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It has been really frustrating this month. I haven't gotten any work done on my '52, probably since June. One thing that has set me back is the service I have, or haven't, received from Firestone Complete Auto Care. I've had to go there 4 or 5 times, because my tires would not hold air. The first time they sent me off with 40yr old valve stems, and still charged me for new ones!!! So, I took my wheels and tires back off and had them install new stems.


Once home, I throw the wheels back on. I go out in another 30 minutes and two of my tires are flat. Took those back yesterday and was told the lips of my rims were pitted! Why wasn't I notified of this to begin with?!?!? This is the WORST service I have ever encountered! They are very luck my car wasn't in any shape to go driving down the road at highway speeds. I have a behemoth of a car, with no seat belts, and I am a new driver in a city of over a million people. They sent me out the door with tires that had no chance of holding air, and said, "have a nice day". RIDICULOUS. DISGUSTING. And I am going to the top to let it be known of, the crooked, reckless behavior that Firestone is permitting.

Thank you for letting me vent,

-Garrett

That's too bad and I know it's frustrating.

We don't have many Firestone stores locally -- 3 or 4, I think for a metro area of 600K and, IMO that's too many.

Even if there was one a block away with free everything, I wouldn't darken a Firestone doorway. Being involved with self destructing tires in the 70's, barely missing out on another mess in the late 80's or early 90's and having a guy I worked with quite involved with the Ford/Firestone fiasco around 2000, it kind of makes one gunshy about anything Firestone -- even if they are owned by Bridgestone.

Kind of makes me glad I don't like them because it sounds like the labor isn't any better than the tires.

Yeah, I will never step foot in another Firestone again. I wish I had went with Discount Tire/ Americas Tire. I used to have a friend who worked there, job was done well and fast. Firestone took forever, and never got it right. You live, you learn. Fortunately I am alive to learn.

-Garrett

I've been an ASE Master Tech for years and none of those places would never give me a job. The ideal automotive service worker today is someone who wants just enough money to buy drugs. I think the only reason they do drug testing is to eliminate the people who don't use drugs. Conditions are better overseas than in the USA. Today's youth won't put up with that crap and I don't blame them. When I take my ASE recerts the average age is about 60. In ten years the whole country is going to stop running.

Anyway, call Coker tire and buy some tubes. Have your tires dismounted and clean and paint the rims then have them reassembled.

Keep in mind as well that Firestone had no business telling you they could do the work. The guy who does tires at a place like Firestone gets paid 1/10 hour per tire to drive the car into the shop, put it on the lift, remove, dismount, change valve stems, mount, balance, install, and take the car back out. He gets paid six minutes whether it's a little Nissan with sensible hubcaps and stamped wheels or some monster truck with stupid swamp tires. A generous shop pays 2/10s. He also does not get paid to look for the lug nut adapter, nor does he get paid to clean surfaces. In fact he get's paid @#$%. If they treated the factory worker the way they treat the technician this whole country would go up in flames. And good riddance.

Perhaps the most absurd aspect of those shops and dealers is that the more cigarettes you smoke the more you get paid. They have salaried people who don't have to know anything except how to smoke cigarettes. And I'm not kidding.

I bought tubes for my 1935 Diamond T from Coker. They came in sealed plastic bags. After I got the truck restored I took the tubes out of the dark indoor storage area, opened the sealed bags, and went to install them in the new tires. One tube literally fell apart as I unfolded it. The others were OK.

Naturally I called Coker and first asked them if their tubes have a shelf life. He said no. Then I told him what the problem was, expecting an apology, an 'it never ever happens', and an offer to replace the bad one. Instead I got a lecture on how it must be my fault because I stored them wrong, or I abused them, or I was lying. He never even asked me to send him the bad tube so he could check it out. This is how Coker backs up their faulty products, assume the customer must have done something to cause the problem.

I went to the wheel mounting shop where they worked on trucks and ordered a tube. It came a day later, it was flexible and held air, and it was cheaper than Coker. I will never use Coker again.

I wonder if others had a similar experience.

Yes, I had a bad experience with Coker standing behind their guarantee. They finally did when I posted my disgust on the AACA forum. I wouldn't use Coker again.

Actually after I wrote that I thought - "Who needs Coker? You can buy tubes anywhere they sell tires."

I will definitely clean and paint the rims myself. The guy working at Firestone was talking to me like I had no idea what to do because I appear so young. I had to explain to one of his tech's why sandblasting alone wouldn't remedy my pitting problem. If I can't get the lips of the rims trued-up, I will look into using tubes. Money is tight, so I've been doing side jobs like painting rooms, oil changes, selling spare parts, etc.

After I get my tires to hold air, I'm taking my tranny and drive shaft out. That way I can assess what needs to be replaced or resurfaced for the clutch. Hopefully then, I will be able to drive my car around the neighborhood and eventually, to the drive-in down the way. It will take awhile though, to save up the money to do that, but it allows me to go through everything one step at a time. No hurry to get done now. I'll keep ya'll updated, and try to get some photos.

Hope everyone is stayin' cool,

-Garrett

Quote:



Just don't get 'em from Firestone.

Fred,

Interesting story, and thanks for sharing your experience. No excuse for a customer to be treated like that.

I have Diamondback tubless radials on my '37 Six and '55 Clipper(Hankook and Dayton made, respectively). They have been great tires, and I would recommend them without reservation.

I also have a set of Coker Excelsior tube-type radials on my '30 Ford Roadster. They are blackwalls and have the high profile look of the old style tires. They are 7.50x16 on the rears and 6.00x16 on the fronts. The back tires are tall. They come in a variety of sizes. They are USA made. The molds are not repoped Firestone, Goodrich, Goodyear, or whatever; they are their own design. The previous owner, who bought and installed the them had no complaints about the quality of the tires and tubes, but did say they were expensive.

This tire may be something folks on this site might find of interest - keeping in mind your recent experience.

(o[]o)

Edit: Attached photo.

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