We originally took our 2004 Saturn Ion to Firestone for a tire replacement because Firestone tires were on the car when we bought it. I called them because the car was making a ringing noise that sounded like it was coming from the front wheels. The technician on the phone acted like I should bring the car immediately because the sound "didn't sound good."
After three hours, they diagnosed the problem as two things: the brakes were 95% gone and the "front right bearing" was ?loose.? I let them fix the brakes but called Saturn about the bearing. Saturn said that if the bearing was actually in need of repair it would be covered under the warranty. The technician at Firestone, though, made it sound like the supposedly loose bearing was urgent and asked me how much highway driving I did because "I don't want you out there on the highway at high speeds with a loose bearing."
Well... The bearing is fine. According to Saturn it is worn but not "loose" and is certainly not a safety issue. I asked the Saturn tech if this was something that could need to be replaced in a few months and he said he's only seen a few of these EVER need to be replaced on the Ions.
When I called Firestone to complain, Chris, one of the managers, offered to "visually inspect" the bearing himself. But there's nothing to ?visually inspect? since this problem is only diagnosed by the sound it makes and the handling of the car.
Long story short- Firestone tried to take me for about $300! The technician who tried to SCARE me into an unnecessary $300 repair was ?nice? but was lying through his teeth! I also paid them about $30 more for the brake job they did than what the dealership would have charged. They do have a price match guarantee so I'll be going back to get my money but that's the last time I will step foot in a Firestone!
P.S. The one in Braintree tried to sell me $400 worth of tires I didn't need when I had about 20,000 miles left on the ones on the car.
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