Jakez

So I decided to go for Firestones lifetime alignment so that I could have my car aligned every time I do something to it.

As they were doing the alignment they pointed out that the inside of my rear passenger tire was shredding. I wanted to get Michelin Pilot Sports again for the rear but they didnt have them and I wanted the tires changed there just to get it over with.So I ended up getting some Falken Zeiks(sp?) there.

Afterward I went for a drive and the rear end of the car feels sloppy as hell! Very dangerous especially at 100mph it feels like the car wants to fishtail all over the place.

And to top it off they scraped the **** out of the entire outside of one of my rims! Is this their first time putting tires on or something wtf?

Don't have time to go back there today to ask them why my car is highly unstable and wtf happened to my rim but I will be there tomorrow cursing them out!

Edit: is there some kind of camber/toe/etc settings I could tell them to put on the car? I have stock tire width all around..

bigben320e

You went wrong with the name Firestone.

vettdvr

It varied by the person in the shop. Not all dealers with Firestone name are factory authorized dealers. We have a tire shop that sells Firestone tires with a big sign leading you to believe they are an authroized dealer. They are not. I also bought in 2004 a lifetime alignment from an authroized Firestone dealer. This has worked out well, they even installed the MB caster bolts when needed. At 124,000 miles my Michelins wear even pretty much across the tire. So it does vary by the person doing the work.

BBBSS

I agree. I'm never touching anything Firestone/Bridgestone again. I learned early on with my cars after they screwed some stuff up on my Cutlass when I was like 18.

They also worked on my friends F250 and the front wheels both literally fell off as he was leaving. They had the truck fixed and paid for a rental but damn...

pearlpower

Most of those chain stores employ kids (under 25 with exceptions) with little knowledge or care for a customers car. I know, dealt with all of them for years. That does not exclude the occasional exception whether at Firestone or Discount, etc that is good. However those employees generally do not hang around long as they stand out of a crowded field of jackasses and move on to better opportunities.

I have a tire guy at a large independent no more than 4 miles from me, everyone with a nice car in town goes to them and they keep BUSY! For a reason. Once in a while I even drop off a pizza or burgers for the guys to keep them 'motivated' with my stuff.

It might take a while to find a good tire guy, but hold onto him when you do.

Also, there is nothing wrong with having an adult conversation with the manager beforehand explaining how important the wheels and finish are to you. He will likely put his best person on it vs. the kid that just came over from Taco Bell.

bigben320e

I see your point, and yes to a degree, but with my dealings with Firestone, Sears, and PepBoys have been very bad and strange ones. Rather than chance it, I just skip them altogether.

Jakez

What adjustments could they have made that I can't do myself? I don't trust these people touching my car anymore lol.

GregMB

So you now have Michelins up front and Falkens on the rear?

That by itself sounds like trouble....


-G

Jakez

Maybe my alignment is fine and the tires just need to be broken in? Why would mixing the two be so bad if they're both a performance tire?

GregMB

Post your current alignment numbers....

The pic in your sig makes it look like the rear of your car is super low, and front sits high by comparison.



-G

bigben320e

I would suggest you get a professional alignment done somewhere you trust to work on MB's. You may be shocked at what they find from alignment and balance.

Jakez

I really dont even trust the dealer at this point. Its just too hard to find a place that actually cares about the customers car. I dont understand what they would be adjusting anyways that I couldnt DIY..?

Yeah my rear springs were failing at the time I took the pic, the back was always sitting on the ground lol.

93RX7LSX

1. Run the same brand tires on all 4 wheels.
2. Post your alignment specs pre & post alignment.
3. Always remember lifetime alignments have strings attached. Do it once but do it right.