Need a new muffler on my car-where to go?

[dennis thompson]

My granddaughters car, a 1999 Ford Taurus, is pretty loud & I guess it needs a new muffler/exhaust pipe. Is Midas a good place to go? Thanks, Dennis

[Peter Pedisich]

My mechanic is pretty cool - he encourages me getting parts from Rock Auto and he puts them on. Rock Auto (dot com) has great prices.

[Gordon Eyre]

I have used Midas and they did a good job. Price was reasonable and it had a lifetime warranty.

[Biff Johnson]

I think Midas can be ok, has all the usual downsides of a large chain. Uncaring staff, underpaid mechanics, possibly shoddy work...typical roll of the dice. I use an exhaust shop in my area. That's all they do is exhaust. Sometimes it costs a little more because they refuse to put on cheapo mufflers but the work is always quality. They have done everything from a pressure washer muffler to a custom dual 3" exhaust on my classic truck.

Exhaust is a specialty so I think I would seek out a specialist. Ask around at the local dealership or garage and find out who they sublet their exhaust work to.

[Matt Meiser]

My mechanic is pretty cool - he encourages me getting parts from Rock Auto and he puts them on. Rock Auto (dot com) has great prices.

I see that mentioned a lot. I've never seen them be cheaper than my local Napa after shipping on anything I've needed.

[Pat Barry]

Some kids like loud mufflers. I know that's the way it is around my place. If she needs a muffler there are so many places. Its not rocket science. Just tell her to go to a few places and get estimates then make a good decision based on the estimates. Its a learning opportunity.

[David Weaver]

I've had exhaust work at meineke, midas, and at one of the auto parts chains (pep boys). Meineke and midas are definitely cheaper. Service was fine both places, decent price. Pep boys was more like 3/4ths or 7/8ths of dealer price.

If I could weld, I would be doing the work myself, esp. given the market value of the cars that I've had that need exhaust work (not usually happening on a car that's still got $30k of market value).

[Jason Roehl]

I'm not a fan of Midas, but it may just be our local franchise. Everyone I know who has been there has told me what it's cost, and it's always much more than similar work others have had done at a local shop. The one time I went there as a poor college student, they wanted to replace everything, including the manifold and catalytic converter for $300+ (1994). I went down the road to a local place and they said that was bogus and replaced the muffler and pipes for $100 out the door.

Short trips will do more to put an early end to an exhaust system than just about anything else. Modern cars have much cleaner exhaust and the metallurgy on the pipes and muffler are much better. If she spends a little more on the parts, she probably won't ever have to do it again.

[David Weaver]

I'm not a fan of Midas, but it may just be our local franchise. Everyone I know who has been there has told me what it's cost, and it's always much more than similar work others have had done at a local shop. The one time I went there as a poor college student, they wanted to replace everything, including the manifold and catalytic converter for $300+ (1994). I went down the road to a local place and they said that was bogus and replaced the muffler and pipes for $100 out the door.

Short trips will do more to put an early end to an exhaust system than just about anything else. Modern cars have much cleaner exhaust and the metallurgy on the pipes and muffler are much better. If she spends a little more on the parts, she probably won't ever have to do it again.

Things have probably changed since I went to midas (which ws probably about 1994, too, and it was in central PA where I was living at the time - where people were stingy and suspcious). I'd bet it has 100% to do with who is running the local store, and if midas is public or has a greedy owner at the top of a franchise system, things can change for the worse.

Our meineke guy is cheap, the service guy that is. I don't know if he's a franchise owner or what. The shop is full of older guys who look like they've had a rough life (don't shave to often, little dirty, lots of cigarettes while working), and they work cheap and do good work. If it wasn't for the guy at the counter, the place could be a rip off shop like anywhere else - most people wouldn't know otherwise. It's good to know who has a guy like that running the local operation.

[Stephen Tashiro]

If I could weld, I would be doing the work myself,

I think muffler shops tend to do everything by welding. Although many exhaust systems are designed to be installed with welds, there are cars that use exhaust parts that are bolt-on. When shops replace such parts they often improvise ways to do it by welding. Their designs don't always work.

[Jerome Stanek]

I went to a private muffler shop they were almost half what Midas was and they used better parts. The Midas muffler has a good warranty but you have to pay for the install and that pays them for the muffler. The exhaust pipw is not covered by their warranty.

[dennis thompson]

Thanks for all the advice, I went to Meineke and it only needed a minor repair, good and honest service.
Dennis