Midas muffler...

[Sydfloyd44]

Looking for some opinions.

95 Legacy sedan, 2wd.

 

Had my muffler replaced in 98 by Midas with lifetime warranty. Had to be replaced in 2000 under warranty due to failure. Once again had to be replaced under warranty in 2003 due to failure. Here I am again in 2005, making a "hollow" gurgling (?) sound and probably needing a **4th** replacement.

Work was done at a Midas about 40 minutes away which was conveniently across the street from the glass shop I used to operate. I am no longer at that location and the Midas in my immediate area closed several years ago. It is a REAL pain in the A$$ to drive it 40 minutes to drop it off, and 40 minutes back all while wasting not only my time, but a good friend who has to also drive over to pick me up.

If I am going to have to plan on doing this every 2-3 years, screw it!! I will just pay my local mechanic to put a napa stainless on it. Question is this... What do you think my options are with Midas? Think they will do anything to offset $ for my mechanic to put one on in order to get rid of me or do you think they will just tell me to get lost? I read online where Midas did reimburse a guy to do this since his local Midas closed. Although I have read about some of the tactics used by Midas, Monro and others regarding the way they supposedly make their money, I have not experienced that. The most I paid for each warranty replacement was $2.95 for flange gaskets and $5.00 for nuts, bolts, washers.

Any opinions or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

My regular mechanic locally is looking at it on Monday to give me a specific explanation of problem.

THANKS!!!!

[idosubaru]

verify the problem first.

options if it is the muffler:

 

they should be able to do it while you wait if you call ahead of time and politely ask for a convenient time when they aren't very busy. mufflers don't take long at all to install. tell them you will be waiting for it and ask for a time estimate. i woudln't personally tell them why you're waiting because i don't trust people - if you tell a good salesmen why he'll probably say "oh we can't do that", knowing that you probaby won't act on the warranty if you have to make the drive twice.

 

you could also ask them if you could pay for a higher quality stainless muffler (minus the difference of the replacement they would typically install), but have it installed for free since they'd have to install another one under warranty anyway.

 

or buy a stainless at a local shop and have the midas install it for free in place of the warranty but non-stainless option. check with them first, may be company policy to not install other mufflers.

 

i got a muffler shop in atlanta to install an aftermarket muffler i bought while i waited - very fast. it was not a direct fit, larger pipe and they were done in like 30 or 40 minutes while i waited.

[stevetone]

Sometimes there are things more important than money -- like getting the job done right. I would have someone you trust install a new muffler and never step foot in a Midas again.

[later, Peter]

I believe the marketing reasoning behind the "lifetime" warranty is that you don't pay for the product, you pay for the paper.

Working on the theory that you will eventually not want to take the company up on it's warranty (sell, wreck or just don't care about the vehicle or have the work done elsewhere, as has been mentioned in this thread).

With that perspective, you didn't buy lifetime equipment but the paperwork good for lifetime replacements... take them up on it. You are talking about 1 1/2 hours every 2 or 3 years... not so bad...

then write a letter to George Forman.

Later,

Peter

[TheBrian]

'scuse the slight topic drift, but I thought Legacies came equipped with stainless mufflers. I appear to have the original exhaust (9.5 years old), which has a stainless muffler stamped SUBARU. 96 Brighton (base model), California emissions.

 

Does anyone have a non-stainless, SUBARU muffler?

[M@dM@x]

'scuse the slight topic drift, but I thought Legacies came equipped with stainless mufflers. I appear to have the original exhaust (9.5 years old), which has a stainless muffler stamped SUBARU. 96 Brighton (base model), California emissions.

 

Does anyone have a non-stainless, SUBARU muffler?

 

My 95 Legacy L is stainless.

[deiscient]

I believe the marketing reasoning behind the "lifetime" warranty is that you don't pay for the product, you pay for the paper.

Working on the theory that you will eventually not want to take the company up on it's warranty (sell, wreck or just don't care about the vehicle or have the work done elsewhere, as has been mentioned in this thread).

With that perspective, you didn't buy lifetime equipment but the paperwork good for lifetime replacements... take them up on it. You are talking about 1 1/2 hours every 2 or 3 years... not so bad...

then write a letter to George Forman.

Later,

Peter

I have to second this perspective. When I replaced my muffler a few months ago (recorded my saga in these pages) I was told by the parts guy that ~3 years is the typical lifespan of most replacements. Peter's analysis is probably spot-on in that the suppliers (usually Arvin, Walker or Bosal) plan on a typical replacement lifespan of about that before you trade/sell/junk the vehicle. Hence, their "lifetime" wager is usually a pretty good bet from their business standpoint. If you go back for a subsequent replacement they will surely "apologize profusely" the first time and strongly suggest you get rid of that heap any time after that.

[rizzo]

I have to second this perspective. When I replaced my muffler a few months ago (recorded my saga in these pages) I was told by the parts guy that ~3 years is the typical lifespan of most replacements. Peter's analysis is probably spot-on in that the suppliers (usually Arvin, Walker or Bosal) plan on a typical replacement lifespan of about that before you trade/sell/junk the vehicle. Hence, their "lifetime" wager is usually a pretty good bet from their business standpoint. If you go back for a subsequent replacement they will surely "apologize profusely" the first time and strongly suggest you get rid of that heap any time after that.

