Firestone ripoff faulty injector resulting in engine needing to be replaced Countryside Illinois

Paul,
Obviously, you are a person with a head full of ideas, and a brain that does not know how to process them. WHAT, WHAT may I ask is a CALIFORNIA state agency going to do for Susan, in Ill..? Do you know, for a fact, if Ill. has a BAR, or it's equivalent? Some states, such as NJ do NOT, while other states, such as Florida have automotive repair goverened by another agency, such as the Dept. of Agriculture, as in Florida...

You should have! From your account, you spent close to $5,000 and ended up with a non-running car.

The average person can't afford a hit like that.

This site gets a lot of exposure. People who have no idea of the URL or the content happen upon the site in a search. Search for any company listed here, and this site will consistently come up in the top 50. Many times it will come up both first, as well as way before the actual company's site.

Suffice to say, this hurts business for a lot of frauds.

Perhaps, it also contributed to your settlement as well.

Hopefully, you'll have enough to replace your car.

In the future, you might want to consult the books in the local library on auto maintenance and repair. Not to make the actual repairs, but simply to be more informed as to how vehicles work, and what repairs they need.

An informed consumer is always hardest to cheat.

As for a responsible man, that problem might be somewhat harder to fix.

Have a good holiday!

The men who have been arguing on my behalf--thank you. You have shown more attention than my ex ever did.

I thought I should let you know that after contacting a half dozen people in the Firestone Corporation, and reaching one top executive, they offered a settlement. I also understand that companies will offer a very low figure to start with hoping that the consumer will settle right away. I did file a lawsuit, but settled for their third offer before I had to take off and go to court. They paid for their all Firestone bills, preliminary court fees, car rentals, hotel bills, other car repair shop bills, time off work pay and yes, I still have that car in my driveway to perhaps sell as is or have repaired for about $1,000.

I suppose I could have pressed for a larger settlement or new engine if I had a clever lawyer, but I'm sort of sick of spending my time and focus on this. What I really need is a wonderful man who will take responsibility for himself and enjoy spending time with an easy going lady. Susan :)

The men who have been arguing on my behalf--thank you. You have shown more attention than my ex ever did.

I thought I should let you know that after contacting a half dozen people in the Firestone Corporation, and reaching one top executive, they offered a settlement. I also understand that companies will offer a very low figure to start with hoping that the consumer will settle right away. I did file a lawsuit, but settled for their third offer before I had to take off and go to court. They paid for their all Firestone bills, preliminary court fees, car rentals, hotel bills, other car repair shop bills, time off work pay and yes, I still have that car in my driveway to perhaps sell as is or have repaired for about $1,000.

I suppose I could have pressed for a larger settlement or new engine if I had a clever lawyer, but I'm sort of sick of spending my time and focus on this. What I really need is a wonderful man who will take responsibility for himself and enjoy spending time with an easy going lady. Susan :)

The men who have been arguing on my behalf--thank you. You have shown more attention than my ex ever did.

I thought I should let you know that after contacting a half dozen people in the Firestone Corporation, and reaching one top executive, they offered a settlement. I also understand that companies will offer a very low figure to start with hoping that the consumer will settle right away. I did file a lawsuit, but settled for their third offer before I had to take off and go to court. They paid for their all Firestone bills, preliminary court fees, car rentals, hotel bills, other car repair shop bills, time off work pay and yes, I still have that car in my driveway to perhaps sell as is or have repaired for about $1,000.

I suppose I could have pressed for a larger settlement or new engine if I had a clever lawyer, but I'm sort of sick of spending my time and focus on this. What I really need is a wonderful man who will take responsibility for himself and enjoy spending time with an easy going lady. Susan :)

As I re-read my previous rebuttal, I was kind of embarrassed of myself for stooping to Paul's obviously limited sensibility. None of this helping the person complaining.

Obviously Susan, you are in a tough spot right now. I do realize that you are upset, I think anyone would be, but you can waste more time and energy trying to get you money back from Firestone, which may happen if you can get the Pontiac dealer to put in writing that the engine failure was directly related to the fuel injector replacement done at Firestone. If they truly believe this is the cause they will have no problem putting it in writing, however, if they don't they may not be as willing to.

Simply, if you pay $3000 for a used car and a repair will cost you almost half the value of the car, you should probably stay away. There is no place that can guarantee what MAY happen to a used (or new) car down the road, but I can assure you that if the only repair you had done was fuel injectors, there is no way this would cause antifreeze to get into the oil.

