Midas

I recently had work done here and was not satisfied, but customer service called me and remedied the situation. They clearly value their customers’ satisfaction and loyalty.

Have been here twice. Most recently to have our headlights replaced (because the process was super complicated when we did it ourselves we couldn’t bring ourselves to take it all apart again) and to have the tires balanced.
We had an appt for a Saturday, dropped the car off at 10:30 AM, they weren’t done until 3:40 PM. In their defense they hadn’t called saying it was ready, our mistake to think tat it would have been done after 3 hours I guess. The guys working the counter were very friendly and they’ve done the best they can to make waiting as pleasant as possible including free coffee and drinks.
It was pricier than I would have liked, but I can only assume that’s an Upstate NY phenomenon because everything here is so much more expensive than everywhere else I’ve lived.

Run while you can. Mike and Mike are the epitomy of the white shoe salesman. Can I spell S-​L-​E-​A-​Z-​Y any more clearly? I left there creeped out and will definitely never return. Look, I only write reviews when I have a strong opinion, good or bad, and these guys are out to hit your wallet.

Saved my wife on Christmas eve, couldn’t get her size tire after blowout, gave her a ride home. Thanks Mike

I was really satisfied with my visit to Midas today. Mike, the store manager, is such a nice guy and very trustworthy. The oil change/​tire rotation took exactly the amount of time he said it would, the price was fair, and he even saved me some money in advising me not to change my fuel filter as Honda maintenance recommends (my car is brand new, and he advised that it was unnecessary to change it at this point). I’ll definitely go back for future maintenance and oil changes!

I’ve been, or at least was, of the Midas in Latham for over 10 years since back when it was located on Route 9.
For the most part, i was always happy with the service results and they never seemed to attempt to hose me for as much money as possible for things not necessary.
About a year or so ago, there was a complete turnaround of staff and the familiar faces i had grown accustomed to dealing with were no longer around. That’s when things fell apart for the service and reliability i often bragged about and recommended to others.
Last October, my car wouldn’t stay running after it initially started. The car was towed up and they told me they would ”play around with some things” and try to diagnose it.
The car was a ’94 so the typical crutch of a computer reader for autos ’96 and newer wasn’t an option, so this would turn into a 7 day ordeal from hell.
When they first got the car there, it supposedly was working fine and not cutting off, which only made things more complicated for diagnosing it.
Then the car wouldn’t run and needed to be pushed into the shop a day or so later.
The snowball rolled downhill quickly from there as they informed me that i would need a crankshaft replacement and it was about $ 800. While that would be a hard financial pill to swallow, the pill would become much more jagged due to the misdiagnosis.
So i agree to have the work done and they tell me it will be ready the following afternoon in which they’ll call me.
The call never came so i called them. From there i’m informed that the car is still cutting off and they believe it’s the fuel pump that they told me they previously tested and was fine. Needless to say i’m livid on the phone with the woman and didn’t want to shoot the messenger, so i said i’ll talk to he boss in the morning first thing.
Right when they open up i call and speak to the man in charge named Mike. This man is the definition of a snake oil salesman if there ever was one.
He goes into this whole story in which he’s letting me know that i did need the crankshaft regardless that we now know the fuel pump is the current problem.
Knowing a refund won’t be happening if i tell them to rip it out and only charge me for the fuel pump which is 3 days away, i swallow my pride and play the role of sucker in hopes of just getting my car back as soon as possible.
A few days later my car is finally finished with a price tag of over $ 1500, in which Mike stresses how much money he saved me by tinkering with labor rates and blah blah blah.
My rental car expenses are over $ 600 at this point but Mike says that corporate will be reimbursing me for a good chunk of that so ‘don’t worry’.
Good thing i wasn’t holding my breath for that to happen, because i wouldn’t be writing this review right now.
Out a vehicle for over a week, out of close to $ 2200, and my transmission would go the next month rendering the vehicle as a for parts sale.
The last part may have had nothing to do with the incompetence i encountered, but the nightmare leading up to that ‘grand finale’ was 100% their fault.
Stay away!!! Service under the new régime was going downhill before i foolishly sent my car there that last time.

I will not return here out of principle. And because I do not trust this shop at all. I’ve been meaning to do this review for several months. I wanted to thoroughly explain my experience so please excuse its length.
It was cold in about November 2013, my car would not start at 5:30pm after work. I was anxious and worried about cost. Midas was really close; less than a mile.
I took my car here just before closing, and they called me back the next day with 3 concerns:
1.Fuel pump, which was a likelihood, $ 500.00.
2.My timing belt, based on mileage, a guess on their part — $ 1000.00.
3.Some wheel joint doohicky (I REALLY know my stuff) — about $ 500.00. Pretty sure I’m underestimating. They didn’t mention diagnostic fees at this point (about $ 115 with no work completed, when I thought better of it). These are VERY close estimates but I don’t have the exact numbers.
I had a bad feeling. Another time I was here for an oil change, which I’d scheduled in advance. It took 1 ½ hours, no explanation. Just a lot of salesman smiling and a few «Ok buddy“s, as I handed them my payment. I also observed a LOT of up — selling to other vulnerable and obviously clueless customers as I waited.
I decided to go to my trusted mechanic instead.
Verdicts:
1.I researched the car’s repair history. It was a new-​ish timing belt. No need for replacement. ($ 1000 saved)
2.Midas rapped on my gas tank. It has not stalled since. They did not tell me it hadn’t stalled for them after this until I said I was going to my regular mechanic. I was going to wait for AAA to tow me, and at this point they told me I can probably just drive it there. No new fuel pump needed at this time. Napa could not find anything wrong. ($ 500 saved)
3.The wheel doohicky cost me like $ 345 at Capitaland Napa Auto. They didn’t understand any of the high estimates. ($ 155 saved) Napa did not charge diagnostic fees.
You do the math and figure out what I saved! But don’t forget the diagnostic fees Midas squeezed out of me.
Lastly, I need to mention that when I started explaining to Midas my concern about cost, I was charmingly interrupted to discuss their installment credit plan. No savings options or priority repairs discussion, just encouragement to incur a new debt which I definitely did not need.
Good luck to you if you go here, or check out my other great reviews after positive recent experiences at 2 auto shops. Midas taught me to research my auto shops carefully. Lesson learned.