OK so here’s the story of MIDAS taking advantage of my wife in my absence.
I got my new rims and tires installed on Fri. (26th) and I had noticed that the brakes were looking pretty bad. I knew that soon I would have to replace the pads, rotors and drums as well as fixing the leaking axle seals. I figured as soon as I got back from my business trip I’d take care of it.
So Saturday I notice the truck feeling sluggish and I’m going through gas like soda-pop. A quick inspection reveals that the front brakes are dragging and will need attention immediately.
Sunday rolls around and the wife takes me to the airport. I’ve already told her that the brakes need attention immediately (both front and back and re-seal the axles) and that her trip with her Mom (yes, the Mother In-Law shows up to visit because I’m leaving for a few days) down to Beaverton is off… unless she rents a car. I ask her to run down to Midas and take care of the specific parts we discussed so she can drive around safely while I’m gone. I’ll deal with the rest when I get back. I also tell her this shouldn’t cost anymore than $600 max.
I call her later that day when I arrive in San Francisco and she tells me that by the time she got home the front drivers side was smoking and so hot it was turning color. OH GREAT! So I tell her to just drive slowly and take it easy and get the rig down to have it fixed.
Monday comes and I’m in meetings all day long, paying attention to my new job and not really worrying about things getting taken care of. I had forgot my cell (borrowed the wife’s, since I hate the things) in my travel bag, so I didn’t talk to her all day and she had no way to get a hold of me.
Finally I get back from the office and give her a call to see how things went.
(The following details were not fully clear to me until I got home this afternoon…)
She tells me that she took the Bronco down to Midas first, to get a quote.
Midas takes off the tires, inspects and then comes back to tell her… they can fix everything for under $1800. My wife says thanks, but no thanks. She says she’ll take the truck down the road for another estimate like her husband told her too. She asks for the truck and they tell her that she can’t drive the truck. They claim that when they took the passenger front tire off that one of the bolts had been mis-threaded by Discount Tire and they can’t put the tire back on for her safety and due to liability issues. They continue on, telling her that not only is one mounting bolt trashed but that the brake “fell apart” and they can’t put it back together again for her safety and their liability. Now she’s TRAPED and SCARED. She tries to call me and can’t get a hold of me. She asks again about the price and they start talking tech. They tell her how the entire brake and steering system is shot and if they don’t replace all these parts the truck won’t be safe to drive. They continue to baffle her with tech talk and scare her with safety concerns until she finally tells them to go ahead and do what needs to be done. They start and she pays up front (cash) and signs.

Here is a list of what they did…
R&R Brake Caliper (x2) - $70 labor - $91.98 parts (RMFG Calipers)
R&R 1 Brake Rotor (x2) - $89.50 labor - $153.98 parts (Everguard Brake Rotors)
R&R Brake Shoes - $45 labor - $44.99 parts (MIDAS Plus RM Shoes)
R&R 1 Brake Drum (x2) - $0 labor - $257 parts (Everguard Brake Drums)
R&R Brake Pads - $45 Labor - $144.99 parts (Ravin Ceramic Brake)
Drive Train Labor (Rear Axle Seals) - $120.00 labor - 96.50 parts
R&R Tie Rod End - $65 labor - $59.99 parts
Midas Brake Flush Package - $32.50 labor
OTHER (x2):
Disc Hardware Kit - $39.95
GS1559 Grease Seal - $15.98
GS 1301 Grease Seal - $3.98
Ball Joints - $179.98

$504 labor
$1,089 parts
$24.99 Shop Supply
$131.09 Tax
TOTAL: $1,749.43

Additional: Told my wife they did an oil change free of charge, but there is no mileage indication of the change anywhere on the vehicle.
I’ll be returning there on Friday for the “free” camber alignment they also promised (I’m told this is a standard freebie when front end work is done, but they told my wife this was a “deal” they were doing for her.)
Neither of these 2 items show up anywhere on the receipt.
Also… at this point I don’t even have a Warranty in my hand, but they told my wife the brakes are lifetime (they damn well better be!)

Needle to say… I’ll be giving them the ass chewing of the century when I get there Friday. The mechanic has already been instructed to put all my old parts in a box for my inspection and after they explain to me in great detail what they did and why they did it… then I’ll be going after the manager. I’m seriously considering getting a hold of the local TV News and giving them the story as well.

Bottom Line: She paid and signed = I’m SCREWED – BUT, they will be hearing about taking advantage of my wife and screwing me while my back was turned… depending on their reaction, this may go much further than that.

There's lots more to this story, but it's already long enough. Thanks for listening... hope this saves someone else from getting "The MIDAS Touch". :banghead :lowblow

Man they really did it to her. Reminds me of a time when my ex took her car to Midas for an estamate on a new exhaust. It was around $400 if I remember right. She then went to a differant MIDAS and they quoted her $150-$200 LESS for the same job. The guy at Midas #1 really danced when I showed him the reciept from midas #2 lol.

