Ok, I have a 2006 Kia Rio base model. I don’t think I have ABS but I had a brake flush today and got charged extra for bleeding the “ABS” I supposedly have. I called the guy (at Firestone) to see why I got charged for that and he adamantly insisted my car has ABS. I heard the ABS modulator pump thingy is supposed to be under the master cylinder but I don’t see anything under there. Also, when I look in the fuse box there are no fuses in the ABS slots. Additionally, I looked up my VIN on a VIN breakdown site and the VIN info indicated no ABS. I am female and don’t know much about cars so I think people try to take advantage of me sometimes. If I don’t have ABS, what should I tell this (mean) guy so I can get my money back? Thanks!
No, you don’t. ABS was an option for SX and LX, but not base.
As to what to tell him, “You charged me extra for something I don’t have. I can prove to a court that I don’t have it. Refund the extra fee you falsely charged me, or I’ll take you to court.”
…and in the future, take your car to a well-reputed independent repair facility in your area.
Chain operations like Firestone, Midas, Meineke, Monro, Sears, AAMCO, Pep Boys etc are the source of most of the complaints on this board regarding poor workmanship, overcharging, over-selling, failure to diagnose problems properly…the list goes on…
Thanks for the help guys. 
I plan to go in tomorrow and talk to this guy. I bought a lifetime alignment thing with a different Firestone a while back and was going in to have them do my alignment. Since I was there, I figured I’d get the brake flush I’d been putting off for 10K miles. But ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED with those mega chain things! Certainly wont go back to this one Firestone at least, not even for free alignment.
I have returned home with $21.75! Thanks for your help.
Glad to hear it got resolved.
Now take VDC’s advice and stay away from the chainstores 
And take my advice and don’t tell your wife about the $21.75. You are $21.75 to the good–don’t spoil it.
Whoops–I didn’t realize you are female. I had a female colleague who took her 1969 Ford Fairlane (this was many years ago) to a chain shop for a muffler. She happened to see the repairman squirt some oil on the shock absorbers. This was a common trick to make customers think that the shock absorbers were leaking. After the muffler was installed, the repairman came into the waiting room and told her that she needed new shock absorbers. She replied, "If my shock absorbers are bad, why did you go to the trouble of oiling them?"
We men have to think of ways to make a fast buck. Mrs. Triedaq used to give me an allowance of $2.50 a week to have a fifty cent cup of coffee with my friends each day at break time. My buddies and I found that we could get a senior citizens’ discount on coffee at McDonalds and could have the cup of coffee for a quarter. I came out $1.25 ahead each week.
Oh, its cool. I can relate. When I was married I was the “breadwinner” most of the time I guess you could say. Sort of a role reversal, so I can relate to the guy’s side sometimes. Funny story about the coffee, and your colleague. But yeah, probably for being female – like your colleague – I’ve been belittled by mechanics so I’m trying to learn as much as I can about my car to prevent scamming.
My wife was the breadwinner in our family. She held the position of associate dean. I didn’t have a real job–just the hobby of being a professor (the pay made it more a hobby than a real job). We are both now retired as are all of my geezer colleagues. I now have to make my coffee at home.
Men have problems with auto shops as well. My wife and our trusted mechanic at our independent shop ganged up on me the last time I was going to buy a car. I was going to buy a used minivan but both of them urged me not to cheap out and buy something new. I did get even with our independent shop as part of the deal on the new car includes free oil changes for two years at the dealership. I’m still trying to get even with my wife.
" . . . I’ve been belittled by mechanics so I’m trying to learn as much as I can about my car to prevent scamming. "
Mousse, Welcome Aboard. Stay Tuned To This Web Site. Read And Get Involved In Some Of The Discussions. Many Things Discussed For Other Makes And Models Apply To 2006 Kia Rios. You Can Learn Quite A Bit Here.
CSA
Mousse–Triedaq left the computer logged in, so I will give you some advice. Ignore anything that Triedaq says. I’ve been doing this for our 31 years of marriage and this has worked out very well.
Mrs. Triedaq
Hahaha Thanks!
You may be female, but you’re definitely no dummy. You’ve checked in the right places and the right ways.
Go back, tell them you want that extra charge refunded, and if they balk make them show you that you have ABS. When they can’t, you’ll have caught them red-handed.
By the way, the crooked ones try to screw me too. Crooks are equal opportunity. They try to screw men and women alike.
(psst. She already got her refund )
Thanks I went in yesterday and got my refund. I was hoping the mean jerk guy (Christopher) was there, I wanted to make him show me this mysterious ABS in my car. Someone else was there (Edward) and he checked out my car right away and gave me the refund. I said “I’m glad you’re here, I don’t really like that other guy” He said “No one does.” Then when I got home I wrote an unfavorable review for the place (and called out the mean guy) on google maps. BWAHAHA. Its the Firestone on 24019 Mission Blvd, Hayward CA if you want to read it. I made it my mission to make that the worst $20 Christopher ever tried to snooker someone out of haha.
In reality, he probably didn’t try to snooker you. He probably just doesn’t know what he’s talking about (that’s very common at chain stores like Jiffy Lube and Firestone).
My bad, I shouldn’t have said “snooker”. I don’t think he was doing it for personal gain, just laziness and possibly pride. I failed to mention that on the phone he said he “saw” the ABS speed sensors which was an outright lie since they aren’t there and he said the computer showed that my car should have ABS (it seemed like he was making it up). Not to mention he was pretty ruuuuuude!
Mousse–you do your homework well. There is no reason why women shouldn’t be just as knowledgeable about automobiles as men. I chaired the thesis committee for a master’s degree female student who was very intelligent, petite, very good looking and also accomplished pianist. She drove an old Ford Fiesta from the late 1970s. She took a job out in California and prepared her Ford Fiesta for the trip from Indiana to California by removing the cylinder head herself, taking the head to a machine shop for the necessary valve work and then reinstalled the cylinder head. When I heard from her two years later, she was still driving the Ford Fiesta She told me that she had thought about buying a newer car, but decided she would rather have a grand piano instead.
Triedaq wrote:
Mousse–you do your homework well. There is no reason why women shouldn’t be just as knowledgeable about automobiles as men.
It doesn’t really matter if women are as knowledgeable about cars as men, only whether the repair shop thinks they are as knowledgeable. If women suddenly did become as knowledgeable about cars as men, it would take repair shops at least 30 years to realize the fact. Think of all the drivers who still don’t know about right on red.