Topic: Dear Budget Brake and Muffler: Fuck you

[gpw11]

So, on my way to work this morning my muffler fell off.  Really, considering how many times I've bottomed that car out on sites and gravel roads, I'm kind of surprised it lasted this long.   Nevertheless, it's a bitch because any other weak would be financially easier for me.  Anyways, after trying to tie it back on (no go...that car has some fucked up fastner placement negating my ability to reach the loop holes without jackstands) I decided to take it in to get it replaced/reaffixed. 

The thing is that I need it done ASAP because I have to take it out to school tonight.  So,  I drove around to different places for a bit, but none could garuntee I'd get it back by when I needed.  I'd go to the usual place I go to, but it's a bit far to be driving without a muffler in the city.  So I take it to the chain place, ask them how long they think it's going to be, and it's only a couple of hours.  Perfect.

So then I ask for an estimate; $280.  What the fuck?  I can't deny the muffler should be replaced as well as reaffixed (weld is actually breaking), but $280 is fucking steep for a muffler and install.  I try to talk the guy down a bit, but it's a chain and I can see the price on the computer, so I have no options considering my time constraint.

Yet, in retrospect what I should have done is drove my car to my old highschool, talked to my old mechanics teacher, borrowed a car to an autoparts warehouse, bought a muffler, gone back to the highschool, used their lift to rattach the motherfucker, and then that's that for less than half the price. 

As bad as it is getting ripped off and not having any clue, it's so much worse when you're getting ripped off and just have to take it.

[scottws]

Yeah that does sound like it sucks.  Luckily my dad owns a car dealership.  I pay for service still, but he usually helps plus I get a 20% discount.  And if I need a rental car it's free.

[Cobra951]

Auto labor is through the roof just about anywhere.  Here, I know one place which was reasonably close to my old house (and now entirely too far off the beaten path) which was a mom & pop repair shop out in the boondocks.  It came recommended by word of mouth.  They accepted only cash.  You often had to leave your car there for days.  But they did a fine job for less than half of what any typical car shop would charge.  Great place for transmissions and other major work.

Anywhere with national recognition, you're screwed.  They got you, and they know it.  Most people couldn't do the work, even if they could get their hands on all the expensive needed tools.

Edit:  Your dad owns a car dealership, Scott?  What does he sell?

[WindAndConfusion]

I know one place which was a mom & pop repair shop out in the boondocks.  It came recommended by word of mouth.  They accepted only cash.

That probably means they're cheating on their income taxes.

But they did a fine job for less than half of what any typical car shop would charge.  Great place for transmissions and other major work.

Probably because of the tax evasion.

[K-man]

I just had a new muffler and a length of pipe installed for 60 bucks.  280 is fucking robbery.

[gpw11]

Auto labor is through the roof just about anywhere.  Here, I know one place which was reasonably close to my old house (and now entirely too far off the beaten path) which was a mom & pop repair shop out in the boondocks.  It came recommended by word of mouth.  They accepted only cash.  You often had to leave your car there for days.  But they did a fine job for less than half of what any typical car shop would charge.  Great place for transmissions and other major work.

Anywhere with national recognition, you're screwed.  They got you, and they know it.  Most people couldn't do the work, even if they could get their hands on all the expensive needed tools.

Edit:  Your dad owns a car dealership, Scott?  What does he sell?

Yeah, the place I go to for hardcore engine work is basically a guy working out of his garage.  I get a discount on some OEM parts, and he has no problem with me bringing parts in and him just doing the work for insanely cheap.  He hasn't really fucked anything up yet, and people who go to him love him, so I've never been too worried about it either.  Obviously, tax evasion is a big part of it, but he also has no overhead at all. 

And Kman, yeah $280 is about the most retarded thing I've heard of for a muffler, but $60?  I couldn't get a muffler, tail pipe, and connecting pipe for itself that cheap.  How did you swing that?

[Ghandi]

Whenever my car breaks down I just steal a new one.

[Cobra951]

You can stop playing San Andreas now.  IV is almost here.

[Ghandi]

Yeah, I'm going to need you to ship me your 360 so that I can play it. PM me for my address.

[Quemaqua]

I can't wait.  I preordered mine yesterday.

 ... wow, that's my significant contribution to this thread.  How sad.

[poomcgoo]

This happened to me last year and I paid $99 at Meineke.  I would imagine they include some astroglide at the place you went, but at $280 it sounds like they want you in pain.

[gpw11]

Yeah, I've only actually payed to get my muffler replaced on a car once, and it was just over a hundred dollars.  As I was getting ripped off I was looking for ways out.  I asked to see the system price, I checked under the car while it was on the lift to see if could be reattached, and tried to talk the guy down (a bit).  No go, and as I HAD to get this bitch fixed right away and couldn't really get anywhere else, I had no real option but to suck it up.  That's the worst part about it really. 

I guess the upside is I now have a 3 year warranty on that (covering parts and labour) as well as the desire to totally break the weld again, make it look like it just deteriorated and get them to fix it right before that warranty runs out (Assuming my car isn't dead by then).   That and I work with a guy who once got stuck paying over $400 for a muffler and exhaust overhaul at an out of town dealership.  That's gotta suck.

[gpw11]

I just realized I also could have saved roughly $200 by going to work, getting my boss to do a quick weld to make it look like it was still attached and dealing with it next week.  Now I'm in a bad mood again.

[Ghandi]

If you let a muffler put you in a bad mood, I feel sorry for you. It's just a fucking muffler.

Besides, there's nothing you can do about it now. You got fucked. Getting in a bad mood over it only makes things worse.

/additional cheerful observations

[gpw11]

what the fuck?  How come nobody every says that about Que when he sees a kitten and it makes him want to kill something? 

Edit:  and the muffler doesn't put me in a bad mood, the $200 does.

[Ghandi]

I tried making Que feel better once and it made me cry. True story.

And think of all the stuff that you could have done with that $200. Should we make a list? It should probably start with a glorious 15 minutes full of hookers and coke.

[gpw11]

 

Oh man, that would be soooooo good.