Firestone Complete Auto Care

We blew out a tire on the way into Chicago from Wisconsin and needed rapid turnaround on acquiring an unusually-​sized replacement tire at a reasonable cost in the downtown area near to our hotel over a weekend. The hours at this Firestone were fantastic — open both Saturday and Sunday with an early open on both mornings — and the staff were friendly and efficient. They answered questions, were clear on quotes, provided updates on the progress of our repair, and completed all of the work ahead of schedule and at the estimated cost. Labor rates and tire prices were reasonable, especially given the location. Frankly, I was really impressed. My thanks to you, Bill Scheffel, and your team for the repairs and for helping us salvage a weekend in Chicago that seemed to destined for calamity!

Great Service! I had a bubble on my tire, and they replaced, and rotated my tires. They even squeezed me in this morning, even though I didn’t have an appointment! Great Service! Thanks!

I made an online appointment for my car (2015 Mazda Cx5) to have Firestone perform a simple oil change. I had notes online that the car would be dropped off and taken at the end of the day after work. At 8:30am, the car was received for the appointment and paperwork signed confirming the service to be done on the vehicle.
At 5:30pm I arrived at the store and mentioned I am here to pickup my car. After a few minutes, the service guy comes to tell me that NOTHING had happened to my car. A full 9 HOURS later, a simple oil change had not been done to my vehicle. And this is with an appointment scheduled for the work.
No calls during the day to even say that something is wrong at the shop for this simple service not to happen. I was left with nothing and the simple explanation that only One (1) tech was on duty. So I asked, now what am I suppose to do. He simply looks at me without a response, so I requested for a manager. My luck, the manager was no where to be found and I asked for a number to call him. I will be doing so tomorrow.
HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, to think that in 9hrs, a shop could not honor someone’s pre-​scheduled appointment to handle an oil change for a vehicle. Simply appalling.

Firestone is a brand that I usually trust as for car care and with my recent experience with Omar (my car care technician) at this location. I had a deteriorated car battery and brought it over to Omar to see if they can test it to validate my suspicions. I pulled up to their lot and walked up to Omar to see if they had my battery in stock, which they did. Omar also told me that if I took the battery out myself I would save $ 60 and bring the battery in to test. I proceeded to remove the battery and to my surprise, Omar came out to my car with the battery tester and took the time to explain to me the tests that the tester will perform. Not more than 5 minutes, the tester showed that my car battery was defective. Omar too the battery and instead of charging me a new battery, he pro-​rated my existing and discounted the new battery.
What I liked about Firestone: They close at 10pm CDT, Best customer service (in the city).
What I disliked about Firestone (this location) was the parking lot was limited.
Overall I would recommend this Firestone to anyone who wants the best care for their car and a good friendly service experience.

I know a lot of people s*&@ all over this place but honestly, considering the location and everything, it’s a pretty solid place for oil changes and other minor car repairs. While I am sure they can do major work as well, I typically stick to specialty shops for that stuff as they have more expierence with your specific type of car. Check their website for coupons as they are always running different specials every month. The best deal hands down is the synthetic blend oil change for $ 24 out the door for 5qt’s or less including filter. That and they stay open real late and open very early in the morning.
My one knock against them was it took about an hour for the oil change even though they brought it around almost immediately after being seen and checked in. Maybe it was because they had to let the car cool first before draining the oil? Who knows… And the recomendation sheet they give after the courtesey inspection is a nice heads up of things to look out for. Plus they check your battery for you and give you a receipt print out of it which is nice.

Went in for an oil change 2 the $ 20 semi synthetic promo they were running. Had made an appt for 7pm, showed up at 6:40ish, and was out the door at 7:30ish. No haggling, no hassles, real painless. Car was clean afterwards and no oil stains anywhere I could see. Even watched them empty my oil and change the filter from the waiting area. Overall very satisfied

I took my car here because I have taken to smaller shops and been taken advantage of on price. Well, they are no different. I talked to a friend about my car problem and they quoted almost spot on the national average. Well I paid over $ 250 more than the national average. Where is a girl to go to get her car repaired? Dayum, it’s rough on a girl.

