Firestone Complete Auto Care

You expect salesmen to be pushy, but the one I encountered here after getting a flat was worse than I expected. After asking him to inspect the tire to see if it could be repaired, he laughed and said no way, the hole was way too big. I said if the hole in the tread was around the size of a nail it could be repaired, and he said «I don’t think so» and asked me to come and look at new tires immediately. In retrospect, I should’ve realized you can’t trust someone looking to make commission on a sale, when repairs don’t afford them anything.
The tire the man wanted to sell me was $ 260, and I said that was expensive and that I would like to check elsewhere first. The whole conversation consisted of him saying «you dont want that» and «you’ll need this». He printed out the receipt for the tire and a warranty, and when I asked if the warranty is necessary, he said it was standard and left it at that. He went as far as to tell me that I shouldn’t get a used tire to match, for some reason.
After getting the rest of my tires from Americas Tire at home in Nor cal, I saw the stark contrast between these two establishments. Most tire places, actually, are quite good, even though they try to upsell. They will negotiate and work something out, but this Firestone tried to take advantage of my need for a tire. Not leaving a worse review because it was my fault too for not arguing more, since that was my first experience with having to buy new tires

Jordan at Firestone is extremely helpful! Pulled up right before they closed with some questions regarding my tires and he went above and beyond to help me out. Next time you’re at Firestone, ask for Jordan!

Had to stop by unexpectedly on way through Santa Barbara. They got my brake issue fixed up as fast as they could to get me back on the road. Thanks guys.

Great service at this location. Geoff Reily was the gentleman who helped me. He was kind and attentive. I felt well taken care of and would definitely come back next time I need help with my car.

I’ve been going to this Firestone for five years now. Until now I didn’t have any problems. Then in recent months I’ve had two. First, I took my car in to have the transmission fluid replaced, and the technician called to tell me they didn’t have the right parts and I’d need to take it to a dealer. I responded that they replaced the fluid before, and he checked, and then said they made a mistake and would consult their master mechanic. Then yesterday I brought in my car because the Check Engine Light was on. The technician told me they needed to schedule a diagnostic but their diagnostics typically took FOUR HOURS and I’d have to schedule that time. I found another service station that performed a diagnostic within one hour while I waited. I’m disappointed that the technician at Firestone lied to me.

If you are tech savvy and/​or enjoy making appointments and getting coupons online, you can do all that on Firestone’s website. They offered a $ 19.99 synthetic blend oil change and all the other places I looked up would charge at least $ 40 for any oil change, so I decided to get my oil change from them. I made my appointment around 2 PM on a Saturday and they had a few appointment slots open after 5:00 PM on the same day.
The location is a bit hard to find since it is tucked between a freeway entrance and McDonald. I arrived there 30 minutes before our appointment time and left my car and contact number. At first, the guy told me that the factory recommends that I get the premium synthetic oil, which would cost me around $ 40. I asked him what was the difference between the two oil and he directed me to a poster. I read it and noticed that it was a bit better for the environment. Sorry, Earth, I can’t afford to pay $ 20 extra for an oil change, so I asked for the synthetic blend. The guy didn’t push me to make one choice or another, so that was nice.
They called me an hour later to pick up my car. They didn’t charge me anything extra nor push me for any other services. This may partially be due to the fact that I have a relatively new car that I don’t drive often. Since this is my first car, I have been getting my oil change from the dealership I bought my car from. I noticed that I would have to get my oil change again in 3,000 miles but when I got my oil change from dealership, it would last 5,000 miles. Maybe that has to do with the cheaper gas I got, and I would had asked the guy but he really didn’t seem like he care or knew much.
Overall, I didn’t notice any damage to my car and I don’t have to think about an oil change for another 3,000 miles; so, it was a relatively good experience. The most annoying thing about them is that they keep sending emails, almost once every day for 2 weeks straight, to remind me to give feedback about my experience.

Seriously, the best costumer experience I’ve had thanks to Élan. My girlfriend and I were driving down the 101 when we hit something on the road. Long story short, we had a dent in our wheel. Unfortunately, the Firestone wasn’t able to fix our wheel but not after they did everything they could to help us out. Élan was able to provided us with the address and phone number of a place that could help our situation. He even took the time out of his day to call ahead and let them know we were coming.

My wheel was hit by something on the freeway while driving on the 101. I took my car into the shop to be fixed. They were unable to replace the wheel. Élan was able to recommend other places to bring my car in. Great customer service.

