his oil and that was it--he had a leaky piece of crap vehicle-leaks everywhere----i wasn't going to mention anything cause i just wanted him out of my f'n face--and the quickest way was to just change his oil and thta was it---the reason why i didn't want to mention anything--cause if i did---what if he wanted to do the work he needed--then what--be subjected to his stalking for a couple hours while i fix all these leaks--i do not think so---i am not your friendly happy mechanic--i just want to do my job(that i enjoy doing) and go home--i work on cars for a reason(cause i hate people so much and cannot stand looking at them)--but occasionally i get these stalkers and this is unfortanate----other mechanics may not be as angry as me---but others do not like to be stalked---not only that but it is also an insult to stalk me--that is like saying i am going to screw something up or i am lazy and will not do the work---so there is the other side mr. stalker--there are other people in the world with feelings--as for your complaint about not getting your FREE 27 point inspection--this is a pretty dumb complaint--these inspections are basic and things you would notice yourself--just a visual of the fluids and making sure things are falling off underneath(ie tie rods,control arms,exhaust,brakes exc)--but again---if you are so paranoid and need to be vigilent about what you need for your car--you would know what is wrong with your car and not need a mechanic to say "you need an oil change"---if you go to other shops--and they know your stalking them---you probably get weird looks--the reason is--cause many mechanics do not like this--and you are not liked when you go places--hence--they want you out of there face