Meineke........!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy Moly!

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pastortom1

pastortom1

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The "Champ" used to say, "You won't pay a lot for that muffler..." at Meineke.............

That may be the case for a stinking muffler, but it ain't for a brake job on your A-Body..............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get this.......... I took the car in for the following: Turn the rear drums (good shape), replace the shoes (but NOT the hardware kits), replace the rear brake cylinders, bleed the brakes, and then change the right rear axle seal.

Total charge? $487. and change!! When I booked the job, thay told me the axle was not a problem...only an extra hour labor..........but when I delivered the car the next morning, their tune changed.........they blame the big cost on the axle seal............................................

I am so sick of these outrageous labor costs .........they all seem to have you over the barrel, and it's getting worse all the time..........

This totals about $120. in parts.....................Live and learn (and learn, and learn, and learn again............................)
 
You would have been better of going to a small local shop and not a chain store......I would do all that myself but not everyone can. I have found that small local shops are more resonable on labor and do a better job. They need to cause they don't have a multi-million dollar ad campaign.
 
The problem is that in Orlando, there ARE no "small" shops........I can not get a recommendation from ANYONE around here...........seems like they all want to just take you to the cleaners...........

AND GET THIS NOW.......MEINEKE JUST CALLED, AND SAID THE OTHER SIDE WAS LEAKING ALSO........I argued the point, being in there myself a short time ago to check it out.......it was NOT leaking........

They say they need to fix the other seal, AND replace a drum........NOW THE BILL IS AT $710. AND CLIMBING..................................

Can you believe this?...........ONE DRUM (which accounts for NO labor), and replace the other axle seal..........

An Extra $230.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Go get your car and tell them not to do anything to it......if they can put it back the way it was before.....you need to go somewhere else and fast.....
 
pastortom1 said:
The problem is that in Orlando, there ARE no "small" shops........I can not get a recommendation from ANYONE around here...........seems like they all want to just take you to the cleaners...........

AND GET THIS NOW.......MEINEKE JUST CALLED, AND SAID THE OTHER SIDE WAS LEAKING ALSO........I argued the point, being in there myself a short time ago to check it out.......it was NOT leaking........

They say they need to fix the other seal, AND replace a drum........NOW THE BILL IS AT $710. AND CLIMBING..................................

Can you believe this?...........ONE DRUM (which accounts for NO labor), and replace the other axle seal..........

An Extra $230.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Doesn't sound right. Like Duster318 said, have Meineke button it back up and get a second opinion.

I agree with the small shop theory. It took a while, but I finally found a small shop I could trust. It usually takes talking to local area family, friends and acquaintances to find the right shop. But with enough digging, you should be able to find one.
 
By the time I got the phone call, they had already taken it apart and installed new cylinders, and began the job overall.........

I asked first thing what he had done so far with the intent of taking the car out of the shop...........

I'll tell you this........I WILL be sending a full disclosure to the Meineke headquarters, and demanding a complete review of their labor charges..........

Orlando is NOT a place to break down, or to be without your own garage.................
 
I would refuse to pay and demand to talk with the manager.....they CAN NOT DO REPAIRS WITHOUT YOUR AUTHORIZATION especially if it is something other than you discussed when you made the appointment. You yell loud enough and make a big enough scene with other customers in there and they will bend over......this is a time when I agree with a customer yelling and making a scene.
 
I agree, they cant say they 'have' to add another $230 to your bill without your ok. Tell them you kiss your tail on that one, imo. I'm out in lake mary, I'm no drum brake pro. But we could probably tackle that. lol


$700 you could have rebuilt all four corners of brakes and probably got a set of tires. :sad:
 
go in there raising all hell that usually gets there atention ... but sometimes they try to pull ,they cant lit the car leave because it could be unsafe to drive ,then u tell them talk to my lawyer lol works for me . dont lit them push u around i have found if u raise enough hell they will see it ur way
 
This just gets better..............

I got another call, and they said they couldn't find my 10" drums anywhere..................

I can find them myself, I said...............a little later, they had them......................

I just have to roll up my sleeves and start to do ALL of my own work again..............I've had it.................

A little ibuprofen, a little sunshine, and here I come.

What REALLY burns me about this situation is this........The actual MECHANIC that busts his butt doing this work will probably get paid about $50. total (or less) for the WHOLE JOB..............

Can you say "moonlighting"????? I think we need some protective legislation for our mechanics so they cannot get fired for doing extra work at HOME to make extra cash.

I'D SIGN THE PETITION IF CONGRESS WOULD LISTEN.

(Another paradox.........the use of "Congress" and "listen" in the same context.......)
 
Do you belong to AAA? If so they have a list of backed and inspected repair shops that they approve. This way if you have a problem with them they will work thru the dispute and make the best of it. And they follow up on the stuff to. For that price of the rear you could swap to rear disc.
 
64dartwagon said:
Do you belong to AAA? If so they have a list of backed and inspected repair shops that they approve. This way if you have a problem with them they will work thru the dispute and make the best of it. And they follow up on the stuff to. For that price of the rear you could swap to rear disc.
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Even AAA approved shops can rip you off. I have one down the street from my house that took my roommate for $1400 on an 89 Accord. Started out as a timing belt job that also ended with a new head.

Then sold the car for $1000 3months later.
 
They all can run their own prices but there is a built in negotiator. O and don't forget. Always Always Always ask for your old part's back. If they don't show you or give them to you don't pay for new ones.
 
Dusterb318 said:
You would have been better of going to a small local shop and not a chain store......I would do all that myself but not everyone can. I have found that small local shops are more resonable on labor and do a better job. They need to cause they don't have a multi-million dollar ad campaign.
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Fortunate to have one of those here. Says he has to make a living,just not all off of one customer. He has such a good rep,it sometimes takes a while to get in,but worth the wait. Did a brake job,on my DD last month. Pads around,and rotors up front, All performance stuff/lifetime warranty. I could have barely bought the parts,and done it myself for what he charged. My 340 is going to his shop next week. :thumbup:
 
Thrashard340 said:
Started out as a timing belt job that also ended with a new head.
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If the belt broke, then that's on par for honda work. Unfortunately they design them to bend and break stuff if the rubber band breaks. Sometimes as far as to poke a hole in a piston or score the cylinder. But if the belt didn't break then I couldn't see any reason unless there were other problems.
 
I would demand to see the labor book beacause I think the labor for doing the w/c includes removing and replace the shoes .I think its like 1.8hours labor . Also doing the axle seals may also include r/r the shoes so they are overcharging labor . Usaully the book says r/r the w/c 1.8h includes replace shoes ,hardware etc .So if they are charging 100.00 for rear brks 60labor 40shoes and than charging 1.8 labor for w/c the 60 should come off the bill .All amount are fict but should be close. Shops do this all the time I know.Ex ever had a waterpump replaced and also paid for a rad flush why you drain all the coolant when you do the pump ,you just paid more labor for nothing.
 
Yes deffinetly make a scene or they will rip you off and continue to rip others off. I've dealt with places like this and they are just rip off artists and as long as you sit there and say nothing your just their patsy. Like Scamp408 said they get you by charging you 2 or 3 times for the same labor charges. And like the others said they have absolutely no right legally to charge you for labor you didn't ok. I know that because I used to work at a place that did that to customers and most times they got away with it because the customers were too affraid to say anything. Some weren't and screamed loud enough and got charges reduced or totally taken off. I allways loved to see that. Hated working for them crooks.
 
I would go down there and pay for what you agreed on, and thank them for the extra they did for you. With out your aproval on any other stuff is on their tab, That's the law.
 
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