Midas Auto Service rip-off S. Burlington Vermont

I can't believe the poor quality of service I have experienced in the last 6 months with this company and feel that everyone should be aware of it. It all started about 6 months ago. For years I had received service from this particular Midas shop and never once felt taken, mistreated or ripped off. Back then the manager was Tom Piche and when he left Les Allen. Both always treated me with respect, fairness and I never left feeling I was in anything but good hands. That was then and this is now.


Anyhow I hadn't needed service for a while. Took my 96 Altima in for service. Complained of a terrible vibration in the brakes especially at high speeds and a leak in my exhaust. After leaving the car there all day and receiving a bill for 400 plus dollars I still had a leak in my exhaust which they said was not there and was told that I should live with the vibration in the brakes if I can as it would take to much off the rotors and make them weak. Not to mention the fact that it wasn't ready at 5 like it was supposed to be and I had to wait another 1.5 hours for it.

So neither of my issues was addressed yet they found enough wrong to run up 400 dollars. I left with the car after paying the bill very discouraged. The vibration was horrible and felt like it would pull you right off the road yet a company that specializes in this problem said I should live with it if I can. Could not believe my ears.

I Drove it for a few more weeks and went back very upset not believing they recommended I live with this issue. Once again they keep the car all day but this time they were sorry. I was right, they could turn the rotors and did find an exhaust leak but it was going to cost me close to 700 more dollars. At which point I freaked and said wait, you messed up the first time and now you are going to charge me twice as much. Needless to say the game began and they claim to have absorbed 275 in labor and only charge me another 400. Picked up the car. Still had a leak even though they found it and replaced the big center pipe. Also they told me I would still have a slight vibration that they could not fix. Oh well it was better than it was so I left, still discouraged but happier than the first trip.

I have an 87 T-bird which is my 17 year old sons. We have a 3 car home and they all need to be safe to transport either a 17 year old or 2 children under 2. Had a grinding sound in the back, brake pedal was going to the floor, etc. I decided to give them one more chance. Made an appointment, dropped off the T-bird for the day. Get a call around 1:00. Quoted it at 12 to 1400 dollars for just what is wrong on the surface without going inside. I had asked if they could keep the major issues around 1000 as I had several other things I wanted done like new plugs, radiator flush, synthetic oil change, tires, inspection, etc. These are not the exact words but pretty close. The manager said Both of your rear seals are gone. Because of that all of your rear pads are oil-soaked and not doing their job. The right front brake was flopping around loose (caliper) and the other was breaking apart as it was doing all of the work. Both of my U-joints were gone, my emergency brake freezes up. May need a Master Cylinder. Could not find the grinding noise or the reason it is loosing antifreeze even though it was not over heating. Needed front brakes and rotors. One motor mount is broken and the other one is loose and cracked. Needs a new Serpentine belt. Oil leaks but not sure from where. Etc, Etc.

They never gave me a break down listing of what they found wrong and sent me on my merry way with the exception of the caliper pins they put in to stabilize the other front brake (pedal still went to the floor). By now I'm thinking it's an 87 and even though the body and frame were in excellent shape and still are, it may be better for me to get my son another vehicle. I personally loved the car as it was loaded with every luxury you could get back then. Probably the equivalent of a 45,000 dollar car today! So the search began.

First NO ONE was allowed to drive the car but me and I mean NO ONE! If anyone was going to go it would be me as my insurance would take care of my family. My family and friends would all swear on a stack of bibles that this is true. I drove it believing I had only one break and that my engine could drop out at any moment. Can't begin to express the fear every time I hit the brakes. Will I crash? Will the engine fall out? Will I die if it does? I drove like this for another 4 weeks trying to find a new car for my son. Couldn't afford a rental as that would take away money needed for another car. Was talking to a friend in another office one day and he said take it over here to the Sunoco station, ask for a guy named Les and say he sent me.

Low and behold it turned out to be Les Allen from back when I did get good service. Needless to say he put it up on the lift and called me to come take a look so I did. Only one rear seal was barely leaking, no oil anywhere on the shoes. Emergency brake worked fine. Motor mounts looked fine, definitely not broken anywhere. The pedal was going to the floor due to a small leak in the loose caliper that Midas replaced the pins in, which was all they fixed. Couldn't find the radiator leak or the grinding but the scary stuff was all made up and I was outraged believing I had been driving a time bomb for 4 weeks. Les said I should call Either Bill Black, Mr Brassard or Midas International. So I did, first Mr. Black whom was in a class, no Mr. Brassard to be found so I called Midas International. Within 20 minutes I get a call from Mr. Black wanting to help supposedly. He suggested we start with the Altima seeing as how I paid for that twice.

I wish I had 100 dollars for every time he said This is not the way we do business, I'd own another new car. He had two sets of paperwork, neither one made sense. First he said they only turned one rotor, we never turn just one as we want to keep things even. My muffler had fallen off over the 5-6 months (Wonder where that leak was). This was something else he could not explain as he said up here in VT, the muffler goes first, then the big center pipe and then the manifold pipe. Had his main man check the car from top to bottom

He found plenty of room to turn the rotors and Drums and did not understand why they would tell me what they did. Needless to say due to the discrepancies and the fact that they agreed I had been mistreated they replaced the Muffler, changed the front Pads, drained and changed the brake fluid and SKIMMED the rear drums. Hat's off to John Clifford. The Altima now has no vibration or exhaust leak and runs great which takes us back to T-bird.

Next Mr. Black set up an appointment to go over the issues they claimed were wrong on the T-Bird. I brought it in. John Clifford went over it with me. Made me 2 hours late for work but I stayed assuming they were going to address the issues. First the emergency brake worked fine. I have two copies of notes, one with all of the stuff they claimed was wrong and one where he pointed out the only issues he thought were urgent which I might add still have not been addressed and one of them was the original grinding noise which turns out is the rear bearing. He thought that should be changed ASAP.

The motor mounts were both intact although cracked from wear, he had to pry up on them with a pry bar to see it, said they weren't of urgent need of repair. The four rear brake pads had no oil on them and were far from being oil soaked. They saw I only had the one bad seal replaced and the other was fine. My rear pads were about 2/3's worn but still had life. So I left the car there all day. Get a call to come pick it up and all they had done was degrease and put dye in the engine just to make sure the oil leak was not serious which was one of the 3 urgent repairs he cited in his report. He thought it was most likely the valve covers and I see no evidence of leaks now.

They never touched the rear bearings so they still are grinding away. Remember this was my original reason for checking it out. The third issue was a radiator leak which also was never addressed. Needless to say I was upset that they did not at least address the grinding bearings.

Mr Black calls me at work. I expressed my concern that they made me 2 hours late for work and his reply was and I quote Wait a minute Bob, you've already got my hands deep in s**t over this whole issue already. I'm not going to sink a bunch of money into a lost cause ( the last 5 words are the only ones I'm not sure of).

Well first of all part owner or not I don't believe Midas would like its customers spoken to in such a manner although it seems that Mr. Black nor Mr, Brassard could care less. I have tried calling Mr. Black twice to follow up on the dye in the T-Bird but he has not returned my calls and neither has Mr. Brassard. First of all it isn't my fault I caught them ripping me off twice so if Mr. Blacks hands are deep in s**t it is not my fault.

Secondly I am in customer service and I am very good at it but that kind language to a customer, especially one you ripped off is totally unacceptable.

I will contact anyone and everyone until I find solitude over this issue. If anyone can help me I would appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Robert Harris

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