Firestone parts quote
06-01-2014, 06:02 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Firestone parts quote
I had to mention something that happened to my family yesterday. My wife took her truck in for an alignment to our local Firestone, a place recommended to me by a fellow F150 forum person.
After the alignment, they came back and quoted shocks on all four corners, and gave my wife a detailed quote with part numbers.
Out of curiosity, I ran the part numbers through Rockauto, and I was amazed at the markup they wanted to charge for Monroe Sensa track shocks. Now remember that the part numbers were exactly the same...
$109 for a $25 dollar shock, 170 for a 126 strut and spring combo...and when I remember that these are the *retail* prices from Rockauto, the markup is even greater. What am I supposed to do with this? They also tried to sell her a serpentine belt that costs $17 dollars for $70 bucks parts cost. Just ridiculous.
Heads-up folks....I am willing to pay for labor, an honest amount for the skill of the craftsman, I am even willing to pay a percentage markup on parts to support my local shop, but 300 per cent? I am disappointed. And I will be doing the work myself.
After the alignment, they came back and quoted shocks on all four corners, and gave my wife a detailed quote with part numbers.
Out of curiosity, I ran the part numbers through Rockauto, and I was amazed at the markup they wanted to charge for Monroe Sensa track shocks. Now remember that the part numbers were exactly the same...
$109 for a $25 dollar shock, 170 for a 126 strut and spring combo...and when I remember that these are the *retail* prices from Rockauto, the markup is even greater. What am I supposed to do with this? They also tried to sell her a serpentine belt that costs $17 dollars for $70 bucks parts cost. Just ridiculous.
Heads-up folks....I am willing to pay for labor, an honest amount for the skill of the craftsman, I am even willing to pay a percentage markup on parts to support my local shop, but 300 per cent? I am disappointed. And I will be doing the work myself.
06-01-2014, 08:13 PM
#2
Not unusual at all for FireStone.
I went to our local store for an alignment years ago. Not only did they not do my alignment right, I had to sit there and listen them attempt to rape people for 2hrs.
It was disgusting. People come in for a flat tire repair and then next thing you know they're selling them $1500 worth of parts on a newly acquired credit card.
I went to our local store for an alignment years ago. Not only did they not do my alignment right, I had to sit there and listen them attempt to rape people for 2hrs.
It was disgusting. People come in for a flat tire repair and then next thing you know they're selling them $1500 worth of parts on a newly acquired credit card.
06-01-2014, 09:01 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I wanted to mention that I didn't blame the person who recommended the place; I appreciated the referral... But wow.
What I didn't mention is she set an appointment at 11, and was there for 2 hours waiting for an alignment (which was free because she had it done there less than a month ago, and it was out already) and a tire balance ...all due to vibration issues...
Pretty remarkable. Who the hell can you trust to do a good job anymore?
What I didn't mention is she set an appointment at 11, and was there for 2 hours waiting for an alignment (which was free because she had it done there less than a month ago, and it was out already) and a tire balance ...all due to vibration issues...
Pretty remarkable. Who the hell can you trust to do a good job anymore?
06-02-2014, 05:07 AM
#4
Their are good ones and bad ones for sure. I had one firestone tell me that my transmission cooler lines were leaking. I said what show me. I went out there and yes they were wet, with engine oil. I asked him how the transmission could be leaking engine oil
Their is a good one I go to with real honest guys. They will price match just so you know. I have had them do it on a few items. They will match the price for parts and labor. But this is the good one, the bad one told me no...
Their is a good one I go to with real honest guys. They will price match just so you know. I have had them do it on a few items. They will match the price for parts and labor. But this is the good one, the bad one told me no...
06-02-2014, 09:56 AM
#5
Senior Member
I've had good and bad experiences with Firestone. We found one that we considered "good" and generally let them do work on our vehicles. That being said, we still don't just blindly trust them, we have to keep them on their toes to keep them honest, and we make them price match every part that goes on a vehicle.
One bad one couldn't get the work done in the allotted time, so they tried to charge us book hours for a service they didn't do (to the tune of $180) and told me it was "to make sure their guys got paid for their time.". I told him that their tech got paid for his time by the book like every other mechanic and that it wasn't my problem that he couldn't finish it in the allotted time. And I never went back to that particular Firestone.
One bad one couldn't get the work done in the allotted time, so they tried to charge us book hours for a service they didn't do (to the tune of $180) and told me it was "to make sure their guys got paid for their time.". I told him that their tech got paid for his time by the book like every other mechanic and that it wasn't my problem that he couldn't finish it in the allotted time. And I never went back to that particular Firestone.
06-03-2014, 10:52 AM
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Maybe we need to start a "No Bull" service provider listing, naming the best after market providers ranked on honesty, knowledge, work ethic and reliability.
We could set it up by location...I would be willing to travel a ways the get my truck worked on if the service was good...as long as the job was good, I would wait a while for it too...no corners cut, no BULL.
We could set it up by location...I would be willing to travel a ways the get my truck worked on if the service was good...as long as the job was good, I would wait a while for it too...no corners cut, no BULL.
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06-03-2014, 11:45 AM
#8
Senior Member
Shaunt down at Repairs Unlimited (Lewisville, TX - DFW Metroplex) is an honest guy. He charges by the book and does the work by the book the way it says it should be done. He cuts no corners and is honest about whether repairs are needed or not. Everyone else at the shop is useless as a bean pole, but Shaunt is the man. Just don't expect any cut corners or ultra-low prices. If you want good work for a fair price, Shaunt is your man.
If you need service on a vehicle of the asian persuasion, Brandon down at Acute Auto Care (formerly Honda Doctor. Lewisville Tx - DFW Metroplex) is the only mechanic I let touch my Scion XD. Complimentary ride home and pickup when your vehicle is ready if you live in the area, friendly service staff, and competent mechanics abound here. I've followed Brandon through two dealership shops to this shop.
Stay away from:
Five Star Ford (Sam Pack's) in Lewisville. These guys are so shifty they could be the sands of the sahara. They give shady answers to questions, but worse they don't stand behind their work. They had my truck for a month after jacking around my warranty company, and when they finally delivered it, the truck didn't make it out of the parking lot before it died. They refused to repair the broken parts stating that they were not responsible for their failure even though the parts failed while the truck was in their care.
If you need service on a vehicle of the asian persuasion, Brandon down at Acute Auto Care (formerly Honda Doctor. Lewisville Tx - DFW Metroplex) is the only mechanic I let touch my Scion XD. Complimentary ride home and pickup when your vehicle is ready if you live in the area, friendly service staff, and competent mechanics abound here. I've followed Brandon through two dealership shops to this shop.
Stay away from:
Five Star Ford (Sam Pack's) in Lewisville. These guys are so shifty they could be the sands of the sahara. They give shady answers to questions, but worse they don't stand behind their work. They had my truck for a month after jacking around my warranty company, and when they finally delivered it, the truck didn't make it out of the parking lot before it died. They refused to repair the broken parts stating that they were not responsible for their failure even though the parts failed while the truck was in their care.
06-03-2014, 12:26 PM
#9
If anyone is in the Virginia Beach / Hampton Roads area, a good place to go to is D&H Auto. All I needed was my refrigerant evacuated. Beach Ford out on VA Beach BLVD wanted somewhere in the range of $120 for it. These guys did it on their lunch break for $20 and were awesome to just talk to (and there's a parrot just chilling in the lobby... that's just cool).