Firestone Tire & Service Centers
Ripoff, diagnosed need for new transmission, $2266, car really only needed new sensors, $225

I limped into this Firestone location on 9/21/05 in 2nd gear w / no speedometer. Car (2000 Dodge Intrepid, 52,512 miles) would not shift out of gear.

Of course, I was told by the service tech that for $99.99 (plus tax, of course) they could run the engine diagnostic service to see what the problem was. Otherwise, they had no way of knowing. Having no choice, I agreed.

A couple of hours later, they came to me and told me that I needed a new transmission for $2,266. Needless to say, I turned into a blithering idiot! I'm on an extremely limited income with no credit and no savings. Where, I wondered, in the heck was I going to get that kind of money?!

One thing you need to know, I have Multiple Sclerosis and the stress of receiving this news was not at all what I needed. This kind of stress can conceivably land me in the hospital by triggering an exacerbation.

I told them I could not afford to have the work done and that I would take the car home, limping along, until I could figure out what to do. Once home, I got on the phone with friends and friends of friends.

Long story short, I was told by no less than FOUR different people, none of whom are auto mechanics, that my car didn't need a new transmission, all it needed were new sensors! And this was without any of them having even seen the car or driven it - they diagnosed it by the symptoms alone.

The following afternoon, the car and I limped to a transmission shop recommended highly by a couple of different people.in less than FIVE MINUTES, the mechanic had attached his little diagnostic computer and run his check on the engine and test driven it around the parking lot.

He then told me that he was 99.99% certain that all the car needed were input and output sensors, which would be far less expensive than a whole new transmission. He kept the car overnight so that he could run some electrical tests on it the next day just to confirm that nothing else was going on with it.

I went to pick the car up the next day, gave the mechanic $225.00, and drove the car home. I have to say, the car had never driven that well since I've had it!

Now, I ask you, does it not seem just a little odd that Firestone would tell me my car needed a new transmission when, in fact, it didn't? Did they just see a stupid female walk in the door with a car problem and figure they could rip her off?

And how qualified do you suppose their "Service Advisors" are if four laymen can diagnose such an issue without ever touching the car, while the Firestone techs can do nothing without running expensive diagnostics? Not very qualified, in my book.

Well, they tried to rip me off, but it didn't work!

In fairness to Firestone, I went back there this morning with their paperwork and the receipt from my mechanic. I suggested to them that it seemed to be a lot of money for me to have to pay them for them to mis-diagnose my car. After much hemming and hawing (they were caught!), they did credit me back what I had paid them. I know it stuck in their craw, though, that they had been busted!

WARNING! Warning! Warning! Stay away from this Firestone dealer at all costs for anything other than basic tire needs. (As a matter of fact, right now I wouldn't even trust them for tires.) I know for a fact that there are good Firestone shops out there (my brother has used one in Hamden, CT for years), but, trust me, this is NOT one of them!

Company: Firestone Tire & Service Centers
Country: USA
State: Illinois
City: Aurora
Address: 2888 E. New York Street
Phone: 6308983118

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