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Firestone messed up

2K views 34 replies 18 participants last post by  MilwaukeeZJ 
#1 ·
So I brought my ZJ to Firestone for a diagnostic and a brake check. After three hours of waiting aimlessly, They finish and give me my keys less that 2 min later I get on the highway to go home my hood flys up cracks my windshield. Almost get nailed by an 18 wheeler trying to get on the shoulder. Manage to pull my hood down tie it down with a bungie and drive it back to the firestone. They had the nerve to tell me it was not their mechanics fault my hood was not properly latched. ARE YOU KIDDING ME WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!! Is it just me?
 
#3 ·
I had their mechanic by the throat and dragged him to look at my jeep How the **** is he gonna tell me it aint his fault when he worked on my car and shut my hood 5 min before i left and handed me my keys seriously own up to ur mistakes and fix my car
 
#21 ·
One time after checking my oil while filling up with gas, I shut the hood... but didn't shut it hard enough for the primary latch. It was just held by the secondary. It flew open going down the highway. Fortunately it didn't break my windshield or cause a wreck, but it ruined the hood. So, it definitely can happen.



Haha, that was my first thought.
 
#5 ·
If they opened your hood at all they are responsible for closing it properly providing that there was no visible defect to your mechanism. After all, it was latched when you brought it in. Since they're already in denial, forget the little guys in the shop. Go straight to corporate with your complaint. Take pics!

Firestone does not want another "incident" on their plate. They'll pony up.
 
#6 ·
That sucks man. I woulda drove thru the front window and said I couldnt see cause the hood flew open.
 
#7 ·
I like this idea.

And yes, as for the liability, they are indeed liable for it. I work for goodyear, and at our auto service centers, anyone who does anything to a vehicle is responsible for it.as a company, if you improperly torque a wheel and warp the rotor, or it comes off, the company is liable. Same with hood latches, fluid caps and dipsticks, etc.
 
#8 ·
I've had nothing but problems with mechanics (see my blog). If you can do it yourself, do it yourself. If you have to bring it to a mechanic, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO WATCH EVERYTHING THEY DO. Its your car, if they refuse to let you watch them working from a safe area, take it somewhere else. I'm never letting anyone touch my car ever again without my supervision.
 
#27 ·
Actually you do not have the right to watch for insurance reasons and OSHA regs,the safe area is always out of site in most cases.You do have the right to see/take parts replaced unless there for warranty or a core then you can see them but not take them.
 
#10 ·
best thing you can do when you take it somewhere like that is to visually inspect it before you even get in it. most of the big name places like that fill out a vehicle condition report before doing any work, and if its not noted in the report, and you notice it after the work has been done. they are obligated to fix it
 
#11 ·
Normally I ma good about keeping up on checking afterward but i was running late for meeting a new tenant for one of my company's apartments i just didnt think to do it. My mind was on **** i need to be there in 20 min. Sadly never made it there
 
#15 ·
I like this response

Even with the hood not on all the way its still latched in place i dont see how that happend. but it sucks nonetheless
I agree with this. Though it is still possible what happened. I wonder why it still flew up. there are 2 latches that failed. the first being the initial "pop" to get the hood open or raised, and the secondary release that you manually trigger to open the hood. Are you saying that Firestone broke or disabled both of these?
 
#13 ·
freakinheep89 said:
Thats what you get for going to firestone. I wont even let them put tires on my vehicles, horribly run place.
I got a flat and it was warrantied and I took off the tire, had them fix it, and installed the tire myself. Will never go to firestone again, and don't get me started on Americas tire co. Had one experience at Goodyear and was extremely happy. Oh and I had firestone do a tire rotation or something, and they mention under my hood. Why are you under my hood in the first place, Crooks!
 
#16 ·
Yeah i work for goodyear, and they have a certain protocol for services. If its just for tires, we cant open the hood. Every premium oil change comes with a tire rotation if applicable, and the condition report must be filled out before its even moved, so if its not noted in the report, and you find something wrong, its on us.
Even with the hood not on all the way its still latched in place i dont see how that happend. but it sucks nonetheless
The flimsy little secondary hook on the hood latch is only held in place by one small bolt and a spring. 70mph of wind rushing under the hood will make short work of it.
 
#18 ·
The secondary latch will still hold it shut though, I drove for a while with only the secondary engaged with no issues. You will probably have to show that the latch was free and clear of defects before hand. Can you prove you never opened it after you took possession of the vehicle?

You're going to have to prove they did work under the hood, so it will need to be on the invoice you have. And you now need to make sure they don't decide to come back at you with an assault complaint. Although I'm sure you never even laid a finger on a mechanic.
 
