Goodyear Auto Service Center LIED to me about changing my Brake Fluid!!!!

[bimmerguy]

Why not just politely talk to the manager and indicate that you were reviewing your service and don't believe the brake fluid was changed. Ask them if they could change it while you wait. I think you will get better results than if you are accusatory and carrying a bottle of dirty brake fluid. If they refuse, contact your credit card company and ask to dispute the charge.

[Tarheelgarage]

1. GY&Firestone are full of hacks; avoid these places.
2. Dealerships are no saints either when it comes to ape-raping the ignorant with BS fluid flush shit. The only thing they are interested in flushing is your wallet; flush all your $ into their money drawer. I do quit a few repairs on vehicles that were supposedly repaired by their "factory trained" technicians.

Find a trusted, local mechanic and use him for all your repair needs. He may be a little higher that the GY and Firestone shops, but in the end, you will be happy with his service.

[bazzateer]

Originally Posted by bimmerguy

If they refuse, contact your credit card company and ask to dispute the charge.

You're assuming he paid by credit card, may have been cash or cheque.

[fiatsam]

Originally Posted by logical

You start a thread calling a service center liars (in capital letters even) and then make it clear to everyone here that you really have no proof. So be sure and come back to tell us how it goes at Goodyear.

+1. While GY may not have even touched it, that doesn't necessarily mean they lied to you. Mistakes and/or miscommunications can and do happen. I had a friend get new tires installed at a parts store chain. He picked up the car later and didn't realize until later that the rear tires had never been replaced. He was understandable annoyed, but they weren't trying to pull a fast one on him. Something just got mixed up between the minimum wage kid writing the order and the kid replacing the tires. I'm not trying to defend their actions becase I don't know what actually happened, but as angry and frustrated as you might be, try not to automatically assume they lied to you. You'lll have a much better chance of resolving this to your satisfaction if you don't come through the door with an accusatory attitude.

[Britwrench]

Originally Posted by jamesc

At my work we try our best to stand behind our diagnosis, which we do charge for. If we are wrong we usually end up eating the cost of further repairs. diagnosing vehicles can be quick and easy, or long and painful especially when you get vehicles with multiple problems.

we have a brake flush machine at work and it does a very good job of pressuring the master. I have noticed on vehicles with excessively dirty fluid the grime will sit at the bottom and make new fluid look dirty. that may have been the case in your situation, but not all mechanics are honest, so someone is lying or made a mistake. as noted before many service advisors go by mileage for maintenance, and may not believe you when you say it was just done.

If the reservoir fluid is dirty or contaminated, always suck it out with a vacuum bleeder before changing the fluid.
If necessary, remove and clean the reservoir.

[BillK]

Originally Posted by bazzateer

I'm intrigued as to why someone calling themselves 1Garageman doesn't do simple jobs like that himself? .

Bazz,
Unfortunately on most newer vehicles with antilock brake systems, this is not a simple job. Some vehicles even require the use of a scan tool with ABS two way communication capabilities to even change brake pads. Its not the same as changing pads on a 1980 Chevy.

To the original poster . . . . when the dealer told you that the fluid had not been changed, you should not have let them do anything to it. You should have taken the car back to the original shop and had them test the fluid while you were there. Once you had the dealer flush the system agian (if indeed they did ? ) then the original shop owes yo nothing in my opinion because you have absolutely no proof that the job was not done. And if you think the dealers word is good enough, you are sorely mistaken

I see that you are network tech. Lets just say for talks sake that you repaired a network for my business and charged me for replaceing cables, reprogramming etc. The next day I have an unrelated problem and another company comes out to look at it and tells me that you did not do any of the things you billed me for. If I paid them to "redo" what they claimed you did not do, and then called you the next day wanting a refund for the work you did, how would you feel It was thier word against yours, see what I mean.

Just another opinion,

[bhclark]

I haven't been back to a Goodyear in 20 years. Last time I was there they left the brake fluid cap off the M/C, then refused to do anything but top it off. I wanted the fluid flushed since it had been open to the elements for 24 hours.
During the same visit, they charged me for an alignment, then said "it's still off, we don't have the shims necessary to fix it", but refused to reduce the alignment charge. I insisted that since they weren't able to align the car, I shouldn't be charged the full amount.

