On October 16, 2020, I took my 2017 BMW X5 in for an oil change at Firestone Auto on W. WT Harris Blvd. in Charlotte, NC. I had typically only gotten service at the BMW dealership but decided to try here after a friend had his BMW serviced at a Firestone. While in the shop, a tune up was mentioned and I decided to allow them to do the tune up as I had recently hit 85K and figured it would be good for scheduled maintenance. After hours of waiting for the oil change and tune up, the technician gave me my keys, cashed me out ($700) and I pulled my car out of the parking lot, only for my engine to be misfiring and unable to accelerate. I returned to the shop within a minutes time as I pulled out and turned right back around. The manager told me they used aftermarket spark plugs and figured that could be the reason why (which later came out that they were too long, hence the cylinder head impact damage). They then called the BMW dealership to order spark plugs and they replaced the after market plugs with the ones from the dealership. The engine then got worse. I ended up having to leave my car there overnight. I came in the next morning, already upset about the situation, and the technician told me they put my original spark plugs back In to see if that would correct the situation and it continued to not run properly. My car was taken to them in superior condition as noted on the previous inspection notes and video from the last visit to the dealer. Firestone then let me know that they had already scheduled me a rental car and towed my vehicle to the dealership. They put me in a BMW X3, only to call me two hours later and say that I had to return it because they would not cover that amount and tried to place me in a Hyundai Elantra. After expressing how upset I was, they agreed to cover an SUV. Over the course of the past SIX WEEKS, they have been covering a rental vehicle for me. Fast forward a couple weeks, after multiple inspections from firestones independent inspectors as well as BMW, and a partial tear down of the engine, BMW determined that the engine needed to be replaced ($26.2K) and their inspector concurred. There were metal shavings throughout the entire engine, as well as the oil filter (mind you, Firestone also did an oil change). The dealership also noted that THE OIL WAS LOW. The oil drained from the car was completely filled with metal shavings and gave a sparkly look when a light was shined on it. Despite the dealer and inspectors findings, Firestone has continued to request a full tear down of the engine or they would not pay for the repair. Monday, November 16, 2020, BMW notified me that they would not be completing a complete tear down because there was enough conclusive evidence to show that the engine needed replacement and they would be closing the ticket. Due to the build of the engine, the intense amount of labor, and the findings that had already been noted, they did not feel it was necessary. Moving forward to November 18, I received a call from the claims rep stating that because BMW would not do the tear down, I had two options. They could offer 10K to HELP with the repair or have it towed to another BMW dealer that would complete the tear down. No dealership or shop has agreed to do the tear down due to the SAME reasons already reported by THE DEALERSHIP. This is absolutely ridiculous! How can the claim rep agree with the fact that this is their fault and there is enough evidence and proceed to say, “well management says we still must have the tear down!” For the second time, now that we are in another month, I am making payments on a vehicle that FIRESTONE DESTROYED and I am unable to enjoy due to their negligence. The claims rep told me that he would call me by the end of the day on 11/18 and I NEVER (and still haven’t) heard from him! Firestone’s website touts that their techs are certified to work on BMW’s and this proves WHY FIRESTONE IS A TERRIBLE AUTO SHOP! If they did not know what they were doing, they should not have agreed to the work! Other than a rental car and the run around, I have not received consistent communication, a repaired vehicle, NOR A REFUND FOR THE POOR $700 SERVICE JOB THEY WERE ORIGINALLY PAID TO DO! The last conversation with the claims rep said “I know it’s unfair, but management.....” I have called 5 or more times each day, and left messages since 11/18 AND NOT ONE PHONE CALL RETURNED!
I feel as though I have been very patient and civil in giving them a chance to correct this issue! As a public school teacher, I work very hard for EVERY dollar that I earn and I will not be jaded by the big company crap!
I do applaud the Store Manager, Rebecca for her efforts. She was very nice and professional throughout this terrible experience.
