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| - I brought my 2012 Ford Focus SE in for a routine oil change and tire rotation. Cameron greeted me, gave me an estimate for about $35, and told me the wait would be about an hour. I returned an hour later, and Cameron informed me that I had a BIG oil leak and that my Coolant is failing. I had never noticed any oil on my driveway, or where I park at work, but he said sometimes you don't notice until the car is lifted and you can see inside the housing. He said that they needed to run dye through it as a diagnostic technique to see where exactly the oil was leaking from. He also mentioned that my coolant was failing and needed to be flushed. He did not specify what that meant when I asked, and said that it was critical to be done. He then gave me a new estimate of $192.
I did not have that amount at the time, so he insisted that I apply for the Firestone card, and by doing so the oil change would be free and I would receive an additional 10% off my balance. Feeling as though I had no other choice, I signed up for the card to pay for the work. I was approved for the card and waited another two hours for the work to be completed.
When it came time to check out an older gentlemen was helping me. He informed me that they could not find the source of the leak with the dye, and to return within 7 days so the technicians can go in with a light and investigate further. He then said, "...and I see Cameron recommended that you flush your coolant based upon your vehicle's mileage...". Umm.. no. Cameron had informed me that they ran a test that showed that my coolant was failing to circulate in some way; not that it was a recommended maintenance based upon my vehicle's mileage! The coolant flush was $107 and the dye was $39.99, and I opened a credit card to pay for that!
I feel as though I was misinformed and somewhat taken advantage of because I am a young female. I do not feel as though everything was properly explained, and that the verbiage used made my vehicle's state appear way worse that it actually is. To top it off, I paid and then realized that I had not been credited for the oil change, or received the additional 10% off. I returned and Cameron fixed that problem. I definitely will not be returning to this, or any other, Firestone locations.
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