Good luck Pepe, maybe you'll get some resolve with this.

damn that sucks man i priced bal joints at autozone ti was 100 bucks for all four. ya need to rid up on the harley walk in a take the leg off and then ask them who's ass ya get to shove it up? when they ask why just tell them i want to give them the same treatment that they gave your wife

:histerica If you follow his advice bring a video camera, I'd like to see that. That sucks Pepe`. My wife got the same deal from Brakes Plus when she needed new brakes and I didn't have the time. She called me with a $600 estimate and said " They already have the wheels off so they might as weel just do it." :wtf Plus the "lifetime warranty" on the parts costs me more in labor then it would for me to fix it myself.

Hey that is how i felt today when I went to go to get my brakes done. They came to with a 395 dollar estiment. I was like for what. pads, shoes, new drums, and about half the components. i saw pads, shoes and drums(heat cracks) so i said let me call my parents real quick. Call them and tell them i dont have that kinda cash and tell me not have them do it. then the guy says after i told him i wont get paid for another week and a half. oh we can hold a check for up to two weeks. i go no i know people who can help me do it myself (all you fsbers) then he started going well the drums will just fall apart soon but i can not do that and just do this and it will only be 294 plus tax. so i go no, well im only trying to do this for your SAFETY and make sure you dont get metal on metal contact so ill just do the pads and shoes 150 somethin plus tax total of almost 170. I give him a funny look cause all these commercials and the sign say brake job for 68 bucks. well it was 68 for front then 68 for the rear. and as i was trying to walk out the door he was still it is for your SAFETY crap.

i would like to see pics of the "UN-usible" parts.

Ahh, the Midas touch....everything they touch turns to gold...for them!
I quit going to any of the chain companies. Been with the same mechanic for 10+ years, but the guy who I delt with left and they started to try to jack me on some items.

Now I'm going to the same mechanic that the Bronco went to with it's previous owner. Had a nice talk with him when I first went in. Explained that I'm not an idiot when it comes to vehicles, will do the basic items myself, but he will get all my other business, and as long as he is fair, I would also give him referals (independant's appriciate that).

My dad has been going to the same garage for 28 years. They do good work, and everything 'always' passes the state safety inspection (drive in, new sticker, drive out). That's nice, but last time I drove Dad's F250, 7.3L the exhaust broke in front of the muffler, 1200 miles after inspection....damn guys, at least tell us what needs to be fixed!! (although it sounded good with no exhaust! :)

yeouch. thats a prime example of not putting off til tomorrow what you should have done last week. i bet they sit around all day fondling themselves waiting for the stars to align and some poor person like the wifey to come in their shop. hell i winced when you said under $600 for brakes. for $1700 you could have bought a 78 with a 429 and 33s that was in last weeks paper. man chew some major a$$, you paid for that right i think.

DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!! $275 each for drums?!??!?!??!?!?!!!! geeeeeeZUSSS!!!! Hope they used a good lube man... I just checked Auto Zone, Advance, and PEP Boys... all about $30 for NEW drums... 1 year Warranty Rotors $27 each... callipers: $32 (lifetime) WITH semi-metallic pads already installed... yeah, I'd say you got the Midas Touch... in a bad way...

My condolences bro, I understand the dilemma of not being there with the wife in these kinds of things... but damn... they embellished that a little...

Tom

Midas did that to me once. I took my old stang in for an inspection and before I knew it the brakes were torn to peices. I knew the brakes were bad, but they definately weren't THAT bad. They also refused to put my car back together...I would have to pay $900 for new brakes. I immediately informed them that they either put my car back together or they would have to explain to the cops why my car was trapped in a shop. Needless to say, after 20 minutes of heated yelling, I drove my car home without an inspection sticker.

Posted Oringinally by ColoradoBronc
My wife got the same deal from Brakes Plus when she needed new brakes and I didn't have the time. She called me with a $600 estimate

Same type of experience with them. I was lazy and figured hell all I need is new pads and maybe the rotors turned. It's not worth my time to do it myself. Well after they got done with their inspection the estimate came to $900. The calipers were bad, needed new rotors, drums, shoes and a hub service. The brakes were working good(pads just a little thin) when I got it in there and who the hell told them to look at the back brakes? There is a consumer advocate(watch dog) in Denver by the name of Tom Martino and Brakes Plus is on his don't visit list. I pretty much stay away from the oil shop chains and the brake shop chains. It is definitely cheaper to do it yourself.

