Muffler story and repair shop scams

General discussion about our beloved Tercel 4WD cars
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Ace
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My tercel:: '83 DLX 4WD Tercel wagon 3AC

Muffler story and repair shop scams

Post by Ace »

I bought my 1983 4x4 Tercel wagon when it was less than a year old, with under 15,000 miles. The original tires lasted for 44,000 miles but the original muffler corroded through before that; it was the first significant item needing replacement on the entire car.

In 1986 (at 41,327 miles) I had the original muffler replaced at a Midas shop with what seemed like a fair deal at the time. The "lifetime warrantee" muffler failed in 1991 at 57,224 miles.

When I went back for a "free" replacement, they said I also needed a whole new tailpipe. I insisted that I did not need a whole new tailpipe, I just needed the crapped-out muffler replaced and that was supposed to be no charge. After some argument and delay, I got my way.

The 1991 muffler failed in 1999 at 94670 miles, and I went through another hassle with Midas. Their mechanic "tested" my tailpipe with big channel-lock pliers and put a big crimp in it just ahead of the muffler, and pronounced the tailpipe in need of replacement. I pointed out that the tailpipe was not significantly rusted and the only problem with it was where he crimped it, and they were going to fix that. It took quite a while to argue my case but finally got my free muffler replacement. They charged me $5 for welding in a short piece of pipe to replace the section they crimped and I paid that, didn't want to waste any more time arguing.

Eventually, after three Midas muffler failures, I decided it was more trouble than it was worth to try to get another "free" muffler replacement from Midas if I had to go through that hassle with them trying to sell me something else that I didn't need. Their mufflers seemed designed for short life so they can scam you on other repairs.

I replaced the muffler myself with a straight pipe, as an experiment. I was surprised that the exhaust wasn't particularly loud without the muffler, just a bit raspy. I stuck a single-layer cylinder of half-inch mesh wire screen up the tail pipe and that quieted it a bit more, and has been good enough ever since. Apparently the catalytic converter helps quiet the exhaust, perhaps more than the muffler.

I remember one guy telling me he had had a Pontiac Fiero (1980's) with stainless steel exhaust system which lasted the life of the car. So why don't more cars have that.

My Tercel still has the original exhaust pipes despite Midas telling me it needed replacement in 1991 and 1999. The original catalytic converter is OK as far as I can tell.
Last edited by Ace on Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: Muffler story

Post by dlb »

It's funny you posted this tale now, because the other day I came across something similar.

I recently bought a t4 from a kid who wasn't mechanically inclined and realized he didn't have the means to fix it up. He had taken it to Canadian Tire to get the gear oil replaced and they told him it needed all kinds of stuff. He mentioned this to me but I just found the receipt from Canadian Tire which details everything. They were correct that it needed all new front brakes but that's about it -- they also claimed it needed all new rear brakes, the rear axle seals were leaking gear oil all over the rear brakes, the rear axle bearings needed to be replaced, and the front sway bar and control arm bushings were worn out. But I went through the car recently and the only rear brake component that was faulty was one park brake cable (which they did not notice) -- everything they claimed about the rear brakes, rear axle bearings and seals, and sway bar and control arm bushings was BS. No leaks, no growling bearings, all the bushings snug and in good shape.

You always hear about shops (especially ones like CT and Midas) pulling this kind of stuff but I never take my vehicles to those places so I often wonder if it's as bad as people say. In this case, it certainly was. It wasn't even my car at the time but I still feel like posting something on facebook or something like that to let people know about this incident.
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Mark
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My tercel:: 1984 Automatic, 1981 sedan
Location: Victoria, B.C.

Re: Muffler story

Post by Mark »

Years ago I got 2 new front tires from Canadian Tire for my Tercel. They installed them while I waited in the store. They made an announcement in the store PA for me to come to the auto service desk. When I got there they told me that my tie rods were worn out and ready to fail and needed to be replaced right away for about $700 (if I remember right). To prove it, they brought me to where the wagon was on the lift and moved a front wheel back and forth. I could see the other wheel moving as well and the steering wheel moving back and forth (it wasn't locked). Basically, the tie rods were tight, and they were moving the whole rack and pinion steering system. I had also replaced those tie rods myself with new ones about a month previously. I don't know if they honestly were incompetent and actually thought the movement was from bad tie rods or if they were scamming. I said they were fine and they gave me back the car with a warning that it was unsafe.
I don't know why some places try to scam for extra work, when most auto repair places are booked solid a week or two in advance.
Mogordo
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My tercel:: 1983 SR5 Wagon

Re: Muffler story

Post by Mogordo »

That's funny Ace that your car doesn't even need a muffler to be quiet enough. I didn't realize that was ever the case. Interesting to know. I mostly take my cars to shops for more thorough alignments here and there and have been going to people known by people to be decent but I'll keep in mind to probably steer clear of those two should I have reason to go to a shop when traveling. Well, mostly Midas. I haven't been to Canada since my dad drove my younger sister and I over the border 20 years ago on a road trip just so we would have been in Canada at least once.
One who walks in shoes always clean likely walks nowhere at all.
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Ace
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Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:57 am
My tercel:: '83 DLX 4WD Tercel wagon 3AC

Re: Muffler story and repair shop scams

Post by Ace »

Thanks for the responses. I modified the thread title to suit; I imagine there are lots of stories along this line.
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RipRiley
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My tercel:: 1980 sedan dlx

Re: Muffler story and repair shop scams

Post by RipRiley »

I feel your pain. This little nugget had ALL the exhaust leaks after having a shop install this one, I've since re-welded all the seems during o2 sensor install.
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