Firestone Complete Auto Care

I *used* to be a fan… seriously, all of my car maintenance and repairs were done at this location, for my entire family.
The change in management here has NOT been for the better; they’re now apparently doing a lot of repair work for Enterprise, Auto Zone, and «a lot of others» (as I heard one of their employees brag) — but it would be nice if they focused a little more on their regular customers. To be honest, I don’t believe my dreadfully long wait was a result of these other businesses, their long/​rotating list of clients simply made it difficult to get my appointment.
I came in today for a scheduled appointment to get an oil change, plus wheel alignment, balance, and rotation; after an hour I asked how the work was coming along and was told «it’s almost finished». I was held hostage for over 2 ½ hours before the work was actually completed; thank goodness I didn’t come in for any major repairs! I’ve never seen basic maintenance like this take so long to complete.
Sorry, Firestone — it’s time to find someone else.

*Warning: Take with a grain of salt. I’m writing this post in anger. I’m sitting and writing this up in the Firestone New Bern Raleigh lobby right after the last incident.*
I’m very frustrated with service here. I think there’s a phrase about making the same mistake twice that goes something like: «first time– shame on you, second time– shame on me». This is my THIRD time so I should reallllllly hang my head in shame! :(
The first time I spent $ 600 on brakes and they kept pushing our wait time up until we finally ended up sitting in their TV-​blaring-​lobby for 5 hours! They DID give us a coupon for a $ 14.99 oil change (and some other coupon too — I don’t remember what it was). Anyway, when we tried to use the oil change coupon the next time (when we spent over $ 700 on new tires), they found a way to –at least– double the oil change. (Using the excuse that my car needed extra oil and required pure synthetic oil (something I hadn’t heard from anyone else in all the years I owned the car)).
Today I made an appointment for an oil change and had a coupon. They found a way to change my $ 21.99 coupon to a $ 60+ charge. Grrrrr!
To try to turn around my mistake, I opted not to get my oil changed and decided to make others aware of the bait-​and-​switch tactics of Firestone on New Bern Ave in Raleigh.
*Update — since I had an appointment and had taken the time to come over to their shop, I thought would at least take advantage of my free checkup (and I think alignment if it was out of whack) — after the amount of money I handed over to them this year. SOOOoooo, I waited another 35 minutes and looked up and guess what? My car wasn’t even in the bay yet! The guy was struggling with how to put my (stick) car in reverse! I just said «Nevermind», and left. :(
I arrived 10 minutes early (at 5:20) for my 5:30 oil change, and at 6:00 my car still hadn’t moved.
Another priceless example of how this shop has no concept of the value of their customers’ time. –sigh–

This review has nothing to do with tires, but it does concern their basic car services.
I received a few coupons in the mail (one for an oil change and another for an inspection) and since I was too lazy to do the oil change myself, I felt I might as well take advantage of the deal. Pro tip: Buy your own oil filter and oil elsewhere to save on costs. most places will gladly use your own supply, and you will only pay for the labor.
I was a little skeptical given the location (it’s located in a rather drab shopping center in need of some serious TLC), but the service was surprising. I was greeted immediately and my car was in the shop and getting an oil change and an inspection within 5 minutes. Around 35 minutes later, my car was ready to go.
If they keep sending me coupons, I’ll keep using them, but I wouldn’t pay full price for an oil change since I can save the money doing it myself. It’s worth to check out if they have any promotions or specials going on.

I went in to Firestone to check on some tires for my ride. When I walked in after I browsed for a few seconds, the salesperson greeted me. He was friendly, I told him the size tires that I needed, and he looked them up in his system. He did not have them in stock, so I guess he considered that the end of the conversation. There was no offer to get them from another store, or anything. I guess he did not really want my business.