Pepe good luck and kick some a$$! :boxing

Big chains like that are their for your "safety", right, for the saftety of the finacial situation of the owner. they are a by the book and what book they go by i don't know, use a garage. Hell, I get better prices and service out of my local dealer. I have a garage I go to for my 79 and they go by the common sense book. These chains are out there for the women, and some men who don't know anything about their cars, and they prey upon them with scare tactics about safety. It is a shame that they do that, but the alarm industry has been doing it for years, just pay attention to the adt, and brinks ads. this stuff strikes a nerve.

Most people here would probabley buy your old junk. Gota have parts for the trail rigs. :histerica

Big chains like that are their for your "safety", right, for the saftety of the finacial situation of the owner. they are a by the book and what book they go by i don't know, use a garage. Hell, I get better prices and service out of my local dealer. I have a garage I go to for my 79 and they go by the common sense book. These chains are out there for the women, and some men who don't know anything about their cars, and they prey upon them with scare tactics about safety. It is a shame that they do that, but the alarm industry has been doing it for years, just pay attention to the adt, and brinks ads. this stuff strikes a nerve.
I agree, some franchise owners prey on their customers (not really a customer, moreso a victim); while some owners are a-ok.
On the way home from work our car pool driver stopped at a newly opened MeinKamp shop; his wife had some exhaust work done to the dis-satisfaction of my friend; anyway, we heard the owner tell a new sales person that NO ONE leaves with just one job...he told him to ck the shocks..show the people how 'Bad" they are..then on to a brake inspection, etc. etc. All this was done in front of the 3 of us with no shame nor consciousness of the owner that we were witnesses to fraud/and or decit.

While a Midas owner told my wife (while I was away) that the muffler was fine and the water drip was from a condensation hole (our neighbor told her that she saw water or fuel leaking from her car as she drove by).

alot of people prey on others..pretty sad when someone has to do that..shows through from their character

I’m seriously considering getting a hold of the local TV News and giving them the story as well.


DO IT... the news media will eat it up.. it happened down here in LA and it was all over the news.. they even did hidden camera stuff to catch them..

If you dont want to pay them but still get your rig back go to the court house and buy a bond in the total amount. The court house willl have you money and if the store doesnt sue you and can prove the charges were fair then you get your money back. You have to be sued in 90 I think it is in FL. Maybe this can help somebody else who will get scammed in the future.

In addition to everything that has been suggested here, I think we should boycott Midas as a group. I know not many of us, if any would typically take our rigs to Midas to get serviced, but there are time when it might be necessary (no offense Pepe'). I'll be telling everyone I know about the experience Pepe' had with Midas and I would suggest everybody else here do the same. Remember the old business addage, piss one person off and 10 hear about it...Let's put it to practice. It's bulls**t like this that really piss me off, my wife had something similar, although not on such a grand scale. She had her oil changed at Firestone, they also told her she needed a new fuel filter, and it would cost $120 bucks...I told her to bring the car home, I bought a fuel filter, $19 bones from Napa and replaced it, I called the manager at Firestone and told him to get f**king bent and that I didn't appreciate them trying to take advantage of my wife. Anyway, crap like this happens far to often to people who just don't know, maybe we can do something about it.

i say you find the guys house and burn it down.
hmmm, maybe not a good idea.
call the tv, and do what gobucs said.

I stopped at a local Midas to check on price to R&R RA bushings. I got $159 including labor. Got poly bushings at Advance for $22, $11 a side. :) Now I just gotta get them on.... Where did I put my come-a-long anyway??

ok... hold on guys.... not all midas shops are like the ones you discibed... I work at midas... I do agree $275 for a brake drum is kinda ridiculus.... more like 75 or so sounds right .... most chain stores have overhead and they mark up the prices of parts. I will also admit there is one tech at the one I work at I dont let him touch my rigs. yes some techs at chain stores bone people big time....the chain as a whole has a policy of a 45 point brake inspection.... because most people that work there are inexperienced mechanics and for laibility issues.but I am also trying to get on at a dealership and get outta there..... but it sounds like some of you guys have dealt with people like this one guy I work with.....he bones the hell outta people... he also wanted to trade me some worn out 33"s on aftermarket wheels for my new 31s..... I said f**k that!! :goodfinge

Need to contact your state attorneys office and begin a claim for auto mechanic fraud. BE PERSISTANT....they will try to shuffle you off to someone or somewhere else, but the bottom line is thats part of their function and they need to address it. With any luck they (the shop) cant supply you with some small clip or bolt they took off in which case they are in violation of state and federal laws.....find this out - account for every little piece thats supposed to be there. Call midas corporate number speak with anyone you can, accept NO EXCUSES and above all threaten the state attorney visit and civil law suits....see what they'll do for you. Tell them you have family that works at Fox news and it ratings sweep time for them and their lookin for people to burn....tell them you'll do anything to see them screwed and see what they'll do for you. You have to be a total dick bag when your dealing with thieves like them....get in their asses! Make threat after threat if you have to, just dont do anything to warrant the police being called. You may want to call the police though and make a fraud report against the shop....this wont go anywhere, but you'll have a police report incident number to wave in the faces of anyone who will listen at Midas.....be persistant!

