Midas

This location did a great job fitting me in even though I called late in the day. Mike was really nice suggesting cost effective services and even prevented me from wasting money on unnecessary services. Thanks Midas and Mike for being honest and accommodating!

My 1998 Chevy truck popped a metal brake line. I drove it to Midas in Brunswick to have them look it over.
They called me back and said it «wasn’t that bad». I just needed a new front brake line BUT since both bleeder valves were «stuck», I would also need two new calipers and new pads. The total was $ 550!
I asked them if they had tried heating the bleeders to get them open. Freeing a bleeder is the absolute most basic thing a brake shop will ever have to do. It’s not rocket science folks.
He said if they heated it any more they’d break them right off. I really felt that they were lying & trying to upsell me parts that I didn’t need. Shame on them.
I said NO to their over priced repairs and picked the truck up. They let me drive away with ZERO BRAKES! I used downshifting and the e-​brake to get home. They should be ashamed of that.
I then called around to price the calipers. They were only $ 30 each! The pads were $ 19. The brake line was $ 12. At the very most, the parts they said I needed cost $ 91. Midas wanted an additional $ 459 for an hour of LABOR?! That’s F*ing crazy.
The next day I called a mobile auto repair guy that I found on craigslist and told him the story. He said that Midas was probably trying to gouge me. He came over to my house and tried opening the bleeders valves. Both of them opened without any trouble. He didn’t even have to heat them! So Midas was completely bullsh*tting me!
The mobile repair guy fixed my truck in about hour for $ 12 in parts (just the 1 brake line) and $ 70 labor.
I did not need new calipers or pads and my bleeders were not frozen! Midas ARE crooks!
I realize Midas has to make a profit but gouging local folks (who trust them) by telling them they need parts they really don’t need is criminal and very, very wrong. If Midas wants to keep their loyal customer base here in the Troy NY area, they need to stop screwing people over like this. They should be reported to the BBB and the attorney general office.

Somehow they didn’t put my appointment in the computer so my inspection took forever!

I was usually happy. Unlike the typical big chain auto shops, this guy always gave me honest estimates of what I needed for my car.