Man Goes To Firestone. Then He Catches The Worker In A Lie: ‘Why Are You Even Looking Under My Hood?’

A man says he went to Firestone for a simple alignment and left with a long list of recommended repairs. He says some of their recommendations didn’t add up. Now he’s wondering if they tried to bamboozle him.

TikTok user @outer_universe said he’s not usually one to complain, but the visit caught his attention almost immediately.

“I work on my own car, but certain things, like an alignment, you have to go to a shop,” he says.

While the car was in the bay, he noticed the mechanic had popped the hood.

“I’m thinking in my head, ‘Why are you even looking under my hood?’” he wondered aloud.

Then came the recommendations. @outer_universe said staff told him the car needed a coolant flush, brake fluid flush, new spark plugs, an oil change and new cabin and engine air filters. But he says that didn’t add up. The content creator says he had recently installed a “brand new” radiator, replaced the spark plugs, and gotten an oil change, among other things.

“He didn’t like the fact that I called him out on that,” @outer_universe says.

According to him, the employee said the recommendations were based on manufacturer mileage intervals.

That still bothered @outer_universe, who questioned why the services were presented as things the car “needed” when some had already been done. He also argued that a customer who knew less about cars might have agreed to the work.

The employee also purportedly told him it was “company policy” to check under the hood.

As of this writing, the video had more than 45,900 views.

Why Did The Firestone Worker Look Under The Hood? 

Although it’s not necessary for an alignment, the hood being open was probably not as strange as @outer_universe thought.

Firestone says every repair or maintenance visit includes a complimentary courtesy inspection, which covers checking fluid levels, belts, lights, and the manufacturer’s scheduled maintenance recommendations—even if the customer originally came in for something unrelated, like an alignment. 

Its alignment service itself, however, is more focused. Firestone says technicians check the steering and suspension, tire pressure, and tire condition before putting the vehicle on the alignment rack. The company’s alignment page does not list spark plugs, coolant, or engine filters as part of the alignment.

The extra recommendations likely came from that broader courtesy inspection and the car’s mileage.

Firestone says its inspections include a manufacturer scheduled maintenance report. Its tune-up guidance also says recommendations for things like spark plugs and filters can be based on a car’s age, mileage, and the car’s maintenance history. Still, maintenance needs vary from vehicle to vehicle.

That might help explain why @outer_universe was offered services he says he had already done. A mileage-based reminder does not necessarily mean a technician found that a recently replaced spark plug or fresh coolant had already gone bad, or that they lied to him.

Still, that doesn’t mean he should’ve accepted the recommendations at face value.

The Federal Trade Commission advises drivers to compare a shop’s maintenance recommendations with the schedule in their owner’s manual and ask why additional service is being suggested. For expensive or questionable repairs, it also recommends getting a second opinion.

Gallery: Firestone Direct mobile vehicle service

7

Was Firestone Upselling?

Some viewers sided with @outer_universe and said the recommendations sounded like an upsell.

“Yeah, they be lying,” one commenter wrote.

Another viewer was even more skeptical.

“So, what I’m hearing is he had no idea what he was looking at,” they wrote.

But one commenter who identified themselves as a technician offered a different explanation. They said Firestone employees are expected to perform courtesy checks unless a customer opts out.

“The service manager did their job… there’s no way for us to know that you’ve done any of that,” they wrote. That commenter also said Firestone may continue flagging maintenance based on mileage unless the system reflects work the owner has already done.

Others focused less on whether Firestone was right and more on how customers should respond.

“I would’ve told them, baby, bring my car right here, I’m good! And left,” one person wrote.

Another commenter said the mileage alone could explain the recommendations.

“Because if your car has those miles, you do need those things. Most people aren’t working on their own cars,” they wrote.

Via email, a Firestone spokesperson told Motor1, “"The courtesy check vehicle inspection is free and provided with each repair and maintenance service. This includes: A free battery test, tire inspection, fluid level check, belt inspection, and light inspection."

"The next inspection is a complete vehicle inspection, which is $10. And the next level is complete + which checks coolant, etc." 

Motor1 contacted @outer_universe via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.

 

 

 

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