Milwaukee woman asks how car became inoperable during diagnostic test
When Ashley Pittman’s car started shaking while sitting in park, she drove it to a Firestone repair shop in Milwaukee for a diagnostic test.
Pittman, 29, wasn’t expecting any major problems. No dashboard lights were on, and the same Firestone location, on 3534 S. 27th St., told her the car was in good condition back in April, she said.
But hours later, Firestone called her with an update: The engine was inoperable. Her car couldn’t drive. Repairs would cost $4,160, or, the manager, said she could junk it.
Pittman couldn’t understand how her 2015 Chevy Equinox LS could drive to the shop but now needed a tow truck to get out. She asked Public Investigator if there was anything she could do to get to the bottom of the situation.
“I spent my savings to get this car,” Pittman said. “I went in there thinking that they’d tell me what’s wrong, not that it was going to come home broken.”
Bridgestone, the global tire and manufacturing company that owns Firestone, told Public Investigator that what happened to Pittman’s car was not the company’s fault.
“The engine was found to be damaged and inoperable during the inspection,” said Avery Bohon, spokesperson for Bridgestone. “The customer spoke with the store manager and service manager, reviewing all issues together at that time.”
It’s the same thing the Firestone shop manager told Pittman when she came to pick up her car, according to Pittman’s recording of the conversation. The manager of 29 years was adamant the diagnostic test couldn’t have caused the car to become inoperable.
“This would have happened to you when you were driving,” the manager said. “It’s nothing we did. It’s just bad timing.”
What the experts said
Pittman, who bought the car off of Facebook Marketplace in March for $3,500, said she used it daily and even drove it to Michigan without problems until it began shaking in late September. The car had around 154,000 miles on it.
During the diagnostic test, Firestone employees noted the engine was noisy, barely ran and burned oil, according to Pittman’s paperwork. They recommended replacing several parts of the engine, such as the cam phasers, camshaft and timing chain, that they said were causing the engine not to synchronize.
Even then, the employees explained that repairing the engine’s synchronization issues wouldn’t solve its oil burning issue.
Nan Mortensen, a mechanic and co-owner of Dutch’s Auto Service in Madison, said Pittman’s car model has a track record of timing chain and oil issues. The timing chain is a metal chain that keeps the engine synchronized from top to bottom.
Owners of the 2015 Chevy Equinox LS frequently report engine issues because of oil leaks that cause parts of the engine to not be oiled properly, according to ReRev, a car advice website. ReRev estimates the life expectancy of the car to be between 150,000 and 200,000 miles.
If Pittman had brought her car to Dutch’s Auto Service, employees would have redirected her to the dealership for repairs, Mortensen said.
“When a vehicle gets low or out of oil a few times, it is pretty much done,” Mortensen said.
Firestone didn’t do anything wrong in the situation, Mortensen said. She thinks the debacle could have been avoided if Pittman had the car inspected by a trusted repair shop before purchasing it online.
“Short explanation is: buyer beware,” Mortensen said.
On the other hand, Steven Paul, founder of Test Drive Technologies, an Illinois-based vehicle inspection company, said Firestone could carry some blame.
During the diagnostic test, Firestone employees took off the engine’s valve cover and bolts to inspect the cam phasers, according to Pittman’s audio recording. Cam phasers help control the timing of valve openings and closings.
Employees noticed the cam phasers were falling apart, then put the valve cover back on, according to the manager.
“When we started the car, that’s when we had a problem,” the manager says on the recording. “We didn’t do anything. We didn’t touch anything.”
Paul, who also serves as an automotive expert in court cases, said Firestone’s diagnostic test sounds more involved than usual. Had Firestone conducted a diagnostic scan with the computer, then Paul said he’d probably attribute the car’s problems to maintenance issues.
“But after listening to the recording, that’s a whole different story,” Paul said. “They opened up the engine. They were in there. They did whatever they did, and now it doesn’t run.”
Although simply taking the valve cover off wouldn’t have caused the engine to stop working, Paul noted that Firestone’s paperwork fails to mention that employees removed it at all.
Paul also doubts the car would stop working so quickly after being inspected by employees.
“They’re the last to touch it,” he said.
What can Pittman do?
Unfortunately, Pittman’s situation is too far down the road for solutions, Paul and Mortensen said. Their first piece of advice would have been to get a pre-inspection of the car before buying it. Many auto shops offer pre-purchase vehicle inspections for $150 to $300.
Now that she’s stuck with the car, Paul says Pittman should learn how to maintain it.
“I’m always telling my daughters about checking their oil, coolant and their tires because it adds a step of ownership to the vehicle and responsibility, but it also prevents issues later on down the road,” Paul said.
Without a car, it’s been challenging for Pittman to get her and her 4-month-old son to and from doctor’s appointments.
But Pittman hopes she’s put her car troubles behind her. A friend of a friend recently replaced her car engine for $2,300, and it’s back to running.
She’s been driving it for a month so far without issues.
“I’m happy as long as I can get to and from work,” Pittman said.
link