I stopped at a local Midas to check on price to R&R RA bushings. I got $159 including labor. Got poly bushings at Advance for $22, $11 a side. :) Now I just gotta get them on.... Where did I put my come-a-long anyway??

Hehe, not a hard job but can be a !@#$W in the ass. Atleast mine were.

Midas, told me I had to pay 250 bucks each for two cats if i wanted to run dual exhaust on my wifes 78 bronco, to make a long story real short, this guy was actually trying to scam me out of 500 bucks, until I shot back questions and answers about mechanics and laws, he sure changed his tune then proceeded to studder his @ss off trying to redeem himself, needless to say, I just wonder how many people they scam on a daily basis.

Well... here's the latest update.
I went there on Friday and spoke with the Mechanic/Manager kid (god, I must be getting old).
I laid into him and he just sat there looking sheepish and apologizing. Every once in a while he'd try and say something good about what they did do and I'd blast him down with "yea, that's great... but I didn't want the shit" or "You just stole my lift" and even... "I planned on going to 3/4 ton soon and all your work is worthless to me!"
He didn't dare talk back to me... maybe it's the shaved head, maybe it's the slight limp, maybe it's the fact that they were totally busted and knew it... whatever it was this guy didn't really have shit to say.
I did get him to garuntee everything they did and all the parts for a year, and the brake pads themselves are always lifetime.
I'm going back in tomarrow and they are spending 2 hrs on the alignment.
2 hrs? Sounds like a stretch to me... but I really don't think this guy wants to deal with me again. http://fool.exler.ru/sm/nunu.gif

Either way... when this is all over, I will never again go to any MIDAS. I wouldn't piss on the place if it was on fire! And whenever the opprotunity presents itself... I will badmouth that place forever. http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/ruinkai/FIREdevil.gif

Have I mentioned lately that ALTONS TIRES sucks ass too!
MIDAS & ALTONS... DIE PIG F*CKERS DIE!!! http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/cwm/cwm/sd3.gif

Uh... I mean... *AHEM* sorry bout that.
HAVE A NICE DAY! http://mysmilies.ipbfree.com/s/otn/happy/wacky.gif

you did enjoy making him squirm didnt you? that place sounds like monroe muffler shops up here. no matter what needs to be done they find 5 dangerous issues that must be fixed :histerica :histerica . glad to hear you put them on the spot over the scare tactics. :rockon

I hung out in a Midas reading for a few hours one morning while waiting for a simple state inspection. I watched:
--a guy being told he'd have to pay $75 just to get his OBD-II codes pulled (these modern computer systems...)
--a scared little college girl be told that her vehicle was unsafe to drive, requiring tires, muffler, brakes, struts...

Scare tactics and bullshit are their main products. It was sooo hard not to speak up while I was waiting. I ended up leaving after almost two hours without the damn 5 minute inspection because they were too busy writing up big-ticket estimates.

The midas here sucks balls too, (and ANY work i get done to bronco i tell them to keep parts for myself to look at!) I DO NOT trust mechanics

Yall must have some messed up midas owners, my goodness. i know that all this stuff about girls and people that dont know crap about thier cars is true, that they probably try to screw them and sometimes end up doing it. I think the one here in Waco is much different, i know all the people that work there, and i am going to have a job there this summer, and i am very excited that i get to have some hands on experience. They are very honest w/ me and my dad, and they often do many favors for me when i am in a jam w/ my truck. They will pull it in and jumpstart me to whatever i am doing. I think the one here is a great place, but i can see the ones in other places being pretty bad, all depending on the owners

Pepe`, Did they show you your parts that fell apart and were not able to be put back on the truck? Also, did they fix the stud that discount tire supposingly messed up? I did not see it on the bill you described....

You know I went through a similar thing with SEARS, and ended up with a "No Trespassing warning" against me.

I would have Advance or Pepboys print out a quote of all the prices of the parts they changed and then send a copy to your local Better Bussiness Bureu....Unlike my case, you have proof that they overcharged you on the parts.....

Good luck, My brother

Allcruisen :imp :usa

Midas<--- :boxing --->Pepe`<--- :twak --->Midas

P.S. I thought we just did the rear "breaks" not too long on your truck...New hardware kits and all. :shrug :shrug :shrug

Allcruisen :imp :usa

Okay... Here's the deal!!!

