Hi folks,

I'm probably going to write a letter of complaint but thought I'd share another tale of woe. Because I use 50 psi tire pressure caps, mine is a little different.

I needed to have the tires rotated and decided to buy the Firestone, life-time alignment service. This means I can take the car in as many times as I want and have the alignment checked. If it doesn't take any parts, they'll 'fix' it too.

So Saturday morning I took "C-52MPG" to a Firestone shop next to a wireless enabled breakfast spot. While they did the work, I had breakfast and did a little networking. I went back and they were still working the car and I noticed the technician was screwing my 50 psi pressure sensor cap off of one tire but didn't really think anything about it. Then thirty minutes later, they let me know it was ready.

The day before I had put some 1/32 shims on the left rear wheel mount to correct an earlier 0.30 degree toe problem but the alignment report showed I had put them on the wrong side. The rear alignment was up to 0.90 degrees and it even brought the right rear tire out.

Good deal! I knew I could fix this easily. I drove home and later that day, laid out my tools and got ready to take off the rear tire . . .

"WHAT THE F*CK!! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY 50 PSI PRESSURE CAPS!!!"

All four were gone, replaced by the cheezey little black plastic ones. I went in, called the shop and sure enough, "Yes Mr. Wilson, we have your tire caps."

"I'LL BE RIGHT OVER."

So I get there just as they are closing and the owner is fiddling with his floor safe. I introduce myself and he says,

"Are you here for those batteries?"

"YES" and he hands me my pressure caps.

Now when I get this mad, I get really, really quiet and remove myself from the area as quietly as possible. I got home, replaced the 1/32 shims with 1/64 shims on the other side knowing that should take out the original 0.30 degree toe.

The next morning, I went to a local air station to check the tire air pressure and sure enough, every one of my tires was between 33-35 psi. The technician took the 50 psi tire caps off was because they showed he had partially deflated my tires!

Later that day, we got my wife's car serviced (which led to some other 'lessons learned') so they couldn't test the alignment that day. Monday, I left my Prius with them and the rear tire toe results came back right on the numbers. But I have a right rear wheel caster off 2 degrees which I'll correct with a pair of 1/16 in. shims tonight. Also, my right front tire caster is off 0.8 degrees and I'll fix that manually. I'm really happy with the "life time" alignment since it lets me get my car retested as I tune the suspension. But I'm still p*ssed about my pressure caps being taken off at the first dealer!

I'm venting a little but also practicing for my letter. I'll probably send it to Firestone HQ and a copy to the dummy shop. But at least I've calmed down enough that I can deal with them effectively. Yes, I will mention the additional 20 miles driven to pickup my tire caps and the $1 spent getting my tires aired up again. More importantly, I will suggest they consider correcting an educational problem given the high cost of gas.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

Batteries? Ha!

Just curious, what is the max psi sidewall rating for your tires?

R. Mark Owens - Casper Desert Mist

Sumitomo T4s, 51 psi:

http://www.sumitomotire.com/theline/...asp?c=per&id=4

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

Good luck getting Firestone to do anything. I took my Olds Intrigue in to our local one for an oil change and rotation, and they scratched my car, put 3 quarts of oil in, and ruined one of my wheels. I was treated as a woman (sadly) typically is at some of these chain stores. Never even got an apology, despite about $500 worth of damage. Needless to say, I, nor any member of my family, have never returned.

I had to look back to see if this is the same Bob who is always so level headed in all your post. Relax.

A few years ago, my wife called me. She went to Firestone to have the tires rotated. The service guy told her the brakes needed replacing and should be done now, quoting her ~300 for the job. I told her to wait and I would drop right over.

I asked the service guy to show me what was wrong. He pointed to the front pads saying they are worn down and uneven, saying something about replacing the calipers too... I took a good look - the tires were still off the Explorer. Darn if they didn't look just like they did when I replaced the pads a month ago. He could not back pedal fast enough when I made that comment to him. I've had similar experiences in the past happen to me as well (example: sir, your wheel bearing is going out. Me: "hmm looks fine to me" as I roll it around and check the race and bearings. That "bad" bearing is still going fine almost 10 years later)

If you find an honest shop - spread the word and patronize them. They do exist.