Once again, if you can get the dealer to point the finger at Firestone, you have a very high probability of getting your money back. At that point, you have an independent 3rd party report saying that Firestone was the cause of the problems, otherwise the burden of proof is on you.

And Paul, just for the record, get a grip. You are what's wrong with California these days. Your indifference towards common sense is amazing. Sue, sue, sue. I'm sure in Virginia there are people like you all over the place..."It's not my fault. Blame the other guy". Even if Firestone's Consumer Affairs Department did treat her rudely, that dosen't mean suing them is the answer or that they were responsible for the car problems. Telling her to spend money (even in small claims court) is foolish. She would have to prove that either the repairs performed caused the current, documented (I am ssuming the dealer has put the problem on her invoice)problem of the antifreeze in the oil or that the problem was there and Firestone knowingly ignored the problem to get her money. Very tough to prove the latter.

You keep telling me over and over to read the report...obviously you should read it again.

Original repairs done in May - an o-ring or a fuel injector fails in July, again, an oring or an fuel injector fails...TWO MONTHS LATER, Paul. A Pontiac dealer says the engine needs to be replaced...it doesn't say why, just that it does.

To quote the original complaint, "Oh yea...so the car sits at the Pontiac dealer in Countryside, IL who says the car need a "new engine" ($5400)now for sure and that there is coolent also in the oil."...coolant in the oil, Paul. Get it yet?

What caused that, Paul? The fuel injector? Be real. Why should Firestone or anyone refund the money on a repair when another problem develops? Do you think technicians have a crystal ball that tells them what MAY happen down the road?

You were also very quick at mentioning the BAR - a California agency. If you think you know the BAR so well, you should also know that in the State of California, when it comes to automotive repair, if you can't prove it, you can't recommend it.

If they were looking for a performance problem and the injectors solved the performance problem, (remember, Paul, for two months the car was fine) what it the world would make you think they would have or could have seen a problem with the head gasket that may not have existed at the time.

I feel bad for the person because this is really a bad situation, but unless Firestone did something to her cooling system, I don't see how they are responsible. But seeing as you are so knowledgeable, Paul...tell us how did the bad o-ring or bad fuel injector cause the antifreeze leak into the oil?

This has nothing to do with California or Virginia or Alabama for that matter. It has to do with common sense, obviously something you are lacking. I was born and raised in Huntington Beach, Paul, so I do know a little something about California.

Not the brightest bulb on the tree, huh Chris?

I don't know where you get lawsuits being confined to California. I moved here from the opposite end of the country. What, did I start drinking the water here, and somehow develop this overwhelming urge to sue people?

Let's take it a little slower for you! The reason people sue is because they can't work out their differences outside of court. It has nothing to do with your location in the country!

Read the woman's complaint. She called the consumer affairs department of Firestone. What did they tell her? Read it for yourself. They failed to remedy the problem. They denied responsibility. They brushed her off like she was a homeless person asking for money.

So, what are her options? You tell me, Chris! What do they do in Culpeper? Is it such a fine, upstanding place that everyone simply gets along? What happens when there is a disagreement? You see, I never lived there. So, I'm asking you to explain how you resolve conflicts. I'm not going to make some idiot statement like all Virginians do the exact same thing. Because I don't know.

When you get 10 people all in the same room, you probably have 5 different opinions. So, how could all of California agree on lawsuits? Millions of people, all looking to sue? Yeah, you got a firm grasp on reality!

I'd love to hear your take on the citizens of Texas. Or, maybe Alabama. How about Florida? What, all retired people who can't drive? See how stupid this looks?

Again, Chris, lawsuits are a remedy of last resort. People use them when they can not resolve their differences any other way.

As for coolant, agreed! Overheating. Blown head gasket. Or, cracked block or head. And, a dozen other possibilities.

Now, Chris, how does gas contaminate the oil? That's what the woman stated. That seems to be what caused her engine failure. How did so much gas find its way into the oil in the first place? I'll leave you to puzzle that out. It'll give you something to do over your long holiday vacation.

What I got from the complaint is people who don't fully understand modern automobiles, yet still insist on being in the repair business. This woman has no idea what was wrong. So, she took it to a shop. Supposedly, they are skilled enough to find and repair the problem. As you see, that's not always the case.