Firestone is just as bad. I took my '58 chevy truck in for an alignment check due to a heavy vibration. They failed to catch that one of the E-Clips was missing in the driveshaft, accounting for the vibration.
If you align it and it still vibrates, wouldn't you at least suggest additional time to investigate instead of just charging and telling the customer good bye?

[1Garageman]

Originally Posted by bazzateer

Others have said it all really about whether it was done or not and what comeback you may or may not have with GY. I'm intrigued as to why someone calling themselves 1Garageman doesn't do simple jobs like that himself? My apologies in advance if you are somehow unable to do so, no offence intended.

My point being, the only way you know these jobs are done properly is to do them yourself or watch them being done.

I call my self a gargeman because that is where I am a lot of weekends doing wood working jobs, repairing things or ma!!king things. I do all kinds of things in my garage, but I wasn't born in a house with a dad or uncle or someone to show me stuff about a car. I don't know jack shit about break fluid and replacing it, and I am not going to chance it on my wife's vehicle!

[1Garageman]

The Honda dealership gave me a container of the break fluid that they cleaned out that was still dirty. They put it in a clear water bottle container. I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and put it on here. From what I understand they should of flushed the fluid out until it was clear and had no bubbles!

[BillK]

Originally Posted by 1Garageman

The Honda dealership gave me a container of the break fluid that they cleaned out that was still dirty. They put it in a clear water bottle container. I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and put it on here. From what I understand they should of flushed the fluid out until it was clear and had no bubbles!

The point here is though, how do you even know that the fluid they showed you is from your Wife's car ? See what we are getting at ? You will probably say "why would they not tell the truth ?" Well . . . . why would the Goodyear store not tell the truth ? See what I mean ?

Unfortunately at this point it is one persons word against another.

A couple of things I would suggest you do to prevent this in the future:

1. Learn how to do the most basic checks on your car yourself. You should know how to do this anyway.

2. Find a good independent repair shop and take your cars to that shop only. The dealer would be ok too if you feel comfortable with them. No jumping around from one to the other. That is just a recipe for confusion. And in my opinion, stay away from the "chain" places for general repairs.

Just my opinion,

[Ign]

Originally Posted by Tarheelgarage

1. GY&Firestone are full of hacks; avoid these places.
2. Dealerships are no saints either when it comes to ape-raping the ignorant with BS fluid flush shit. The only thing they are interested in flushing is your wallet; flush all your $ into their money drawer. I do quit a few repairs on vehicles that were supposedly repaired by their "factory trained" technicians.

Find a trusted, local mechanic and use him for all your repair needs. He may be a little higher that the GY and Firestone shops, but in the end, you will be happy with his service.

I was going to say the EXACT same thing. Look for a small outfit where the guy you talk to, the guy you pay, and the guy who did the work are all the same person.

I've never understood the theory of service writers, and for a brief time my dad worked as a service writer in a dealership. He didn't last long because he was too ethical but was pushed to sell repairs that weren't needed.

We get enough bureaucracy from our government and large corporations. Find a mechanic who will chat with you about what your vehicle needs - - within reason of course, everyone's time is valuable but a good mechanic will talk about service & repairs with you, that's his business.

[slip knot]

I caught my local goodyear lying to me! My wife has traded with the local GY religously for the past 10yrs or so. Never any issues just fix it. no quibbling on price just fix it. We had been on a road trip and I noticed a little bobble in the steering wheel at 70 mph. Told her to take in and get the tires re-balanced. They have her credit card on file so we don't have to get there before closing ,its paid for.

When she picked it up it had a $500+ invoice on the seat. Asked her WTF and she said thye called and said 2 tires were shot and it needed an alignment. Called the Service manager the next day and he stated that the wife approved all repairs over the phone. If I wanted I could come by and look at the tires. Stopped by on the way to a meeting and looked at the tires, Both were cupped and one was seperated. I would have felt either of yhese while driving this vehicle but what really got me was the date code on the tires it was an 08 date code and the wifes Durango was an 07 with original tires on it. I asked him how my tires were built after the vehicle came off the assembly line? He couldn't answer that one. He was really suprised when I asked him to pull my companies account up on his computer and delete it, we would not be doing buisness with them anymore. He about passed out when he saw we did @ $15K a year in PM work there.