I will not go to the following places:

Midas (they effed pepe, we'll eff 'em back!!!)
Meineke (they effed my sister, I effed em back - dont ask, i'd get in trouble)
and any others we might find out about.

and I promise to keep friends and family out of these places... even if I have to do the work myself (actually- ricer work is easy, all the parts are small and light HA!)


Are there any other places to add to the FSB VERBOTEN list?


p.s. by the way, there is a Pep- boys around the corner, the prices ARE a little higher... their mechanics get to charge $65.00 per hour BUT, they have never
ever B.S.'d me or my sister or my fiance. Prolly cause they make their money selling stupid little interior lights and whistles to the ricer crowd, they don't have to Eff anyone getting work done.

I vote an FSB Certified thumbs up for Pep-boys. Anyone else care to join in?


Advance / AutoZone are they okay too?

I vote an FSB Certified thumbs up for Pep-boys. Anyone else care to join in?

Advance / AutoZone are they okay too?

I've seen some pretty dicey work come out of Pep Boys, but don't have any personal experience with them.

Advance and AutoZone don't do any repairs; they're just discount parts houses. I've never had serious problems with either one of them, but you do get what you pay for.

Napa does do repairs, and I've seen some ridiculous repair bills from them that I swear contained doublecharges. But their sales staff is generally pretty sharp, and they do have a lot of hard-to-find items. Like pintle caps. And they actually know what pintle caps are when you ask. The AutoZone guys would probably sell you a ballcap that read "BigBallaz Haterz Club" if you asked for a pintle cap.

Well Brotha Felix... yes, we did the rear breaks but the leaking axle grease apparenlty toasted those. I knew the drums were on thier last turn that time, so I expected to replace them this time.
The bottom line on this deal was not that they sold me anything I didn't need (I inspected the parts box and most of my stuff was definatly in need of repair) but what kills me is that all I wanted for them to do was "fix" the front brakes that were causing immediate problems, so I could fix the rest when I got back.
Instead I got the most complete brake job available and with all the finest (and most expensive) parts available... becouse they scared the be-jesus out of my little princess! http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/dvv/po.gif
They did replace the broken stud, but she had to cross the street and buy it at Les Schwab (who BTW I would have rather her gone too, if I was getting everything done.)

OK Now...
SEARS, MIDAS, MIENEKE, ALTONS... BAD JU-JU!!!

Just for the record... I have always been happy with Les Schwab. If you have the extra monney to spend, they are worth it. Course that's just my $.02. :thumbup

:histerica :histerica :histerica BAD JU JU, shite!! I ain't heard that saying in dang near 20 years TOO FUNNY!!!!

Most of the repair shops in this area are duche bags too. I can usually tell them what i need, but im not the greatest at explaining thisngs, so i usually get the right part at 1/10 of what i needed. The other week i had to replace the front brakes on my nissan, and every singe bolt that held the breakes on broke. none of the part stores in this area carried the parts(stealership only) and the stealer ship said the only sell kits. well damn i needed a $10 bracket but had to buy a $220 kit. F*ck that. I basically said thats like trying to sell me a new car for the engine when thats alls i want. the kit was everyhting. they did say there was a core charge but i told him the calipers work great, so i had no "cores" so he got real shitty and i got shitty and on my way outa the stealer ship, i layed major rubber with the bronco. went to a boneyard and got the brakets for $20. I hate bullshit like that. <----couldnt be substituded.
Tim

They wanted more money out of you when they put in creamic pads and new balljoints. I got ripped off once. Couldn't do anything about it. I even found that they charged me for a new part that they never put in, and there were two screws missing on the ABS shield.

thats why i dont let anyone work on my rig my dad helps me when i need it but i do all the work myself

I never take my bronco to any kind of chain store. My dad has know a local mechanic for a while and ALL of our stuff goes to him that we don't fix. He's always very honest with us and tells us exactly what needs to be done, what can wait, and whats the cheapest/best thing to do. I give Two Thumbs Up to the local independent guys. They are really the only good mechanics left around here.

Oh, and the local Advance Auto is very good for parts, etc. They guys there really know something about cars, and have done me many favors in the past.