Individual location makes a big difference. I had a scheduled appointment and my car was in the service bay almost as soon as I arrived. Without hassle or up sell I was out the door after having my tire replaced under the road hazard insurance purchased with my new set five months earlier. This was a positive experience. Thanks Firestone Team!

I’m really not sure how to feel about my experience here. Everyone that worked there was extremely nice, so I don’t want to fault them there.
However, I did have 2 things happen here that shouldn’t have happened. The first being that while they were navigating the extremely packed parking lot, they backed my car into another car causing minimal damage to the bumper.
The second issue I had, which was more severe was when I picked my car up. My car was parked in the exit, facing the street — with the doors UNLOCKED! Luckily nothing was stolen — but still I found this upsetting.
I was much more upset about the second issue, but the gentleman helping me did everything he could to try to rectify the situation. I left content, but not happy.
Overall, I have had much better Firestone experiences. I will still continue to go to Firestone, but I will not use this location again.

I give this Firestone 5 stars! I was in need of a car battery, my car battery was run down and couldn’t be jump started because I mistakenly left my car hazards on. I called Firestone and was able to bring my vehicle in right away. Bill checked my battery and let me know that my battery was actually able to hold a charge, but given the year of my vehicle and the fact that it wouldn’t sustain a jump start, they recommend a new battery, but it wasn’t a crucial purchase at the moment. Just being a woman and in my car owning experience I can appreciate when a business isn’t trying milk every dime from a person. Thank you Bill and Firestone for great customer service and the honesty.

This shop is the epitome of everything people hate and fear about taking their vehicle to a major-​chain auto repair shop. Why did I go here??? Because the shop was listed as an Über inspection location, and it was the closest listed shop to me (and I live in South Shore)! I didn’t go for a repair, but an inspection, and of course, it was a waste of time!
I went a week ago to get through the initial inspection process, to which I made an appointment, came at that time, and they pulled the car in. After about 90 minutes, I asked how much longer, and the guy at the counter said the inspection was done already, so if I hadn’t said anything, I would’ve been sitting there still I suppose. He then lays into a laundry list of «problems» that are super urgent and of course a king’s ransom to repair. I took my ride up to a friend’s shop the next day, and a majority of everything they found wrong was fabricated. I looked under the car myself with the guidance of my professional mechanic friend and he showed me that I just needed two tie rod ends, versus the Firestone quote for all 4; inner and outer! The list of urgent repairs was much larger, but somehow that list got extremely short when I took it to another shop.
I fixed the problems, and took it back to Firestone for a re-​inspection, because it was free, and figured they would just pass the vehicle based on the few repairs pending… but they found a bunch of NEW problems somehow! A week later, and suddenly I need brakes, a new windshield, and ‘better’ tie rod ends (as well as inner tie rods). They are a waste of time and energy, and if you spend any money there, it’s too much! I paid $ 20 for the initial inspection, and that was too much. How did I go from needing a few parts repaired one week to needing MORE stuff repaired the following, and I repaired those problems? What a joke! You want some quality work done, I’ll tell people where to go if they message me; I won’t give Firestone a chance to know who does work better than them, because the truth is you can go to any local shop and get better work. Pass on by when you see them, and think about these words.
–W.K

I concur with all the comments of bad customer service. Im to tired to finish after writing a long review on them in facebook but I highly recommend not going to this Firestone folks. Assholes

