Rear wheel toe on 90 suburban RWD

[Ricko1966]

I don't know how to do the up arrow thing to point above. When I worked at Firestone if you said I want a new battery I want a frontend alignment,I want an oil change. My job was change your oil,change your battery etc. If someone came in and said figure out what's wrong with my car I got paid to diagnose it,and that's fair. If you go to the doctor he doesn't diagnose people for free, As an employee of Firestone I can tell you almost verbatim what I was told if they ask for alignment,do an alignment. Me I can't do a good alignment for what you pay me. Yea but you're going to make money selling ball joints,tie rod ends etc. I didn't make money,it was just a waste of time,the customer would decline the work,take it home do their own repairs then bring it back so jacked up I lost even more money on the same alignment it was even worse,if you bought the lifetime alignment,I got paid 12 or 18 minutes to do it. Again back to the upsell, well if the alignments off somethings bent or worn out and you are going to get the money for the repairs. To be fair though every other shop I worked at I test drove a car not just to verify your complaint,but I'll notice your horn doesn't work,your ball joints are rattling etc. things you don't notice or have just forgotten. Yep I noticed your horn doesn't work,do you want us to fix that whole you're here.
QUOTE="Grit dog, post: 824876, member: 21649"]
And if it hasn’t been mentioned before, DO NOT use Firestone for repair work.
It’s been a few years now, but every experience at Firestone shops over the last 35 years has resulted in a rip off or attempted rip off. (Sorry, maybe “up-charge” is the politically correct word).
[/QUOTE]

 

[idahovette]

When I worked at the Chev-Cad dealership I got to talk to the customer and find out why they thought they needed an alignment, 12 years. Then I went to the local Co-op and they put an all new pit and alignment machine and I got to do my own thing there, appointments, talk with customers, everything,16 years. Then I made the biggest mistake of my life,(beside my first marriage), I went to work for the local fored/dogdged dealership. Car in the lot, do an alignment.....ok what's the problem, does it pull, wander, shake..what? Pencil pusher says just do an alignment and hurry. After a touch over a year, my new shop downtown was done and I walked away from the dealership life FOREVER!!! Ran my shop for 12 years with my partner, then for another 7 years on my own. NEVER made a lot of money, but we were never in danger of losing anything. What I am saying is when you go to get anything done, it is usually always better if you can talk with the person that is gonna work on your rig, probably NOT possible in a dealership, but always ask or take it to some old, grouchy SOB that may actually listen....grudgingly................anyone feel free to come by anytime!!!

 

[bucket]

For reasons that have already been stated, I also feel that's it's best to avoid the large/chain shops. Small family owned shops do still exist and a lot of them still know what they are doing and have good customer service.

The shop I worked at, the owner and her son nearly always ran the front counter. They were very good about asking the customers questions about why they were requesting whatever work to be done. They would let the customers know that they might have another issue, before ever signing a work order. That's how it was done since the place opened in '48 and that's how they still run it today.

Probably 95% of the vehicles that came through there for an alignment, needed more than alignment or often didn't even need an alignment at all. There also was customer-mechanic interaction with nearly every vehicle. That's very important, imho. When the mechanic has a direct knowledge of what the customer wants, the mechanic's job is easier and the customer gets what they want the first time, rather than having to bring the vehicle back in for the same complaint as before.