Firestone inspection

Hello folks, so the car is a 2003 Camry LE with 113k miles on it. Over the past three or four months it has developed a noise in the front side (used to be super quite). Firestone inspection and another shop told me the front shocks are bad and is most likely the source of the noise. The noise is a squeaky type noise but with a higher pitch. Noise occurs when going over road irregularities specially at low speed but isn’t extremely loud.
Now the shop I use told me they will work with pre loaded strut assemblies only. They give me the best prices so I prefer doing the work there. They recommended KYB strut plus while Firestone recommended Monroe quick struts. I have done some research online and read that the KYBs can be too stiff and Monroes don’t last very long. I also found Gabriel Ultra readymounts which are supposed to have good balance in ride quality and control but have mixed reviews.
Bottom line is, I’m confused what to get. Monroe’s are around half of what KYB is in rockauto, Gabriel falls in the middle. I want something that will last me 20k miles over the next 2/3 years at least. Another option is to just not do anything at all. I don’t mind the ride quality it has now but the noise makes me a bit unhappy. I’m willing to suck it up if it’s not unsafe to drive.

Hello folks, so the car is a 2003 Camry LE with 113k miles on it. Over the past three or four months it has developed a noise in the front side (used to be super quite). Firestone inspection and another shop told me the front shocks are bad and is most likely the source of the noise. The noise is a squeaky type noise but with a higher pitch. Noise occurs when going over road irregularities specially at low speed but isn’t extremely loud.
Now the shop I use told me they will work with pre loaded strut assemblies only. They give me the best prices so I prefer doing the work there. They recommended KYB strut plus while Firestone recommended Monroe quick struts. I have done some research online and read that the KYBs can be too stiff and Monroes don’t last very long. I also found Gabriel Ultra readymounts which are supposed to have good balance in ride quality and control but has mixed reviews.
Bottom line is, I’m confused what to get. Monroe’s are around half of what KYB is in rockauto, Gabriel falls in the middle. I want something that will last me 20k miles over the next 2/3 years at least. Another option is to just not do anything at all. I don’t mind the ride quality it has now but the noise makes me a bit unhappy. I’m willing to suck it up if it’s not unsafe to drive.

Hello folks, so the car is a 2003 Camry LE with 113k miles on it. Over the past three or four months it has developed a noise in the front side (used to be super quite). Firestone inspection and another shop told me the front shocks are bad and is most likely the source of the noise. The noise is a squeaky type noise but with a higher pitch. Noise occurs when going over road irregularities specially at low speed but isn’t extremely loud.
Now the shop I use told me they will work with pre loaded strut assemblies only. They give me the best prices so I prefer doing the work there. They recommended KYB strut plus while Firestone recommended Monroe quick struts. I have done some research online and read that the KYBs can be too stiff and Monroes don’t last very long. I also found Gabriel Ultra readymounts which are supposed to have good balance in ride quality and control but has mixed reviews.
Bottom line is, I’m confused what to get. Monroe, Gabriel are 100 ish and KYB 150ish bucks in rockauto. I want something that will last me 20k miles over the next 2/3 years at least. Another option is to just not do anything at all. I don’t mind the ride quality it has now but the noise makes me a bit unhappy. I’m willing to suck it up if it’s not unsafe to drive.

Where is the fastest/best place to get a safety inspection sticker for my car? Ideally I’m looking for someplace I could roll in without an appointment and get it done fairly quickly (not a Firestone, for example). TIA!

Tomorrow, I'll be buying a Used 2015 Toyota Corolla with 101k Miles.
I'm buying the car from Carvana and it's Carvana Certified.
They have a 150-point inspection, It passed 149/150, Only thing that needed repairing/fixing was the front bumper. It has a clean title where the owners did the basic oil change and maintenance on it.
I still want to do an inspection on it, Just in case.
Is it better to do it at Firestone or at a Toyota Dealership?
I'm only asking since the Dealership will charge me an arm and a leg for it but it could be worth it or is Firestone fine?
Any other mechanics for an inspection on a car.
I live in the Nashville, TN area.

