Having a problem with my mechanic GRRRR

[Kerouactivist]

Okay on the 7th of August I got to a firestone place because my Brake and Anti-lock lights on the dash come on once the car is in drive for a few feet. They had been coming on every once in awhile previous to this but, would usually go off if I just turned the car off and started it again. Anyway.....
The firestone guys do a brake inspection and run a computer diagnostic on it. They tell me my brake pads are fine but, an electronic brake caliper is messed up and that is why my anti-lock brakes aren't working, the part to fix the car is 844.72 plus $70 labor .....The guys did say though that it was okay to drive it for the meantime.
Well I trust them and go ahead and have them order the part and they said it would take a week or so to get it. 4-5 days pass and I have to leave town for business suddenly, I informed them that I would roughly be gone for two weeks.
On my way to the airport, the battery light comes on, I think ah crap what now.

I find a mechanic, my alternator is bad, so his puts a new one in, and ever since then neither of the brake lights of come on and the Anti-lock brakes are working fine as far as I can tell (I can feel the difference in the pedal). I asked the guy at the shop if that coud have been the problem with my brake lights, he says yeah.

Well, I had to catch a flight but, the next day I give firestone a call, and they get hella pissed AT ME When I tell them the story of what happened and how the problem is fixed, they say it's BS and the brake caliper is still messed up because thats what the computer told them....I tell them I don't want the part any more. They tell me that they will have to charge me for the shipping of the part, not to mention the costs involved in their misdiagnosis of the problem. They tell me their not sure exactly what the charge would be, I tell them I want the money refunded to my card.

I've called everyday for a week, the money has still not been refunded and they keep telling me they are going to have to charge me a fee on the part but, they aren't sure yet how much (WTF).....

First of all I think it is BS they charge me for anything becuase they misadiagnosed the problem
Secondly, WTF are they doing dragging this out and not telling me how much they are going to charge me for the return of the part. All the while none of the money has been refunded, even though they initially said that the money for the part would be refunded.

I'm ticked off, what should I do.......
Call Visa and deny?
Get a lawyer?

Total Cost
Brake inspection
$16.99
On board Computer diagnostics
$70.00
Electronic Brake Caliper
844.72
EBCM Labor
$70

With taxes and everything the charge is $1,066.41.


Sorry for my long rant any advice

 

[RossMAN]

What's wrong, he didn't accept your price match or denied your rebate?

 

[bobkingdc]

I would call your credit card company and remove the charges for the caliper and labor. Also, I would tell the shop that they need to remove those charges. They are probably giving you BS about having to charge you something. They are just trying to get a little money for nothing. They do not have to pay for returning a new part unused.

So far, you got the inspection and the diagnostic, so you pay for that only. If they start giving you trouble, then report them to the BBB, the local Chambor of Comerce, and maybe even the State Attorney General for trying to get you to pay for high priced repairs you did not need.

To back this up, stop off at a place that specializes in brakes and get an inspection of the caliper. If they say nothing is wrong, then you know Firestone is trying to rip you off.

I would be leary of them if their excuse is theat's what is wrong because that is what the computer told them. You can physiaclly check the caliper and test it to make sure it is ok.

 

[Kenny0829]

Call corporate headquarters, and explain this to them, and tell them one of their shops are trying to RIP you OFF

 

[htne]

Item 1: Send a letter to your credit card company denying the charges BEFORE THE TIME LIMIT EXPIRES!!! Do not fool around until the time limit expires, do not attempt to do it on the phone. SEND A LETTER.

Item 2: Inform the Firestone store of what you have done in Item 1 above.

I don't know what make and model of automobile you have here, but you might consider going to the dealership for your make and ask them to check your brakes. They very well might do it for free.

I used to own a 1990 Cadillac, which I bought used, 6 years old, with only 54K miles on it. Very nice car for the money. A couple of years after I bought it, the anti-lock brake light started coming on occassionally. Usually it would reset itself after a while. I took the car in to the Goodyear store (very conveniently located immediately next-door to my work). The manager there told me that it would cost somewhere close to $1,000 to fix the problem, and that he didn't think it was worthwhile on a car that age. You need to find a mechanic like that, and when you do, send him all your business and recommend him to your family, friends and co-workers.

