Firestone Complete Auto Care Incorrect parts, price gouging, unnecessary service recommendations Saint Louis Missouri

 This review is to expose these guys for the scam artists and/or incompetents that they are. Here's the story: I noticed a squeaking coming from my car's rear suspension. Online research told me that the most likely culprit was worn bushings that needed replacement, so after calling these guys, explaining the symptoms, and making an appointment, I took my car in for their "total vehicle inspection". Once it was complete, they gave me a printout of their Recommended Services, and I was astonished at what was on it. First off, they recommended I get new shocks and struts. Given that my car has 90k miles and is still running on it's original shocks, this is not bad advice, even though there's nothing wrong with my current shocks (they admitted this). However, the shocks they recommended (and quoted prices for) were the WRONG SHOCKS entirely. They were the shocks for the active, electronically-controlled suspension package which is an available option for my car, but my car does not have that option. My car has passive suspension. The active shocks list for 4 to 5 times the price of the passive shocks that my car uses. Also, for these active shocks, there are two brands. There is the OEM version made by ACDelco, and an aftermarket version made by Monroe. The Monroe version is less expensive (costs about 50% to 60% of the OEM version). The parts numbers on the printout were for the less expensive Monroe shocks, yet the prices quoted were at the level of the more expensive OEM shocks. So not only were they recommending the wrong shocks, they were also trying to gouge me on the price. They quoted a total price of $3658 (!!!) to replace the shocks. I found the correct shocks online for $375 total (plus figure a few hundred bucks labor for install). See why I'm upset? If I had been ignorant and let them go through with the install, I wonder if they would've installed the wrong shocks which would be useless on my car, or if they would've installed the correct shocks and pocketed the difference. But wait, there's more! They also recommended I replace both engine mount torque struts. They wanted $254 to do this ($152 parts and $102 labor). I found both struts at RockAuto for $8 apiece ($16 total) and replaced them myself in about 20 minutes. I understand some level of markup for parts, but that's a 950% markup here. Can you say "ripoff"? Also, they recommended I get a bunch of fluids flushed and changed (Coolant, Transmission, Brake). The problem is, I've had ALL of these fluids changed in the last year (I keep detailed records), and these are not fluids that need to be changed on a yearly basis given the amount I drive. Try every two to three years, tops. They had even replaced the brake fluid at this very shop less than 8 months ago. Makes me wonder if they even checked these fluids, or if they just randomly added them to the list, hoping that I'd bite. Finally, the tech's checklist said that my engine had (and I quote) "NO OIL". I monitor my oil level fastidiously. It turns out my engine was one quart low (which I added when I got home) and this guy didn't know how to read a dipstick for my engine type. Not know how to read a friggen dipstick!?! Do you really want your car in the hands of a tech like that? Anyways, I ended up calling Firestone Corporate's complaint line, to report what I've written above. My goal was not for any sort of compensation, since all I ended up paying was $15 for the inspection and a tire rotation. However, I wanted to make them aware of this shop's practices, so they can put an end to it before customers who are less knowledgeable than myself end up getting totally screwed. Anyways, the service rep listened to my complaints and took notes. She said that a District Manager or Assistant District Manager would be contacting me within 24 hours to address the issue further. Flash forward 72 hours and I've received no contact at all. Like I said at the beginning of this review, these guys are either scam artists or grossly incompetent. Neither of which you want working on your car. Avoid this location like the plague. In fact, you may want to avoid Firestone in general since this location's practices doesn't seem to be worth corporate's concern. Thanks for reading. Hope this helps.