4KQ Muffler thanks..

[Audial@aol.com]

Thanks to everyone who responded about my muffler.  As James Earl Jones would
say, "It's nice to have Choices!".  I am going to review my options between
OEM/Aftermarket and make up my mind.  

As for the Midas/Meineke muffler controversy, I have a few comments.  I went
to Meineke for an estimate and was quoted nearly $300 for the muffler of my
4KQ.  This would obviously be a Meineke muffler, not an OEM, so I passed.  If
the price was considerably better I might have taken them up on it if they
had been willing to warranty it.  The muffler on the car right now is not
OEM, it was installed by a previous owner and I am unsure of its origin.  It
hasn't rusted through yet after (supposedly) 3+ years on the car.  

I didn't go to Midas because of two bad personal experiences with Midas
franchises in the past.  The first happened about 8 years ago when they
forgot to install the nuts on the tops of the new rear shock absorbers on my
father's '81 5000S.  The first bump sent the shock shafts through the rear
decklid.  The second happened last year at about this time.  My girlfriend's
rear brakes failed on her Toyota Corolla after an unusually cold night.  She
was right around the corner from a Midas when it happened, and so she pulled
into the lot and gave me a call.  I drove over and it was obvious that a rear
drum brake cylinder had failed.  She asked me how expensive the repair was
going to be, and I was fairly confident that two new cylinders and brake
shoes, installation and bleeding couldn't be too much money.  I guesstimated
$250 or less.  

Well.

I left to go to school, leaving my girlfriend at Midas with the car.  About
two hours later I call to check my messages and my girlfriend is frantic.
 They want to charge her $800+ to fix the brakes!!  I get to Midas to find
the Corolla on the lift with all four tires removed.  The mechanic has
printed up an estimate that includes:

New front rotors, pads, bearings
New rear drums
New rear shoes
New rear cylinders
New master cylinder
Assorted hardware
Labor
Modest profit

I go out to have a look at the car's hardware.  The front rotors are
<pristine>, as in mirror-smooth.  No lips, gouges, grooves, nothing.  Pads
are fine. Bearings are tight, grease looks good, no noise when spinning.
 Hmmm.  Rear drums look suspiciously good as well.  She never reported any
brake sponginess or other weirdness, and the master cylinder had never leaked
to the best of her knowledge.  

I politely insist that the mechanic just install the rear cylinders and brake
shoes and let us get the hell out of his clip joint.  

My girlfriend will probably be an excellent psychotherapist, but car repair
is not her long suit.  When a mechanic has your car hobbled on a lift and is
telling you that "for your safety" you need hundreds of $$ in extra parts,
you are at their mercy.  They know it.  So now I avoid Midas.  My apologies
to the reputable Midas owner/operators, I know they must exist somewhere.  

Best Wishes,
Alex Kowalski
'84 4KQ