Is every Midas this bad?

[americanarmsdealer]

Just got a phone call from my wife telling me about our 17 yr old son's experience at Midas. He went in for a $25 oil change and inspection sticker, and they told him his front suspension was about to fall off the car, making it unsafe to drive!Took it to another mech, and guess what? Nothing wrong with it at all! Don't do business with Midas, because they'll lie straight to your face and try to rip you off!! Wonder if this post will cost them more $$ than they tried to steal from my son? I certainly hope so!

[Desdinova]

Just got a phone call from my wife telling me about our 17 yr old son's experience at Midas. He went in for a $25 oil change and inspection sticker, and they told him his front suspension was about to fall off the car, making it unsafe to drive!Took it to another mech, and guess what? Nothing wrong with it at all! Don't do business with Midas, because they'll lie straight to your face and try to rip you off!! Wonder if this post will cost them more $$ than they tried to steal from my son? I certainly hope so!



of course. they nickel and dime everything.


They pay for all the lifetime warranty stuff with lots of made up problems.

[Telecaster52]

IMO every chain (midas, goodyear, etc.) is the same; they either create problems that aren't actually there, or they charge you for the service without completing it. I would also recommend checking the oil drain plug to see if they stripped the threads when reinstalling it. Changing your own oil isn't hard, and is a great way to teach your son to take responsibility for his vehicle. :thumbup:

[mkornecki]

To answer the thread title ...

YES they are all like that!

[Bobtrumpet]

I took one of our vehicles (I think it was my Ford Ranger) to a Midas in Plano, TX several years ago for a exhaust system problem. They diagnosed it correctly and I got out with a reasonable charge for the work they did.

I think you can find this at both small shops and big chains. Second opinions are always helpful. Young drivers and women are usually specifically targeted.

I've also had good experiences over the last several years with a Firestone service center near my house. Better rates than some of the highly regarded small shops in the area with the same quality work. The lifetime alignments have more than paid for themselves twice over.

[Walker]

When you go to a trade school (like I went to) your goal isn't to work at a Jiffy Lube or Midas (unless there are no other job's available in your area) a friend of mine worked at Jiffy Lube when we were in school and he said the manager would give them alittle something extra in there paychecks if they sold stuff like air filters etc. I'm not saying they are all like this but i would be skeptical of anything those places told me. My parent got there oil changed at Walmart and they left the drain plug loose under there car, the thing held until there next oil change but the guy who went to service here saw it and saw she was low on oil rolled here out of the bay and said he couldn't touch her. (If something happened after the service they would have been responsible)

[proxymoron]

I hear the original one is pure gold.

[causalfault]

I hear the original one is pure gold.

Ba-dum tshh. /facepalm

I've had similar experiences at Jiffy Lube, and my fiancee had the same kind of trouble at Big O. It's just a matter of doing business with someone you trust versus doing business with someone who's fast and cheap.

[stobes21]

I'll offer a counter story. Years ago the breaks on my car were squeaking a lot and so I took it into midas to have them replaced. According to the maintenance schedule for the car both the front disc breaks and the back drum breaks were due to be replaced. So I told them to do both. But the service guy called me back and showed me that the brakes in back were barely worn at all and didn't need any work. So they replaced the front pads only and didn't charge me anything for the back. Saved me a fair bit of money. They could have done the whole thing without me knowing the difference, but they were honest and upfront about it. I continued to use them for quite some time after that and they always were quick and honest.

I'm sure like many retail places it depends on the people working at the particular location.

[mr_economy]

I've certainly had better experiences with the local guys in the past, but their limited hours are killing me with my current job. I commute for an 8-5 job with no benefits, meaning I really can't afford to take time off work to get (non-major) auto work done. I have to leave town by 7AM, which is before the local guys open, and I don't get back until at least 5:45PM, which is after the local guys close. A couple of them are open for limited hours on Saturdays, but trying to beat the crowd on those days is like winning the lottery.

By contrast, the most of the 'chain' shops are open until 7-8PM Monday-Friday, and almost all day at least one of the weekend days.

I love supporting the local guys, it's just not practical for my life these days.

[raisindot]

I'd have to counter to say that they're not ALL like that.

The one near my home is one of the good ones. I bring my car in every six months for an oil change, and, in three years, they've only once told me told me something had to be fixed (the cabin filter, which I knew had to be replaced anyway). In fact, on occasion, they've checked out as okay things that other local mechanics said needed fixing.

Jeff in Boston

[ouch]

Back in the days when oil came in cans, I was a master of the technique known as "the short stick"*. No matter how closely you watched, I could convince you that you were low on oil, then would proceed to "add" a quart and show you that you were now full, all without ever adding a drop.