 

[Cheetah8799]

The Firestone guys are there to get money from you, plain and simple. Lots of these chain car shops are in business because they rip off customers. The management tells the stores that they MUST have a specific ticket average, and if they don't they get in trouble. So the bosses at the stores tell the grunts to lie and cheat the customers out of money. My brother used to work at Jiffy Lube, they do it there, and he knows guys at other places that say the do it as well.

I think you should CALL your credit card company and deny the charges as fraud. Unless if you signed some sort of paper agreement with Firestone, you don't owe them jack.

As for this "Electronic Brake Caliper", I'm sure they are expensive. For my Subaru Outback the ABS Sensor alone was at least a few hundred bucks, and that's with a special dealer part discount and everything... I ended up buying my ABS sensors from the junk yard, still $100 each... Firestone probably marked up the price a good 15% or more anyway.

 

[llars]

You got a VW? My car did the exact same thing right before my battery died. Apparently its a way to get you to pull over and shut off the car.

 

[Samus]

I've had previous BS experience with Firestone. Only go there for tires, never repairs of any sort. I had a friend that worked there for a few months, he was the ONLY ASE certified mechanic and was grossly disgusted at how they run things, treat their customers and are generally shady about everything. It's like its in the rulebook for employee's to be assholes to the customers and find things to 'fix' that don't need to be fixed, he says.

I remember paying $280 to fix an axle boot that was ripped. It wasn't ripped and spewing axle greese when I brought it in there, but when I drove home after buying tires, I heard clanking and greese was shooting from the wheelwell. Obviously I never went back there, even though one of the tires was defective and wouldn't balance (they put 10 oz of weight on the rim to offset an extruded (defective) belt in the tire. I could still feel a thump thump thump when I drove at high speed from the tire. I brought the rim in and they fixed the tire free at least.

F$@K firestone, they shoulda gone long outa business after that BS with Ford SUV's. Who cares if Ford put 26lbs in instead of 30lbs, the tread came off the frickin tire. And it happened on more than just Ford Explorers. Subaru Outbacks and Suzuki something or others had the same issues with the same exact tires.

When a company kills hundreds of people and covers it up with money, they should go out of business six times over, wouldn't you agree?

 

[dabuddha]

Don't hesitate. Dispute the charge immediately. I'd even go as far as canceling that card and getting a new number.

 

[Kerouactivist]

Well I talked to them again about 5 minutes ago.

I told them that I was going to dispute the charges, The guy wanted until Saturday to work it out.

WTF is their problem, why do they need any freaking time at all......


I think I'm going to go ahead and call the credit card company....this is getting rediculous

 

[flot]

Don't be a dumbass, they are going to try to pull some nonsense like "well it has been 30 days so we can't do anything about it."

Call your credit card company and ask them how to proceed.

Call firestone corporate and file a complaint.

Do these things before tomorrow.

 

[Kerouactivist]

Thanks guys for all your info and support, I'm going to call my CC and firestone corporate.

Do I need to get my brakes checked out to make sure everything is operating proerly that way I have ground to stand on or is it already bunk because the lites went off and I can tell by feel of the pedal that the brakes are operating properly?

 

[bobkingdc]

If your caliper was screwed up and needed replaced, you would know it. You would be able to hear it when you brake.

It really sounds to me like they were trying to get you to purchase a repair you did not need. I would definitely report them.

Secondly, you should not have to give them anymore time. Maybe stop in in person, and raise your voice with customers there. If it looks like you will drive away business, they will hurry up their refund process.

But definitely file a complaint with corporate, and the Better Business Bureau.

 

[thedealmaker]

Click here to find out how I deal with situation like this. It works every time!

 

[climb4]

Firestone is a RIPOFF!!! Do the charge back and don't even talk to them anymore...unless you go in person and raise cain in front of the other customers. hehehe
I have had two very bad experiences with them tring to get something fixed that did't need fixing. They deserve charge backs...OFTEN! Listen to your Anand friends!!!