 

i'll third this, although i have an issue with midas... i don't know if it was them exactly or just the natural lifespan of parts... on my old car, which i had for 5 years before it was totalled, i went through 3 mufflers. the first was shortly after i bought the car. it sounded like a loud motorboat. they replaced the muffler and the mid-pipe (or something like that). 2 years later the pipe has issues. there's only a year warranty on that pipe (hmmm). another year and a half goes by and the muffler goes again, but it's warranty, so they do it for free (and again, the pipe needed to be replaced, so i had to have that done as well). i'm not sure if they're just not that great, if they use cheap parts, or what... but whatever. it cost me something like $270 for the muffler and pipe (including labor costs). i think just the pipe alone was like $170. it was just a pain in the rump roast. i still went to midas for all my oil changes and stuff (lack of space and stuff to do it myself). $15 for an oil change isn't bad compared to places like jiffy lube that charge nearly $30.

 

i guess i'd say go back and have them replace it or find out what they can do to fulfill their warranty and make sure you don't have to go through with it again (better quality muffler, take their charges that you'd get for free and use it towards going elsewhere, etc).

[TheBrian]

Cheap parts. Arvin mufflers. I would recommend a local, independent mechanic over any dealership or chain.

 

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2003/04/03/158643.html

[RCG]

I wouldn't waste any more time piddling about with Midas. Perhaps it is different where you are, but usually they replace the muffler "free" but charge you out the nose for clamps, hangers, etc. etc.

 

Good luck

[avk]

Midas is a franchise. No technical skills, or even interest in automobiles are required from owners, just enough money to open a shop. It's all in the name (and the yellow corporate color).

[rizzo]

Midas is a franchise. No technical skills, or even interest in automobiles are required from owners, just enough money to open a shop. It's all in the name (and the yellow corporate color).

 

but their mechanics must be certified. i've actually had pretty good luck with midas for my general maintenance on my old car. i moved out of state and didn't know what local, independant shops were decent, so i went with midas because i knew i'd have some form of recourse if they screwed up (i could take it up with the midas corporation or whatever). so while the owners may not have a love or interest in cars, the mechanics do know their stuff.

 

the only thing i worry about with going there is that they'll tell me something that they are supposed to tell me because it's midas.

[frag]

The fact that it's a chain only tells you not to trust the banner blindly. Every Midas shop is an individual. I know two in the Montreal region: one hosts a bunch of incompetent thieves and the other, recommended by the APA, is the only place where you can have the Subaru down pipes (Y) repaired at a reasonnable cost instead of replacing them when they develop a crack. So each one is an individual case.

My 2 cents.

[avk]

With a large corporation, it's easier to complain, but that's not what you want to end up doing. If the shop is already known to be trustworthy, that's a different thing. My view is simply that, absent other information, dealing with a franchise is risky.

[bjwirth]

With a large corporation, it's easier to complain, but that's not what you want to end up doing. If the shop is already known to be trustworthy, that's a different thing. My view is simply that, absent other information, dealing with a franchise is risky.

 

I think I have to add that going to an "indy" shop is not always the smart move. I've known a few cases where my friends got ripped off. And in one case, a friend of mine was having some work done and the mechanic left the old belts laying ontop of the engine. can you imagine what would happen if that belt dropped and got tangled up??

 

I think it's kinda like getting a hair cut. it's not the name on the sign above the store, but the person cutting your hair. I once followed the person who used to cut my hair when she switched salons. my friend had a toyota and got to know one of the mechanics at the dealer. when he left the dealership to work at another garage, guess where my friend went to get his car worked on.

[mrtoyou7747]

I recently took my wife's 99 Civic to Midas to have the muffler changed out. The job was done quickly and the price was competitive with other shops except the stealer.

 

A few days later my wife complained about some kind of tick she was hearing so I took it back and they tried to fix it. It took 3 or 4 trips back to Midas with muffler change outs at no cost to me for anything.

 

The car is quiet and I would certainly consider going back to Midas for muffler for my 98 OB (125K same muffler) when it needs it.

 

 

 

 

 

I think I have to add that going to an "indy" shop is not always the smart move. I've known a few cases where my friends got ripped off. And in one case, a friend of mine was having some work done and the mechanic left the old belts laying ontop of the engine. can you imagine what would happen if that belt dropped and got tangled up??

 

I think it's kinda like getting a hair cut. it's not the name on the sign above the store, but the person cutting your hair. I once followed the person who used to cut my hair when she switched salons. my friend had a toyota and got to know one of the mechanics at the dealer. when he left the dealership to work at another garage, guess where my friend went to get his car worked on.

[swi66]

I had an 83 AMC Eagle, around 88 I had the exhaust replaced from the Catalitic converter on back. Had that car for over 180,000 miles and had to take it back about once a year for pipes rotting out. They charged me for the pipes, but replaced the lifetime muffler for free.....................Had to watch them like a hawk cause they would always walk under the car with a hammer in hand.

 

 

Had to let them know in no uncertain terms if they smacked that converter with the hammer, I would take it and smack their kneecaps.

 

Then they would "get" me by pointing it out the car needed all 4 shocks. I'd tell them to replace them as well, the warranty was in the glovebox and those front shocks were a bear to change...........don't know how they could always forget they were warranteed.............

 

Some places like Midas, or Cole uses lousy parts, and you will be back for more..............of course, I live in NY where they salt the roads heavily.

 

swi66