I just want to say that not all TECHNICIANS(mechanics) are crooks. However, I do know the reputation of most chain shops. I know that MIDAS, MEINEKE, and SEARS, and FIRESTONE stores tend to have the most problems with crooks. About the charges for OBDII testing......I have worked in dealerships and aftermarket shops. A quote of a minimum 1.1 to 1.5 hours is standard. And honestly, if you want to truly know what is going on with your vehicle, the shmucks at AUTOZONE don't know SH@T from SHINOLA! Their service also sucks. I try to avoid that place like the PLAGUE. I mistakenly sent a friend's wife there to have the codes checked because I don't have a scanner, and they didn't really tell her much except that she needed "X" parts. Truly diagnosing fault codes is not as simple as these people think it is. You can't just plug in, read the codes, and say it needs a part. Not if you want to fix it right the first time. Parts changing gets you nowhere, except deeper in the hole. Napa Autocare Centers have a pretty good reputation, but any place can have crooks. Before you take your vehicle to anyone, ASK AROUND, ASK A FRIEND, anything to keep you from getting screwed. Especially anything to keep people from thinking that the Automotive service industry is nothing but a bunch of crooks! And always remember, you gte what you pay for.

Holy crap... this happened to me at a Midas in VA.
Oh, we can't do that... for your safety... blah blah blah... and then I said "SHOW ME".
The parts looked fine to me.
Then I called my buddy who is a mechanic... he came over... Parts looked fine to him too.
We got into a short yelling match with the Midas Manager and he basically told us to F-Off. Midas guys put it back together and I rolled it to my friends shop. Domestic, they don't do imports so I didn't take it to them initially. Well not only were the parts fine when my buddy looked at them initially, but the Midas Monkeys damaged parts when they put it back together.
Midas gave me a check the next week for the work the other shop did. I had my mechanic buddy and another buddy in a suit who I refered to as my attorney. So we gave them the Midas Touch to the tune of 750 bucks.

I'll never go to Midas again.

Sorry to hear ya got burned by them too Ogre! But... at least ya got 'em back! :rockon

They tried to burn my GF back in the 80s to the tune of $400(a lot back then) but then my brother and me looked at em and fixed for about $30 bux. They are a bunch of rip-off artists.

I definately favor the independant local shops. My dad has been going to the same old Italian guy for as long as I have been alive (25+yrs). My dad had a van with a ball joint that was knocking when the wheel was turned, and the mechanic, Alex, told him that it wasn't worth fixing until it was broken. Needless to say, my dad got rid of the van when the tranny went. The ball joint never broke. This guy only fixes what needs to be fixed, and charges VERY reasonable rates for labor and parts. He orders the parts for "Mechanic's Auto Parts", and they usually deliver the same day, if not in a couple of hours. He specializes in imports, but does good work on domestics too. His work is 99% of the time done right the first time, and if it isn't, he drops what he is doing, and fixes it for you on the spot with no charge.

I give an A++ to "AP&P" auto repairs in Glendora, NJ.

Same goes for this area .. I dunno about Midas, but I know Cole Muffler tried to rip me on my 1990 Bronco .. Part of the EGR system had a leak behind the block so it was hard for me to get too .. They wanted $600 to disconnect the tranny mounts and roll the motor forward a bit so they could replace the pipe (Thats it) .. I told em to piss off and drove it with the leak for the duration of owning the truck ..

My mom also got shafted at a local non-chain garage .. She took her Explorer in to get the rear ABS sensor replaced and they ended up giving her the run around about her shocks being unsafe and what not, and wouldn't give her truck back and she couldn't get ahold of me .. So she ended up paying $1,000 to have *TWO* shocks replace (Just the rear ones) that the shop went and got from NAPA for $35 each .. They charged her $70 for the shocks and $930 for labor before they had to use a torch to get the old ones off and had to replace the upper studs that the shocks went onto .. Meanwhile I could have done it for just the cost of the shocks .. So now she knows not to go there for anything anymore.

Perhaps the best advice is to ask around before you commit to using a garage. Get some good or bad feedback from other customers first. Otherwise, you might get shafted, or you might luck out. Are you willing to take that chance?

I remember reading some place that it is against the law for a shop to hold your vechile. they cannot force you to get repairs to your vechile.


when I was younger, my exhaust broke @ a weld. I swung into midas to get it rewelded. they said if broke apart it was probably time to replace the whole exhaust. I made appointment for thier next opening. then a buddy of mine told me to go to this other shop and they charged me $20 to weld it back up. those weldes held up for near 100k miles till the tranny went out.

I will never use midas or anything like that. I do everything myself.

All great stuff guys, but DUH!
You think I would have taken my truck to MIDAS if I was here?!?

HELL NO!
Sometimes you just can't help but be in a position to get the shaft!

That happened to my grandma at sears they gave her that safety bullshit took advantage of her once my dad got word of that he went to sears as for my dad is a ase certifed top notch mechanic.He said he wanted half the money back and he also told the manager and the mechanics there all felt stupid

I pissed off the guy at the Midas once. Was in there getting an oil change ($15 special), and he was talking to this woman about how bad her filter was and all that. I looked over and the pleats in her filter were still pretty clear. It looked like they'd put a little dust in there just to show her how dirty it was.

