Alright, I know my alignment was off so I brought my car to the Firestone tire shop because they were cheap and they could take me in within the hour. That's when the problems started.

I left the car outside and gave the guy at the desk the keys. The mechanic immediatly went out and pulled the car in to the shop. Then after about 45 minutes the guy at the desk came and told me the alignment could not be done. The reasons were, bad rear inner tierod passenger side, bad rear lower ball joint on drivers side, bad front control arm bushings, and what he called severly loose wheel bearings in the frint drivers' side. Plus he said since the front tires and a different size from the rear tires they couldn't do it. He didn't charge me, but said to bring it somewhere else and have the work done, then come back for an alignment afterward.

Well, when I got home I checked it all out and he was right about everything except the wheel bearings. This was all on Thursday, now I give my car a good washing every week, usually on the weekends. Today I went to the car wash and did the usual. I like to spray the underneath with spray wax as well while I'm at it. That's when I notice my ground effects on the driver's side are cracked and chipped in two different spots where they must have put in on the lift to do the pre-alignment inspection. And the brackets that hold the coolant pipes up are both ripped up, actually one is completly gone now. So I checked the other side and it was also a little damaged, although not as bad.

So what should I do about this?? I have not contacted them yet. What should I say? Do I have to prove it was them. No one else has had it on a lift in quite a while. And the damage is deffinitly new. Any suggestions???

Well, you can take the car back and show them the damage and make your case, but since you didn't catch it when you picked up the car, all they have to say is they didn't do it. Still, it's worth a shot.

Also, you did tell them it comes with different size tires front and rear from the factory? (I assume it's a GT with 15" wheels) Based on that, they sound like they don't know what they're doing, and I wouldn't have them do the alignment anyway. But I would try to get them to fix the damage, and THEN tell them you won't be getting the alignement there.

Good luck.

Simular thing happend to me, brought the car to Tires plus to have some work done.

Couple a days later, I just happen to sit by the window facing the driveway looking out at the Fiero parked there
...and I am thinking...
some thing does not look right...
Sure enough upon close inspection, two broken ground effects, fresh paint scrapes
from where the front fender edge touched the widshield pillars.

Went back the next day, they tried to argue the point at first, ...we are a first rate biz,only top mechanics,we put cars on hoists all day ...yada yada

Funny thing though, I just happen to have my boyfriend who just happens to be a Master tech in the passenger seat,
dressed in one of his cleaner work shirts. (the one with all the "Certified Patches")

So after explaining the damage one more time to the manager, this time with Eric standing silently next to me,
they agreed to pay for all damages caused by lifting the car incorrectly.

Good luck
Tina

Hey well Firestone should pay for it they have insurance for that sorta thing. You wanna hear my experience? Well last weekend my oil light and check engine light came on in my 98 Ford Windstar (my wife picked it) I stopped driving it immediately. Towed it home and looked at the work they did to it 8 months ago and the cam sensor bolt was not even hand tight. It had backed out and screwed up everything. So I tightened the bolt and called Firestone and talked to the manager there. He knows me really well though which might have helped but I told him the situation and he said well it sounds ok to drive now that you tightened the bolt but we will schedule at a dealer to have it looked at. Well that was on thursday and wednesday the wife was driving and it came back on again. she drove it a half a mile to te house and we towed it to the dealer. Well we were told it was a trashed motor. So this weekend it's getting a crate motor put in it for a total of $4000 in labor and parts. So Firestone helped me out just be calm and persistant it works out!
Matt Jackson

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I had this happen to me about four years ago but it was much worse. They put it on the lift and did not position the lift arms correctly. The lower coolant hose snap off spewing coolant everywhere, and they crushed my lower rocker panels. The ground effects were also crushed.

They promised to fix it and gave me a rental for a few days. They used a heat gun and the plastic panels popped back out along with the ground effects. I could still see the stress marks though but what was I to do. The mechanic claimed that the lifter arms had slipped off when in reality he never positioned them properly. They actually got off easy because any other cars the damage would not have been so easy to repair.

Hey.. I used to work at Dettmer Tire (Firestone).. SOrry man, You're not getting any compensation..

Where to start. First of all, any decent alignment shop should be able to do all the work necassary for getting a proper alignment done. The different size issue, that's bull **** . Trueline in El Cajon did up my alignment with non stock sized tires on the rear, and stock tires on the front. Front tires were out of round, and my cradle bushings are weak. They did it up to the best of their capabilities.

This is on my 85GT with 14" rims.

Second of all, they owe you repairs for their damages.

Alright, I have to wait util tomorrow to get a hold of them but there seems to some more problems.

I have been driving the car all summer, actually ever since about March, and there has never been any trouble with handling or braking. After noticing the ground FX yesterday I went to the store and I began to notice that when I stepped on the brakes the pedal was pretty hard, but my brakes seemed to require more effort than usual to stop. So I gave it a better look underneath and one of my brake lines underneath had been bent down a few inches (one of the metal ones next to the coolant pipes).

So I guess I'm getting a little more steamed by now, and then today it rains...
I've have never had any trouble in the rain either, but at 35mph in 65 degree weather I almost spun out twice. I haven't figured that one out yet... Now what?