About six months ago, my truck’s starter started acting up. It wouldn’t start and made a strange grinding noise. Over time, the noise got worse, especially when the truck was in drive. Not wanting to damage the flywheel, I pulled into the Firestone near my work. The mechanic told me the starter was rusted and needed replacing. Since I was an hour away from home, I agreed to have it replaced. They charged me $550 for a Duralast starter.
After the replacement, the truck still made a grinding noise at startup, though it was quieter. Firestone claimed that the flywheel had been damaged by rust from the old starter. Fast forward to last week, when I had a mechanic at the Ford dealership check the flywheel. He said it had a few minor dings but was in good condition. However, he pointed out that the starter was rusted badly and needed to be replaced soon.
To my surprise, when the Ford mechanic checked the truck, I saw my old starter with the original Ford Motor Company sticker still on it. Firestone had simply cleaned it up and put it back in.
GregFord said:
Sounds like a refund or a lawsuit, depending on how far you want to take this.
Imagine my surprise when Ford pulled the old starter out. No way it rusted that much in just a few months, especially not in a climate like this. No way!
Xander said: @WilliamsMia
They told you it was a Duralast? It sounds like they just swapped it out with an old one.
Yeah, the Firestone manager said it was a Duralast. He couldn’t explain why it was rusted so badly, though. I didn’t expect him to say that, but he was honest about it being the one they installed.
I reached out to corporate, and they had the store service manager call me. He said he thought my Ford dealer took the starter out and put an aftermarket rusted one in. He then told me I had a 3-year warranty on the starter and should have come back to talk to them. I said, ‘Really? Some guy sells me a new starter for $500, and then it’s rusted in 3 months. Would you trust him to fix it?’
@WilliamsMia
Make sure you saved the starter. The dealer can trace it back to the truck’s VIN number. They’ll be able to prove whether it came with the vehicle or was replaced.
Ashton said: @WilliamsMia
Make sure you saved the starter. The dealer can trace it back to the truck’s VIN number. They’ll be able to prove whether it came with the vehicle or was replaced.
The manager claims it’s a Duralast starter, but somehow it rusted in just three months. Ford said there’s no way this was a new starter and thought it was the original one.
Anthony said:
I only go to Firestone for alignments.
Be careful. I took my F150 to them for an alignment, and they messed it up. Told me it needed shims, but when I drove off, the steering wheel was 70 degrees off. Took it to another Firestone, and they fixed it by using the correct factory parts.
Anthony said:
I only go to Firestone for alignments.
I have a lifetime alignment deal with Firestone. It’s worth it if you have a thick skin and can resist the upselling. I always get inspections so I’m paying them for something, even if my vehicle doesn’t need work.