I said, "let me see that". Reached over and got it. Popped it on the table upside down to knock out the crap in there and handed it back to him and told him to put it back in. Told her that it wasn't in bad shape, and certainly not worth $30 they wanted to change it and to get her brother or someone to get one from wal-mart and put it in for her since she wasn't comfortable with the idea of doing it herself. For some reason my car moved up in line and i was out of there in record time.

And people wonder why I stand at the bay doors watching them do my work.

i do the same thing. i hate sitting in the waiting room, not knowing whats going on with the rig. after getting charged 76 bucks to have the oil changed in my PSD, i resolved to change it myself. 20 bucks cheaper, and 30 minutes faster, im done. this was at a meineke here in statesboro. granted, they havent really been a$$holes, their prices and quotes that i've heard them give to other people are just crazy.

another place to avoid is Tire Kingdom. talk about a bunch of sleezy asswipes. We ordered a set of pirelli tires from them for my mom's car. first set had a defect, front right had a BAD bubble in the sidewall, about 1/2 outside of the rest of the sidewall. even though we bought the tires from them, they were going to charge us shipping of the tire back to pirelli, deposit to order the new one, labor to mount it, and then tried to trick my mom and dad into buying the super warranty. after a few tense moments, we had them drop everything but the deposit on the new tire. skip a few months forward. mom picks up a fence nail in her driver rear. tire is FUBAR. gary greasemonkey comes out to look at the tire, which is now in the trunk. at least he was knowledgable enough to know that a patch wouldnt solve it and a new tire was needed. as if we have a use for a f*cked tire, he puts it back in the trunk. big deal, pay a 2 dollar disposal fee. after buying the matching tire he *has in stock*, he stops us and asks my dad and i if its ok if he puts the tire on, even though IT IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TIRE. :banghead :banghead after a bit of bickering and haggling, we get it solved and have them order the CORRECT tire. never going back there again. also another guy that i know here in florida has had a hell of a time getting decent wheels out of them that arent either bent or seriously out of round

The problem i had was with ford motor company itself. The only problem I have really had has been with the rear window.

I was visiting some family in Colorado and I rolled my rear window and and it wouldnt come up. I tried to do the 12 volt battery trick and it still wouldnt come up so I took it to a local mechanic who is very trustworthy. After a while of him tinkering with it he called and told me that he could do nothing to get the window back up or out. Now TTB aside I think the rear window assembly is the only part the ford f!*%ed up on. When the window rolls down it rolls over and covers the motor. So he called me up when he exhausted all his resources and asked me what i thought about it. I asked if he would call or go to ford and ask them what they would do. This is the funniest part....they told him that the only way to do it was to break the glass. He asked em how much extra that would cost and they said around $600. Obviously i scoffed at that idea and asked him to drill through the rivits holding the window in and replace them with bolts. He said that worked great.

Now after trying to defend ford to myself for a while I had to give up and just admit that it was just a way for Ford to make money.

off of my topic an onto yours I cant believe how much places are charging for a brake job. I replaced my pads with some ceramic ones and all of my u-joints for $65.

Pepe i am glad that you are givin em a curbie!

RUNE

I wouldnt let a chain store scratch my ass, let alone touch any of my vehicles. I only have used one shop for any of my work I cannot do, its a muffler shop across the street from my work. They do anything I cant do and even more. I dont have a welder, so they do all of my welding. Theyve even welded a quarter panel on for me before for something like a 20 dollar tip. Talk about service! I will swear by them for as long as I live or they are around (whichever comes first). If thats not enough, I just got a christmas card from them!

Tony

I just got a new muffler put on at MIDAS and noticed last night its on backwards. The inlet port is pointing at the tail pipe. Been causing me problems i coulnd find. Now i know. takeing it back today.\
MIDAS BLOWS

Midas suck!!! I really hate it when people tries to take advantage of women like that. I remeber that first and last time I got brakes done at Midas. The parts are supper cheap quality so they said "lifetime guaranty" but with that quality who needs lifetime guaranty. I have never ever gone back the Midas. And yes I am with you give them a dam hard time so they think twice before messing with someones wife.

I am with you
Greg.

Goodyear Tires in Panama City, Fl sucks also. My sister was having problems with her brakes on her car. After Goodyear replaced almost her entire brake system she pulled out and they were doing the same thing so she took it back, they told her her power booster was bad and they would have one the next day. Meanwhile her car was not safe to drive and she had an infant. They told her it was ok to drive so she went in the next day and after waiting awhile they said her part was not in and would not be in for 3 more days and that the part was not available anyplace locally. So she called me and then I called all the local parts houses and 3 had the part in stock and for a third of what Goodyear was going to charge. So I called goodyear and their excuse was we don't use those suppliers and they would not install parts they did not supply. So I bought her the part and my neighbor installed the same day for $20 bucks. Goodyear had the nerve to call a week later and tell my sister that she still had to pay for the part. So I called them and after 10 minutes of me jumping down there throats they said this once they would let it slide. Another example of chains ripping off woman. So after that my sister always brings her car to me and if I ca'nt fix I take it myself and get it fixed.