Owner of the GY called and asked what the problem was and I told him I didn't appreciate the way they treated a loyal customer and would be taking my buisness elsewhere as well. The wife and I don't use the same last name and they never put 2&2 together till then! I was in charge of a fairly large motorpool at the time and could do what I wanted as far as service was concerned. I changed to an independent garage and had great service.

[milesvdustin]

Things like this are why I am always happy to tackle a new job on the car. Three years ago I couldn't tell you where the brake fluid even went in a car or that it needed changing. Now, thanks to the auto hobby shops on base, I have done brake jobs, fluid changes, even dropped the transmission in my Volkswagen and replaced the clutch, all by myself! (Many of the hobby shops have retired ASE certified mechanics that work there and help you out) The internet can be a wonderful resource in doing research for maintenance instructions. Also, the service manual for your vehicle is a great tool to have as well!

[plung]

Hondas are so damm easy. Do this stuff yourself, you've got to start somewhere.

[bc_stang]

I work for a honda dealer out in vancouver,canada.When i get a brake flush job,first thing i do is remove entire brake fluid out of master cylinder reservoir using vacumm bleeder.Most of the time i would need to get into every corner and bottom of the reservoir since thats where all the film is built up from old fluid.Then i would fill up reservoir with new fluid and bleed all 4 wheels one by one starting from r/r(farthest).By now i would probabaly go through 2 bottles of brake fluid.Then i would go back and empty out master reservoir again and fill with new fluid.
When i am upselling a brake flush,i am looking for color but most importantly i am also looking for viscousity.I have noticed dirty brake fluid is bit thicker,fresh brake fluid is thinner.If the fluid looks bit discoloured but still thin,thats my first sign to think maybe it was replaced not to long ago.In that case i would ask customer if it was done elsewhere recently.
I have personally ran into this several times where previous shops(or other honda dealerships) have just done a brake flush 2-3 months ago but fluid looks dark.

How well flush was done is the real question here.If someone just sucked out reservoir without bleeding entire system, it would get dark within a week.But then again it could be dealership thats either mistaken or just wanted to "upsell" stuff based purely on mileage/age of the brake fluid.
I think op should have let GY correct/analyse the situation if there was a concern flush wasnt done,IMHO.

[PeterT]

I find using a shop vac is handy when flushing my reservoir.

[Highbeam]

I flush brake fluid in my vehicles. I have done several vehicles and every single one of them starts out dark and ends up clear. I don't care if "good" fluid can be dark (that's irrelevant), I know that new fluid is clear so if I paid for a brake fluid flush then the fluid must be clear.

I use a mity-vac to suck the fluid from the MC first, replace with new, then go to the farthest wheel and suck fluid until I get clear fluid. Seriously, 8 pints is not a lot when doing the job right.

Dark fluid is a sign of bad fluid. Flush it.

For the OP, you should have brought the car back to Goodyear with the nasty fluid still in the car. After having Honda fix it, well, you lost that battle. In this case, always demand a refund and do not allow them to finish the job.

[thooks]

Originally Posted by bc_stang

I work for a honda dealer out in vancouver,canada.When i get a brake flush job,first thing i do is remove entire brake fluid out of master cylinder reservoir using vacumm bleeder......Then i would fill up reservoir with new fluid and bleed all 4 wheels one by one starting from r/r(farthest).By now i would probabaly go through 2 bottles of brake fluid.Then i would go back and empty out master reservoir again and fill with new fluid.

You work for a Honda dealer, eh? You're a 'factory trained Honda tech', eh?

I hope not. On both accounts. Starting at the R/R is NOT the correct procedure on most Hondas.

[Eagle Point]

Originally Posted by thooks

You work for a Honda dealer, eh? You're a 'factory trained Honda tech', eh?

I hope not. On both accounts. Starting at the R/R is NOT the correct procedure on most Hondas.

Just curious why you would not start at the R/R to bleed brakes?

[thooks]

Because that is not the specified procedure by Honda on some vehicles?

At least that is per the factory service manuals I have for my 2006 and 2007 Hondas.