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My local Midas is a ripoff

P

paulney

Diamond Member
My car needs a 90k inspection, so I decied to give a bunch of places a call and see. what's the cheapest rate. Call up a bunch of places, and they give me a flat rate along with the list of things they are going to do: change oil, air filter, yada-yada. Then I call Midas, and the guy tells me: we can't tell you in advance, because we won't charge you for things you won't need. Bring in your car - we'll do an inspection and give you an estimate.

Great. I drop off the car and tell them, that I have already fresh change of oil in the car along with the new air filter. The guy tells me: ok, we'll check the car out if it needs anything else and give you a call.

1 hour later I call them up: how's the car. The guy: oh, sorry, had a delay over here, it's going up on a lift. Since I live so close to the place, I just walk over there expecting them to be done by the time I get there. I walk in, and the guy tells me: "Oh, hi. You'll need new spark plugs and rotated tires. That would be $120. WTF!!! $120 for 20 minutes of work?!! I tell him, for that price, I'll do that myself, so please take the car off the lift and give me the keys. The guy goes: "sure. Here are your keys, it's already off the lift".

Guess what. The car was not even touched - it was sitting in the exact spot where I left it, and in the exact way I left it. Bunch of tards. Never going to that place ever.
 
$120 for the tune up and rotation of tires isn't really a rip-off price. It's probably a pretty common price for such activities nowadays. However, Midas - what were you thinking when you took your car over to them? It's best to build a relationship with a mechanic that you trust to work on your car.

 
I figured, since it's a general maintenance thing, rather than a specific car problem, any place could do it.
$120 wasn't for tune up, it was exactly for 2 things they said they'd do: screw in new spark plugs and rotate the tires.
Let's see: $20 for spark plugs. $100 for work - that's 1,5 hrs of work. 1.5 hrs for plugs and tires? Damn it!
 
Originally posted by: paulney
I figured, since it's a general maintenance thing, rather than a specific car problem, any place could do it.
$120 wasn't for tune up, it was exactly for 2 things they said they'd do: screw in new spark plugs and rotate the tires.
Let's see: $20 for spark plugs. $100 for work - that's 1,5 hrs of work. 1.5 hrs for plugs and tires? Damn it!
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with 1.5 hrs for plugs and rotation. A rotation pays anywhere from .4-.6hr, depending on what kind of car it is.
Plugs are anywhere from .9-3+hrs, again, depending on what car/engine combo you have.
Their prices don't seem too much out of line.

What's crappy is that they (according to you) didn't even look at the car before they gave you that estimate.
You'd have really been pissed if you needed a belt, fuel filter, hoses, etc, and you broke down soon after they supposedly "looked it over", then just did plugs and a rotation.

 
Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech
$120 for the tune up and rotation of tires isn't really a rip-off price. It's probably a pretty common price for such activities nowadays. However, Midas - what were you thinking when you took your car over to them? It's best to build a relationship with a mechanic that you trust to work on your car.
Click to expand...

what are you mad??

a tune up is usually 4 things:
new spark plugs ($1 each, easy to remove and install)
air filter ($10, depending on car. VERY easy to install and remove)
oil change (walmart, $13)
tire rotation (Walmart, $1.50 per tire. 4 tires = $6)

$30
 
Originally posted by: paulney
My car needs a 90k inspection, so I decied to give a bunch of places a call and see. what's the cheapest rate. Call up a bunch of places, and they give me a flat rate along with the list of things they are going to do: change oil, air filter, yada-yada. Then I call Midas, and the guy tells me: we can't tell you in advance, because we won't charge you for things you won't need. Bring in your car - we'll do an inspection and give you an estimate.

Great. I drop off the car and tell them, that I have already fresh change of oil in the car along with the new air filter. The guy tells me: ok, we'll check the car out if it needs anything else and give you a call.

1 hour later I call them up: how's the car. The guy: oh, sorry, had a delay over here, it's going up on a lift. Since I live so close to the place, I just walk over there expecting them to be done by the time I get there. I walk in, and the guy tells me: "Oh, hi. You'll need new spark plugs and rotated tires. That would be $120. WTF!!! $120 for 20 minutes of work?!! I tell him, for that price, I'll do that myself, so please take the car off the lift and give me the keys. The guy goes: "sure. Here are your keys, it's already off the lift".

Guess what. The car was not even touched - it was sitting in the exact spot where I left it, and in the exact way I left it. Bunch of tards. Never going to that place ever.
Click to expand...

geez.. anyone could have told you that midas is a ripoff. just search the forum for midas threads
 
Wow, thats horrible. not unexpected though.

plugs $10 (assuming 4cyl. add $2.50/cyl)
time for plug and rotation 30min

assuming 70$ labour thats $35+10 = $45, $55 for V8

 
Originally posted by: JEDI
Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech
$120 for the tune up and rotation of tires isn't really a rip-off price. It's probably a pretty common price for such activities nowadays. However, Midas - what were you thinking when you took your car over to them? It's best to build a relationship with a mechanic that you trust to work on your car.
Click to expand...

what are you mad??

a tune up is usually 4 things:
new spark plugs ($1 each, easy to remove and install)
air filter ($10, depending on car. VERY easy to install and remove)
oil change (walmart, $13)
tire rotation (Walmart, $1.50 per tire. 4 tires = $6)

$30
Click to expand...

But, you are comparing apples to oranges. $120 was the price for Midas to do the work. Sure, for $30, it could be done, but the plugs are not all that easy. On my V-6, the intake manifold has to be lifted off to get to the rear 3 plugs. I'd gladly give someone $100 to tune-up my vehicle. I did the plugs myself last summer and even though I have plenty of tools to do the work, it was still a biatch.

 
But, you are comparing apples to oranges. $120 was the price for Midas to do the work. Sure, for $30, it could be done, but the plugs are not all that easy. On my V-6, the intake manifold has to be lifted off to get to the rear 3 plugs. I'd gladly give someone $100 to tune-up my vehicle. I did the plugs myself last summer and even though I have plenty of tools to do the work, it was still a biatch.
Click to expand...

It's a freaking Saturn, not any fancy car! Just reach in, unscrew 4 plugs, screw 4 new in - you are set!
Shouldn't take more than 20 mins tops.
 
why would you even consider going to a midas or some other chain store like that. finding a reliable and honest mechanic is difficult but so worth it
 
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