Utter lack of customer service and borderline disrespectful. I went in to have a vehicle inspection as required by Über and Lyft. The guy at the counter seemed pleasant enough when he handed my sheet for Über. I asked him to sign off for my Lyft sheet and his demeanor instantly changed. He, rather abruptly, told me he won’t sign off on it, saying the company has a contract with Über and blabbering something about it being a «liability.» When I said that all Lyft is asking for is a mechanic’s signature on the checklist, almost identical to Über’s checklist, he again refused. When I inquired further and again abruptly and extremely curtly cut me off. Now I was ticked. A moment later he must have of thought about something and tried to tell me something regarding the «corporate office» but I was so pissed by his tone and they way he kept cutting me off that I spoke in a distinctly elevated voice, «I don’t want to hear anything else from you.» I collected my receipt and it will be the last time I go there.
Since we are on the subject of «liability,» let’s address something that he thought I did not notice. A full vehicle inspection would take exceedingly more than 3 minutes. My car was parked in the lot. Now, my car informs me via text whenever the doors are unlocked and when the engine is started. How is it possible that these alerts happened 3 minutes before he rang me up, collected his $ 20 and returned the checklist to me with a stamp saying «PASSED?» Short answer: it is not. My car is brand new 2015 with only 140 miles. They probably assumed their was nothing wrong and simply signed off on it. I find this to be a «liability» to the company and will be sure to forward this information to them as this is falsified information. All in all, terrible customer service by this person. One bad apple will spoil the lot. However, based on their low cumulative star review, I suspect bad service is the norm.

I was in a tight spot. I was in the south loop and noticed my tire was about to burst as I could see the exposed seems. I hit one of our lovely pot holes and that was about that.
Choices were limited but I was happy to have this one. They were nearby, had the tire I needed, and the customer service was excellent. The hours are also really convenient.
Of course the prices at Firestone are outrageous so they get 2 starts knocked off, but the employees were really great.

Awful customer service. They don’t call back, they tell you to pick up your car at a certain time but then it’s 15 – 20 minutes when you get there. I had to call twice in one day to get an update on my car and when I can pick it up. It’s been there for 7 hours and still not done.
They are only in business due to a solid location in the city

For a while after this incident I was hoping I could write an improved rating and update. Right after posting my original review, the owner called and was very apologetic and understanding of why I was so upset with what happened (left my truck by appointment all day, and they never performed the services), and offered a discount if I came back. I was on the way to the Jeep Dealer in Naperville at the time which is where I normally get my truck serviced (always great service, maybe a bit expensive but worth it), and I declined his offer but he left it open-​ended which was nice.
When I got to the dealer I asked them to do a full diagnosis of the issues again (my truck had a coolant leak) and what they found was that my truck needed something VERY different than what Firestone recommended. Firestone recommended a thermostat replacement, radiator hose replacement, and full coolant and cooling system flush to resolve the leaking coolant issue. The dealer’s service department found that the thermostat was just fine and in great shape, but that the radiator ITSELF, as well as the radiator hoses needed to be replaced, with a cooling flush after replacement.
Here’s my even BIGGER problem with Firestone now — If I’d had the Firestone recommended work done, I would STILL have a problem that would eventually cause serious damage or trigger the low coolant sensors relatively soon after having all that work done. That is REALLY bad to me as a consumer — if you can’t diagnose the issue properly I can’t take my vehicle to you.
On the other hand I’m grateful that Firestone messed up and didn’t end up servicing my truck, otherwise I’d be driving around with the same (if not worse) problem getting ready to happen again. Thank heavens I bit the bullet and took my Jeep to the dealer where it was properly diagnosed and fixed, and as agreed/​scheduled.
Firestone — both the owner and Corporate — really needs to evaluate the performance of both the front– and back-​of-​the house employees and take action accordingly. Scheduling a service appointment, having the vehicle all day, and not servicing the vehicle is a serious miss of the guys in the front office. Misdiagnosing a mechanical issue to the peril of the customers is a critical miss of the mechanics, and that’s what gets businesses in hot trouble and shut down quickly in this litigious society.
How could I ever possibly trust Firestone to do anything to my vehicle — even tires — after these shenanigans? If this had happened in the middle of the summer instead of the dead of winter, I might not have even made it out to Naperville with my truck in the condition it was in. It’s unfortunate that I have to say that I won’t be going back to a Firestone — any Firestone again, but I just can’t risk it.

I went there today to get a new battery and also to check my tires, they said I had a nail in my tire that was too close to my firewall and I would need to spend $ 150 on a new tire. I tell them don’t bother take it to another place that fix the same tire for $ 10…Firestone on Wabash cannot be trusted!