 

[mikeford]

This sounds like one of the few problems that I might take to a dealer at least for a check.

$844 is an insane price for an abs sensor, which just detects the wheel turning typically a magnetic proximity thing.

 

[Rumpltzer]

Originally posted by: Samus
I've had previous BS experience with Firestone. Only go there for tires, never repairs of any sort.

That's some good advice. Don't go to Firestone for car repairs! Find a mechanic or go to the dealer if you've got that kind of money.

Shared story: I was driving in my truck one day, and heard clicking coming from my front tire. There's a Firestone right next to me, so I pull into the lot and see what looks like the head of a roofing nail through my treads. I didn't pull it out myself. Instead, I went and found a dude.

The guy comes over with a pair of pliers and an awl. He pulls out the shortest nail I've ever seen in my life (it wouldn't have made it through the treads) and quickly punctures my tire with the awl. I watched him do it. I was so pissed.

Now I get my damn tires at Costco. Fcvk all of them.

 

[imported_elwood]

What kind of vehicle do you drive that requires a $745 brake caliper!!!!!!?! The most expensive caliper i've ever changed was one on a Toyota Corolla. It was $140!

 

[hugobomber]

you could try calling up ur local tv news channels. here in NYC, every network has a "help me howard" or "hall of shame" who help people who are caught in situations like u. They always succeed in getting the persons $$$ back.

 

[Slappy00]

i got jipped by a Midas in Urbana IL, after they finished fixing me (after politely not telling me wht the difference between "recommended" and "required" work was) I got hammered for $600... then my car's oil pump went shortly there after.. man that was a rough time. My advice is find a father-son garage that charges you honestly and is willing to work something out (the trick is to ask them "well what can you do to get my car back on the road?" and see how they respond, honest mechanics will try to ghetto-rig your car out to make it "run" or tell you its impossible or offer alternatives. Jerks will not offer to help you out at all) if repairs are excessive. I was stuck since i was visiting my g/f when i ended up going to midas, never again i tell you. Its gonna be Diesel engines forever 300K + here i come.... Am i ranting? Opps

 

[baloy]

Originally posted by: thedealmaker
Click here to find out how I deal with situation like this. It works every time!

Thanks for that info thedealmaker. Ill put that in my favorites.

 

[isekii]

file a complaint with your CC..

they'll refund your money.
Let Firestone sue you if they want any money.
In the mean time you can tell them to go to hell

 

[McFly]

Originally posted by: isekii
file a complaint with your CC..

they'll refund your money.
Let Firestone sue you if they want any money.
In the mean time you can tell them to go to hell

Yeah, totally. I would take the car to the dealership just to have the caliper sensor inspected, so that way if they try to sue.. you have the dealership's paper work saying they were full of $h1t.

 

[mikeford]

I've owned two cars that educated me on the cost of repairs, first an old Alfa Romeo, which actually was very reasonable to fix, but the closest place with factory parts was a Ferarri dealer where I learned about the 6 month/6k mile absolutly essential $1200 Ferarri service (set the valve lash or pay serious bucks). Second was a Porsche 928, where all the parts and repairs were shocking. I mean you think, hey this is a porsche so its going to be twice as much as my old Ford, and some things were, others though were imported from Mars expensive.

Find a good honest mechanic, ask around until you get a solid reference, and try them out, then stick with them if they do a good job. Keep in mind modern cars have problems that are hard to sort out, but if you find an honest shop (note I am NOT saying cheap) they are going to give good advice and not try to force you into anything. Now I am seriously cheap, so I don't have them do all of my repairs, and they are up front in refering some thngs to other places (exhaust and radiator work).

OTOH I am really itching for another Porsche.

 

[mikeford]

Hot deal .... find a factory mechanic that is willing to work for cash during his off hours. Where this really pays off are on repairs where an experienced mechanic that has done the job many times can do it MUCH faster than a "good" mechanic doing it for the first time (which is the basis of the dealer and most shop labor charges). The other half of the savings come from the parts, either from parts you order from net sources like Jegs, or cheap sources the mechanic knows about. Finding one, and getting on his list of people he is willing to do work for is the hard part.