Took two hours for my wife to get a simple oil change. Oil left on the door handle as well as the shifter inside of the car.
We were trying Firestone out after some bad experiences else ware. Looks like the search continues for a decent oil change.

Thank you so much Élan!
Our car broke down heading home to LA from Santa Barbara. Turns out it was the alternator. Élan took care of us in a few hours and we just made it home!
Great service! And so thankful that they are open on Sunday! 10 stars!

A mixed experience, but ended up being very negative. We were passing through Santa Barbara on a Sunday when we had brake problems. The only open place was Firestone. It took them 2 more days to get the parts necessary to fix the problem. I don’t blame this on them — in fact, I think the guy who helped us on Sunday and Monday (Geoff) was very helpful. He called lots of places to try to get the parts, and was super nice all time. He was really polite and apologetic for the delays — the customer service was just fantastic with him. Had it ended there this would have been 5 stars…
[spoiler: this will be a bit of a rant]
However, on Tuesday he was not at work. I call the place in the morning, 30 minutes before the parts were supposed to arrive, to ask for a confirmation on the time (it’s a different day, there are different people in the store, I wanted to let them know that we have been stuck here for two days and eager to leave). A manager called Élan answers the phone, and immediately starts giving attitude — we were told that the parts arrive at 11, calling all the time is not going to help (this was the first call of the day). I say «I am sorry, I just wanted to check in…», and he says again no need to call, they will call when they have an update”. It’s 11:30 and no call, so I call again (2^nd and final call of the day), to ask if the parts are in, and he says yes, they arrived at 11, and they are working on the car. I complain that I didn’t get a call (I was annoyed now), and ask when it’s going to be ready. He says 1 – 1:30 hours. At 12:30, we all drive there. Since apparently calls annoy him, we hope he will be nicer face-​to-​face (out little group includes a woman with an adorable toddler and a pregnant woman — heart-​melter material, we hope). He says that the car will take another 1 – 1:30 hours to get ready. I complain that he said that 1 hour ago, he contends that he actually said 2 – 2:30 hours. I say I definitely heard 1 – 1:30 hours, and he says it was 2, and it can take even longer if I want. Then he goes on to say that I am harassing him and the mechanic (who I haven’t even talked to this entire time), and that they can make things take even longer. He just keeps being rude to us the rest of the day, no matter how much we tried to defuse the situation (apologizing for calling in, saying that we probably misheard him, sorry, etc…). Everyone is just shocked at his attitude, and baffled as to why he was being so nasty to us. Maybe he was having a bad day, I don’t know, but mistreating and threatening costumers is pretty bad. Mechanics have a bad reputation for screwing costumers, and this Élan is a good example of the reason.
So while my initial experience was great (thanks Geoff!), I can only give a very negative review to a place that employs people that mistreat their costumers like this. This shows that they don’t care about their costumers, and I was just lucky to get a decent human being in the beginning.

I’m sorry.
This place will do whatever they take to con you even in the most slightest way.
When a check engine is on, you don’t pay 100 dollars for a «diagnostic» test especially when my car was due an oil change. Just reset it.
This annoys the shit out of me.
I’ve come to this firestone for numerous years and I’m always having to read and teach myself about cars before coming in to discern when they’re conning me.
I’m always a nervous wreck when coming here.
Firestone in Ventura will not treat me this way.

The entire Firestone crew that worked with my car was extremely friendly and professional, especially Élan (I believe that was his name). Although getting all new tires on my car took longer than I was initially informed, the crew made sure to update me with progress during my wait. I was charged for four new tires and an alignment test, and even though I had to run to an appointment before I could get the alignment test taken care of, Élan scheduled me for another appointment within 48 hours and made a note in the system to refund me for the alignment test in case we found out later that it wasn’t needed. All in all, aside from the wait, I would recommend.

My work vehicle is a hybrid and had not been driven for a few weeks. So, the battery had recently been depleted and needed a jump start. Immediately after it was jump started I took it over to this Firestone location for an oil change. The next day the car was not ready by the time it was scheduled to be due. I spoke to a representative named «Élan» who was unfriendly and somewhat aggressive with me on the phone. He insisted that the car needed a new battery and was waiting for the company fleet credit company to authorize a new battery purchase. The car had less than 2,800 miles on it and this was an incorrect claim by the representative. When I went to pick up the car Élan refused to give me a invoice stating that he was still waiting for approval for the service. This was also incorrect because necessary and routine maintenance is always «approved.» Additionally, if it did need approval it would have certainly needed to be approved prior to the service. I stated that I needed to show some proof of service to the vehicle fleet staff and was reluctantly provided with a copy of a work order/​estimate in addition to be told that I was «being complicated.» The vehicle fleet managers at my job were concerned that the oil change had not been performed and questions regarding charges on the account. This location has questionable business practices and offensive employees.