Details of this illusion available on request.






*This trick was only performed for entertainment and instructional purposes, and was never used to rob anyone.

[Greybeard]

They're not all like that. They're franchises and how they're run depends on the franchisee.
That being said, the franchisee is encouraged and pushed to sell add-ons and "upsell" to increase sales. This is, of course, passed on to the employees. There's just as much emphasis on sales training as mechanical.

They're not encouraged to sell unneccesary repairs and that's on that particular franchisee (or store manager if it's a corporate store). You get a few shady characters in any business. Report the incident to Midas head office.

[perry]

Been going to Midas since I moved to Indiana 9 years ago, in to apartments that didn't allow me to work on my own car any more. Never had a single problem with them. My cousin worked at the first one, so the folks there were friendly to us, even after he left. Found a different one when I moved and the folks there have been great as well. Haven't tried to sell me wiper blades or filters or anything else that I don't need.

[slcsteve]

The last time I went to Midas I was charged $20 for replacement of two mufflers on my Ford............................That was 1961 and it was a 55 Ford.

[toucanlamp]

It's really just a part of the entire business model of the quick lube shop. If they can charge you $50 to put in a new air filter, they'll be making probably a 500% profit margin.

They know that there are so many people out there who know absolutely nothing about cars and will just say "ok" without a second thought.

If all they did in those shops was change peoples' oil, they'd be out of business very quickly.

I mean outright lying about something being damaged and needing repair on your car is fraud, but most of the stuff they do is just push you for things that simply aren't necessary, like engine flushes and whatnot.

I just say, change the oil that's it.

[Uncle Erik]

This is just another example of why everyone needs to learn the basics abou their cars. I occasionaly go to oil change places (cheaper and easier than DIY if you use specials and coupons), but they always try to upsell me with unnecessary stuff. I get new filters and parts from my dealer. They're OEM and preserve the warranty, while being much cheaper than having someone else change them. If you have a car that lends itself to DIY service (I did my homework before buying), then you can do 90% of the maintenance yourself in 30-60 minutes a couple of times a year.

As long as you have a relaible car (Consumer Reports is your friend) and stick to the maintenance schedules, you should be able to pull off 150k-200k miles without major service. The current ride is close to 60k and I've never done anything but routine maintenance.

If you want to avoid a lot of the ridiculous costs, buy one of the "cult" or enthusiast cars with lots of aftermarket parts and active discussion forums. A perfect example would be a Corvette. You can find forums like B&B where all of your questions will be answered and links provided to exactly what you need. There's no need to have to pay ridiculous dealer markups or be upsold under threat of disaster at chain/franchise repair shops looking for a fast buck.

[VR6ofpain]

I had a midas do my wifes brakes a while back. They were very reasonable. They didn't try to sell me new rotors or any BS, just resurfaced the existing rotors, installed new pads, flushed the brake fluid. The car was done in a few hours for the same price they quoted up front.

Maybe it depends on the Midas you go to? As far as oil changes, I do these myself in the garage.

[denim]

Just got a phone call from my wife telling me about our 17 yr old son's experience at Midas. He went in for a $25 oil change and inspection sticker,
They advertise that they warranty their muffler forever, and they do. They'll replace it every two years when it fails. What they don't say is that the pipes they install only last one year, and are not covered. Do not do business with these people.

[Bushranger]

similar stories with MIDAS in australia too.

[americanarmsdealer]

similar stories with MIDAS in australia too.

Well at least they're indiscriminate worldwide opportunists!:blink:

[1987cp]

Reminds me of an area Chevy service manager that tried to talk me into probably $800 in extra stuff my wife's "needed" when it was in for a wiring recall. Report included cracked suspension bushings (on a four year old car with 50k miles?), $60 for a fuel filter, some huge amount for the scheduled transmission service, and cleaning the throttle body and injectors. I told him not to touch any of the above and I'd have a look at it when I got the car home.

Funny tidbits, the TB and injectors on that car at the time were BRAND NEW (short version of the story: keep Cavaliers away from curbs), and nearly 4 years later I still haven't been able to locate any deteriorated suspension bushings. Not exactly confidence-inspiring!

[Bruce Wayne]

If you know a thing or tow about cars & the service guy says you nead an X item, don't be afraid to have him walk you back to you auto & check it out for yourself.

I too have been the attempted victim of similar stories mentioned above. Anywhere you go in the USA or the world will have a few bad apples. I went to a Mom & Pop type place a few years back & I was told that I needed a new pair of front calipers. They told me that they legally can't let me leave the shop without them installing them. They pushed, I pushed back. I let them get the calipers from the local Auto parts store. When they arrive they were the right calipers for my truck if I had left it stock. I procedded to point out that I had corvette brakes on the front of my truck. At this point I flat out told them that if I really need new calipers, they would have noticed that mine were not the factory calipers & at this point I called them out on it. Long story short, my oil change was free. I have yet to go back to that place.

