I was a store manager at Firestone. What they were doing is called a no charge "Courtesy Check". Most people have no clue about maintenance. We checked air pressure, fluid levels, air filter, wipers. Most people appreciated the free inspection. But you can't please every body. We had even been sued and lost because some judges agreed that there was an expectation that since we were a repair shop, that if they had a problem after they left, even if we didn't do any work, we were some how responsible for not knowing of the potential problem. Litigation is the word. As for labor reimbursement, we had agreements with our part suppliers that a "labor claim" could be filed with the part mfg. for defective parts. You might ask your parts supplier if they have that available to their customers.
That's fine if a customer rolls in with an average everyday car.
But owners of Classic cars are less likely to be need superficial checks done under the hood....especially by a tire fitter.
I completely understand both sides of this...
If I took my RR in
anyone lifting off my hood, they
would get the wrath of Budnicks
&
I can see the Firestone centers side, they are 2nd party liable
but;
especially with these classics or collector types cars
Us owner, tend to be a bit more hands on
& seriously protective of them too...
We tend to not want people messing with stuff,
let alone test drives etc.
they/Firestone (either the tech &/or the service mngr) should ask 1st anyway
unless what they were doing
they'd had/have to open the hood, to preform a specific part of a job
(but with tire rotations or tire change, not so much)
& then
note it on the tag, if the customer declines free inspections
C-Y-O-A
I tend to take the rim & tire down in the
'back of my truck'
don't have the issues that way
I know some circumstances, that would not be feasible too