I have had a vibration in the seat, floor, and steering wheel since I purchased my car 2 weeks ago. I have seen a private mechanic, gone to Firestone twice and Toyota service twice. Each time the tires were balanced, rotated, and aligned. I noticed a rim was bent so I got that one replaced. The vibration is still there. I have found a nice independent mechanic with good reviews and there is also another Toyota service center I havent tried. The toyota service charges 135$ for diagnostic. The independent mechanic charges 98$/hr. Or so depending how long it takes him to sort the problem. I need to decide which one to take the car to. The other Toyota service I went to test drove the car a mile and didnt even inspect it the second time even though I asked. The rep. Was also very pushy about getting new tires even though their machine detected the alignment and tread on the tires was fine. Should I try the other Toyota service or the independent mechanic to see if I can get this issue solved? Thank you

I have a 2007 Ford Mustang 4.0 V6 with the Pony Package, 184k miles, manual transmission. The tie rods were replaced in about 2015 by Firestone.
I had my tie rods on the outside right side replaced, and the sway bar links to pass inspection in MA.
When I make a right turn, the steering wheel points slightly to the right after I straighten out. When I make a left turn, it centers fine when I straighten out.
I had a friend turn the steering wheel while I looked at the tires from the outside, and they appear to be even and turn as soon as they turned the steering wheel.
Did the mechanic mess something up?

I keep seeing fucked up stories on reddit about dashers not taking care of thier car, and loosing it, or having to shell out thousands of dollars to fix it. I just wanted to post some tips to save dashers money and stress. If you ignore car mantenience, it will cost you way more money.
I am not a mechanic, but I've had multiple cars run longer than 300k-400k miles
BRAKES- Brakes can last 25k to 80k miles, but as a dasher, brake pads and drums won't last as long. Driving at or under the posted speed limit will help your brakes last longer. Most pads have a pin that touches the rotors when the pads need to be replaced. When that pin hits the rotors, you will hear a squealing noise or a high-pitched noise. That's when you should replace them. If you wait too long, you will start to wear down your rotors. Lots of autoshops and mechanics will do free brake inspections. Just call around and ask. You should get your brakes inspected if you hear that squealing noise, notice it is taking longer to come to a complete stop, or feel a pulsation while braking. I can sometimes find deals on brake jobs for around 140$ for one pair, but the average for my corolla is around 259.
If you watch YouTube, you can replace your brakes for significantly cheaper. It isn't that hard.
Rotors- Some cars have rotor disk brakes, some have drum brakes, and sometimes you can have both. My car has front rotors and rear drums. Rotors are easier and cheaper to switch and fix. Drums cost more but seem to last way longer. When you fail to change your brakes, you fuck up your rotors. Rotors can be resurfaced. Some autoshops will resurface the rotors for free if needed, when you get your brakes replaced. Some charge extra. Your rotors can only be resurfaced so many times. Once they get to thin they will need to be replaced. I've bought new rotors for one of my previous cars for around 100 bucks at the shop. Since both front rotors needed to be replaced, that was an extra 200 bucks. If you always replace your brakes on time, you shouldn't have to replace your rotors.
Tires - Don't be dumb and drive on bald tires. You will cause an accident or get a flat. Always try to replace tires in pairs, but it's way better to replace all 4 at once. Each tire will last way longer. When you are buying new tires, call every shop within driving distance to try to find the best deal. Also, ask your trusted mechanic if he will price match, a lot of them will. I recently found a shop (firestone) that would replace all 4 tires, mount, install, do free tire rotations for the life of the tire, 75k mile warranty, and do the tire alignment for 525. For 100 bucks more, they added free lifetime alignment. Each alignment usually costs 100-120 bucks. Firestone also mentioned they were having a sale in a week for an additional 100 bucks off. Since my mechanic price matches, he agreed to the same price.
So every time I get an oil change, my mechanic will rotate and do a tire alignment. So these tires will wear evenly. When you skip out on alignments and rotation, your tires will wear unevenly, or you will have to replace 1 tire faster than others.
Oil changes - get your oil changed frequently. My cars manual recommends replacing my oil every 7500-10000 miles and using full synthetic or synthetic blend. I check my oil at 5k miles, then every 500 miles after that. Since I dash so frequently and long periods of time, my oil tends to be dirty around 6k miles. If you don't change your oil, your engine can blow. You can save money by learning to do it yourself. Sometimes, I get really good coupons for like 30 to 40 percent off at valvoline. Try to stick to the same type of oil each time. If you are using synthetic, don't downgrade to synthetic-blend or conventional.
Belts-some cars have timing belts or a timing chain. A timing belt needs to be replaced every so often. It's inexpensive to do. If you ignore it, you can total your car if it snaps. A timing chain lasts much, much longer than a timing belt. Most newer cars have a timing chain. It's a good idea to have a timing chain inspected every so often. Sometimes, you will never have to replace it for the whole life of a car, but if it breaks, it's super expensive. A few years ago, I had a mechanic tell me my serpentine belt was glazed, cracked, and worn. I asked the mechanic if I could see it. It looked brand new. 2.5 years later, a different mechanic said the same thing. When I saw it this time, it was worn. It cost me like 80 bucks to replace it.
Air filters- my car has an engine filter and a cabin filter. Both of them take less then 30 seconds to replace. Again, YouTube how to do it. Shops will try to upsell these. I saw a post tonight on reddit where a guy sent 140 bucks at a shop to replace...most of these filters are 20-35 bucks at autozone. It's super easy to replace. If you want you can spend extra money, and buy and engine air filter that you can rinse and stick back in that last forever.
General driving tips- go the speed limit. Not only is the speed limit for safety, but it's rated for road quality to keep wear low on cars. When you are dashing, most orders are going to be under 10 miles. By speeding, at most you are just saving a few seconds. This past year I've reduced speeding, and have notice significant matenince savings, most notably in breaks and tires. Also be gentle on speed bumps and pot holes, so your tire alignment last longer, which means your tires will too. Avoid dirt roads. When you accept an offer, research the customer address on google maps and go to street view to see if it's on a dirt road.
Mechanic tips- some mechanics will try to rip you off or upsale you on services you don't need. When I went to Arizona, a mechanic said my break fluid was contaminated. When I went home, my mechanic said the fluid pass the test and was brand new. Don't be afraid to ask mechanics to show you what is wrong. If they say "oh your belts are shredded" or "your fluids are low" make them show you. Also if you can boil your problem down to one part of a car, try to find a mechanic that will do a free inspection on that part. One place I know does a free break inspection, but will charge you to read an engine light, while another place in town will read your engine light but charge you a diagnostic fee to inspect your brakes.
Don't just take your car to a random shop. Google your problems, call every shop for best deal, and look at thier reviews.
I know this was a long winded post, but if it helps one person save 1 dollar, then I'm okay with that. I just keep seeing dashers destroy cars due to lack of knowledge, and being lazy, then becoming broke and car-less.