This place is either full of incompetence or crooks, I honestly can’t be sure which. I came in for a simple synthetic oil change. They were gracious enough to start, said they’d check all the other fluids, done by noon. They are literally 3 blocks from my home, so I walked home. At 11:30AM they call me to let me know that apparently my oil pan needed to be replaced as the screw had corroded and the gasket was gone… uhm, well that sucks, but what sucks is installed, he told me it’d be 500 (200 for the pan, 200 to install and I don’t know, a miscellaneous ‘you’re a woman’ charge …) I balked… first of all, I couldn’t even find a pan that was over 100 online and it’s sure as shit shouldn’t cost that much to install, whatever… at this point my car can’t run without this fix, because it’s doesn’t have an oil pan or gasket to run oil to the engine… and then he tells me my front left tire needs to replaced (note: they’d replaced my other three in the last few months)… He also to me some other things that could be worked on, but honestly my car is 12 years old, it has 160,000 miles on it, I’m just trying to drive it til it dies, not keep it pristine. So all said and done with oil change, oil pan/​gasket replacement, new wipers, and a new tire…640…and that’s not even the best part!
They either forgot or purposely left off the cap and gasket to the reservoir that holds my steering fluid (they told me the topped it off), so my power steering just two days later goes out on me driving in the city. My fiancé didn’t want to take it back to those crooks, so he looked up some videos on power steering and realized a piece of the hardware was missing. He thinks it was negligence, I think they wanted me to pay for a rack/​pinion overhaul that would have cost me upward $ 1300…ugh! He paid $ 200 for parts and fluid and fixed it himself. Avoid this place like the plague. They will either try to rip you off or be so careless with their work as to make your vehicle unsafe, either is inexcusable.

Don’t take your car here for anything but tires! The auto service is a complete and total ripoff.
This Firestone quoted me $ 633 *for an alternator and drive belt replacement!* (I know, I gasped too). With that quote seeming ridiculously high to me, I called around and got other quotes in the area — this is a $ 380 job.
So let’s do the math: Firestone’s cost ($ 633) — actual cost to do the job ($ 380) = Firestone charging $ 253 extra. If you’re a percentages person, that’s a whopping 66% more than the competition.
No, in case you’re wondering, Firestone doesn’t sprinkle fairy dust on your car, or add special chrome-​plating to your door handles, or give your tires a spa pedicure while they’re waiting. They simply rip you off in the name of being Firestone Complete Auto Care.
Firestone’s response to my challenging their ridiculous quote?:
«We realize we’re normally priced higher than other shops in the area because of our nation-​wide warranty.» (In case you’re wondering, they only price match their tires. Not regular auto repairs). Seriously, 66% higher? I’m accustomed to paying an extra 20 bucks for warranties. But $ 250 EXTRA? I’ll pay that much to tow my car back to my old mechanic just out of principle.
The moral of the story: Steer clear. Literally!

I am writing this review on behalf of my boyfriend. He first took his Toyota Camry a week before Thanksgiving to get a run-​over before going out of town and to check on vibrations felt on the steering wheel. This store told him that he had to pay OVER a $ 1,000 to have front tire rods replaced (bear in mind that $ 800 was just on the labor). They claimed that it was the cause of the problem. My boyfriend declined the service as the total estimated bill was already too high for his budget.
Today, he brought his car to Goodyear to get a second opinion. After checking the car thoroughly, they told my boyfriend that the tire rods were FINE and that all that needed to be done was an all-​wheel alignment and wheel balancing to eliminate the vibrations felt on the steering wheel. Lo an behold, the vibrations have disappeared, even after testing it on I55 upon completion of the work.
In a nutshell, the South Loop Firestone is NOT being honest with you. GET A SECOND OPINION as you will save HUNDREDS of dollars. The work today only costed $ 154 vs. $ 1,000+ for what Firestone originally quoted my boyfriend. Needless to say, we will not be going back there. :-(BUYER BEWARE !!