Firestone Complete Auto Care-Chicago

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/05/19) */
*** *** is an independent dealer and not one of our company storesPlease contact the owner to assist with a resolutionAlso remove the *** store from this complaint since they had nothing to do with it
Thanks
Initial
Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/05/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
No but I will have to because it is independently own but carries the name Firestone/*** *** I will contact the owner for *** *** *** E *** *** *** *** ** XXXXX
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/05/20) */
thanks for the update

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/08/05) */
I spoke with Our Customer and explained our warrantyAfter she understood we agreed on the next step which will be to return to the store to have the tires replaced at agreed pricing

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2014/08/08) */
When Ms*** brought her vehicle in it had around 167,miles on it and there were multiple problems with itThis was far from being in excellent condition with low mileage that she reportsUnfortunately, we are unable to inspect
the original engine since it had been replaced several years ago and is no longer available for inspectionBased on the statements made by Ms*** there appears to have been oil all over the bottom of the engineThis could have been the result of the engine throwing a rod through the block or leakage from any one or many of the gaskets/sensors on the engineThere is no longer any way to confirm what happened to that engine and had she believed it was the store's fault she should have sought a second opinion prior to replacing it
The failure of the replacement engine was due to multiple coolant leaks (hoses) and an improper repair to a leaking thermostat housing that she made herselfHer continued driving with the engine overheating appears to have caused the head gasket to fail as evidenced by the combustion gases emanating from the coolantThis failure was the result of the owner ignoring needed repairs and continuing to drive until the engine failedThe inspector's notes are as follows
Details of inspection and test(s) performed:
A visual inspection revealed the thermostat housing had gray silicone sealant used on the sealing surface and also on the outlet pipe consistent with substandard previous workmanshipThe inspector observed there was an excessive amount of the silicone applied to the exterior of the thermostat housing and it was dark and and distorted suggesting excessive heatThere were excessive amounts of the grey silicone used with the cork thermostat housing gasket, suggesting an improper repairThere was no battery in the vehicle at the onset of this inspectionThe technician hooked up a jumper box to the vehicle's electrical system and added approximately gallon of water to the radiator while the engine was running and verified the engine started and ran; however, it was displacing water from the radiator, consistent with combustion gases entering the cooling system and internal engine problemThe water was leaking to a fast drip state from the thermostat housing area as wellThe inspector observed irregular whining noises were audible that sounded like they were emanating from the power steering pump and could represent a problem with the power steering pump; however, the power steering fluid was low in the reservoir and that could be the problem causing the noise from the pump; however, the inspector was not able to run the vehicle long enough during this inspection to properly test the power steering system or any of the other problems referenced in the instructions above due to the severity of the water leaking from between the thermostat housing and where the gray silicone had been appliedThere was currently a Security L3600A OFoil filter on the adapter that was tight and showed no evidence of impact, swelling or leaks apparentThe leaking thermostat housing needs to be repaired and the internal engine problem corrected before the power steering and other problems can be checked thoroughly
Cause of Failure/Conclusion:
The engine has an internal problem that will require disassembly to pinpoint the root cause and extent of the internal problem; however, the evidence indicated the thermostat housing leak was significant and operation while dangerously low on coolant is suspected to have caused excessive internal engine operating temperatures (overheating) and the internal engine problem now presentIn the absence of additional evidence or other repairs performed, it is suspected the shop who serviced the thermostat added the gray silicone and would be responsible for the leak emanating from the thermostat housing and the internal problemAfter the engine is running then the rest of the problems referenced above can be checked and/or verified
Unfortunately, Ms*** was unable to provide documentation to support her beliefs and the results of the investigation by the independent inspector and the claims department showed no fault by our store so her claim was denied
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2014/08/08) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The store has receipts showing that the engine that was worked on 2/12/was in perfect working order there mechanic's did a poor engine oil changeThe paper supports what I have said there was not one think wrong with my van on the on and yet two days later I had a blown engine there own people have said it was there faultThey do not want to take responsibiliy for an engine that they had serviced from the day I bought it and they continued to be the mechanicOn that Monday there reports shows during there inspection that there was no oil leaks or raditor leaks or any other problems or they would have brought that to my attentionAs that is Tire's Plus policyThe report that shows nothing wrong with my vanYet not miles later were they had put a new oil filter was full of oil*** and I was under that van and she could not explain what could have gone wrong except our mechinics didn't cause thisI also asked why would you not tell me that I was leaking anything by your own inspectionFirestone doesn't want to take respondisbilty for a company they didn't even own at the timeThe inspector who went to the 3rd party inspection also had to the mechanic tire's plus had done all the damage to this van on both engines but they used a welding material against me and thats how there justifing there actionThere manager has all the proof in documents that shows a perfect running van until they did that oil changeThere claim that I had an oil leak is that van which I had never had one issue with never burned a quart of oilSuddenly has coolant problem and oil leakage that they are the cause ofHow can they claim they are not respondsible when you take your vehicle in there they have a inspection from oil to tires to breaks to coolant they check fluids and you give me a slip saying every thing is perfect and then my engine was goneFirestone by there own employee who was my advacate knows all they are saying is all the paperswork she had recieved has proven without a doubt Tires's Plus under the management of *** blow this engine and I have been take to the cleaners by them
Final Business Response /* (4000, 20, 2014/08/28) */
The copies she sent only confirm the denialOn 2/27/she states the car was in excellent condition...the invoice states the engine warning light was on, the abs warning light was on,the l/r tail light was broken and the spare tire had steel showingThis vehicle was far from excellent conditionOur store only performed a courtesy check and was not authorized to do any diagnosticsThe engine was replaced several hundred miles later and was replacedThe replacement engine had a month 6,mile warranty and it failed about years and 3months later when she overheated it and continued to drive it in that conditionThis was determined to be a warranty issue and not a claim issue so the claim was closedThe warranty issue was also closed since it was well beyond the warranty periodPrior to the claim being closed we did have an independent inspector look over the engineHe concluded that the vehicle overheated from continuous use when the coolant was too lowEither the customer or another shop had attempted to put silicon or a liquid weld substance on the thermostat housing in an attempt to stop a coolant leak instead of performing a proper repairThe housing continued to leak and ultimately cause the head gaskets to fail as evidenced by combustion gases coming out of the radiatorAll of the invoices and inspections she sent were just duplicates of what our claims department already had before the inspector was sentNo new documentation has been received to support her beliefs so the status of her complaint remains declined
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2014/08/22) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I will get all the copies to support what I am saying and will forward to you here at Revdex.com