I don't mind somebody making a mistake. But, I do mind when they refuse to make it right. And, I get very upset when I see a company brush off a customer who paid good money to one of their repair locations. She spent $1300 on parts and labor. I would think she has a right to expect that her car would run normal now.

What does an auto repair shop do all day? How do they make a living? They FIX cars. And they charge money for that. That's not so hard to understand, is it? In this case, they failed to fix this woman's car. But, they sure as hell charged her a lot of money, didn't they? Then, when confronted with a worse problem, they simple told her to take it somewhere else.

That's certainly not my idea of how to run a successful business!

You know, it would be great if this particular Firestone could move to Culpeper. Right beside you Chris! The incompetent and the badly mistaken, working side by side to screw the world up.

In response to Paul in Anaheim - Paul the amazing thing about people in California is their overwhelming desire to blame other people...it's always the other guy...sue, sue, sue is the only answer.

Coolant in the oil, as the other rebuttal states, is more than likely a head gasket that has gone bad. What causes a head gasket to go bad? Even as an UNPAID mechanic, you should know it is OVERHEATING in most cases or sustained above average operating temperatures on older engines.

Antifreeze, oil and bearings don't mix - hence the knock.

If Firestone replaced a fuel injector - or 6 fuel injectors and all was well for 2 months, why would coolant in the oil be neglegence on the part of Firestone?

Susan, I'm sorry that this car is having so many problems, but when you buy a used car, there is no way to know what will happen with it down the road beacuse you have no way of knowing how it was driven or maintained.

COOLANT IN THE OIL IS NOT CAUSED BY A FUEL INJECTOR.

Granted, I'm here in California.

I don't know all the details. Neither does anyone else reading this.

One thing seems to be clear from the original message. This woman bought a used car for $3000. It was running. After taking it to Firestone, it developed a problem and stopped running.

By their own admission, they needed to replace an injector. A different Firestone did that.

The oil was thinned out from gasoline. Shortly after this was discovered, the engine developed a knock.

Now, it doesn't run at all.

I haven't turned a wrench for money in over 7 years. But, even 7 years ago, we would have used an emission analyzer at the completion of the job to verify that the injectors were right.

Bottom line, Susan, it's my opinion that this should not have happened to you.

Sue, don't sue. Fix your car or take the bus.

Judging from your letter, I think you got a bad repair that ruined your car. Evidentally, you do too. That's why you posted here.

Others are entitled to their opinions. They can even argue about prices. The bottom line, again, is how much more you will need to pay to have a running car again.

I won't get into an arguement about flat rate fees or injector seals. These are technical issues that readers outside the industry wouldn't understand anyway.

The real question here is did this woman receive value for the $1300 she paid?

I can't see any value when a car that ran for 9 years stops shortly after making this repair!

In addition, brushing off this individual and sending here on her way speaks for itself. That hardly seems like the way to treat someone.

Car mechanics have a bad enough reputation. The behavior described here does nothing to improve that.

Depending on which engine you have, here is the labor for an engine swap straight off my Mitchell Labor Guide from my NAPA program.
4 Cylinder-13.40 hours
6 Cylinder-16.40 hours
At $60/hour, I would charge $804.00 or $984.00 depending on the engine type. I am sure the labor is more expensive in your state. I know it's way more in California so the $500 Paul was talking about is meaningless.

Depending on which engine you have, here is the labor for an engine swap straight off my Mitchell Labor Guide from my NAPA program.
4 Cylinder-13.40 hours
6 Cylinder-16.40 hours
At $60/hour, I would charge $804.00 or $984.00 depending on the engine type. I am sure the labor is more expensive in your state. I know it's way more in California so the $500 Paul was talking about is meaningless.

Depending on which engine you have, here is the labor for an engine swap straight off my Mitchell Labor Guide from my NAPA program.
4 Cylinder-13.40 hours
6 Cylinder-16.40 hours
At $60/hour, I would charge $804.00 or $984.00 depending on the engine type. I am sure the labor is more expensive in your state. I know it's way more in California so the $500 Paul was talking about is meaningless.

Depending on which engine you have, here is the labor for an engine swap straight off my Mitchell Labor Guide from my NAPA program.
4 Cylinder-13.40 hours
6 Cylinder-16.40 hours
At $60/hour, I would charge $804.00 or $984.00 depending on the engine type. I am sure the labor is more expensive in your state. I know it's way more in California so the $500 Paul was talking about is meaningless.

