On my way home tonight I stopped at the Firestone shop on US130 in Delran, NJ for an oil change. When the guy behind the counter figured out the Prius was a hybrid he told me that he didn't have anyone qualified to change the oil because the hybrid qualified tech was not there. I told him it's an oil change. All you have to do is remove the filter and pour in 3.5 quarts of oil. All he said is that he doesn't have anyone qualified because if they damage the car they are liable. (No kidding.) It was obvious I wasn't going to convince this idiot they could do an oil change so I said good night and told him I'm not returning. It may be that your local Firestone store isn't staffed by morons and idiots but I wouldn't waste my time finding out.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Aug 17 2007, 11:23 PM) [snapback]498157[/snapback]</div> I wonder if they would have required the hybrid qualified tech if you wanted to buy tires. What a bunch of fools. Ironically the oil change in the Prius is one of the easiest cars I have ever changed. And being that it only takes 3.5 qts a tad more profitable for the shop.
When I got my Hydroedges [not at Firestone], I realized near the end of the process that they'd left the car powered up the entire time it was up on the lift. And this was a tire place just up the hill from a Toyota dealership, and told me "no problem, we get Priuses in here all the time from those guys" ... cretins. The desk manager had to go out in the shop and boot the car himself to drive it out, because the monkeys back there couldn't figure out if it was on, off, driveable, parked, or whatever. Priuses all the time, my nice person. . _H*
Was that Hogan? I thought they were smarter than that! I'm beginning to think I can't trust anyone to do anything to this car correctly. Didn't they think it was odd that the ICE went on every so often?
Yep, Hogan. They were otherwise reasonably competent, and even let me hang out in the shop a little to watch the process rather than aiming me solely at the waiting room. Apparently the car was warm and charged enough that it didn't fire itself up, and they might not have been able to hear it over the ambient noise anyways... still, nobody should misrepresent their knowledge like that. . I should add that buying the tires locally at the place that was going to install them worked out to about the same cost as shipping from TireRack to one of their "authorized" installer outlets after all was said and done. And said installer outlet would have been ... get this, a Firestone place! eep. . _H*
I'm a big fan of the tire places that have covered bays out front for you to R&R your own wheels. (The "Tire Warehouse" chain is one of them.) It's nice to have the option if for no other reason than to know that your lug bolts aren't going to be blasted on and cross-threaded with an impact wrench, ruining a hub. That was a fun Saturday...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(morpheusx @ Aug 17 2007, 11:33 PM) [snapback]498162[/snapback]</div> Possibly. They aren't necessarily fools. Keep in mind that it might be _much_ cheaper for them to turn 'hybrids' away if it is their policy to have one person that is qualified to deal with them. Let's say they somehow screw up an oil change because the one hybrid dude isn't there... that's going to cost them a _lot_ of money to repair. However, if they turn down 10 hybrid oil changes, that's far less of loss than paying for a new hybrid drive-train.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oly_57mpg @ Aug 18 2007, 01:12 PM) [snapback]498360[/snapback]</div> So if I take my Intrigue there I should demand that the hybrid guy change the oil? What's their excuse going to be if the hybrid guy doesn't tighten the filter? Sorry, but IMO they need me more than I need them--and they don't need me at all. When it is time for tires and should I feel like busting on them I can go back and ask if the hybrid guy is going to install them. Probably not going to be worth my time as Firestone hasn't come up on the list of preferred replacements.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Aug 18 2007, 07:42 PM) [snapback]498460[/snapback]</div> I do not know... I've never had to demand anyone change my oil - except myself. Sorry. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Aug 18 2007, 07:42 PM) [snapback]498460[/snapback]</div> Who knows, but if you can manage to prove the point that their hybrid guy botched the job, then they will fire him and fix the car. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Aug 18 2007, 07:42 PM) [snapback]498460[/snapback]</div> Not always. If you're not in a bay, that's an open bay for someone else... <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Aug 18 2007, 07:42 PM) [snapback]498460[/snapback]</div> That would be awesome. I love it when people who CYA eat their words. Well, I've been to two firestone places with non-hybrids and their service was ok. One place stayed open for me and helped me push my car into one of their open bays since I had coasted it into the parking lot and almost to the bay... when they were closing. But it doesn't sound like your experience was as good... :huh:
a lot of places have really stupid regulations about training. DH worked at a different chain store for a while and was not allowed to do alignments, something he knew how to do and had experience with, until he took the chain store's alignment class. same with brakes. and a bunch of other stuff. it's stupid, yes. oh, our friends have a mazda 626, they went to firestone to have their timing belt and some other major maintenance done. about 2k miles later they asked DH to look over their car. well... let's say the timing belt they used wore as fast in 2k miles as an oem would wear in its useful lifetime. DH thought they didn't change it at all, but he and a buddy together eventually found evidence that it was indeed changed but the part was crap. so keep an eye out for that too.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Aug 18 2007, 07:42 PM) [snapback]498460[/snapback]</div> and the fact that there is absolutely no difference in how to change the oil is what makes it absurd.
Firestone replied with a mediation conference call. I responded with a link to john1701a's site pointing out the complexities of an oil change. If the people at Firestone have any brains they will share the information.
Usually incidents like this are knee-jerk reaction by management due to something that happened previously. The 16 year old kid changed the oil or antifreeze and forgot to screw on the oil filter or put no antifreeze back and the shop had to pay for a new engine, or entire hybrid system. So they decided the 20 year old expert would do all those. I change my oil myself, only done the Prius once. It was so simple next time will probably take 15 minutes.
I'd leave the Prius powered up while changing the tyres too. turning it off puts trans in park and those guns they use to remove the wheels will tear at your parking pawl. Think yourself lucky they did.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Aug 27 2007, 04:31 PM) [snapback]502868[/snapback]</div> Unless someone is sitting in the driver seat with their foot on the brake, wouldn't the 'transmission' be in Park regardless of whether the car is powered up or not? :huh:
No it wouldn't. If the car is powered up then a person gets out without shutting it down and the car is left in neutral it will stay in neutral.
Where do you get the idea that an air wrench will rip up the parking pawl? That's a new one on me. References, please. . _H*
I have no reference I am just aware of the force a air wrench will apply to the wheel nuts and axle. This jaring force will be transmitted through the drive train to the parking pawl. I didn't say it would rip it up but to leave a car in neutral when using a "rattle gun" to undo the wheel nuts is SOP in the automotive industry. Does anyone know what Toyota's recomendation is? I'm just using logic and my personal experience with other vehicles. I have never stripped a parking pawl but I never undo or tighten wheel nuts in park. Hand brake yes park, no.
leaving a car in neutral to remove the wheels? there are so many situations where that is either impractical or impossible. for the record, our prius and our other cars have always been in park when the wheels were removed, even with an air tool.