#20 ·
Yea they do a complementary service check when they do a brake check and it happened two min after i left the shop I turned around and went right back. They called me today and said thy would pay for oit as long as media or insurance wasnt involved they are will ing to pay cash for it so it doesnt tarnish their service record. As for the mechanic the manager assured me he will be dealt with for his negligence. As for the threat prob not the best way to go about it. But in my mind what if my kid was in the car or my little brother who just got his liscense was driving it when it happend. I was more pissed that someone could have gotten seriously hurt more than the damage to my car
 
#22 ·
Our hood latches suck. They get gummy easy. At which point the release handle stays partially pulled when you release it. Then you shut the hood but the inside handle is just barely at the point of latching. Then you hit some bumps and it releases itself.

That's howcome you left the shop and the hood appeared shut. Lube the latch up. It's not entirely the shops fault. Your latch needs lubed, cleaned, or replaced. The release cable may also be screwed up.

If the mechanics are too dumb to spot an open hood then you're right there with em. Should've been obvious when you drove off, the hood/fender line is plainly visible from the driver's seat and it woulda been flopping all over as you came up to speed. A half pulled, stuck release handle is a lot harder to spot.

You should feel like a jerk for threatening people when your own lack of maintenance shares some of the blame. Good luck with the repair.
 
#26 ·
My bad. I was trying to give the OP the benefit of the doubt. The latch being sticky (like so many GCs) is the only alternative to everyone involved being clueless. So I guess we'll go with everyone being clueless and unable to see obvious things 30 inches in front of their eyeballs. Makes total sense that way, and it certainly does not warrant a closer eye on the latch assembly or the position of the release handle. No way this will happen twice, it was that mechanic's fault 100%, agreed. And a driver should never give their vehicle a cursory inspection after service. Ever. If I just paid several Gs for service I'm getting in eyes closed and flooring it. Like Nascar. Good luck with the repair, glad nobody's hurt.

PS my own GC did it a couple times, but always popped as it flexed out on the rough transition to the street from my driveway. Fortunately not the highway. Full of hard grease that was interfering with return. Then after cleaning, the first grease I tried reacted with DOT ice melt and went hard causing the same problem again. Working nicely now, I am not a baby killer like that mechanic.
 
#25 ·
My latch was fine I check it every time I check my fluids which is every two to three weeks Keep everything clean and working. As for not seeing it if you read my earlier post I was in panic mode cuz I was late for somewhere i needed to be for work. Whe you r in that mode do u honestly focus on ur hood lining up or getting somewhere so u dont get fired
 
#29 ·
There is a small shop that I go to that allows me to stand right next to the mechanic while he works on my jeep. He answers any questions I have and helps me try to learn a little bit while I'm there. I've been there quite a bit, so I'm pretty much friends with them now, but I do occasionally see other customers in the garage. It really gives me peace of mind to watch what they are doing, and to truly know how long it takes. Because they allow me to do this, I fully trust them with me vehicle.
There was a time when one of the guys working offered me his truck to go to work because they were running a little behind and I had to get to work.
 
#30 ·
This is the best way to get work done. Find a place you can trust and build a relationship with them. It works out for everyone since you get work done that you can trust, sometimes breaks on $$ or little extras done at no charge and the shop gets more business through your word of mouth. I have probably given out 20+ business cards for the shop I go to.

I started going to my mechanic when he was operating out of half a two car garage with almost no room to walk around the vehicle he was working on. Now he has a nice big shop and I have to book a week in advance to see him.
 
#31 ·
speedbucket said:
last thing you want to hear "Hi, I'm with OSHA, and I'm here to help." @#$# them. they are no better than their ultimate boss (us gov). Taking money from people that work to give it to people that don't. I abide by their rules (building 25-40 houses a year) and they wrote us up bc the footpump for the water at the sink in a port-a-crapper was broken. thats all they could find. AARARRRGHG:brickwall
I do commercial construction, and OSHA wrote us up a few weeks ago for having a cooler with bottled water and ice. It was a violation because the ice can be contaminated and beads of water can run from the bottle into your mouth if you hold it upside down. They just WANT to find something wrong, and if they can't find anything, they'll MAKE something wrong.
 
#32 ·
Well was just contacted by the regional manager for Firestone they have agreed to cover all of my damages. Sadly after some conversation they will not cover the cost of a rental car while the ZJ is being repaired but I guess you can win them all.
 
#35 ·
it's situations like this that make me wonder what it really feels like to take your car to a mechanic. my dad's a mechanic and has pretty much taught me everything i know to the point where he can leave me alone in the garage with a freightliner, a bmw, and a toyota, and know that everything will get done while he takes care of paperwork. it sucks to hear about your misfortune man, but glad to hear you got it worked out
 
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