IF YOU NEED TIRES OR TIRE SERVICE IN THE SANTA BARBARA AREA, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU USE BIG BRAND TIRES, THEY HAVE EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE, PLEASE READ BELOW REGARDING MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS FIRESTONE LOCATION.
While visiting Santa Barbara this past weekend I got a screw in my right rear tire and the tire was losing air. I rented the car from Enterprise; and Enterprise said we should take it to Firestone in SB to have the tire repaired. I arrived at the store at 8AM and told the Service Advisor I needed to have the tire repaired. He then told me that I would have to wait until 2PM before the tire was repaired because there were several customers ahead of me, which did not appear to be the case as there was only one other customer in the store arriving at 8AM the same time as I did when they opened.
I explained that I had to be back in LA to catch a flight at 12 Noon, this fell of deaf ears with this Service Advisor. The Service Advisor did not appear interested in any low dollar volume business at all. I explained that Enterprise has sent me there and he basically said too bad; and suggested I take the tire to Sears across the street to have the tire repaired. This was the WORST customer service I ever had; when I went over to Sears they were not even open and would not open until 10 AM.
I have taken my personal vehicles to Firestone for many years and have always had a very good experience. I noticed in a Unilocal review posted in January of this year a similar experience of a Customer being put off on another repair. Apparently this location is not interested in your business unless it is a Big Ticket Sale. I went to a Jiffy Lube in SB; and they suggested I go to Big Brand tires and that they would repair the tire for free; and they had me in and out in less than an hour.
I plan to also write to Enterprise Car Rental and suggest they find another provider beside Firestone to assist their customers with this type of issue.

The two times I’ve been here have been good experiences. Firestone has clearly rebranded themselves as more than just a car repair shop, but as a company that values honesty and friendliness. The front desk is always friendly and inviting. The work is done as quick as can be. Th first time I came in here I was expecting to sit around in a loud, dirty, boring lobby. Not the case. Comfy chairs, carpeted lobby, cable TV with March Madness playing. Had a good convo with the front desk guy. It was actually a fun place to be. Props to Firestone for recognizing that people want more than just a repair for the right price, but that we also value a pleasant experience. I’ll keep coming here.
As a note, my experiences here have been brief. I can’t speak for how they handle problems and delays.

I’ve gone to firestone twice and both times there fast, friendly and reasonably-​priced.
I had my oil changed & an alignment.
I would suggest using them whenever possible.

Update: the store manager called me promptly and addressed my concerns. We really appreciated the outreach and will give the store another shot. Thanks again.
Shame on you Firestone. My wife took her 2010 Sienna in for service and asked for the 50k service. The rep indicated that they followed manufacturer guidelines and that she needed a full $ 211 service to meet the guidelines. She didn’t check her service manual, which she should have, but when looking all that was due was:
1. Replace engine oil and filter 1
2. Rotate tires
3. Visually inspect brake linings/​drums and brake pads/​discs
**Oh and since we bought the tires from you a few months ago, the rotation should have been free

This store sells good product. Their customer service is horrible. Any store can appear to be friendly and professional, until a problem occurs. This store seemed fantastic until the first problem happened. The morning after getting a set of new tires put on, my wife walked outside to find one tire flat. I called and they said they didn’t do road service. I had to get AAA to come out and change the tire and take the car back to Firestone to find out the installation was faulty.
Service is quoted on the phone by one person, then another person is at the store that won’t honor the quote of the first person. What are they thinking???
I bought another set of tires for a different car from Big Brand Tires. They drive me back to my house and pick me up for flat repair or balancing. I live closer to Firestone and they won’t have anything to do with that.
Why would anyone want to deal with these guys.

Went in for an oil change today. I advised my service rep that I used to go to a neighboring establishment, but they tried to upsell me a lot of services the last time I had been there. Although those services could have been done, I didn’t feel were necessary at that time. The place next door had pressed me on the expensive repairs and that is why I am coming here.
After leaving, I looked online to see if could find a coupon. I called in with one I found on the company site, they said no problem and they had applied the discount when I got there. That was cool.
They changed my oil and didn’t try to upsell me. They notified me that the back tires were a little worn and I was on my way.
If the oil change had been a little faster (it took a bit longer than they advised) they could have gotten 5 stars.
Overall good service. I’ll be back for the tires and more.