I just bought a used 2020 Toyota Corolla with 56000 miles on it. It has had a bad vibration problem. I have filled the tires to the recommended amount, replaced a bent rim and had the tires balanced on 3 different occasions. The first 2 times the tires were balanced at Firestone and the last time it was balanced at Toyota service center. I feel a vibration in the seat and a bit in the steering wheel. The vibration has gotten better since I took it to the mechanics but the problem still occurs occasionally the longer I drive. Sometimes it happens at 40 mph and sometimes highway speed. There are times I am on the back roads and I can feel the vibrations as well. I have no idea what it could be and each time the mechanics did a general inspection and didnt find anything out of the ordinary. Please any suggestions or people that have dealt with the same issue respond. Thank you.

Went to Firestone for their 10$ vehicle inspection today. Among other things they asked me if I had a rack and pinion job done to this car, because it was done improperly/not installed correctly and 'it is rubbing against the break line.'
They didn’t give me a quote as they said the part is still good, it just needs to be re attached properly, and they don't work with parts they didn’t source themselves. They recommend I took it to the place that did the job.
The rack and pinion job was done by the previous owner. So I went home and contacted them; they sent me the quote and receipt. And guess what, it was done at Firestone, albeit at a different location. The job (done on Feb 04, 2022) had lifetime parts warranty and 1 year labor warranty which just expired earlier this month.
Now, when I go to Firestone again tomorrow, do I expect them to re do it for free as they said themselves (not in writing) it was a faulty job?

