I went to this Goodyear last year for a starter/ignition issue. This week, my car wouldn't start,…read moreso I took it back to the same Goodyear in case the starter was still under warranty. My dad called before I got there and explained the issue, asked them to check on the warranty and see what was going on. I had to tow the car there. I left it there on a Monday. At 5:45 on Tuesday (they close at 6), the mechanic called and told me the solenoids were stuck and that the thermostat was failing. He mentioned an issue with the catalytic converter as well and quoted me $2k at minimum to fix all three. I said no to the catalytic converter because it was working fine and he confirmed it wasn't a functionality or safety concern. When I asked if the solenoids were on warranty because I saw them on an invoice I had from them in 2023, the mechanic very quickly rushed to get off the phone saying they were about to close and he would check in the morning. Again, they close at 6 and he waited until 5:45 to discuss the issues with the car with me.
I called the next morning, so it's Wednesday now, and told them to go ahead with the solenoids and thermostat and not to do the catalytic converter. Christine at the front desk answered and mentioned the 3 repairs above, as well as an exhaust pipe issue. I tell her that the mechanic didn't tell me about the exhaust pipe. She moves on quickly, not clarifying what the issue was, what the cost would be, or whether or not it was a safety, functionality, or aesthetic concern.
Around 2 or 3 pm that same day, the mechanic called me and said he "suspected" the reason the car wouldn't start was the timing
belt being loose, not the solenoids. He suggested they replace the timing belt, leave the solenoids, and still do the thermostat. So are the solenoids stuck or not? He doesn't clarify. I explained that I'd gotten the timing belt replaced 2 years prior and got a fault code on my dashboard every day when it was broken. Why wasn't I getting the fault code now? He launches into a bunch of technical talk and then quotes me for $1400. I have my dad call back instead because I am used to mechanics trying to bully me because I am a young woman. My dad tells me the mechanic told him the timing belt was cracked, not loose, which is not what the mechanic told me. I expressed my concern that I'd be dropping $1400 on a repair when they aren't even sure if that is the reason it wouldn't start. They also told my dad that the car was running fine and was driveable. It's getting close to 6, so I call Goodyear back and tell them to just do the timing belt. The mechanic then said that they weren't gonna work on the car that afternoon, so I could call him back in the morning. I planned to pick up the car the next day and take it to a different mechanic since they told my dad it was driveable.
When I call the next morning, so it's now Thursday, Christine picks up, doesn't let me talk, and goes to ask the mechanic about the car. When she gets back on the phone, I explain that I am going to come pick it up and for them not to touch it anymore. She asks me if I am getting a tow because it isn't driveable. I explain that I'm over the back and forth and getting conflicting information every time I or my parent talk to them. She denies ever speaking with me, or telling me something different than the mechanic. I told her not to touch the car and that I would get it towed.
When the tow truck arrives hours later, he tells me the car isn't ready and that he won't be able to wait. I called Goodyear to let them know I would have another tow truck pick up my car and just needed to know when the car was ready. Christine claimed she couldn't "make any promises" about giving me a call when the car was finished. What mechanic doesn't call you when your car is finished so you can come and pick it up? I call later and ask if the car is ready. The tow truck comes. My car is with a different shop now, thank god.
Whether the issue is a lack of communication, organization, leadership, or a combination of all three, all I know is that their issues and unprofessionalism caused days of unnecessary stress for me. Had they behaved appropriately, taken accountability, or communicated any information effectively, I would've paid for the repair and they would have kept my business. I have never dealt with any shop being that uncommunicative, defensive, contradictory, or flat-out rude. It took 4 days for me to get my car back as they wasted my time and still didn't know why it didn't start on Monday. Treating your customers that way is unbecoming of any business, especially ones reliant on maintaining long-lasting relationships with customers. I hope they fire that rude, combative, lying woman at the front desk and hire mechanics with a proper work ethic and the ability to keep their lies straight at the least, and not waste people's time or drain their pockets at the most.
