Midas dealer tried to rip me off.

This is along story about how the Midas Auto Service Experts on Taylorsville Rd in Louisville, Ky. tried to rip me off. They suggested an $800 repair for a leaky hose and used less than honorable tactics to sell the repair. And also a story about a great experience at a Valvoline service center.

I received a call from my son the night before last that his beloved 2000 Grand Am was overheated. He explained to me that there was fluid all over the place and he could not see where it was coming from. After warning him about the dangers of opening the radiator cap while it's still hot, I advised that he get some fluid to put in while he waits.

His girlfriend arrived, took him to Wal-Mart where he purchased the fluid necessary to refill his radiator. From the description he gave, "the fluid is on the belt and all over," I was afraid his water pump was shot. I knew that if the water pump was bad he would at least be able to fill the radiator. Well, he tried and reported to me on the phone that the fluid was running out of the bottom of the radiator. I said "good."

I advised my boy to get back to his place and rest up, that tomorrow was going to be a busy day. I had no idea how adventurous the day would turn out. My son had decided to have the car towed to Midas. We thought since it's a national brand, and the one in Bowling Green is quite reliable, that it would be a safe choice. I could not have been more wrong.

The people at Midas attempted to take advantage of my son from the moment he arrived. He even called right after he got there that he didn't have a good feeling. I advised him to stay alert and don't agree to anything. The next time my phone rang, it was my boy who was audibly upset explaining that he was told he needed $800 to fix the car. Of course I asked a myriad of questions and then simply requested the quote in writing.

While they worked on the quote, my son explained that it just didn't seem right. He said that the guy showed him where the fluid was coming from and that it was the intake manifold gasket that needed to be replaced. He (the Midas guy) explained that he had to "tear the whole engine apart" to replace it. My son noticed a couple of things... 1st, the radiator was full. That's strange, it wouldn't hold fluid before we got here, and 2nd he also noticed that the fluid at the spot on the engine where the Midas guy was pointing was green. Well this is odd since the fluid this car only takes is yellow/clear. (He also noticed the mechanic in the next bay snicker when the other Midas guy gave a ball park of $800.00.)

I received the quote by fax and read it in disbelief. Now, I have had an intake manifold gasket go out before, and know others who have as well and this doesn't seem right. I started to tell my son in Louisville to ask questions and then I said, "never mind, I'll call myself." I called the number on the fax and identified myself as the father of the guy with the white Grand Am. I was quickly put on hold and waited a good while and then my son's "mechanic" got on the phone. He proceeded to try to "sell me" the points of fact. I tried to ask some simple questions but he wouldn't let me speak. He was quite passionate in his explanation that this is one of those things with this model of Trans Am.

I was a little tired of being mistreated by this guy and finally asked him to shut up. I explained that my son had described the symptoms to me quite clearly and it didn't match the story he (the Midas guy) was feeding me. I said, "The fluid was reportedly coming out of the bottom of the radiator, that's nowhere near the manifold gasket." He continued to insist that if I could look through the phone and see where the (green) fluid was on the block, I would know it was the gasket. I tried to talk but was interrupted long enough for him to tell me the hose on the overflow container might have cause the leak, I simply said, "no, my son will not be getting any work done there." I just had a gut feeling.

Oh, the Midas guy did tell me, after all this that my son could probably drive his car "for a while" and he should just keep en eye on the fluid and temperature. I called my son and said... "Just get out of there and call me from Hardee's or something."

After I hung up, I began thinking how strange this all was and how nothing was adding up. How the radiator was leaking from the bottom so badly that it would not hold fluid and now it would. I had a thought that I later found out was shared with my son, that the Midas guy had actually fixed the leak and then thought of the intake idea. I don't know this for sure, it just seemed like it.

My boy was on his way to Lexington when all this happened and I knew he really wanted to go, but I was still concerned about the car. He called and I explained that he really should have some kind of mechanic look at his car. He agreed and headed back to Louisville. He called back just a few minutes later and said he was concerned because the Midas guy had put water in his radiator and the book says never to do that. He was going to pull off the road and drain and replace the fluid himself. I thought it was a good plan. He called back again and said he was taking it to a Valvoline service center to have his radiator flushed.

He called back a while later and explained that he and the Valvoline mechanic went through the diagnosis of the Midas guy and could find no evidence of the intake manifold leaking. He explained some of the garbage that the Midas guy told him and he just shook is head. They laughed about it a little too. They found the hose clamp that was likely tightened and replaced the water in the radiator with the proper fluid. The Valvoline guy said that my son didn't owe him anything. My boy offered to get his oil changed and the Valvoline guy said, "your oil is fine, you don't need it." So that was that... except my son insisted on giving him $10 for his trouble.

So, my boy has been driving his car ever since. He drove the distance from Louisville to Lexington and has been driving around town looking for an apartment. No leaks, no drips, no errors. Everything is fine.

I've saved the written quote from the Midas shop, I'm still entertaining the idea of filing a formal complaint with the better business bureau, or with Midas corporate offices. It just makes me wonder how many people have fallen victim to this place for a $800 hose clamp tightening. Something really should be done.

On the other hand, a totally opposite experience at the Valvoline place. A great example of how a small business should be run... with the customer in mind. I know I'll be looking closer at the Valvoline products and services and will avoid Midas forever... you should too. So much for their jingle... there is no trust.