Whatever happened with this Pepe??

Did you ever bitchslap them and get some of your money back??

I was at Auto (Crap) Zone and a guy from Midas was walking across the street. He said "nice truck" i said thanks, he said "You know your leaf springs are bent the wrong way, bring it over, we'll take a look at it".....i remembered this post and said "no thanks" That and i have never heard of leaf springs being "bent the wrong way"

:histerica I'm suprised he didn't tell you your muffler bearings needed service.

See page 2... that's the last I dealt with them. Never got any $$$ back, but I did get the satisfaction of verbally blasting the fukks that screwed me.
Funny this old thread is up again. Just last week the Bronco started surging during normal stops. Been thinking about going back there and flippin' the old reciepts around and demanding it get fixed even though it's been just over 1 year.

But... being a working stiff, I don't know when I can get it down there.
God knows if I do have them fix it, I sure as hell ain't leaving it there all alone!

dam i know all to well about all this. I work at an autoparts supplier and we reguarly sent shops parts off the self. They are dam criminals, we sell these crap brake pads i wouldnt trust on a go-kart, and some of the shops buy like candy. The price we sell them for $15-30 and refer to them at economy low grade pads. What do they shops sell them as, top of the line performance pads price $40-100.
I used to be a driver for the auto store too until i started having conversations with the customers at the shops. I would tell them that the wiperblades they are about to buy for $20 at the shop cost $8 and re-fills are only $4. The air filter and headlight they need will cost 50% if not less at the store and are easy to install ill even help explain how to do it, if not do it myslef for free. This one time i went to drop off a airfilter which cost $10, i placed in on the counter with the recipet on top (the shop ****er need to sign them for our records). The manager flipped the fu** out. He was like dont ever do that again, wtf is wrong with u, if u do that the customers will see that the part im charging $30 only cost $10. So me being in my i hate having to deal with as*holes mood say, maybe u should run a legitmate business and stop trying to screw ppl for profit (which was overheard by a few customers). Needless to say he told me to get the F out and not to come back, and when i got back to the auto store he had appaerntly called. U know what my ****er did laughed and told me good job he didnt like dealing with him anyways.

-If u need work done on ur car find a trusting shop where u can buy ur own parts and bring them to him, or if he insists on buying them to make sure u dont get the wrong thing, ask to see the reciet.
-Ask for all ur old parts back. Using nail polish or white out make small marks on all the parts that they "say are damaged, and check afterwards to make sure the part was removed is the same part, and that the new part on the car is new.
-Call around to auto part stores before having work done, most autopart stores will be glad to give u quote prices on all the parts u need, as well as info on how hard or easy they are to install, how long of time they take to install, and any other info. I know that on a daily basis i could write a 50 page book about all the info i have given out. And if i havent worked on that part of the car before theres 5 other ppl around me that probly have

Thats solid advice.

The mechanic i take my trucks to has been in business for 18 years. My parents found him when he was working on cars out of his garge, two or three a day, as a side job.

He now owns a shop, and works on 30-40 cars a day. I take it there and say "I think it needs this, this and that", he will look over it, replace only what he NEEDS to, and then tells me how much longer i can get out of the other parts. And since my parents and i frequent his shop so much (He calls us his best customers, mostly because of me), he gives us breaks as much as he can.

I call him from time to time to ask for advice, and with most mechanics they would say "Bring it in". He says "Replace this, and it should be fine, call me if you need more help, it saves me from having to work on it".

I figure since i bought the Bronco, i have spent about 2 grand with him, and the Dakota i have spent a grand with him. He's an honest guy, with good prices, thats what keeps me going back.

There is only one flaw with him......he's a Jeep guy.

First of all I do not condone what Midas or any other shop has done to anyone.

I just have a few things to consider:

1.A shop must make money in order to stay in business... there are a lot of expenses involved with being a shop owner. Insurance, taxes, work comp, electricity, gas, phone. Not to mention the 50K or so in tools we have.

2. People always complain about the high shop labor charge/mark up on parts. When is the last time you had a plumber at your house? How much was his hourly rate? When you bought your house, how much do you think the mark up on the 2x4's were?

3.It cost money to be in business. People who take there cars to a shop either don't know how to work on them, don't want to, or are unable for what ever reason. It cost money for someone to do the work for you. It is a dirty, grubby, unthankful job. Your best bet is to find a local shop that is not looking to make a CEO/Stock holders rich.