I recent decided to shop around to get my car brakes issues checked. A Firestone shop said I’ll new both brakes brakes and rotors and quoted me $1300 for new brakes, rotors, and labor. I then took my car to 3 other shops that offer free brake inspections. They all more or less said the same things. The rear brake pads need to be replaced, the front brakes are fine, and both rotors are fine. They just suggested I change the rear brake pads. I heard noise coming from my brakes and they said it’s most likely due to cheap pads in the front from the last shop that changed them. The brakes are still fine but they will be noisy. What was originally a $1300 quote turn into a less than $100 fix as I just bought my own brake pads and got them installed at a mom and pop auto shop.
I couldn’t help but wonder but do shop’s really quote customers stuff like this and expect them to accept it? Like $1300 for basic brake and rotor change is a complete ripoff.

I'm looking at a 12 Honda Fit with only 30k Miles on it. The vehicle is 2 hours away. There's Midas and Firestone and those sort of places as well as mom and pop places. I'd like to get a third party inspection place to do it. Should I call around and see if anyone has time to do an inspection? If so, how do I make sure they really really check it over since this vehicle is in a state with no safety inspections.
Should I be that worried if it's a Honda with low miles? What else can I do to stay protected besides get it inspected by a 3rd party?
Update: I've been calling around different places that offer a "Safety inspection" that is $30-60. Is that enough of an inspection for an as is car? Should I be worried someone could cover something up or something like that? Do I need a more thorough inspection?
Thanks for any help!

I'm looking at a 12 Honda Fit with only 30k Miles on it. The vehicle is 2 hours away. There's Midas and Firestone and those sort of places as well as mom and pop places. I'd like to get a third party inspection place to do it. Should I call around and see if anyone has time to do an inspection? If so, how do I make sure they really really check it over since this vehicle is in a state with no safety inspections.
Should I be that worried if it's a Honda with low miles? What else can I do to stay protected besides get it inspected by a 3rd party?
Thanks for any help!
Edit: I've been calling around different places that offer a "Safety inspection" that is $30-60. Is that enough of an inspection for an as is car? Should I be worried someone could cover something up or something like that? Do I need a more thorough inspection?

I brought my car in for an inspection to a local firestone. While in their hands, they improperly lifted my car causing significant body damages. The manager texted me pictures of the damage while still improperly lifted. They also put it in writing on my invoice to get an estimate for the damages.
A month later the representative is attempting to offer more than $1000 less than the cost to repair the body damage. Due to what they appraise the value of my vehicle. Not even funds for a rental while in for repairs if I cover the difference.
If I use my insurance, my car will be totaled out and leaving me still owing more than $1500 on my loan and no car.
If I accept this "settlement" I get to keep my car, but will pay out of pocket the difference. I will also be forced to sign a NDA agreement to accept this settlement.
Thoughts?

There's nothing wrong with my car, it just needs the routine oil changes, tire rotation, filters changed, etc. I've been going to Firestone for the past 5+ years and always had a good experience but they told me they no longer have any diagnostic people and can't do those full inspections to find problems you might not know about. Is there anyone you'd recommend who can basically help me keep my older car in good shape?

So I have a 2013 elantra gt, I got it new in 2012, so it's 10.5 years old with 145k miles. I put $2000 worktg of work into it last may to get it to pass inspection, and last month I put another $600 into it to replace a gasket in the exhaust and a component of the steering column. Now I'm having trouble accelerating, it's the spark plugs. I took it to firestone for a full tune up and they refused to do it because 3 of the spark plugs are seized on. The dealership is quoting me anywhere between 500 and 1000 dollars for this work, assuming they are successful at removing the plugs. I also need new rear shocks and 3 tires. - probably will be between 2 and 3k overall.
It this worth it? Or should I bite the bullet and get something newer?

Hi! I just took my 2015 Subaru Crosstrek into a local Firestone for an inspection/oil change. They suggested doing some maintenance since the car is a little over 100k miles. They want to replace the brake/clutch/front and rear axle/manual transaxle fluid, replace the spark plugs, and replace the front brake pads. All of this work comes to a little under 2 grand. I don’t have that cash now, so what would be most important to prioritize?

Has anyone used Firestone to inspect a new vehicle? I don’t have a mechanic that I trust and this seems like a good option.