[jd_1138]

That's why I recommend having your local, trusted mechanic do routine maintenance, besides just repairs. Some Joe Blow at a different shop may just be padding his pockets at your expense. Find a good, local mechanic and keep going back to him and develop a relationship.

My local mechanic thoroughly checks out the car when I take it in for an oil change. Lubes the chassis, doors, fills up all the fluids, etc.. And it costs less than Jiffy Lube type places. On 20/20 they did an expose of one of those chain oil change places in CA. They had hidden cameras under the hood. There was rampant fraud and lies and overcharging.

[1987cp]

I let them get the calipers from the local Auto parts store. When they arrive they were the right calipers for my truck if I had left it stock. I procedded to point out that I had corvette brakes on the front of my truck.

Excellent! Great way to catch some schmucks in a lie. :thumbsup:

[raisindot]

To answer the thread title, NO, they are not all like that.

My local Midas never tries to sell me anything extra or claims that something is broken when it isn't, even if all I'm getting is the $25 oil change. Matter of fact, a couple of times I've asked the place for a second opinion. For example, when I was getting new tires from a locally owned place they said I needed a front-end alignment. I said no, and a couple of weeks later asked the Midas guy if he'd check. He did, and said it didn't need one at all.

[jlanger]

I've had good luck with Midas and bad luck as well. I had a really good shop at one point when I moved down to the Twin Cities, however once they got a different manager, the place went down the tubes.
If you can try to find a good local mechanic (one that's ASE certified is better) but they do tend to charge more. You generally get better service and they do tend to tell you what's what. The current one I go to recently did some suspension work on my car and told me that my air intake hose was cracked and basically said that they knew I could replace it myself without much problem but they just wanted to let me know that they'd come across that, of course they offered to fix it if I wanted. It's nice to be able to develop a relationship with your mechanic where they get to know you and your car.

[Go West Young Man]

Come on, you had one bad experience with a franchise operation and you blame the whole chain?:blink:

[Pkrankow]

I don't care where you go, or what industry you are in, there are honest shops, and dishonest shops. There are honest people and dishonest people. If chains operated under the MO to charge and bill for unnecessary or unperformed service they would not stay in business. The same is true for owner/operator locations.

There are people who are trying to make a buck without doing the work, or by doing unnecessary work. If thinks seem fishy get a second opinion. I recently dealt with a dishonest mechanic who said an engine was scrap when it needed a timing set. The engine did not run and the reason was not obvious, but no diagnostics were done, even though they were charged for.

If you take a car in for an oil change and there are no obvious noises, problems, or concerns with it, and they tell you you need $$$$ in work NOW, I can assure you the work is not immediately urgent. The work may need done in the near future, and is real. Ask to look at the problem, or for parts back after the service. If they tell you there is a "core" and you cannot have the part, tell them you want to inspect the core before they return it.

It does boil down to a trust issue. My mechanic happens to be at a dealer. I feel their prices are high, but they are honest and straight with me and other customers. They do 75% of the work on my wife's car and 10% of the work on my car. I do the rest.

I recommend finding a shop you can trust and taking your business there.

I have an advantage of my Dad is a retired mechanic with 40 years of experience. A whole lot of help is just a phone call away.

Phil

[jwcarlson]

I have to agree that the chains are generally like this...
I took my S-10 into a "Tuffy" last winter to have the clutch drained because when it was -30 to -40 every night for a week and a half it seemed to have got some air into the system.

Clutch bleed is a fairly easy thing to do. I've done it a time or two but I was living by myself. It was well into the negatives when I would be able to work on it and I didn't even have a garage at the time. The bleeding service was a modest price... About 45 minutes of waiting and the tech comes out and tells me they can't get the cylinder to build any pressure when they press the pedal in. That's strange... He hands me a quote for a new cylinder to the tune of $1,500 and offers to let it sit in the shop overnight (they were close to closing anyway). He called me in the morning and magically the problem had fixed itself. Which was convenient after I'd called my parents and had them bring out a spare car from 90 miles away.

My wife needed her oil changed and that was the only shop that could get her in right away (we were leaving on a trip that afternoon). She called me at work and said "They said there's something with my something grease, my transmission fluid, and my something oil." They had brought out "samples" of various greases and fluids on q-tips from her car and compared them to new fluids out of the bottle. Obviously these two are vastly different in color.

Of course they want to do $300+ worth of fluid changes and whatever else. I won't ever go back there.