Susan, you took your car to Firestone in May to correct a problem. In July, it breaks again. So, for the 2 months you had your car, all was well, you said so. It seems they fixed it. 2 months later, an "injector" goes bad. It happens. I put 2 injectors in a car before getting a 3rd that worked.

The COMPANY wanted me to put in "remanufactured" instead of "new" injectors. This was against my better judgement. The 3rd one was new and worked fine. I've also seen injector SEALS go bad. The injector itself did NOT do anything to your engine.

When an ELECTRONIC injector goes bad, it doesn't open at all. Not opening equals NO FUEL injecting. The SEAL allowed fuel to pour past and contaminate the oil. Ignore Paul. By his own admission, he is NOT a mechanic.

Just because I know a cop, that doesn't make me one. His lack of knowledge in fuel injection matters is not helping you. His answer seems to be sue everyone all the time. I guess that's the American Dream.

Have a second or 3rd shop look at the car and give you a real idea of the damage, if any. It's very possible that the rod bearings can be replaced with no further repairs needed other than a new O-Ring(seal) for the injector. And yes, gasoline does offer some lubrication properties all by itself(how do you think the valve face gets cushioned when it closes?).

That was the purpose of Tetraethyl Lead back in the day. Now they use alternative lubricants in gasoline. The gasoline would have thinned out the oil in the crankcase but the lubrication would still be there, unless you tried to drive the rest of the trip, which you correctly did not. I suspect this car had other problems luking about, the coolant in the oil would indicate a bad gasket or cracked water jacket.

You did not say which engine you have so here goes. The head gaskets on the 2.4(Quad-4) are notoriously awful, as are the water pumps which push coolant past the idler gear in the timing case. The V-6 engines are even more prone to disaster. The intake gaskets are horrible and leak all the time. Either of these scenarios would cover the coolant seepage. Good luck.

Susan, this really bothers me for two reasons.

First, you did nothing to cause your loss. Many of the victims here start their problems by buying into some kind of something-for-nothing scam.

But, that is not your case.

Second, these idiot basically destroyed your car. It came to them running, with a vibration. It left and winds up not running, needing a whole new engine.

I worked as an auto technician earlier in my life. Here's what this sounds like. First, the vibration could have been many different things. Injectors are just one of the possibilities.

Let's assume the injectors were bad. They work just like a spray bottle. Each cylinder receives a spray of gas right before it fires.

The problem is that the spray lasts for a very brief period, fractions of a second. Normally.

Here, either wrong or defective parts were installed. The spray stayed on full-time. I'm surprised the car ran at all. This could also be a fuel pressure problem, caused by faulty installation.

Contrary to what those idiots said, gas is not a lubricant. It's just the opposite. Gas REMOVES oil. As all this excess gas made it's way into the oil supply, it thinned out the oil to the point where it would no longer lubricate anymore.

Without a protective oil film, the engine wears out in no time. The bearings are the softest. They go first. The result is a knocking connecting rod bearing.

Basically, the whole engine wears out rapidly. So, replacing the bearings would only solve a small part of the problem.

New engine time. I'd get a good used engine. After all, the car is used. Match up an engine to the rest of the wear in the car.

Even a used engine is $700. Plus the install, another $500. That's assuming they don't try to rip you off.

I'd find a used engine in a wrecking yard. From a car that was smashed recently. I'd definitely want to hear it first. Maybe even check things like compression and rod bearing wear.

That's how I would repair this problem.

Faulty auto repairs can be addressed with the BAR (bureau of automobile repair). Search for them.

First, I'd cancel payment. Get my money back. Then, I'd call the BAR. Then, small claims. In the meantime, I'd fix my car someplace else. No second chances for these idiots.

The way to get compensated is by dumping an avalanche of s**t on these fools. BAR problems. Lawsuit problems. It simply becomes a matter of which is easier, paying you off, or dealing with all the trouble. Since $1500 gets you going again, most sensible places will cash you out.

Only a dumbass waits for a court to order payment. Get the BAR on this. Get a repair estimate. Used engine plus install. Get the lawsuit. Then call and ask them if they want to settle in court or out. Oh, don't forget rip-off report copies. What business wants their name up in lights on a rip-off site?

Get your full amount. As it is, you will lose here. Your gas. Your time. Your aggravation. There is no win here for you. Plus, maybe you had a low-mileage engine with excellent maintenance. The junk-yard engine may be less.

You have my sympathy, Susan. Now, you see why I do my own repairs?